Tips/Advice??

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Its_Haleeyyy
Its_Haleeyyy Posts: 39 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I'm back on here after a long time and am looking to lose about 50-70 pounds. I always struggle to stick with working out and dieting and am just looking to see some people's diets and exercise routines.

Some background on my situation:
I've always been overweight but in the last year I've gotten really bad about my eating and have been struggling with alcohol, which I am currently working on. I've put on a significant amount of weight this past year and just generally feel like garbage.

I'd like to get in the exercising more and having a better diet. My only issues are that I'm a very picky eater and I work 12 hour shifts, 4 days a week so I struggle to find time to exercise those days and find relatively healthy things to bring to work.

I haven't weighed myself in about a month or two but based on last time I'd say I'm around 190-200. I'm 5'2 and would like to get under 150.

Replies

  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    edited May 2018
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    - Buy a digital food scale. They're very cheap on Amazon or at Walmart!

    - Track your calories as accurately as possible. Weigh all your solid foods on the scale, and liquids with measuring cups and spoons. Put it all in your diary. Every day.

    - Find satiating foods that will help you stick to your calorie goal. Usually lots of lean proteins, beans, legumes and veggies are a good bet.

    - If you work a desk job (or are otherwise seated most of the day), set your Activity Level to Sedentary and manually add your exercise calories. Eat back 50-75% of those exercise burnt calories on top of your regular calorie goal.

    - Think about meal-prepping if you don't mind reheated food. You can prepare large batches of food, calorie count the batch with the Recipe Builder function, then portion them out into convenient grab-and-go servings. Put some in the fridge and some in the freezer.

    - Be patient and trust the process.

    Good luck!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited May 2018
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    If you're a picky eater and struggle with finding time to exercise, how will other people's diet and exercise routines help you? You have to figure those personal things for yourself. But the basics are the same for everybody - you lose weight over time when you're in a consistent calorie deficit - aka "eat less, move more". MFP gives you a suggested calorie allowance, you decide to follow it, or not.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Meal prepping sounds like a good route for you. Take one day a week to prep most or all meals and snacks for the week. Then it is all quick and easy grab-n-go the rest of the week.

    You don’t have to workout daily. Try to stay active during those work days. Parking a little further away from work. Going for a walk at lunch. You can do harder workouts on the other 3 days of the week.

    I also recommend a food scale. They are less clean up than measuring cups and more accurate. If you meal prep, you will only have to use it once a week (just stick a post-it on the containers with the weights of what’s inside on it).

    Log everything. Drinks and food. Even if you are having a bad day and go over your goal. Log it. Consistency is key.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    My best wishes that you get control of that alcohol.

    When I had a long commute to an industrial site I packed my breakfast and an a substantial snack too. I ate my breakfast when I got on site and I ate my snack on my way home. I had a slow cooker meal waiting for me at home.

    By having all my meals prepared in advance and not letting myself get too hungry ever I avoided making poor choices.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    Well you don't need exercise to lose weight so if you can't fit it in on the work days don't worry about it. All you really need to do is stay at the calorie goal that MFP set for you when you entered your information and how much you want to lose each week.

    Explain in what way you are a "picky eater" so maybe people here can give you some ideas.
  • Its_Haleeyyy
    Its_Haleeyyy Posts: 39 Member
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    NovusDies wrote: »
    Well you don't need exercise to lose weight so if you can't fit it in on the work days don't worry about it. All you really need to do is stay at the calorie goal that MFP set for you when you entered your information and how much you want to lose each week.

    Explain in what way you are a "picky eater" so maybe people here can give you some ideas.

    There's a lot of foods I don't like, mostly veggies and that sort of thing so it's hard for me to find healthy foods that I like. I'm willing to try some stuff again and see maybe if I like them now. Just a lot of stuff that I like to eat is junk and now i just feel stuck and what kind of healthy meals to make.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,073 Member
    edited May 2018
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    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Well you don't need exercise to lose weight so if you can't fit it in on the work days don't worry about it. All you really need to do is stay at the calorie goal that MFP set for you when you entered your information and how much you want to lose each week.

    Explain in what way you are a "picky eater" so maybe people here can give you some ideas.

    There's a lot of foods I don't like, mostly veggies and that sort of thing so it's hard for me to find healthy foods that I like. I'm willing to try some stuff again and see maybe if I like them now. Just a lot of stuff that I like to eat is junk and now i just feel stuck and what kind of healthy meals to make.

    It's less about individual healthy foods and more about an overall healthy diet, choose the fruit and veg you do like and incorporate more of them into your meals, the easiest way to eat healthier long term is to make small changes you can stick to. You don't have to live on Plain Chicken & Veg and snack on carrot & celery sticks to lose weight and be healthy.

  • mrs_maier
    mrs_maier Posts: 9 Member
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    take baby steps. make one healthy swap a day. focus on nutrition first, and the exercising can come later. dont put a ton of pressure on yourself either, you can only do what you can do. when i first started, i was 205 pounds and got down to 140, but then i got pregnant so i still have some to lose to get back to that :) but honestly just being mindful of what i was eating, and planning what i was going to eat each day ahead of time helped tremendously. i also aimed for a gallon of water a day. i also rewarded myself with positive self talk every time i turned down a temptation or something i knew wasnt going to benefit me nutritionally. as for exercise, i started running, which was extremely difficult at 205 pounds, but i grew to love it and how it made me feel and it's not my primary source of exercise. what i eat im sure wont help you, but if youd like to add me id be more than happy to be a support person for you :) my food diary is public too.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    There's a lot of foods I don't like, mostly veggies and that sort of thing so it's hard for me to find healthy foods that I like. I'm willing to try some stuff again and see maybe if I like them now. Just a lot of stuff that I like to eat is junk and now i just feel stuck and what kind of healthy meals to make.

    Incorporating vegetables and achieving what you feel you need as healthy is something that you can do over time with experimentation. The only initial requirement to lose weight is staying within your calorie goals and that starts with portion control.

    If you can and you like them start considering adding lean protein like chicken, turkey, and seafood to your diet.

    If you want to tackle a vegetable or two tell us how you have had them in the past that you didn't like. How do you feel about salads. Slaw? Roasted vegetables? Etc. Carrots and sweet potatoes usually get past picky eater how do you feel about them?
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,714 Member
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    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Well you don't need exercise to lose weight so if you can't fit it in on the work days don't worry about it. All you really need to do is stay at the calorie goal that MFP set for you when you entered your information and how much you want to lose each week.

    Explain in what way you are a "picky eater" so maybe people here can give you some ideas.

    There's a lot of foods I don't like, mostly veggies and that sort of thing so it's hard for me to find healthy foods that I like. I'm willing to try some stuff again and see maybe if I like them now. Just a lot of stuff that I like to eat is junk and now i just feel stuck and what kind of healthy meals to make.

    Per the bold, often when people say this it's due to preparation and cooking method of the vegetables rather than the vegetables themselves. For example, if you've had canned green beans in the past and find them bland and mushy then try frozen or fresh. Roast them or saute them, and season to your liking. Makes a huge difference.

    That applies to all types of foods you may have not liked in the past.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i eat what i want - as long as its within my calorie goals. even if im under or around maintenance a day or two, its not a big deal.

    I do eat a lot of veggies. fresh veggies. cooked properly. not coiled to death or canned. im super picky about veg LOL i also eat a fair amount of fruit.

    i workout when i want to. usually 5 days a week, for anywhere between 40-60 minutes.

    recent meals ive had include:

    chicken and avocado grilled burritos
    stuffed peppers
    meatball sub
    fish tacos
    turkey burger
    chicken gyro

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