Please.. Help me?

1Cor1510

Don't get overwhelmed by this process. You can take it a step at a time. You can eat the foods you like in smaller portions and slowly add things to your diet to give you more healthy options. You don't have to eat 100% healthy and you don't have to be perfect 100% of the time.

^ This (and the rest of Dianne's post) is great advice. Don't think about THE DIET and then freak out. Think about eating what you are eating now, only less of it, and gradually swap in some healthier alternatives over time.

For many people, "diet" means restrictions; it means cutting things out, having no fun, renouncing pleasures. Those people may lose weight when on that diet, but when they reach their goal, they give up the restrictions and end up gaining the weight back. Those who are successful think of "diet" in terms of the food that they eat on a regular basis, and that they follow all of their life. If you want to not only lose weight but also keep it off, it helps to reframe what the word "diet" means, so that it is closer to the second.

I've lost over 50 lb. in the last 16 months by eating less, but I haven't cut anything out of my diet. I eat chocolate from time to time, I have bacon, I spread butter over my toast and cream cheese over my bagels. I have a drink or two most days. I just eat less of everything, and pay more attention to whether I am truly hungry or whether I just feel like eating because something looks good or I want a distraction.

Veggies are good, but you can take it slow with them. Eat the ones you like, and try small portions of new ones. It takes 12-20 tries before most people learn to like a new food (unless it's full of fat and sugar), so don't give up easily.

You can do it if you put your mind to it! It's not easy, but it can be done. Good luck!

I don't eat in the most healthful way either. I realized that I could not lose weight eating chicken and vegetables and fruits everyday because I just don't enjoy it. I eat a slice of Jet's pizza for lunch (instead of 2 slices) some days, will drive into McDonalds for a cheeseburger if I feel like it, and I even mix my protein powder (chocolate malt) with ice cream. It's all about portion size and seeing what fits in your day.

Do what works for you! Definately read the sexy pants thread. Without it I was lost, and I still re-read it every 1-2 months. You can do this! Friend me if you'd like, my diary is open. You CAN lose weight without a ton of restrictions

girldownsouth

You've had a ton of great advice. I definitely think starting by just logging and going for a bit of a deficit, but just having the kind of things you normally would is a great way to start, once you start to make progress and your head gets in it you might find you naturally start making healthier choices, I do :-)

Alexxmomcat

Seeing your Doctor and a nutritionist is the first step. It's hard don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but I count calories, But I also eat more than you think and I have lost 59 lbs since I started a concerted effort in December. Understanding things like Basal Metabolic Rate has helped me. I work out 3 days a week at the gym, and I am trying to walk 7 days a week.

You can do anything you set your mind to. Dry the tears and start moving. we are here for you.

rebbylicious

Don't get overwhelmed by this process. You can take it a step at a time. You can eat the foods you like in smaller portions and slowly add things to your diet to give you more healthy options. You don't have to eat 100% healthy and you don't have to be perfect 100% of the time.

^ This (and the rest of Dianne's post) is great advice. Don't think about THE DIET and then freak out. Think about eating what you are eating now, only less of it, and gradually swap in some healthier alternatives over time.

For many people, "diet" means restrictions; it means cutting things out, having no fun, renouncing pleasures. Those people may lose weight when on that diet, but when they reach their goal, they give up the restrictions and end up gaining the weight back. Those who are successful think of "diet" in terms of the food that they eat on a regular basis, and that they follow all of their life. If you want to not only lose weight but also keep it off, it helps to reframe what the word "diet" means, so that it is closer to the second.

I've lost over 50 lb. in the last 16 months by eating less, but I haven't cut anything out of my diet. I eat chocolate from time to time, I have bacon, I spread butter over my toast and cream cheese over my bagels. I have a drink or two most days. I just eat less of everything, and pay more attention to whether I am truly hungry or whether I just feel like eating because something looks good or I want a distraction.

Veggies are good, but you can take it slow with them. Eat the ones you like, and try small portions of new ones. It takes 12-20 tries before most people learn to like a new food (unless it's full of fat and sugar), so don't give up easily.

You can do it if you put your mind to it! It's not easy, but it can be done. Good luck!

The biggest problem I see with people getting started is they think it has to be all or nothing. IF you say no to something that you love, and you know in your heart it is not forever, than you will go back to eating unhealthy portions of the things you love. You can have whatever you want if you have portion control. Just remember that many unhealthy foods do not fill you up and keep you full, so you will learn quickly how to eat something that will fill you up as well as eat what you want. Do not deprive yourself of things you know you cannot stay away from for life. If I really want something that is high calorie I will exercise and log it so It allows me more calories to enjoy it guilt free.

For me, if I am so hungry but close to my daily max in calories, refried beans prevent me from feeling hungry. Although talking to a nutritionist will be helpful, don't trick yourself into thinking that you need to speak with one first and delay starting. Simply start logging your food and activity. Be sure you are looking at the portion size and measuring. Lying about portions will only cause problems for yourself.

rebbylicious

oh and also be careful for the people here that try to sell stuff. All of that crap is quick fix short term yo yo diet stuff. you do not need a magic potion, just log everything and you will start to learn from your logging.

KariOrtiz2014

DEEP BREATH!!!!

