New to All This

smms0714

Hi! I'm looking for some new friends to help with motivation throughout this weight loss journey I've started on. My goal is to lose around 45lbs, and maintain that loss. If anyone has any tips or advice feel free to message or add me as a friend.

estherdragonbat

Make small changes you can stick with. Eat now the way you plan to eat for the rest of your life. In other words, don't fall into the trap of "No [insert food] for me until I hit goal weight" and then, once you make it, think, "Yay! That's over. Now I'm going to have [insert food]!"

You can eat whatever you want to lose weight, but you can't necessarily eat as much as you want as often as you want. And I think most of us do have foods that we aren't safe around. Those, either avoid or only keep around as much as you're willing to consume at one setting. I won't buy a lemon pie, but I might buy a lemon tartlette. I don't buy jelly beans in bulk, but I might get a "fun-sized" package. What you might find as time goes on is that the list of foods you can control yourself around grows longer, but give it time.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Run a modest deficit and you'll find it much easier to stick to over time.

Get a food scale and weigh your solid foods. Measuring cups are fine for liquids, though some people here weigh those too. If it has calories, it counts.

Calories are king for weight loss. Macros matter for nutrition, health, satiety, energy, and a whole lot of other things. Find a way of eating that works for you. (I do well with the default macros: 50% carbs, 30% fat, 20% protein. I tend to skew moderately higher on carbs, slightly lower on fat. Some people do better on high-fat, low carb. As long as you're getting adequate nutrition, what you eat is up to you.)