Can I do it?

CTurner04

I am 51 years old and have a huge amount of weight to lose. I have tried dozens of times. I've done weight watchers several times ... Jenny Craig ... LA Weight Loss ... Diet Workshop ... Curves ... you name it. My biggest enemy now is the lack of confidence that I can do it because I've failed so many times. Same story as many of you, I'm sure. Any advice?

gumby101ca

hell ya you can do it , stick around here for a while , behonest with yourself , dedicate yourself and we will whip you into shape ... give it a try ... feel free to add me as a friend if you want !!

RachVR6

Just do your best each day. Commitment and patience is key. :flowerforyou:

allisoncook87

Diet is HUGE!!!! Count Count Count your calories and you will be soooo surprised. Try and throw in some easy excersize and that will help to! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

AggieCass09

yes you can! first off...diets dont work. a lifestyle change is necessary to lose weight and keep it off. Make small changes over time that you can sustain for ever and you will see results. Slow and steady is the best. Read my success story below for more on what I did for lasting results.

Good luck!

stanvoodoo

Sart slow, lower your calories every week and increase your exercise and it will come off! Work on eating healthier foods and increasing your Protein and Fiber so you stay fuller longer.

I started at 2000 calories a day and I am now at 1200 with only 5 min of exercise and now I am at 40 min. I also have 2 protein shakes a day to make sure I get in my protein and keep my meals small. But it was a process and took time to get here.

I am down 75lbs in exactly 6 months! You can do, I know you can!

aportillo8

You Can Do It...Especially with MFP! Everyone from MFP will be more than happy to help! I know I would! Add Me we can do it together~

Jayni40

I have 100+ lbs to lose just started to use this site. I really like it so far .I stopped dieting and switched to a Healthy Lifestyle Change. Sounds better anyways. Extra motivation is always good. Please add me can use as much as possible.

rileamoyer

Start slow and stick with it. This is the only place that ever worked for me - just the support I needed.

jene77

You CAN do it!! Just like they said you have got to count your calories. I have committed to counting calories and it has changed my life! Slowly but surely the weight will come off . Don't give up on yourself!

beesareyellow

Absolutely you can do this. I am 48 and have about 90 lbs to lose. I have lost about 35 to date. I started last September, slipped up during the holidays ( about 2.5 months wasted , oh well) and reengaged this January. I like it here because this is definitely NOT a diet. It is a new way of living. There is absolutely nothing that is forbidden. Just portion control and counting calories. At first, just measure and log, and try to keep to your goals. You will find that over time, you will want to make healthier choices naturally. Better choices usually translate to way more food. Then start to add in exercise, again MORE food:) It is a process, don't expect instant results, that road will lead to failure. Slow and steady wins the race. And make friends here, this is a very supportive community. Good luck!

grumpyswife123

Absolutely you can do it. There is so much support here. I am 53 years old and just this year I started running for the first time in my life thanks to all the support and advice on this site. I have been on fad diets, diet pills. Everything worked until I stopped doing it. Then I would gain it all back plus more. MFP taught me that being healthy is better than being skinny (although it is a nice bonus). I still weigh over 220 lbs but I feel great!

Make small changes and keep your body moving. You can add me as a friend if you like. Good luck

jltodd99

YES YOU CAN! Believe in yourself. Set some attainable goals and reward yourself when you meet those goals!

I'm 48 and I started this year at 269 pounds. Not my heaviest, but close enough. I started eating better (the whole family is benefiting from my food choices) and exercising. I have a goal for the end of April and I am determined to make that goal!
I am now down to 241 pounds with 6 more to lose to reach my goal by Easter. With the help of everyone at home and on this site I know I am going to make it!

We would love to help encourage you on your weight loss journey - feel free to add me as a friend.
Julie

auntiebabs

Small changes over a long time.
You don't have to be perfect, but you can do better.

First couple of weeks I just tracked what I ate without thinking about losing.

Then I looked at what I was eating and made changes where it hurt the least.
Think about what's important to you. (I can swap butter out for shed spread, but there is no way I'm swapping my dark chocolate for carob... Bleeech!)

These are changes I can keep long-term. Now these changes have become 2nd nature.
After you've incorporated the first few changes into your life. Look for another couple of small changes, continue a few things at a time that you can maintain long-term. Always look to do a little better. (It sounds silly, but... It's not always possible to make the best possible choice.)

It's my theory that in times of stress we revert to what's familiar. So if you make changes bit-by-bit you're never in completely unfamiliar territory and in time the new habits become familiar and even in stressful time you wouldn't think about reverting.

I work hard at not feeling deprived. I realized that I had been overindulging a lot and now my "treats" are rare and special and I enjoy them so much more.

Don't think about "ALL THE WEIGHT YOU HAVE TO LOSE" just think about the next pound or two.

The AHA moment that started my current weight loss journey was when a good friend of mine said "Just lose the first 5lbs" So I've been here since Sept. and I haven't been perfect. I don't always make my 1-lb per week. But I'm doing better (now that I'm closer to my goal I stepped down to 1/2 per/week)

Now I sort of think of weight loss the way I thought of bringing something heavy up stairs when I lived in a 5 flight walk up. At first I would think to myself can I carry this up 60 stairs and would be overwhelmed then I'd think can I carry this up 1 step... if I answered YES. I just did that once, then twice, then three times..... then 60 times.

Good Luck

Tree72

You can definitely do this.

I agree that slow and steady wins the race. It all seemed so overwhelming when I first started that I had to break it down and just make small changes over time. But you know, the time will pass no matter what decisions you make. You can decide to feel better and be in better health with each decision that you make so that when next year arrives you won't be feeling the same as you do now.

Don't get down on yourself when you make a decision that you later regret. Learn from it and make a better decision next time.

Best wishes for a healthier, happier future.

Lania67

I am so with you with that! Just a few mos. I went the a nutritionist and cried in her office because I was so ready to get started yet sure that I would fail yet again...and sure enough I didn't stick to it. I've wanted this for so long now I really hope I can do it this time. Good luck to you! I wish you all the best. Add me too if you like. I'm just starting out as well. I think this site will help all of us!

Sweetlux

MFP is like wearing a second sports bra while working out. You can never have too much support