Losing weight is tough

monique_chambliss

Hello everyone,
I wanna lose 50 pounds but I don’t know where to start. Any suggestions?

estherdragonbat

Plug your stats into MFP, tell it you want to lose 1lb per week (with 50lbs to lose, that's a good, safe deficit), and eat the calories it gives you.

Log honestly and accurately. If you don't already own a food scale, get one; grams are more accurate than cups for solids.

Don't feel like you have to cut out foods to lose. Weight loss is all about calories. However:

• A lot of us have those foods that just aren't safe around us. If you can't stick to the serving you want to have of a certain food, you may not want to keep it around for a while. There are some tricks you can use. Like making a pan of brownies, eating one, and freezing the rest for a later time. Or portioning out a big box of snacks into small baggies.
• You may discover that certain foods aren't worth the calories and opt for different choices.
• You're likely to discover that certain foods help you feel fuller for longer. For some people, that's high fat foods. For me, it's protein and fiber.
• Eat a variety of foods to ensure adequate nutrition. You can lose weight on a diet of jellybeans if you're within your calories, but you'll likely be hungry, lethargic, and malnourished. Thing is, the same thing would happen if you ate a diet of kale. But then, most people don't eat only one food. No one food is inherently healthy or unhealthy. It's about the overall diet. (In other words, if 80% of your diet is made up of nutrient-dense foods, you're not hurting anything if you save 20% for treats. And most treats have something going for them in the nutrition department anyway.

You can lose weight without exercise, but exercise does have benefits that shouldn't be disregarded. For example:

• When you log your exercise, MFP gives you more calories. You should eat back at least a portion of these. Keep in mind that when MFP gives you your calorie goal, the deficit is already built in. When you exercise, you increase the deficit. Too large a deficit can be dangerous, plus you need to fuel your workouts.
• Exercise takes up time, which (at least in my case) helps reduce time spent boredom eating.
• Exercise helps relieve stress, which (at least in my case) helps reduce emotional eating.
• Before I started getting into shape, my PMS was a lot worse. Since working my abs, I've noticed reduction in cramps, bloating, and other symptoms.

Cardio and strength training are both important for different reasons. Cardio burns more fat, but strength training helps you hang onto muscle which might otherwise be lost.

There are helpful posts stickied at the top of each forum. Check them out.

Good luck!

TavistockToad

monique_chambliss wrote: »

Hello everyone,
I wanna lose 50 pounds but I don’t know where to start. Any suggestions?

calorie deficit

TavistockToad

crazyravr wrote: »

Losing weight is easy.... very easy if you have lots to lose.
Try keeping it off. Thats tough. Very tough.

losing weight is very simple... but its often not easy.

tezzmakk

monique_chambliss wrote: »

Hello everyone,
I wanna lose 50 pounds but I don’t know where to start. Any suggestions?

Just move more n keep doing it

oceangirl99

Consistency. Don't worry about being perfect, but be consistent. I have lost 54 lbs and it has taken me 9 months. That's 9 months of making 95% healthy choices and 5% not so healthy choices. BUT after a not so healthy choice, I just go back to making healthy ones!
The first month will likely be easy and you'll lose some fat and a lot of water weight. I think a big challenge is sticking with it when you are only losing fat and the scale is moving much more slowly. Just stick with it, trust the process and you'll get there.

sijomial

crazyravr wrote: »

Losing weight is easy.... very easy if you have lots to lose.
Try keeping it off. Thats tough. Very tough.

Opposite for me.
I find losing weight really hard but maintenance relatively easy.
Isn't it wonderful how diverse we all are?

quiksylver296

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Fatty_Nuff

crazyravr wrote: »

Losing weight is easy.... very easy if you have lots to lose.
Try keeping it off. Thats tough. Very tough.

sijomial wrote: »

Opposite for me.
I find losing weight really hard but maintenance relatively easy.
Isn't it wonderful how diverse we all are?

Well, I find losing relatives is hard but easy to maintain diversity.
No, wait.

garystrickland357

Just start. As was suggested above enter your stats into MFP and eat the calories suggested. Use a food scale.

Be kind to yourself. Aim for being good 80% of the time instead of "perfect" 10% of the time. In other words don't beat yourself up when you have a bad day. Also, don't make exercise punishment for a bad day of eating. Exercise (if you want) to gain fitness. Control the calorie deficit with food. Don't play the, "Oh I ate too much now I need to go run three miles" game.

Be patient. Weight loss and lifestyle change take time. Good luck.

zeejane03

crazyravr wrote: »

Losing weight is easy.... very easy if you have lots to lose.
Try keeping it off. Thats tough. Very tough.

This will depend on the individual. I found the weight loss phase to be pretty easy/straightforward. Now a few years into maintenance I don't think it's any harder, it is boring though and that can lead to sloppiness. As long as I'm aware of that though, and implement new goals/things to focus on (I like experimenting with different ways of eating and learning more about nutrition/food science), then it's no more difficult than the weight loss was, for me.

Really, all of it is mostly a head game-the actual physical mechanics of weight management are pretty simple.