200 pounds to lose.

danalikebanana

How am I supposed to focus on 5-pound goals when I have this much to lose?

Sometimes I imagine slicing all of it off with a very sharp kitchen knife. But that's a problem (several problems) of its own, isn't it?

The day starts well enough...generally: exercise, proper breakfast, etc. Then I bounce right off the wagon and forget I'm on a WLJ (weight loss journey). Tomorrow's another day, I think to myself...yet again.

Focus hocus pocus. And my focus is of the fleeting nature about 3 hours into my day. I'm starvating 2 hours before lunch with panic in close proximity. Did I not eat enough for breaky? Just how much should a person of my size/height/activity-ness consume on the first encounter o'the day? 100 websites give me 100 different answers.

And why has it taken me so long to learn these things?

Ironandwine69

I would focus ten pounds at a time. Don't worry about 200 right now, worry about 10. Start with making small changes, substitute high calorie foods/drinks with no calorie or lower calories food.
It shouldn't be a diet. It should be a lifestyle. It starts with the moment you make the grocery list. Keep the list from the previous week, every week eliminate a few items you don't need.
Start small. Increase your efforts every week.
Good luck

amtyrell

Ok stop thinking things change tommrow. They change now. Ok is you mess up dont give the day up realize it and be good for the rest of the day. You did not gain 200 lbs overnight you won't lose it either. Enter your stats into MFP and set a 1 or 2 lb a week goal. Then log everything. 1 lb a week is 250 less calories a day. That's not a huge change. Make the change. Stick with it. This can be a seemingly slow process but so much better then continue to gain weight slowly.
Relax don't expect perfection just stick with it.

amtyrell

Oh and a healthy mod morning snack might help

CoachJen71

It takes time. Not just to burn off cals at a safe rate, but also to make lots of well-timed small adjustments to your habits. I myself am a serial starter. Been on and off the wagon for years, but this time it seems to be sticking.

You can do this, a little at a time!

shans34

Thinking the full goal will seem overwhelming. I'm 65 lbs in a goal to lose 130. One thing I learned is that as the weight starts coming off and you get smaller, it's less daunting and starts being second nature.

wellthenwhat

Although, when you have a lot to lose, it's easier to lose and a little makes a big difference in your ability to do things. I have only 8 pounds to go, and it is super slow at this point. When I first started losing it went much faster and I was eating a lot more then than I can now.

treehugnmama

I 2nd the giving up till tomorrow. I was the Queen of that but I'll tell you tomorrow never comes. if I have something I enjoy it an's rigjt back to it. no starting over at dinner I log it and forget it. I am down 65 but still have it to go. I love saying goodbye to a number so currently wanting to be out of the 220's so it will be a clebration (read lame dancing in living room) when I hit 219. I. currently am 229. I haven't lost in 8 weeks but size going down and health getting better. try and focus on some of the good changes you made and work on tje rest. in tje beginning I picked a goal and when that became habit I added another and another . you can do it

TeaBea

amtyrell wrote: »

Ok stop thinking things change tommrow. They change now. Ok is you mess up dont give the day up realize it and be good for the rest of the day. You did not gain 200 lbs overnight you won't lose it either. Enter your stats into MFP and set a 1 or 2 lb a week goal. Then log everything. 1 lb a week is 250 less calories a day. That's not a huge change. Make the change. Stick with it. This can be a seemingly slow process but so much better then continue to gain weight slowly.
Relax don't expect perfection just stick with it.

1 pound a week is 500 calories a day.

But otherwise yes. Continue on your journey. Not everyday is a good one. That's okay, we all screw up.

Look for small changes. Things you can continue to do forever. Those changes will help you keep the weight you lost off (for good).

jessiferrrb

danalikebanana wrote: »

How am I supposed to focus on 5-pound goals when I have this much to lose?

Sometimes I imagine slicing all of it off with a very sharp kitchen knife. But that's a problem (several problems) of its own, isn't it?

The day starts well enough...generally: exercise, proper breakfast, etc. Then I bounce right off the wagon and forget I'm on a WLJ (weight loss journey). Tomorrow's another day, I think to myself...yet again.

Focus hocus pocus. And my focus is of the fleeting nature about 3 hours into my day. I'm starvating 2 hours before lunch with panic in close proximity. Did I not eat enough for breaky? Just how much should a person of my size/height/activity-ness consume on the first encounter o'the day? 100 websites give me 100 different answers.

