So depressed. Help me get to lose 100pds.

Jestinia

You found MFP. Great start. Write down everything you eat. Get a food scale. Double check the calories until you have them by heart (if necessary double check them off-site, these are user-entered calorie amounts and not always accurate).

Now the hard part. You need to find a place where you are eating enough to function and even work out (start slow!) but are still in a calorie deficit (don't worry if you only lose a couple pounds a week and ignore the scale fluctuations if you know you are doing everything right, water weight happens). In fact, exercise can boost water weight.

Take measurements and pictures so you can compare more than the numbers on the scale last month with the numbers this month. You'll be surprised how much of a difference that can make to your motivation.

If you slip up, fine, everyone does, just don't give up.

Don't make yourself too crazy and set small goals all along the way, preferably with non-food rewards when you hit a goal. Like new clothes!

ashmarie8722

I weighed over 260 when I was 25, so I know how you feel. I know the idea of exercise is hard now, but I promise you even tiny steps will make huge differences! I started just taking a walk in the mornings around my neighborhood. A couple months later I joined a gym and just walked on the treadmill or used the stationary bikes-fairly easy exercises. A few weeks after that I got a trainer. A year later I had lost 50 pounds and was running my 7th 5 k. I promise, if you start small, you can build up and will see the difference. You are young and your energy will return quickly. Eating well is important, but exercise will make you feel strong and confident!

Wow! what a great piece of advice, and testimony. It is just celebrating, and getting excited about the little steps! they start to add up Also I suggest doing measurements on top of weight. Sometimes when the scale doesn't move the tape does, but I do this less frequently.

s1rens0ng

What u need is 1 - Diet ( set ur calorie goal u said it is 1970 ) ..2- a weight lifting program for beginners u can find a lot online download one and hit the gym ..3 - add Cardio if u can't run , walk u don't have to do marathons just 20 - 30 mins every other day in the week is more than enough when starting 4 - Will Power 5 - Ignore your Ego ...Gd luck

This ^^^ .. you will be surprised how much you will lose just from walking and feel free to add me for portion sizes etc.

melnorwich

Hi Tasha
I had a look at your food diary. You don't seem to have a problem with sugar which is a good start, but you also don't seem to be eating healthily too consistently and there are lots of times when you eat something which is huge in calories without really being much food. I'd therefore suggest the following:

- do a little exercise every day (e.g. an additional 15 minutes walk) just to get you into the habit of exercising
- try to think of food as nutrition for your body. If you eat nutritious food, your body will get what it needs to start burning fat. Burger king meals have no nutritious value and are empty calories. You need to use your calorie allowance for nutrition not to satisfy cravings for unhealthy foods.
- decide whether you are prepared to commit to changing your lifestyle. You don't have to - its okay to accept yourself as you are if you want to. You will have he willpower to make changes to your diet and exercise sensibly when you want it enough. If you're not at that stage yet, then I'd suggest that you stop beating yourself up about it and leave it until its important enough to you to make the change.

Hope this helps.

Mel

TavistockToad

Second: If you think you'll be happier when you lose weight...you won't be. It's not that simple. Make this a journey to love your body, not a journey to be skinny. If you try to learn to love your body, to treat it right with excercise and food, you'll be happier, and weight loss will be a side effect.

this is the best bit of advice you will ever get!

HaibaneReki

How can I start, I'm 23, weighing at a whopping 288 pounds. I'm so mad at myself. I'm so stressed. How do I get to become this person I want to be. I'm too lazy to work out, but I'm eating.. well better. I can consume 1970 calories a day, but to be honest, it seem like so much. If I sometimes don't eat them it says I will weigh less in then I would if I consumed them all. My heart is broke. I've done everything, weight watchers, curves, you name it. WHAT DO I DO! uh

read this, quick!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1196867-how-i-lost-360lbs-in-15-months

also like other said, You have to change Your MIND first. Lock out negativity, funny remarks of others, dig in the forums for motivation. The rest will follow.

Foodiethinking

I suggest integrating MFP and fitness into your life. Make friends here, read through the forums and learn who is successful and who has nutrition and fitness knowledge, then start applying what you learn.

kazzyv

Keep logging and your food on here every day, weigh everything - never guess portion sizes if you are just starting out its really easy to over/under estimate. Keep a note of everything milk in tea and coffee, that one biscuit at the office whatever - list everything. You will also then start to see patterns of where you have something high in calories but actually you didn't enjoy it that much so you then will find things you can cut out without missing them too much.

Don't look at at the total of what you have to lose - you will lose heart - set small goals, losing 10lbs, getting into a smaller dress size, whatever works for you.

Its not going to be easy but you can do it - and everyone here will help you I am sure. Find 2 or 3 people on here you click with or you find inspirational and link to them as friends - they will help you to keep on track. I know when I am thinking of a large hcocolate bar I think "oh no - if I put that on my food diary everyone will see I have cracked" - it works for me.

