Losing weight
I weigh 600 pounds as someone who is 6'2 and I would like to start losing weight please give help.
Answers
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I “only” lost 97, so my experience will be radically different from yours.
First of all, the user name. Beating yourself up via a user name is negative reinforcement. Every time I logged in, I’d see that and it would get me down.
If you’re serious about weight loss, you’ll be logging in multiple times a day. Why not use that opportunity for positive reinforcement instead?
Mine is an obscure Tolkien reference. It makes me happy every time I see it
Presumably you have a medical team. Even I had a GP telling me at every visit “weight loss will help your fatigue/gerd/joint issues”. She’d give me a flyer for a simple diet plan every time I visited.
I just got sulky at her confirming what I already knew. I angrily wadded it up as soon as I got in the car to leave.
Then one day I was sick of being me, sick of being sick, sick of GERD, sick of everything. I also had a new prescription which, frankly, scared the pants off me when I read the pharmacy brochure that came with it. I went to the car and fished out that diet plan and actually looked at it.
It was simple. Nothing fancy. Instead of telling me what I couldn’t have, it told me what I could have. Well, I could try that for a week or two, right? I followed that plan and the weight fell off.
You’ve got to decide if you’re really tired of being fat, or does that junk food have a claw hold on you. Is this just lip service or have you reached the point t you’re ready to do something? Which is worth more to you? Health and family or fried food and candy?
if you’re serious about doing this, contact your medical team and tell them you’re ready. Throw yourself at their mercy. This is all new to you. You’ll need every iota of help you can get.There’s so many ways to lose weight. Bariatric surgery. Injections. Therapy. Counting calories. Dietician help. Exercise. My insurance even provided free phone counseling. Maybe you need some of them. All of them. It may be a full time job for you.
It was for me for a while.
The end result has been worth it.
We’ve got many many successful losers on these boards who have lost far larger amounts than me who could give you better help and suggestions than I ever could.
My fallback advice is always weigh foods and log carefully and honestly, but you’ve most likely got other issues that need to be addressed in tandem with the weight loss.
I’ll try to find a few posts that might be helpful to you and share them below.
Wishing you much success and fortitude for the job ahead. Hugs.
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there’s also a thread by a fellow named MrMoto who lost a substantial amount of weight. j have his user ID slightly misspelled otherwise I’d be able to find it.1 -
also suggest looking up posts by @_WILDECHILD_
and @rennerkyler
both have lost large amounts and are trim and slim now, and sharing hiking and running wins.Go to success stories and look for the before and after photos thread. Many of those are people you want to keep an eye out for advice from
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@ReallyFatAMERICAN : I hope you do!
If you need inspiration, you might enjoy following this personable guy as he works to lose weight. He started at 600lbs. Now, he just happens to love vlogging, so he posts at least once a day. His web page has additional information to support others.
Your weight is likely due to some complex factors in your physiology. You deserve medical support. A quick search in you area will tell you if there is a weight loss clinic, nutritionist, etc. If you have mobility problems, do remote sessions. Knowledge is power.
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Congratulations on taking the first step. Unless you've been told to do so medically, don't try to change everything at once, but do start making changes asap. If you've lost a bit of weight in a month's time, rather than a huge amount, it's still a bit of weight off. It's going to take time, but that's the healthy way of losing weight.
You've been given really good advice above, but it may take time to figure things out, seek help, get to grips with logging etc. But, start logging everything you eat and drink, as accurately as you can. For everything you eat / prepare at home, weigh the solids, in grams, and measure the liquids in ml. Check that the nutritional info on the entry you select from the databse is correct - many are user entered and were either wrong to start with or the product has changed / differs from country to country, so you may be selecting an incorrect / out-of-date entry. Gradually you'll build up a list in your food diary of your frequently eaten products so you can just select the same entry (and change the weight as necessary). Ideally, don't select items like 'pasta bolognese' as you have no idea what went into someone else's recipe; items like 'medium banana' and 'jacket potato with cheese' are equally vague. If you log everything you consume, that'll help you see what you're really eating and also help you start seeing and thinking about what changes you can make.
