Need FAT loss tips! Help!

alsimon816

Hi all.

I am 24, 5'4" and weigh 145 currently. Not too bad since I am still technically in the "healthy weight range" for my height. However, I am looking to lose a good amount of fat and weight.

My issue is that although my weight is not horrible, my BMI is at 29.4 which is the tipping scale before crossing over into the "overweight" range. I'm not okay with that.

I have been smaller all my life. Normal weight was around 123 but I've gone through some major life changes that affect my body. Although I've been eating pretty crappy for a good 7 years due to working in a restaurant, I've now switched from a serving job where I was running my butt off constantly to a full time desk job in my career area.

Working both in a restaurant and now in an office makes it super difficult to eat healthy (because people always bring things in or we order in lunch) and to eat proper portion sizes (because when we order something for lunch, the portions are so big and I hate left overs so i might as well eat it). Plus, when I was serving, I'd go so many hours with out food that when I finally ate, I would binge. You could've possibly categorized it as a binge eating disorder. I'd say on average, I'd eat about 2400 calories a day. But when I was serving, all the movement didn't make it a big deal.

Now it's a HUGE problem. My weight is steadily climbing and it's making me so uncomfortable. I Can't stand that I cannot wear form fitting shirts because what I want to look like in those shirts and what I see in the mirror are two very different pictures.

For the new year, I have started taking getting my body and health in check seriously. Now that I have my full tie desk job, I get reimbursed 100% for my gym membership for going so many times a month and have to require proof that I went, which definitely gives me more motivation.

Also, my husband and I have a bet going that the first person to lose 20lbs wins $200 from the other. I've been focusing on calories and using the myfitnesspal app for iPhone which says that I should be eating around 1200 to lose. That's a good 1/2 of what I am used to eating.

An issue with this is that people always say "eat until you are satisfied, not full". but because there is a very thin line between my feeling satisfied vs full, i always over eat--and I've gotten used to it. Also, when I eat 1200 calories, I will eat something and then an hour later, I am hungry again. Like, starving, could eat a horse, hungry. But I am eating wholesome, nutrient rich foods, no empty calories. What's the deal?

My muscle mass is fine and I don't really need to tone up much. It's just that it surrounded by layers of gross, unhealthy fat!

Does anyone have any tips for strict fat loss? What worked for you, what didn't work? Is there anything that I should be focused on specifically when trying to lose the fat?

Thanks for your help! Before and after photos are always welcome.

Jovette42

I LOVE LOVE LOVE competitions :laugh: The first thing to remember is that we need to change our thinking. Slow and steady really does win the race. The second thing is quick fixes don't fix JACK And the third thing is what works for one person may not work for someone else so taking the time to figure out you first will be the main thing. I can help.

MirrorMe33

Hey!

Having a buddy do it at the same time is fantastic.

I've had moderate success using MFP. If your diet and food choices are out of whack its a great educational tool to get you making better decisions about what you're eating.

If you're having trouble getting started because you're worried the calories are too low start small! Work at bringing your count down 100 - 200 per week or something similar. I found purely counting calories worked well for a while but then stopped after my body got used to the deficiency. There are also plenty of low calorie foods you can eat heaps of that wont blast your numbers through the roof which it looks like you're aware of.

The best thing I can suggest is proteins as that's what has worked (and is currently working) for me. Steamed chicken, tuna, eggs, low fat cheeses and milks. They aren't very exciting but they work well! I've recently started a new program called Healthpointe 2.0 which was originally designed for people with diabetes (from what I've been told) and has been modified for use in general weight loss. It's a bit extreme but if you want to really kick start the weight loss I can definitely recommend it!