Yes counting calories work if you really count the calories!! Its simple formula of calories in vs calories out. You don't have to "diet" just eat smaller portions. Be more mindful of the types of food you eat (less processed foods, less chemicals, less sugar (HFCS), less bad fats). Do that and move more and you will see change. But you did not gain over night and you will not lose over night. Its a slow process - a marathon not a sprint. If you truly want it you will succeed. But understand you will have bad days and you will have good days. Don't look at the finish line... look at today - look at how you can change today then carry it on to tomorrow!!!

Also, seek the advice of a nutritionist to help you if you feel overwhelmed. You can do this!!! Good luck!!

THIS! Counting calories do work. Like stated above its not going to change in one night. It's a slow process. One step at a time. Don't cut everything out now. Personally, I don't believe that processed food is evil but you should definitely add more fresh food to your diet. Anyway start with one change first because if you try to do it all at once you will find yourself posting this topic again in no time. So start with something like replacing sugary drinks with more water. Try for two weeks or so, you will see changes on your scale from just that change. Then once you got that down move onto the next change. After a while you'll see all the many changes you've made and before you know it you'll be in onederland!!!

scraver2003

(((HUGS)))

You've already gotten lots of good advise. Take a deep breath and just take once step at a time. The first time I tried to lose weight as an adult, I was 22. I joined my first gym and started going everyday for 10 minutes. Yes - just 10 minutes. That was all I could do. Once I had done that for a few weeks, I took once snack a day and swapped it out for a piece of fruit. Once I had done that everyday for a few weeks, I tried putting one less piece of cheese on my egg sandwiches. The first 20 lbs flew off. You have age on your side. Just take baby steps. Little changes add up when you do them over and over.

babydaisy81

You've gotten alot of good advice on here and you have made a good start with seeing the nutritionsist and signing up with MFP, you have the dedication you need, and you can always add friends that will be there for you. I didn't think I would be able to count calories but I have some great friends on here, great motivation, and although I am not loosing weight that fast, I am losing it in a healthy way and making lifestyle changes forever.

Your body will learn to love working out and eating right, and although it won't be right away, it will all soon pay off!

Good luck with everything!

PJPrimrose

OP said, "But.. I don't like any fruits or veggies. (except for bananas, apples, carrots, peas(kinda), yogurt.)

I'm just.. screwed.."

A calorie deficit (please a normal one, not starving!) doesn't depend on what you're eating. It depends on how much you eat of it. If you like bananas,apples, carrots and peas by all means just eat those. I probably eat a LOT more sugar than would be recommended and I still do my workouts and maintain my weight just fine! I'm old enough to be your mom so you have youth on your side, too.

As someone else said, "It's not all or nothing".
Good luck!

UmmSqueaky

Make small changes that you can keep doing for the rest of your life. I've failed at every diet I've ever done. I'm succeeding this time because I'm eating what makes me happy, just less of it.

Here are the small changes I made each month. It gradually has added up to a better all around way of eating, but I didn't do it all at once. I'm not saying these are the changes you should make, but only a look into changes that you can make:

1st month: Eat at the calorie goal MFP gave me. Don't care what I eat, just so long as it only added up to x calories a day.

2nd month: Looked back at my first month's worth of diary entries and saw I ate a lot a lot of sodium and sugar. Worked to get that under control. I didn't give up processed foods or sugars, just made sure I wasn't eating as much.

3rd month: Worked on increasing my protein intake

4th month: Worked on increasing my veggie intake

And now here I am on my 5th month, and I'm pretty darn happy with where I'm at food wise. I don't feel like I have to make any more changes. Notice I didn't say I got rid of anything totally. i Haven't banished white flour or fat or bread or sugar or chocolate from my diet. I haven't deprived myself of anything. I'm not missing pizza or macaroni and cheese or cheeseburgers, because I make sure I eat them every once in awhile - not every day mind you, but just enough so that I look forward to it and savor every bite. I eat fast food twice a week. I eat chocolate nearly every day (delicious delicious dark chocolate chips). Yup, I could eat this way for the rest of my life, and that's what I plan to do

kuolo

You can do it! And yes, calorie counting does work! (It only stops working when people stop counting calories and go back to old eating habits.)

And don't stress about 'the diet' - find what works for you. For weight loss, it doesn't really matter what you eat as long as you hit your calorie goal. If you want to improve your health rather than/as well as just lose weight, adding in a few more nutrient dense foods (find some you like!) will help with that - if you need to, go slowly, one thing at a time. Also, you might find that some foods fill you up better than others, so make it easier to stick to your goal, but the important thing is you find something that works for you, doesn't make you feel deprived/miserable, and you can keep up for the indefinite future. Think of it as a way of eating not a diet. Don't be afraid to make changes to what you're doing until you find something you feel comfortable with. And if you have a bad day, or week - don't beat yourself up, just carry on, it's what you do over months or years that will make the difference, not a few slip-ups (everyone has them.) As long as on average you eat less than you burn you will lose weight.

The other two things I've found helpful are: weigh and log everything! It's amazing how wrong I was on some portion sizes, so get a small digital scale and weigh your food (honestly it's not as much of a pain as it sounds)
And don't feel you have to cut calories drastically. Try stepping down slowly to give your body a chance to get used to it; and listen to your body - if you're weak, tired and hungry all the time you probably need to eat more - less is not always better. What is best is something you feel happy on and can keep up over a long period of time.

And if you can find some kind of exercise that you can enjoy then all the better, but again, it's not essential for weight loss, so just tackle one thing at a time if you're feeling overwhelmed.

Good luck