Any really big 'losers' out there?? I am new and need some b

Moz2ie

Hi All, I am a newbie with a lot of weight to lose (230 pounds)! I would love to have some friends to help keep each other supported during our long journey.

I have tried everything - Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, diet shakes etc with limited success and have just found this amazing website which I will now use to 'go it alone'. I'd rather not be too alone though if there are other people out there wantind a weight loss buddy.

geddoe

I started at 237, down to 200 now. Would definitely be interested in being friends! Hit me up.

skizzerbizkit

My goal is to lose over 100 lbs. The support here REALLY helps. I'll add you

luppic8

Welcome. This is the perfect site for you. There are a lot of great people on here offering motivation and support...I am one of those people. Please feel free to add me to your buddy list and I will do all I can to help you throuh this journey.

deborahmorris

Hey this is a great place to keep motivated...I have over 100lbs to lose too!!!

annadilynn

I am trying to lose 55 pounds. Feel free to add me. I am usually online every day at least once...everyone one on here that i have come accross has been so very nice and supportive... :0)

hydee77

Hi there, I'm Heidi. I would love to help support you. I just started as well I have lost 4lbs and have 94 moreto go. Good luck! this site is amazing I love it.

Juanzx

What's Up new to this site but not new to the loosing weight game hope to meet some new friends in this site

Christine1110

I started at 228....and now I'm at 145 I have about 20 pounds to go.

Hootsmamma

Hi and Welcome to MFP. Both my husband (Stevll) and I are working towards losing over 100 pounds each. Feel free to add us as friends if you like and we can help support each other through this weight-loss journey. Best of luck to you!

cfred40

I prefer to consider myself a big winner instead of a "big loser" :bigsmile: lol

Welcome to mfp. The site is great, but the support from the other members is awesome. Best wishes

stevemcknight

I've seen countless people come and go over the years here. This is an excellent tool for logging and watching trends. It's a great tool for checking macro-nutrient make-up of food. It is a terrible place to habitually under-eat and over-exercise. It encourages this madness sadly.

We all know this, but deeply in our hearts, few of us truly believe it.

"Diets don't work."

Any temporary reduction in food intake and temporary increase of exercise will never be a permanent fix, as long as the hormones in our bodies continue to function in the way that we have set them as we got fat. There are several important ones, but the most important is insulin.

When you eat foods that trigger insulin, your fat cells will take in glycerol and you will get fatter. When you don't, your cells will use the triglycerides (3 glycerol) in your cells for energy. *yes - this is the crazy simple version.* You can't undereat for a long period of time. 99% of us will fall off the wagon and binge, because our hormones tell us to! It's not your fault, your hormones are literally controlling the way you think!

Reducing calories will work for short term fat loss, (and muscle loss actually) but you'll fall back if you're like the majority of people. It's time to change the way you eat completely.

The very simple answer to what causes big time insulin secretion is carbohydrates. Amino Acids will as well, but to a lesser degree and fat won't at all. There are many reasons to drop the grains out of your diet - "Leaky Gut" for example, but more than anything, during a fat loss phase, I would drop your carbs completely with the exception of as many veggies as you want to eat. (*note* corn is a grain, along with rice and wheat. - for best results, cut the grains out.) www.Whole9Life.com - great info there about why grains aren't great for you.

Eat fat - it will be your energy source and is pretty difficult to over eat. Carbs on the other hand, trick you into over-eating on a regular basis. One of the key things that insulin does is mutes the receptors for the other hormone Leptin. The more insulin you secrete (coming from carbs), the more your body ignores Leptin. This is bad! You don't realize that you're full, so you eat more carbs (and everything else around.) Think about it - whens the last time you overate cookies or chips? When's the last time you over ate steak?

OK, if you're still there - here's my reather simple recommendation.

Eat as much as you want of these things:
Veggies, Eggs, Fish, Meat, Poultry

Don't eat this until you're at your goal weight:
Wheat, Corn, Rice, Fruit, Sugar, anything processed.

If it comes out of a box, seriously - skip it. Whatever it is, probably isn't going to be good for you.

(yes - skip the fruit for now. There's great stuff in fruit, but also a bunch of Fructose and it's super easy to way over eat. Why? Fruit will increase your insulin production, but not until after the fructose is converted to glucose down the line a bit. It's generally not filling.)

The other thing I recommend to all my clients: READ. Take an active approach in your education. One of the finest books to come out in a long while about weight loss is Gary Taubes newest, "Why We Get Fat." It's kind of a simpler approach to his much longer and more complicated, but equally great book "Good Calories, Bad Calories." Another great book is Robb Wolf's book "The Paleo Solution." There's a lot of science behind both. That's what works for me. I want to know why I should eat the way they suggest, not just because they suggest it.

Exercise several times a week, lift weights - not just endless elliptical. Eat the right foods. Be concerned with that - don't worry so much about how much you eat! It's not calories that force people off the bandwagon, it's the hormones that are secreted in direct response to the food we eat that causes undeniable cravings.

Best of luck to you, and please keep me updated on your progress!

Warmly,
Steve

Moz2ie

Wow - thank you everyone for your introductions, well wishes & advice. I am definately feeling supported!

I am loving the iphone app (I may have already formed an addiction to it :-) and have found the easy accessibility great for updating my diary and tracking calories. I actually have a pretty high number of calories recommended for me 2040 - does anyone else have anything like that. I am struggling to eat high enough calories without then going overboard in some of the nutrient areas (fat & protein). In saying that Steve (I stayed reading til the end :-) maybe it doesn't matter if I go over in those areas.

What do people think/recommend?

Gary1977

I have a long journey as well. I've been interested in the "Paleo" lifestyle for quite some time. I have now after 3 months began to cut out all processed foods and limit my carb intake(haven't cut it out yet). I started out needing to lose about 400lbs:sad: , but in an a little less than 3 months I have dropped about 100lbs:noway: . I know my MFP scale only shows 30 or so, but I had already been doing this about 2 months before finding this wonderful site. Good luck on your journey and friend me if you like. :drinker:

GiGi76

bump

MMAsac

are starting weights are about the same thing. and in 4 months, i have lost 49.2 lbs. it is do-able. Just remember to burn more calories then you take in every day. Also to go 1 step farther than you did the previous day. add me if you like!

kettlewitch

Started with 140 to lose on jan 3rd, 79 to go. Come way too far to go back now, but have loosened up a bit on the obsessive counting and have settled into a 1 to 2 lb loss a week which is sustainable and hopefully might lessen the impact of loose skin.

slenderncat41

Hello ZZZooo! I'm new here, too. I've got 85 pounds to lose. It feels like a mountain, but one step at a time and we'll get there! Feel free to add me to your friends list and maybe we can encourage each other.

Steve: "Eat the right foods. Be concerned with that - don't worry so much about how much you eat! It's not calories that force people off the bandwagon, it's the hormones that are secreted in direct response to the food we eat that causes undeniable cravings."

Thank you for that, Steve! That statement really struck a cord. I've been interested in the Paleo diet. It seems to make a lot of sense.

Taradactyyl

While I am at the end of my journey, I just want to encourage you all that YOU CAN DO IT! You are WORTH IT! Stick to it! )

I lost 100 pounds total, losing 70 pounds last year. I've kept it off since September and its been amazing living life as a mother and a wife again. MFP was the key but I had to be the one to turn it.

You can do this....:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: