Why will u succeed this time?

Jdkbs

I'm focusing on making small permanent changes. Sometimes I feel desperate when I look in the mirror, but doing unsustainable diet/ exercise has added 90lbs from my first weight loss attempt.

How about u guys? Why will u succeed this time?

CrabNebula

Exercise and weight loss are only casually related. It helps some, but you do not have to exercise to lose weight. You just have to eat less than your TDEE.

You do not have to join a gym to exercise. Just walk around the park or block to start. Do some exercise videos at your own pace from You Tube.

You do not have to give up any food that you love to lose weight. What you do have to do is learn how to fit those foods into your calorie budget. You have to learn self-control, self-discipline, and moderation. No one can do these for you. You have to be ready to change. You have to want to lose weight more than you want an extra donut or large fry. But the good news is, the more you work at saying no to food, the better you get at it to the point where it becomes almost effortless to walk by a box of cupcakes and not give any serious thought to taking one.

Don't cut your calories to 1200 to start. I was around 210-220 when I started seriously calorie counting/tracking. I started at 1800 a day and worked backwards as I got used to smaller portions and lost the weight.

To help with smaller portion sizes, you may want to either buy new plates or use salad plates you already have. Fact is, the bigger the plate is, the more you want to fill it and your brain is tricked into thinking that you haven't gotten enough to eat if a large plate isn't full. I pretty much only eat from salad plates now, square ones are good. If I can't fit it on the plate, I don't eat it. And no seconds if it doesn't fit in your calorie budget!

Use the Food forum here to learn about lower calorie substitutions like egg whites for eggs, applesauce for butter/oil in baking, what low cal products are good and worth buying, etc.

You can't give up everytime there is a set back like water weight gain or you went off the rails one day and overate. You have to stick with the plan and if you fall off the horse one day, so what, get back on the next and continue on. Weight loss is a long game. You did not put on the weight overnight, it will not come off overnight. There is no instant tomorrow you are skinny fix. But I'm at the other end of it in maintenance after losing 140ish lbs and can say it has totally been 100% worth all the frustration and hard work.

Jdkbs

Wow your success is very inspiring. I get frustrated aiming for 1500 daily. I will start with 1800 cals as you suggested. Does it take a few weeks to get used to the drop? Just trying to set realistic expectations.