First time struggling to lose weight. How can I change from what worked in the past

marshquinnell

I'm at a point right now where I'm the heaviest and least in shape I've ever been. I've always been very active and in shape until 3 years ago when diagnosed with a chronic illness. This has prevented me from being as active and any workouts I have tried my body just shuts down for the next week.

So im at the point where I need help on what to do for weight loss as I'm unable to do what worked for me in the past.

I still eat pretty healthy and am still slightly active as much as my body allows but can't seem to lose fat. Does anybody have any advice or experience on what might help me? Appetite suppressant? Intermittent fasting? Fat burners? Vitamins?

AnnPT77

If you're here on MFP, I'm hoping/assuming you're willing to log your food. If so, do that.

Weight loss is going to be a matter of finding a calorie level that results in sensibly gradual weight loss, but doesn't leave your feeling fatigued or depleted. Appetite/satiation is another key variable, and specific food choices (or timing of meals/snacks/nutrients) may affect satiation. Unfortunately, satiation tends to be quite individual, with different people finding different things keep them feeling full and happy.

You can get a calorie goal from MFP, then try it out for 4-6 weeks, and compare actual weight change to the expected change, then use arithmetic to adjust intake going forward from there. Women of the relevant age should compare body weight at the same relative point in at least two different menstrual cycles, because hormonal water weight fluctuations can distort results otherwise.)

Not everyone needs the exact same calories (i.e., not everyone is average), but the so-called calorie calculators - like the one built into MFP - are a good place to start, because they're the values for average people from large-scale research.

If one of the "named diet" approaches (IF, keto, whole foods, paleo, whatever) happens to fit your needs/wishes well, those can be useful. Personally, I just started logging what I ate, trying to hit my calorie goal, gradually tweaking my food choices/portions (and timing) to get to the right calories, improve nutrition, and feel full, eating foods I personally find tasty and practical. That worked fine, for me (50+ pounds of weight loss in less than a year, 6+ years maintaining a healthy weight since, after 3 decades of previous overweight/obesity). I did not change my exercise or daily life movement in any material way, just the food. (Other people do it differently.)

This is a more detailed description of the approach I used to remodel my eating to lose then maintain weight:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

That approach won't suit everyone - no one approach is universally best, but it worked for me, and some others here have said they used a similar approach.

As a generality, research results don't support the idea that "fat burners" work (especially over the counter supplement type ones), or that vitamins have an effect on weight loss (though they can help with some nutritional deficiencies or health conditions, for some people).

springlering62

Not meaning to sound harsh, but judging from your post title, you’ve lost and gained several times.

Learning from the past can actually be very effective.

Don’t forget to include a plan this time. Educate yourself, develops habits you can stick with, and don’t treat a goal weight as an end game. This needs to be something you can stick with far into the future.

musicfan68

Eating pretty healthy isn't going to help you lose weight. I gained weight eating pretty healthy. You need to track your calories, weigh all solid foods and measure liquids to get an accurate calorie count. Create a reasonable deficit and stick to the calorie deficit and you will lose weight. Exercise doesn't make you lose much weight. It is more about how much you are eating.

sijomial

"I still eat pretty healthy and am still slightly active as much as my body allows but can't seem to lose fat."
Great you are eating a healthy diet - but to lose fat you also need to be eating in a calorie deficit.
(I gained a whole lot of weight eating all healthy home-cooked food.)

"Does anybody have any advice or experience on what might help me?"
"Appetite suppressant?" - Hell no, ineffective and a short term solution to a long term problem. "Intermittent fasting?" - Maybe, it helped me consistently hit a sensble calorie deficit but IF on it's own is just an eating schedule and you can lose, gain or maintain weight while doing IF.
"Fat burners?" - Hell no.
"Vitamins?" - Only if you are deficient in something.

