Tired of trying this alone, and now asking for help

KaruBlack

Hello everyone.

I have been trying to lose weight for a while now. At one point I did lose 12 pounds (and I haven't gained it back yet so yay for that!) but I am still very unhappy with my weight. I yoyo between 175 and 181 pounds all of the time and even though I exercise and what I believed was eating fine I cannot get any of the results I want.

I still need to lose about 15-20 pounds and I am starting to feel like it will never happen. I need some help. I normally do not even ask for help, I always do everything on my own and research what I know but the more I research the more I am releasing that most people have no idea how to body actually works and how nutrition works.

I don't want any gimmicks, no quick fixes, no fake "cleanse" fix, and I believe losing weight should not cost money besides the normal cost of food and such. But apparently I am still doing something wrong.

I need a guideline for me to see what I can do to change and add to my regimen now. I need to know how I should eat, what exercises I should try to lose weight, how often should I exercise and such.

I have been using fitnessblender website, which is great, I am getting stronger and I can feel it but I can never lose the weight so I just need some good, sound reasonable advice.

Thank you. ^_^

dmt4641

Fitness blender is great, keep using that if you enjoy it.

As far as diet goes, counting calories is enough to lose weight. But you have to count them accurately. Check out this link for info on logging:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

You don't need to go low carb or eat "clean" or whatever to lose weight. Calories is king. However, many people find it easier to stay in a deficit due to less hunger when they 1) set a reasonable deficit for the weight they have to lose. For only 15-20 lbs that is probably .5 lb a week, 2) eat sufficient protein, .8 grams per pound LBM. This keeps you full as well has helps you maintain your muscle mass and 3) eat enough fiber and healthy fats for satiety. Eating lots of vegetables can give you lots of food volume and fiber, which can help you feel full.

Lastly, you don't have to deprive yourself of all the foods you enjoy in order to lose weight. I try to fit little treats into my week, just log it and stay within your calories.

Good luck! It works when you log accurately and CONSISTENTLY!

kommodevaran

You don't have to eat anything in particular or follow any particular regimen. All you have to do is eat at a calorie deficit. Plug your stats into MFP and aim to hit that calorie goal every day. Weigh everything you eat (and drink, if you drink anything that has calories), check every entry for errors, and log everything. This is all you have to do. But you have to do it, consistently, for a long, long time. You can expect to lose up to 1% of your body weight per week - on average; the weight graph will not be a straight line.

KaruBlack

Thank you. I think I have it that MFP is lose 1 pound a week. I will change it to 0.5 a week to see if that is more realistic for my calories. Even though I hate it, I was also thinking of starting to add running into my exercises as well.

dmt4641

Why add an exercise you hate? Just curious. Running doesn't have any magical weight loss powers. It helps burn calories, but it could also make you grumpy/burned out if you hate doing it. There are tons of ways to burn calories, find one that you enjoy.

KaruBlack

well the only thing that has worked very well for me in the past has always been walking but with it being so freaking hot outside here (I live in the south) it's hard to find a good time that isn't too hot. I have an elliptical machine as well.

dmt4641

I'm in TX and 100 degrees with 100% humidity is not good running weather. Its like your walking in a sauna. I like to do cardio while watching a show/movie on my iPad. Makes the time go by quicker.

cerise_noir

This.

I'd like to add that since your deficit is small, definitely weigh all food that isn't a pure liquid (stock, juice, pop, coffee, milk, etc) on a food scale in grams. This ensures that you keep your deficit to lose the .5lb per week. Remember that weight loss isn't linear, so gains, stalls and losses are all normal. Many things can mask weight loss and cause fluid retention such as hormonal changes, a new or increased exercise, too much sodium, dehydration and for some, too many carbs an cause fluid retention.


As for logging, always go for weights instead of cups, and make sure the food database entries that you use are accurate and reflect the packaging information of the food. Some pre-weighed pre-packaged foods can be off, so make sure to weigh those. A couple brands of protein bars I've consumed ended up weighing more than their package states, but this can happen with any prepacked food.

dmt4641 wrote: »

Fitness blender is great, keep using that if you enjoy it.

As far as diet goes, counting calories is enough to lose weight. But you have to count them accurately. Check out this link for info on logging:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

You don't need to go low carb or eat "clean" or whatever to lose weight. Calories is king. However, many people find it easier to stay in a deficit due to less hunger when they 1) set a reasonable deficit for the weight they have to lose. For only 15-20 lbs that is probably .5 lb a week, 2) eat sufficient protein, .8 grams per pound LBM. This keeps you full as well has helps you maintain your muscle mass and 3) eat enough fiber and healthy fats for satiety. Eating lots of vegetables can give you lots of food volume and fiber, which can help you feel full.

Lastly, you don't have to deprive yourself of all the foods you enjoy in order to lose weight. I try to fit little treats into my week, just log it and stay within your calories.

Good luck! It works when you log accurately and CONSISTENTLY!

frankiesgirlie

KaruBlack wrote: »

well the only thing that has worked very well for me in the past has always been walking but with it being so freaking hot outside here (I live in the south) it's hard to find a good time that isn't too hot. I have an elliptical machine as well.

Why don't you go on YouTube? I just followed an indoor walking routine today with Jessica Smith. She's very good and there are other free ones you can do indoors on your computer.

kimny72

OP, go to Walmart or Amazon and spend $15 on a digital food scale.
Then commit to logging everything you eat or drink accurately and consistently every day for two weeks. Use the food scale for as much of the solid food you possibly can. Even food you are scanning, weigh your portion to make sure it really is correct. This way you will know for sure how many calories you are eating.

Chances are, if you are not losing weight, you are eating more than you think - which is really easy to do if you are eyeballing or using measuring cups.

While exercise can certainly help, the most important thing for weight loss is being on point with the calories you are eating. Good luck!

KaruBlack

Yes I'm sure that is the case as well. No matter what I keep thinking my portions are smaller but I am never quite sure. Thank you everyone for the great advice, keep it coming, I'm taking notes on it all (I'm a research type so this is great for me.)

kimny72 wrote: »

OP, go to Walmart or Amazon and spend $15 on a digital food scale.
Then commit to logging everything you eat or drink accurately and consistently every day for two weeks. Use the food scale for as much of the solid food you possibly can. Even food you are scanning, weigh your portion to make sure it really is correct. This way you will know for sure how many calories you are eating.

Chances are, if you are not losing weight, you are eating more than you think - which is really easy to do if you are eyeballing or using measuring cups.

While exercise can certainly help, the most important thing for weight loss is being on point with the calories you are eating. Good luck!