All help needed

msumo2009

ive been trying to lose weight for like a year now but as we all know it's super hard! I struggle between 240 and 230 but for some item i was at 245 but now I'm down to 242 in one month. The thing is I do a lot of beachbody DVD workouts at home instead of going to the gym much because I like working out in my own privacy with my music blasting. I want to lose some weight ( like 40 lbs ) before I start hitting the gym regular but honestly I don't know what I'm doing I'm just trying the basic things to help me lose weight. Here is what I normally do, I work out 5-6 days a week by doing a one hour cardio workout every week. Food wise I work at subway so I stick to water and whole wheat bread or a salad with little to no processed meats in my meals, I'm not really a huge fan when I'm not at work but I still drink like 8 cups of water a day. Anyways I want to lose 15 lbs by November and I need all the strategies or helpful comments anyone can give me for a 18 year old female who's in college and has a pastime job at Subway. Nothing too mainstream just simple things like how much water you think I should drink, meal ideas, workout tips, I also don't drink protein shakes anymore but please suggest the best one you think will help! Any help would be nice

seska422

Exercise is great but the road to weight loss involves eating fewer calories than your body uses.

This chart has good advice:

TeaBea

Here are a couple of newbie threads that are really helpful:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Weight loss isn't about processed foods. You can still include your favorite foods and lose weight. But you do need to account for everything you eat, that's how you know you have a calorie deficit.

kimny72

Are you logging your food? Exercise is great to burn some calories, but weight loss is mostly about food.

Set your goal to 1 lb per week, log everything accurately and consistently, and make sure you are staying under your calorie goal. It really doesn't matter WHAT you eat for weight loss, as long as you eat the right amount of calories. But it can be easier by focusing on eating fruits & veggies and lean proteins like fish and chicken, pre-planning and logging meals, and using a food scale.

CorneliusPhoton

Accurately measure/weigh all of your food, log them in your MFP diary, and stay within your calorie limit. Try to look at the protein, fat, and fiber goals in your food diary as minimums to achieve. Your calorie goal is a maximum. This works!!! You won't lose weight unless you change how much you eat. Good luck!

abitofbliss

Congrats on your decision. Plug your stats and goals into MFP and follow their calorie allowance while drinking lots of water and I am sure you can lose that 15 by November. Good luck!

AliceDark

Caloric intake is by far the most important factor in weight loss. You should easily be able to lose 15 pounds in 12 weeks. (That's a very achievable goal -- it's nice to see people here aim for achievable goals! Usually it's "I want to lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks," and then we're having a totally different conversation with you). Keep in mind that new/increased exercise can cause temporary water retention that can mask weight loss, and that weight loss is not linear. Plug your stats into MFP, log everything and stick to your calories and you'll start to see losses. Good luck!

Edit...don't worry so much about whether you're eating processed meat in your sandwiches, or whether you're drinking exactly 8 glasses of water. Just start by logging accurately and hitting your calorie target. You can lose weight eating the things you like, as long as you're within your calories. Get the logging under control, and everything else will fall into place.