Overall you seem to be missing the wood and focussing on some irrelevant trees. To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit from your actual calorie needs and those needs will be be affected by you being restricted somewhat in activity and exercise. It's how much you eat that is the big driver in weight control. Focus your efforts where it will give you the most benefit and have clarity over what is and what isn't important. Good luck.

marshquinnell

Thank you all for the comments. It does seem I've just been focusing too much on what I cant do anymore. In the past I didn't focus so much on calorie intake and mostly relied on physical activity. I will try changing my way of thinking and focus more on the calorie intake side of it and see if this helps.

csplatt

I developed chronic hip and back pain during the pandemic. I gained 10 lb. I saw four specialists and did PT but still hurt. I cannot run anymore and have to be very careful about how much weight I lift. I still have pain and I take medication. SO. To get back in shape WHILE HAVING PAIN, first I had an extended rest while counting calories just to see what I was already eating. Then I started cutting back calories. After I adjusted, I started with 20 min workouts and made them very specific so I could find out what causes me the most pain. It’s actually cardio. So I only did weight training and made sure not to go too heavy while I test the waters. Now I am testing out 15 min of cardio before weights and am not loving the pain, so dialing back to weights only with calorie counting since that was more successful.

cwolfman13

Since you can't be as active as you previously were, you're going to have to put a lot more emphasis on your diet. I tend to put on a little weight in the winter when I'm less active and take it off in the spring/summer when I'm more active with little change in diet, but that wouldn't work if I wasn't able to be my normal active self...I would have to put a heavy emphasis on my calorie consumption which is what I did when initially losing weight years ago...but I haven't logged in about a decade so admittedly that would be a difficult adjustment to make, but I would do it if I had to.

azuki84

Calories affect weight

Food affects your performance, mood, function

Balance those out

hesn92

Sorry you're having trouble. It's true what they've all said, eating healthy does NOT = weight loss. I eat pretty darn healthy, mostly home-cooked meals (in my opinion) and I gained like 15, 20 pounds in the last couple years I really have to focus on lowering my calories and tracking is the best way I've found. At the least, it helps me identify which things I'm eating are the biggest calorie bombs, and then I can find alternatives or eliminate/reduce those things. I don't know what you're doing for exercise, does something low impact like walking have the same effect? I really love walking and it's good for your heart and overall health. Maybe start with that?

metaphysicalstudio

I just wanted to offer support. I am 42 and at my heaviest weight. I've always been fit but now that I am trying to lose weight I find it is completely different than it was in previous decades. I embrace the change and the challenge of learning what my body is like now. I know that I will reach my goal. I am focused on enjoying this journey of discovery. May you find joy in the process!

cosmiccurves

I think everyone has provided a lot of valuable input already, so I'm just adding to it!

I found that tracking everything, especially if I binge or eat some very high calorie items, really helps me see my patterns and really SEE the numbers up front and center. It made me incredibly uncomfortable at first, and I found that I wanted to 'hide' the truth from myself by just not tracking cheat meals or days, but that was only harming me both mentally and physically. Physically, because that's EXACTLY how I was putting on weight and sabotaging my progress all the years, and mentally because why would I lie to myself? Lying to myself about my eating habits is what caused me to put on well over 100+ lbs of excess weight, so the only way out was to be brutally honest with myself to self-correct and get myself under control.

The other helpful thing was understanding my patterns. Was I celebrating and living in the moment? Great!! Log it and enjoy and move forward no matter what!! Was I in an emotional state, trying to numb my emotions of past trauma by turning to food for comfort? If so, no indulging, instead I would get up and do something else. Walk, do a quick YouTube workout, paint, create something with my hands, play with our boys, do some laundry, paint my nails, read a book or magazine, sketch, organize, etc. By doing this, I was starting to really deal with my emotions, and not using food as my numbing drug to not feel my emotions. Therapy is very insightful in this regard!

I spent a lifetime of doing fads and quick fix diets and back in the day, diet pills and things that were supposed to help me lose the weight quick and keep it off but it always, always resulted in regains plus some. It completely put my body through HECK and I never want to go down that road again. I had to be honest with myself, look at the big picture, and truly recognize that this isn't something I am doing temporarily. Instead, I am sowing the seeds of how I want to live the rest of my life, healthy and happy, and there is not an end goal here. The goal is to create healthy eating habits and lifestyle habits that contribute to longevity and a healthier physical and mental state. The goal is to be the best, brightest version of myself that I can be for myself and my family. This is part of my new routine, and it's here to stay!

I hope that helps!!!