Maybe start with smaller portion sizes, particularly with the high calorie items - three potatoes instead of four, a smaller amount of pasta than your usual serving, a couple of squares of good chocolate instead of a whole bar of a poor quality one etc - whilst you figure out your next step. Eat more of the lower calorie things, and sufficient protein, so that you feel fuller and don't need that extra slice of cake etc.
Then look at what you can cut out. Do you truly need that mid-afternoon snack or are you actually thirsty or just bored? What can you substitute for something that you still like eating but that has fewer calories? As an example, there are so many varieties of bread - some will be lower in calories than others, but you'll still be eating toast / a sandwich. I swapped from one snack to another - same calories per 100g, but my substitute came in smaller packets so I was eating less. I didnt feel deprived because I was still having my post-lunch snack.
Don't feel you have to start eating things you really don't like either, as you won't stick to it. Once you get going and start seeing results, you can look at your next steps.
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I am going to be much more basic.
And I most certainly would not advocate primarily for exercise at this stage
Is there a doctor involved? It's a really good idea to get one involved. Many reasons including speed of loss. Additional assistance. Tests. Professional outsider to run things by. A registered dietitian with relevant expertise may help too
At this stage you dont even need to count calories.... just to target the most egregious situations you find yourself in.
Still.
Again at this stage you should be able to lose weight while eating 4000 Cal a day.
To give you an idea, this would be probably 1.33 to 1.5x the energy intake a normal weight / BMI male who is 6ft 2" would require to maintain.
So as simple as it sounds... that's where I would start.
I have a budget. I can spend my budget any which way I like. Before I open my mouth I log. I look at the implications of what I've logged. Is this my best way to spend my budget right now? Go for it. Is this a not great way to spend my budget? Change it. Is this logging getting to be too much and I'm about to pass out from hunger? Eat an apple (which takes seconds to log) while thinking about it. Or eat a tub of plain (or even not so plai) Greek yogurt while thinking about it. Then reconsider what you want and why.
Your brain has to take over some of the management. Away from unthinkingly reaching out and eating.
After a while you can continue optimizing. After some serious loses you may then want to / need to lower your intake to what the putative normal weight person of your gender and height would it if extremely active, active, slightly active, not so active lowering your intake as you lose weight but not excessively and not for a substantial amount of time.
You truly need to look at this as a new chapter and an adventure. Not as a chore or limitation. But as an opportunity to explore different ways of doing things and a different way of living life.
It is incremental. It will take time. You may or may not even mourn the current setup you will be moving away from. But, hopefully, your sense of adventure and exploration will kick in to help you explore new options and new opportunities.
Looking forward to seeing you around here over the coming years!
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Reposting to have you read it again. And after you read it again, please read it again. You NEED to stop making excuses and start. And, she’s right, change your screen name as a first step. Leave zero excuses around you, including the self loathing. You have every resource in the world at your fingertips tips, but all it really takes is finding your calorie goal, weighing your food, and logging everything. No special diets are needed unless there’s a medical condition.
Not everyday is the same, some are better than others, but it’s about a lifestyle and improvement, not perfection. This applies to all of us, not just you.
This is a daily math assignment, not a form of punishment or torture. There’s likely a lot of mental barriers you need to unlearn so I recommend a specialized therapist. And keep people who sabotage, enable, and manipulate you as far away as possible. If you want to change (save) your life, you need to start taking care of yourself and that also means protecting your peace.5 -
thank you all for the amazing advice! its greatly appreciated, much love!
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thank you for the help I will change my username your advice was really moving.
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I agree with all the previous replies.
Congratulations on starting your healthy lifestyle journey!
I’ve put some general information below. This category has a post called ‘most helpful posts’, go to that post and read the links. You’ll find lots of great information in them.
Weight loss comes from being in a caloric deficit. Consuming fewer calories than you burn.
Long term goals regarding what to eat: I like Canada's Food Guide. It was refreshed about 10 years ago based on science and without food industry sponsorship.
In addition to caloric deficit weight loss is supported by:
Sleep —> that’s when the magic happens
And
Exercise —> which maintains and builds muscle. Choose activities that you enjoy. At your stage, I’d start with walking.
My suggestions:
- Track your food as accurately as possible, but don't let perfection be the enemy of done. In other words, do your best and get this to be a solid habit.