Good luck.

mamadon

Hi Tasha. I just want to encourage you to be kind to yourself. I have had a very long struggle with over eating and I must say that the most valuable thing I have learned is to NOT agree with the angry, hateful voices in my head. I have started valuing myself, cheering myself on and taking care of me. I treat myself like I would treat someone who needs support and encouragement. I say things like, "You can do it", "Yes, you are worth looking after". I now take the attitude that I will only do what is helpful for myself. Yes, some days I feel like I am two people arguing, but usually the caring side wins out. Tasha, you are worth taking care of. You are valuable and loveable. You are worth the effort. I will be cheering for you too!

^^^^
Totally this. So, often, we view ourselves as failures because we allowed ourselves to get into this weight predicament. We talk the self hate talk to ourselves. This does not do anything but make things worse. I myself would overeat, hate myself for it, then in turn eat even more. Its a viscious cycle for sure. Were all only human, and we need to accept ourselves. Now, if I fall off the wagon and binge, I try very hard to simply shrug it off and do better the next day. I do not give up.
Also, try not to look at the big picture when you have a lot to lose because it can seem overwheming and impossible. Worry about today only. If it seems like it will take forever to lose the weight, remind yourself that times will pass whether you spend it losing weight or not. Lastly, find a good support group of friends on here, having that encouragement can really help.

Spadhnik

Can you reduce/stop Sugar intake - this was the first thing I did and helped me to stop many of the craving as I became determined to say no to sugary food....

gypsy_spirit

Can you reduce/stop Sugar intake - this was the first thing I did and helped me to stop many of the craving as I became determined to say no to sugary food....

Not at all necessary. You do not have to give up or stop eating things you like. You just have to teach yourself to eat them in the correct portions.


Read this link and then start small. Do one thing a week to change your mindset. Good luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

KatieLouWho19

First, stop beating yourself up. I started out at 277! And I'm 51 yrs. old. It is harder to lose when your older. I am down to 245 now. It has taken me a while to get to that point. Make up your mind to apply yourself, even it it's little steps. Little steps are better than nothing at all. Do NOT be in a hurry to do this. This is a long journey your going to do. Do some nutrition research. I have to do alot of research as I'm a vegetarian. And don't think of this task as losing 100 pounds. Lose 10 pounds first. Then another 10 pounds and so on. Go to youtube and find easy exercises for obese people. If you can't do 10-20 reps.....do less. Walk for 10 minutes or more. It's a start. And you have to start somewhere. Sometime. And start yourself off at 1800 calories a day. And make up your mind to stop eating alot of your favorite things. Figure out how to substitute, cut back, or leave it behind. I'm a pizza junkie. BIG TIME! I make veggie pizza's on small flour tortilla's if I have to really have a pizza. No meat, just veggies, easy on the cheese and sauce. And don't diet. The saying goes if you want to gain weight.....go on a diet. Change your life. One little step at a time. Ask for help.

THIS!!!! ^^^ I do the same thing with Pizza! Low carb wheat tortillas, with a little pizza sauce, low fat mozzarella and turkey pepperoni! I absolutely LOVE PIZZA!! I had to cave the other day and get "real" pizza, where normally I could eat 4-6 pieces by myself and my fiance's crust.... I went somewhere where they sell by the slice, and only had ONE piece! That was huge for me! I even turned down his crust! I mean literally, one of the most liberating feelings I have had in a LOOOOONG time!
Also, starting out small as everyone else said with exercise... Definitely. When I started, I couldn't jog for a minute straight... The other night, another huge accomplishment! I started this journey in September after my 6 weeks post op from my second c-section. I fell off, got back on... Fell off again, picked right back up! MFP really does help you stay more conscious about what you are putting into your mouth. I actually think about - oh *kitten* is this muffin really worth the heavy feeling I am going to get?? It's HOW MANY CARBS?!? No, I'll (sadly) go for some chicken...again! lol.

its a REALLY hard journey, but you have to be willing to push yourself. No one can do this for you, except for you. When you are ready, and ONLY when you are ready to really give it your all, will you do it! But - I have a feeling that you will do amazing!

DO NOT GIVE UP on yourself.. You are beautiful inside and out, you are just going to make yourself healthier.

TrainingToBePerfect

But guys i'm a big chips and potato eater......

disneygallagirl

read the link provided on your guide to your sexy pants - one of the best posts on here!
good luck. :flowerforyou:

inbloomnirvana7

I am in the same boat as you..so don't feel alone. I JUST started working out yesterday, drinking water instead of pop, and gonna do my best to stay on a diet. Maybe we can keep each other motivated. im 23 and weigh 275, I let myself go when I got pregnant and I hate myself for it. but only we can make a change Good luck to you!!

nancybuss

But guys i'm a big chips and potato eater......

you've had great advice so far.

