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Candylicious2961

Hi everyone and Happy 4th!
I have used MyFitness Pal off and on for a few years now.
I have never stuck with it and never reached my goal. I’m now 290 lbs and I feel so lost. I grew tired of all the measuring, weighing, and have no motivation. I really want to get back with it and this time reach my goal. I just feel so lost and don't know how to get going in the right direction.
If anyone out there has experienced this, any info you can give me on how and what you did to get going would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all!

Candy

BCLadybug888

Hello, my only 'advice' is to share my Headspace...
I have been overweight (obese mostly) for about 30 years. Over the years I have tried to lose weight many times with many different plans & approaches; sometimes losing a lot (like 50 or even 80 lbs), sometimes sticking with it for a year or more, but eventually falling away, regaining + and ultimately only succeeded at yoyo dieting (something I swore to never do)...pity party for one (over my genetics and metabolism) alternating with dieting and denial periods for literally decades...

Will motivation ever last several years? Or do I need something more - like discipline, dedication, resolve - because starting at 300 lbs (like I did this time) is not a quick fix situation to be in.
Or do I just resign myself to being fat? Been there, done that - and guess what that got me?? My highest weight ever...

Over the years I have learned a lot about nutrition and weight loss methods and water and the role of exercise and myself.
For me, it was time (finally) to quit throwing the pity parties and just get on with it. Put all that knowledge into lasting practice.
Accept imperfection but not giving up. Every day that God blesses you with will go by anyway! In a month, year, decade you CAN be in a better place; healthier & more fit. 😊

Just do it - start with what is easiest & most effective (like figure out what to eat), add good habits as you feel ready (water, activity, relaxation techniques, journalling, prelogging, home cooking, balancing macros, whatever) and be as PATIENT as possible when the 😈 scale ⚖️ is not your friend. Drop habits if it's too much - pick them up again when you feel stronger but DON'T GIVE UP.
For me, accepting that this is a journey FOR LIFE - both in the sense of how long it will take (there is no end for me, I will always need to manage my weight at some level) & why I'm doing it (for quality of life).

I pray you, and anyone else reading this who has a significant amount of weight to lose & sees themselves (or their mother lol) in these words, takes lasting action sooner than I did; don't wait decades folks, read the writing on the wall, you know there are no magic beans right?

My one year anniversary of joining MFP & starting yet again is in about 6 weeks. I am down 47 lbs and I think I will make it to over 50 lbs off by then - it's been a tough go the last few months but the scale ⚖️ is finally on the move again. Did I think I would lose faster? Yes. Could I feel defeated that at this rate it will be 2 years to get to Onederland, and quite possibly longer? Yes. But what is the alternative?? I finally KNOW FOR A FACT that the alternative is to give up and regain and that's just not going to happen...ever...again.

YOU CAN DO IT, if you are ready to commit - really commit - eyes wide open!
Feel free to add me as a friend if you think that would be encouraging. I am here for the long haul 😉

COGypsy

Maybe don’t jump in with all the measuring and weighing right away. I got back into things just by listing what I ate. No weight, no volume. Not even an estimate. Just a literal list of food as I ate it. That helped tremendously in just becoming aware of what I was eating and starting to make adjustments. Then you can start adding more specific tracking in as you go.

TakeTheLongWayHome

You say you really want to reach your goal. That’s fabulous, but now is where the work comes in. You don’t have to jump in with both feet right off the bat, but you have to get there. Weighing and measuring is pretty much the best way to know what you are putting into your body. Eyeballing and guessing are not accurate.
You asked for someone who has experienced this, and there have been two plus myself that have responded so far. You simply have to put the work in. Start small and work from there. If dessert is offered to you four times, maybe pass on it one time out of four. As you progress, make
it two out of four.
I wish you the best on your journey.

mlrtri

I have posted this on a few different posts lately but it is worth repeating.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. - Henry Ford

I failed so many times that I thought I didn’t have it in me to lose weight. I got some wonky lab numbers at my last Dr appt and decided I wanted to improve my health. So I decided to look back at why I failed previously and make a better plan. I determined that my plans were flawed, not me.

My mistakes were being way too ridged with myself and the rules I set up, wanting to lose way too fast and getting upset when I couldn’t keep it up, being ruled by the scale, and doing things in a way that I couldn’t sustain. I ate different meals than my family. That is not something I could do forever.

This time I am determined to take it more slowly but to see it to the end (and keep going to maintain). My loss is slower but I can keep this going. I am logging, adjusting my food choices, and getting movement/exercise in that I can see myself doing for the long term.

My advice is to remember that you CAN do this. But you need to determine why you dropped the ball in the past and adjust your plan so you don’t run into the same pitfalls. Make sure it is something you can live with. Start with small adjustments if you need to. Slow and steady will win the race.

My final thing (and this might not apply for others) is prayer. I have acknowledged that this is hard for me and I need help.

Best of luck to you.

mlrtri

Another thought -

In previous attempts I always felt guilty for eating. Which is insane because we need food. But logging made me feel that way. This time I am using my logged food as data. What made me feel full? Which weeks brought on the best loss and what did my food/exercise look like that week? And now, on days that I go over I realize that at worst I ate at maintenance that day. I didn’t “ruin everything”. So I don’t give up like in the past. I just didn’t progress toward my ultimate goal that day. And that’s ok. I need to keep those days at a minimum but they don’t equate failure.

These are all things I wish I could have told myself years ago. But at least I learned from my mistakes.