And why has it taken me so long to learn these things?

to start just put your current stats and activity level into mfp along with your goal and mfp will calculate your calories for the day. eat back some of the calories you burn doing exercise. if you're losing quicker than predicted you can add more calories, if you're losing slower than predicted you can cut back more.

if you're having trouble making it through the first day start slower. you can start just by practicing logging all your food. accurate logging is key to the process. just enter everything that you consume. after you've got the hang of that you can scale back by 100 calories a day for a week. then 100 more the next week, and so on until you've reached the MFP goal calories set for you in the first step. these can be super small changes. if you drink 3 cans of coke (not assuming you do) just drink 2 per day and there's 100 calories gone. if you eat 2 cups of rice, try 1.5. you don't have to change everything all at once or at all even. eat foods you like eating, just start to shave down the portions. if you're feeling hungry try to bulk up your meals with veggies if you like them. they add a lot of volume without a lot of calories. pay attention to how you feel after meals. if you eat carbs do you feel full for a while or hungry soon after? maybe fats help keep you full or maybe it's protein or a combo.

also, accept that there will be good days and bad days, but just because you've messed up on lunch doesn't mean you can't get back on track for dinner.

ETA: meal timing doesn't matter for weight loss. some people do well with a big breakfast others find that it makes them hungrier throughout the day. personally, i like to save at least half of my calories for dinner because that's when i like to eat fuller meals.

marib67

I'm in the same boat as you are. It is daunting but I find if I don't try to do it all in one day I do better. I have slowly lost 32 pounds but I have a LOT to go yet. I am trying to get back on it after being really sick and on steroids for a while. I ended up with a 4 lb gain. I'm not happy about that but it's one day at a time. Slow wins the race, right? You can do it!

memelizzy

Sounds like you need to try keto dieting. Google it to get more info and then join MFP's Low Carb Daily Forum for help and encouragement. You can do this and without all the cravings and hunger pangs!

TeaBea

memelizzy wrote: »

Sounds like you need to try keto dieting. Google it to get more info and then join MFP's Low Carb Daily Forum for help and encouragement. You can do this and without all the cravings and hunger pangs!

If low carb and/or keto are LIFESTYLE changes.....not dieting.

Dieting is a temporary change to lose weight. Keeping the weight off requires permanent changes.

I eat a decent # of calories (moderate weekly weight loss goal) and have figured out what foods are satiating for me. Hunger pangs are minimal.

I don't eliminate anything from my diet. So my cravings are satiated too. I get to eat chocolate.....just not all the chocolate.

jaymie_x0

Send me a message girl, I'd love to help you, encourage you, support you!

If you're feeling binge-like after breakfast, try eating a higher protein breakfast with moderate carbs and fats. I find when I do that it regulates blood sugar and I don't feel the need to binge later

jaymie_x0

Also, aim for a pound a week, initially you'll probably drop water weight but then it'll slow down to about a pound a week

SweetP27

I am almost a year in and have lost 30 of the 160 needed. If I allow it - I will be discouraged that I have 'only' lost 30 pounds. Especially when I see others who have lost so much more. BUT this is not a competition. This is about me getting healthy and reclaiming my life! Several things that I consider: first of all - when you mess up just DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING. (Not yelling - that is just my mantra. ) Do the next right thing. It's that easy. Don't wait until tomorrow or Monday or the first of the month. Do it now! Do the next right thing. Secondly - small, consistent changes will get you where you need to be. Think of this - if a ship is off just one degree in its navigation - at first it isn't a big deal but after time - it is far far from where it intended to be. So the same with us - a small change day after day takes us away from the norm. You can do this. Send me a friend request if you would like!

titotito48

I increased my veggies to half my plate at each meal to fill me up. And increased my water.

titotito48

Every pound lost is one step closer to your goal.

titotito48

treehugnmama wrote: »

I 2nd the giving up till tomorrow. I was the Queen of that but I'll tell you tomorrow never comes. if I have something I enjoy it an's rigjt back to it. no starting over at dinner I log it and forget it. I am down 65 but still have it to go. I love saying goodbye to a number so currently wanting to be out of the 220's so it will be a clebration (read lame dancing in living room) when I hit 219. I. currently am 229. I haven't lost in 8 weeks but size going down and health getting better. try and focus on some of the good changes you made and work on tje rest. in tje beginning I picked a goal and when that became habit I added another and another . you can do it

titotito48

I hadn't lost anything in 20 days and I hadn't cheated. So I looked up some ideas to get the pounds moving again. This is what I did. Increase water. Cut out as much sodium as I can. And stay under calorie count. Finally lists 1.6 this morning!

titotito48

You can also put inspiring post it notes where you will see them daily.