- After two weeks of tracking, look at the data. Is there one small change you can make to reduce your calories IN? Common examples:
- you're eating out 5 days a week —> reduce that to 4 days a week
- you drink soda/pop/sugary drink —> swap this out for water
- you don't eat any fruits or vegetables —> start adding 1 or 2 servings per day
- Make that one small change. Continue to track. After another two weeks or once your small change feels like it is no longer a change, then review your data and identify another small change.
- Rinse and repeat.
Additional thoughts:
Focus on what you can control (calories IN and OUT).
Give yourself time. Slow and steady progress.1 meal at a time - 1 day at a time - 1 pound at a time
We are here for you if you have questions along the way. You got this!
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Lots of good suggestions above. I hope you have a medical team helping you with this.
This may sound a bit harsh, but consider it tough love. To do something like you want to do, you need a strong why. The "why" should bring you to tears. Do you have a significant other, kids, people close to you, etc.? Imagine them at your funeral when you pass at a young age. What are you going to do to avoid this image from becoming a reality?
Best of luck and God bless.
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Glad to see you're engaging. Not everyone does. You know your current condition and age. Some few people are still mobile at your weight. Most are not very. That's ok. Movement and activity and more are all things that are incremental and can be added in, if you want to, and you will, as you get lighter.
@springlering62 mentions the name and the full time job. Neither is a bad idea. And there's a heck of a lot worse jobs than the job of taking care of yourself first and before anything else.
You're in a position where you have to make changes to your world. Embrace the experiment and adventure. Seek to push the limits, but within your goals.
I lost much less than you, about 125lbs over about a year and a half to two. But, I still viewed it as a five year project initially. And now it's getting close to becoming an 11 year project :)
Actually It's an indefinite project. And a heck of a lot more rewarding than a lot of other projects I've been involved with.
Start somewhere. Anywhere. No matter what there will be adjustments along the way. And that's okay. This is a self-discovery project at the end of the day.
My first set of personal rules after discovering mfp (I had already been increasing activity and losing weight for about 10 months before I discovered mfp) included one of the most powerful and longest lasting ones:
I do not open my mouth to put in something, anything, before I have logged it in, as accurately as possible, by weight, using a double checked entry, into mfp (not a piece of paper).
Trust me when I say this.... have a bunch of pre-weighed apples and tubs of 0% Greek yogurt (or whatever else you decide on, f.e. pre weighed snacks or even bars) handy.
Cause more than once the food went cold by the time I finished logging. Or I decided not to have it then but to eat it later, because after a couple of extra large apples (think 400-500g) and 35 minutes of conscientious logging.... there were other things to do and I was no longer (temporarily) hungry.
That, and separating away from the idea that no matter what kind of snacks or add ons I had during the day I would still have dinner or lunch or breakfast. Because a meal is a meal no matter what, am I right?🤔 Nope. That's not right!
It's all a Tetris game.
Everything has calories. And the goal is to build the best combinations you can within your limits.
The limits being defined by your goals.
Of course there will be derailments.
I didn't get to close (?) Over(?) 300lbs by accident. Neither did you.
On a lot of stuff you will either have to mitigate, deflect, or find ways around impediments, or you will have to make changes. With or without outside assistance.
That's why it's ok that it will take time.
Change takes times. But it can most certainly be worthwhile.
When at age 48 I decided I had to change because I would not get to retirement age otherwise.... as it turns out I was probably right.
Best decision ever.... for me. I hope for you too.
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A little bit of just breathe, focus on choices in front of you today and don't fret tomorrow. Those choices will be made when we get there...
I get overwhelmed when I focus on the end goal. It helps me to look at right now.
Live better right now, and choose things that help both our body and are good emotionally.
That simple guideline helps me not fret the rest, and to keep going with what needs done today
(have a bad choice or day? No frets, stand up, dust off, go more... practice better more.)
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one thing about MFP, we’ve all been there to one degree or another. We’ve got each others’ backs, and we will celebrate your wins right along with you because we want so badly for you to succeed.
If you want some great reading, go over to the Success Stories board, especially the NSV (non-scale victories) thread.
