Help! Starting over for the millionth time by 19.

JasmineHusain1599

I’ve had MyFitnessPal since I was 15-16. I would do really well at tracking my food and exercise for a solid month each time I tried, but once I didn’t see results, I stopped. I think once I did it for 63 days straight. I’m pretty sure I stopped a lot of times because I would starve myself for days then binge constantly. (Needless to say, I ruined my metabolism.)
But I’m almost 20. I turn 20 in maybe 6 weeks(?) and I really want to be healthy. I have my friends to support me with exercising, but they never tell me to put down the fork. I just need someone to help me. I want this be the one. The one I don’t stop on.

Danp

Firstly you haven't 'ruined your metabolism'. It doesn't work that way. If you ruined your metabolism you'd have bigger health concerns than trying to lose weight.

Secondly. Don't over complicate things. Weight management is a very simple (not always easy) thing.

Eat fewer calories than you use and you'll lose weight
Eat more calories than you use and you'll gain weight

That's it.

Eating "healthy" isn't required. You can 100% lose weight eating so called 'junk' food as long as you eat in a calorie deficit. Sure some foods are 'better' for you but burgers and fries in a calorie deficit will result in weight loss and kale and chicken breast in a calorie surplus will make you gain weight.

Strenuous exercise (working out) isn't required. Exercise is undoubtedly beneficial to your health and fitness but has very little impact on weight loss. In my case it was in fact detrimental when I first started to lose weight as working out made me so hungry afterwards that I'd demolish WAY more calories than I'd just burned off. Get fit in the gym, lose weight in the kitchen

Elimination isn't required. In fact I'm a firm believer that elimination is the biggest mistake I've made in the past. Elimination leads to deprivation and after a while leads to breaking down and a binge. If you like chocolate then find a way to incorporate chocolate into your calorie target.

Keep it simple. Keep it easy. Eat foods you like (without moralising) in amounts that meet your calorie target and you're in a great starting place. From there be patient (weeks, if not months rather than days) and pay attention to the results so you can make adjustments and get better at managing your weight as you get more experienced with the whole process.