Need friends. Weight struggle.

DivaDreamer77

I have never been able to really lose weight. All I've done is getting an average of 5 lb every year over the course of 7 years. I really would like to lose weight before I go on a vacation next year. I am 4 foot 10 in. And 135 lb. I'm starting to eat better but sometimes I feel like that's not enough, being a petite person is always so difficult to have a calorie deficit in today's world.

TavistockToad

It's not so hard if you plan your food and make your deficit a priority.

tinkerbellang83

You're not so far off a healthy weight, slow and steady progress is better than no progress.

Like @TavistockToad planning will be very helpful, if you pre-log you can see what you can fit into your day. You can also look at increasing your activity level to give yourself a bigger deficit, this doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym or doing hardcore workouts at home, it could just be going for a walk, spending less time sat down at home, taking steps instead of escalator/lift when at work/shopping/etc.

sofchak

Hi @amysorensen92 - sounds like you just started on your journey to better health. As you said in your post, it took you 7 years to reach your current weight. It won’t be an overnight process to lose it. Sure, being petite makes the journey a bit more challenging - I am 5’3” and lost 40 lbs last year, so I get the frustration. However, I recommend that you don’t use that as a crutch to self sabotage yourself from reaching your goal. Check out the Success stories thread - so many petite women have lost weight. It’s very inspiring over there!

You just have to be consistent and honest with the app and use the forums for questions and support. From there, it’s all about patience.

Good luck.

tcirons07

Hi @amysorensen92. I have been struggling for a while too, until I found the Keto Diet. I lose about 4-6 pounds a week and it is amazing. Though I’ve been cheating a lot lol, ive lost 42 pounds as of this Monday! It’s really easy and it really works. If you want to, ive found the website www.dietdoctor.com very helpful. It explains everything. I hope this helps.

ladyhusker39

OP, you don't need keto. You need a plan that you can follow for the long term particularly if your goal is to keep the weight off once you lose it. Some people use keto to help get into a deficit, but you certainly don't need it.

I'd recommend starting off with the easiest route which is to eat like you do now, just eat less. Practice tracking your intake until you really understand how to do well. As you go along you can start to look at ways to improve what you eat to help you meet your goals including weight, nutrition, etc.

Take it slow and learn as much as you can without overwhelming yourself. The most important thing by far is to figure out what you enjoy doing so that you can stay with it for life.

The same goes for physical activity.

Keep us posted on what you need and how you're doing.

megs_1985

If you don't exercise you'll have to eat 1200-1400 calories which can be hard. If you up your activity level you can eat a bit more. I'm 5'3 and eat 1400 a day because it keeps me satiated. I lose weight slower though.

Sunna_W

As long as you maintain a calorie deficit (either by eating less or engaging in more activity) you will lose weight. Atkins / Paleo / Ketogenic diets help SOME people by reducing the cravings for sugar and carbs, and, thereby help them to feel more satisfied with what they are eating and less hungry between meals.

I would look at their meal examples (Atkins / Paleo / Ketogenic) just to get an idea what that might look like for you.

Also, there is a body of knowledge out there (Weston A Price foundation) that says that restricting carbs more than 100 g a day can hurt your thyroid. (100 g of carbs isn't that much, typical low carb diets have about 200g). Do some research on resistant starch and what it is and why it is beneficial to eat.

• A typical breakfast for me is 100 g of cold boiled potatoes (my resistant starch) and 2 HB eggs with a splash of olive oil along with my 2nd / last cup of coffee with full fat half & half.

Additionally, by restricting sugar and carbs and increasing good fats and protein SOME people find that they lose inches (from bad fat) while weighing less overall (from eating less or engaging in more activity).

• A typical lunch for me is 8 oz of mixed chopped veggies (red and green cabbages, carrots, broccoli, jicama, bell peppers, radishes and celery) with 3 oz of chicken breast or turkey.

• I have a snack of peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) and hot tea (under 200 calories)

Dinner is usually a protein, a green veggie, and a carb (sweet potatoes, northern beans, 1/2 serving of rice or pasta).

Your recommended weight is 88.5 lbs - 119.6 lbs; if you eat 1,696 calories a day, you will maintain your weight.

To lose 1 lb per week you would have to eat 1,200 calories a day.

IMO 1200 calories is pretty restrictive. I would try to hover around 1350 for a while and see what that does for you.

Play with your macros until you find which combination works for you.