When you look at the chips... what is more important? The taste of those chips for a few minutes, or your health. YOUR LIFE!!!!!

Those dang chips are Stealing your youth!!!! Get Freakin' MAD at those chips! Sure, they taste good now but get rid of them. if that is your worst thing... just stop. Its not worth it!
YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're here to help!

GBrady43068

How can I start, I'm 23, weighing at a whopping 288 pounds. I'm so mad at myself. I'm so stressed. How do I get to become this person I want to be. I'm too lazy to work out, but I'm eating.. well better. I can consume 1970 calories a day, but to be honest, it seem like so much. If I sometimes don't eat them it says I will weigh less in then I would if I consumed them all. My heart is broke. I've done everything, weight watchers, curves, you name it. WHAT DO I DO! uh

1) Don't "lose 100 pounds". Lose 1-2 pounds this week. Then another 1-2 next week. Then another 1-2 after that.
2) Make sure you set up your MFP "assumptions" correctly. Your activity level should correspond with your occupation really. If you have a desk job= sedentary. If you are a landscaper/construction worker= active.
3) Put in your expected exercise on the LOW SIDE. Underestimate how much exercise you expect to get when you enter your goals. For example, if you think you can get to the gym 3 times a week for 30 minutes each time, tell MFP you'll go three days a week for 20 minutes. This helps keep you on track if you have a workout you miss or cut short. If you end up doing more, you're never gonna get on the scale and get angry that you lost TOO MUCH weight. :laugh:
4) The estimated calorie burn on MFP is too high. My usual practice is that if I say walk for 90 minutes and MFP says that's a 999 calorie burn, I would multiply that by .666 and use that (666 calories) as my burn instead. Again...you will never be angry that the drop on the scale is MORE than you expected.
5) Now..eat back your exercise calories. No REALLY...eat them back. Here's why: This enables you to not walk around "hangry" all the time, get discouraged about "always being starved" and eventually give up. The calories help fuel your workouts. MFP builds in a deficit so it's not necessary to try to come in "way under" your daily calories. Honestly, it's not even necessary to come in under every single day...so long as I'm not WAY over, I can have a couple days of being over on calories and still see my loss at week's end. Again, because of the builtin deficit MFP assumes in my daily "goal" calories.
6) Don't say "I'm not going to eat anything at all with lots of fat or sugar or carbs or (FILL IN THE BLANK)". This is counterproductive to long-range goals. Tell yourself you're "giving up" ice cream and you will crave ice cream. Nix the Pringles and all you want is potato chips, etc etc etc. Work on learning to eat the correct portion. If you need to, open the bag of chips the second you get home and divide out the 17 or 20 chips (however many is a serving size) into snack size baggies. Repeat until the whole bag is in portion sizes. If you REALLY can't control yourself with a single specific food...don't keep it in the house. (Or tell your SO to hide it from you) You can always make a trip for a single scoop cone or a single serving bag of chips if you REALLY want them. Having to make the trip will save you from eating them mindlessly.


I've been here since October. I've done the above. I've now lost about 30 pounds and it's staying off. My overall goal is way over 100 pounds.....but I just don't think of it that way. I'm always thinking about my next "mini-goal" and focusing on those little wins to stay motivated. Good luck.

sodakat

But guys i'm a big chips and potato eater......

When you buy a bag of chips, look at the nutrient/calorie breakdown on the package. If you are going to eat that entire bag, then ALL the calories will end up in you. I.E., it is ONE serving for you. This means you will be eating anywhere from 1100 to 1500 or more calories just from that one bag of chips. That is enough calories to sustain you for a day. Now imagine if you eat that along with other things.

Potatoes will probably be between 175 and 300 calories, depending on the size. Butter, etc. on them will add another hundred or two hundred calories. However, you can have a small potato for maybe 150 calories and a teaspoon of butter for around 32 calories.

YOU CAN DO THIS.

TrainingToBePerfect

But guys i'm a big chips and potato eater......

When you buy a bag of chips, look at the nutrient/calorie breakdown on the package. If you are going to eat that entire bag, then ALL the calories will end up in you. I.E., it is ONE serving for you. This means you will be eating anywhere from 1100 to 1500 or more calories just from that one bag of chips. That is enough calories to sustain you for a day. Now imagine if you eat that along with other things.

Potatoes will probably be between 175 and 300 calories, depending on the size. Butter, etc. on them will add another hundred or two hundred calories. However, you can have a small potato for maybe 150 calories and a teaspoon of butter for around 32 calories.

YOU CAN DO THIS.

THis just made me say wow. that's really true. ..

TavistockToad

But guys i'm a big chips and potato eater......

so what? you can still eat them, you just need to learn moderation....