Small steps. People come here expecting to be perfect at weight loss their very first day. It took me weeks to get into the swing of things, but I’m glad I stuck with it. If we were perfect the first day, we wouldn’t have a weight problem.
And as someone else pointed out, make sure you’ve got supportive family.
My husband is a doll, but he loved me any way I was, and didn’t want to get involved in the “don’t let me eat this, make me do that” drama. He wisely stayed out.
I had a very close relative who was morbidly obese and would get angry and sabotage me any time she thought I was losing weight. Painful, but that relationship went “no contact” for a few years. That was when I was able to lose weight and take control. By the time she saw me again, she was shocked and angry all right, but by then I had to “you have no power here anymore” mentality firmly in place.
Other people have reported similar from kids, siblings, parents, friends, coworkers.
Be prepared if you share, everyone will think they have an investment in your gain or loss, and you’re going to get so much junk advice, and fad diet advice thrown at you, your head will spin.
I ended up keeping it under my hat, except to a lovely neighbor, who walked me like a dog, and lent me an ear without judgment.
It’s wasn’t til people saw me losing that the public pile-on began.
It is just wierd how other people will feel threatened by you trying to improve your life.
Don’t forget to let us know your new user name, if you change it!
I sincerely hope you’ll start, and keep active on the boards. I owe a lot of my success losing and maintaining (I’ll be logging til the day my fingers don’t work anymore) to these guys.3 -
@springlering62 re "It is just weird how other people will feel threatened by you trying to improve your life." —> OMG, this line really struck a cord with me. I'm not obese, not overweight, but between COVID and menopause gained 30lbs. So far in 2025, I've lost 15lbs. I know this is minor compared to the OP with a 400+ pounds to lose, but even my small journey I've had negativity around me with "you don't need to lose weight", "oh just treat yourself", "you're losing too much". I cannot imagine people being that way with someone who is overweight, obese or morbidly obese. My mother was morbidly obese. When I was 16 she had gastric bypass surgery. It ruined her life. She lost 70lbs, then regained 50lbs. It was only when she finally discovered her why and put her mind to it that she finally really lost the weight, getting down to 150lbs, and kept it off. Making healthy life choices every day for the rest of her life.
@ReallyFatAMERICAN If you have people in your life who are enabling you, sabotaging you, judging you, being negative, telling you you can't to it, telling you not to try, telling you it will be too hard….. please get those people out of your life. If that is not possible, then figure out a way to get them out of head and your food. Do your best to surround yourself with supportive people who want to help you be the best version of you. The MFP community is a great community, but there is only so much we can do in an online discussion forum.
By the way, I see you have not changed your user name yet. Perhaps we should start you off with some positive suggestions? How about something like "CommittedToMe", "LivingMyBestLife", "FoodForSuccess", "BiggestWinner".
I know you can do whatever you put your mind to.
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I never felt threatened by other people, but I certainly got plenty of comments about not losing 'too much'. To be fair, at one point I did inadvertently get to the bottom of healthy BMI and, for the first time in about 35 years, had to put a bit of weight on(!!) but these comments were being made long before that. However, I soon had a stock answer for any commentators. To family, I simply said that I didn't want to end up diabetic like mum / grandma, given my phobia of needles, and my best way to avoid that was to get into a healthy weight range, plus my knees (I've had multiple operations) would thank me. To friends, I just said that I'd been diagnosed as diabetic and need to watch what I'm eating. As a strategy for keeping the nay-sayers at bay, mentioning diabetes works wonders.
@ReallyFatAMERICAN I can see the point of the comments above re your chosen user name reinforcing negativity but, equally, it could eventually become a tongue-in-cheek poke at the old you. It depends on how you feel seeing that when you log on vs whether it spurs you to do something about your weight. In a year's time you could become NotSoFatAMERICAN and then gradually morph into NotFatAMERICAN until you eventually get down to AMERICAN. Maybe change it with every 50lb lost. When I first started using MFP, there were regular comments about people rewarding themselves every x lbs or kg lost. Not with a cake, but perhaps with a new shirt or a spa treatment as a pat on the back; a change of moniker would certainly make it a visible point to you.
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Re name changes, think only 1 time is possible on an account?
I love the morphing name idea, but if only 1 time can be done, then daydream an awesome one :)
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