In need of advice- looking for a long-term sustainable way to lose weight. Weight loss journey #2

QueenNatasha2017

Hi All! My name is Natasha and here is my journey:

Since I can remember, I've always been overweight. Genetics (all of my family is overweight), family cooking style (frozen foods + meat/potatoes + sugar + eat as much as you can/clear your plate) are all contributing factors.

Between 2013-2015, I had lost 50 pounds on my own by calculating calories with myfitnesspal and following workout videos on youtube (Fitness Blender)/treadmill about 5-6x/week for at least 30 minutes. At this time, I was still living with my parents and I forced myself to learn to cook healthy for myself and bought my own groceries to succeed. At that time, I had to fight back a lot of family pressure as family members were constantly trying to sabotage me and were insulted that the meals they prepared were not "healthy enough" for me. It was sabotaging to the point where when I started to visibly lose weight, my mom in particular would call me "anorexic looking" (Mind you - after my 50 pound weight loss I had reached 145 pounds and was therefore borderline between average/overweight for my height).

Four years later, I have gained all the weight back and I am ready to try again. I now own a home and am in a loving relationship where my partner encourages me to be healthy and I control what is kept in my fridge (no junk food is kept).

Looking back- I believe I was unable to sustain my previous weight loss due to the highly restrictive nature of my original diet (counting EVERYTHING + not allowed to drink/go to restaurants/indulge,etc). It was just not sustainable over the long term and after a while I was discouraged that I had plateau'd and adopted an "I don't care anymore" attitude. I was also tired of ALWAYS feeling hungry and not full.

I'm not sure how to go about things now because I am afraid of failing again and do not know how to go about weight loss without falling into the trap of it not being sustainable long-term, being super restrictive and becoming obsessive about counting/burning calories.

Q: Does anyone have any advice on where to start? What kind of head space to get into to not fall into this same trap? I appreciate the support.

P.S. I decided to get back on the weight loss train because I looked at the scale this morning and was appalled by the number. By BMI calculations, I have tiptoed the line over to obese. I am 195.8 pounds and 5'6.

Seachange_dogs

So not really advice but I'm in the same boat, like really, if you were two inches shorter it would be like looking into a stats mirror. A couple years ago I lost about 60lbs, felt great, loved it, but it wasn't sustainable, the minute I stopped logging it started coming back on. I didn't gain it all back but a unhealthy portion. I'd been super restrictive, never went over my count, measured everything, restricted myself from going out and drinking or eating empty, extra calories, I was pretty miserable. So this time around I'm being way more relaxed about it, I weigh myself one a week, I don't weight my food but I try an add good faith amounts. I'm being more active but doing things I enjoy and would have done normally but just kicking it up a notch. I don't mind if it takes longer to lose the weight, I don't mind if my calories are exact, I'm just trying to get my head around eating smaller portions, picking the healthier option, getting active on some level every day and just pushing for consistency. That an I'm working on surrounded myself with people who support that (mainly on MFP but hopefully I'll find some In Real Life people two.). Feel free to add me as a friend or message me forward. Good luck.

nancymc10

Well Natasha - I don't feel that I'm really in a position to offer advice, but I can say that this journey for me has been successful so far. When I first started back with MFP (after gaining back about 35 lbs I lost 2.5 years ago) - I was being super strict. Then I realized - I still have to live. One big thing for me was no alcohol. Then I discovered that if I cut out drinking on weekends, and only having alcohol on a special occasion or every 2 to 3 weeks, it really helped. I also discovered Truly spiked seltzer. Better than WhiteClaw as it's a smaller portion, so fewer carbs & sugars. I usually weigh my protein for lunch and/or dinner, but I also wing it a lot. I cut out beef, pasta, potatoes, rice etc. And I've also been very devoted to getting in my daily exercise for the 1st time in my life (62 years old!). I exercise for almost an hour every day - and that greatly increases the overall food intake I'm allowed. I can honestly say that I do not feel hungry until it's mealtime. What has finally worked for me is concentrating way more on daily carb intake, and not worrying nearly as much about the # of grams of fat. If you keep to your calorie count, the grams of fat are never too crazy anyway. I'm down 60 lbs and feeling good about the odds of success. Good luck to you.

quiksylver296

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

ChackoSupreme

I always find that it helps to remember that those of us with the predisposition to store fat, also put on muscle very easily

I also find that using healthywager helps to keep me motivated so you may look into that.

NovusDies

I am no expert but I have found that sustainability starts with the very simple concept that your life is not put on hold simply because you are losing weight. Holidays, vacations, special events, socializing with friends are all going to keep happening. I have learned the hard way that I do not do well sitting in the corner munching on celery sticks during a Thanksgiving feast (I never did that - being dramatic for emphasis).

So the first thing I had to give up was that I would lose weight everyday. I made my rule that I had to lose weight most days. I also decided I would not intentionally engage in behavior that would leave me feeling deprived if I could help it.

I also decided I would not stop eating anything I could moderate. If I am not prepared to stop eating it for the rest of my life I will not stop eating it just because I am losing weight.

One thing that helped me was banking calories. I formalized a system for myself:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10735146/the-six-day-calorie-deficit-aka-banking-calories/p1

I can't guarantee what has been sustainable for me will be for you. I can't even guarantee I will get to goal but I do feel it happening. I have been losing for 18 months which for me is 3 times longer than my longest previous weight loss attempt. I believe this is normal for me now.