Those who weigh more then 300lbs.....

debcarv

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Stefanielyn

That's what I try to tell myself but when you have so much to lose its just kind of disappointing to see the scale jump down 1 tiny pound.

kclady44

10 pounds a week is unrealistic,

CherryMonRose520

I often find myself crying when i'm alone because I feel like i'm going to be stuck with this weight all my life. I'm 19 and 304 lbs, yes I know it's disgusting! I've tried weight watchers and it didn't work, I tried the hCg diet and it was working but I ended up fainting and in the hospital because of it. I don't want to die but it seems like all the food choices I make state otherwise. And yes I know exactly what I'm doing but I get so sad sometimes that literally food is the only thing to make me feel better. It's getting harder for me to move around and do simple things like climb the stairs, or tie my shoelaces or even getting on a ride at the amusement park, and on top of all that because of my obesity I suffer from acanthosis nigricans on my neck and in between my breasts. Today I've decided that i'm tired of feeling sorry for myself and i'm ready to go on this journey and take it seriously. I need too. I'm tired of crying about my weight then shoving pizza and wings down my throat smh. I know I have a long way to go but atleast I made the choice to do something about it.

liftingandlipstick

Hey honey, welcome! My story: My SW was 320# on February 19. Today is my 2 month anniversary, and I weighed in this am at 290.4. My activity level is Lightly Active, as I work retail, so I'm on my feet at work all day, but not necessarily moving too much. My MFP goal is 2# per week, and I've obviously lost more than that, but I wasn't really trying to, so I guess I got lucky?

My first day here, at 320#, MFP's calorie goal for me was, I believe, 2160. Now at 290 it's 1880. I do typically try to get close to my calorie limit. There are days when I'm under by a few hundred calories, but I really do try to hit my goal. The MFP calorie goal already has a deficit of 1000 per day built in, which amounts to 2# per week. I weigh things like meat and nuts, measure everything else, and I do rely on individual packages for some things as well. I don't track sodium, I focus on fat, protein and carbs- the big three. I go by the basic 50% carbs, but upped my protein to 25, and fat down to 25.

It gets a little trickier when you add in exercise. I already worked out twice per week, before I joined here. I upped that to pretty much daily about a month in. I take fitness classes through my rec center, and I've started jogging with C25K. I use the MFP exercise database as I can't afford an HRM, but I'm aware that it may be overstating my calorie burn, so I eat back approximately half of my exercise calories. This still gives me a huge amount to work with- for example, I took a Zumba class this morning for one hour. MFP says I burned 1166 calories, of which I'll eat around 600. So my food diary shows my goal for the day as 2733. I'll aim for around 2100. (Use the Quick Add Calories feature if you don't want to mess with the math each day- it'll show you your total goal instead of having to subtract it!) It's always hard to workout in the beginning, but it will only get easier by doing it! I would start a little slower- an hour a day is plenty to get started with. Once that no longer challenges you, either work up to something longer, or pick something harder. I prefer harder, personally, because I don't want to end up spending half my day at the gym!

As far as budget, I do rely on a local food bank once per month. I get TONS of canned vegetables every time, usually frozen meat ( 5# of BL/SL chicken last month!), cheese or yogurt, several loaves of good (whole grain or artisan) bread, fruits/veg (mostly potatoes in the past few months, as nothing is in season) and some sort of treat food (frozen pizzas, chips, cookies, convenience meals etc). It certainly doesn't cover my groceries for the month, but it drastically cuts down on the things that I do have to buy. I typically purchase milk, eggs, a meat or two that I didn't get that month, and fresh produce. If you have a food pantry in your area, I would look into it, as most of the food that they give out fits very well into the lifestyle you want to cultivate for weight loss. And the things that don't fit into a "healthy" diet, eat them anyway, just in moderation.

Good luck, and feel free to FR me if you need more support

lindanewland37

My highest weight which I reached 2 years ago was 352 lbs. and I am 5 ft 4 inches tall. I had to make major lifestyle changes due to health issues and started those changes last April or May so been at it about a year. I was 346 when I started my lifestyle changes. I lost 30 pounds in 2013 just by changing what foods I was eating - I did not worry too much about portions. Then I decided I needed to get more serious about it and started with My Fitness Pal in January 2014. I have lost 32 pounds since January 1. Initially my calorie goal set by MFP was in the ballpark of 1750 calories a day but every 10 lbs. MFP will suggest a calorie reduction so now I am at 1620 calories a day. I eat back some of my exercise calories but I am still not doing anything too strenuous. Considering that 10 months ago I was getting out of breath just getting dressed, it is quite an improvement that today I was able to walk my 2 little dogs around the block. I am now at 284 and want to lose at least another 100 pounds. I'm a little worried about tripping over loose skin - LOL - because I have been so heavy for so many years - but I can deal with that. I am diabetic (type 2) so have to pay attention to what I am eating as well as how much. I finally have been able - at almost 60 years of age - to make a mind switch. I do not believe that I am on a diet - this is just the way I eat now and will continue to do so. The dr. gave me pretty good odds of dying in the next 5 years if I did not make major changes and I have made them, so I am very hopeful for the future. You are young - you still have time to avoid the issues that I have had because of my weight. I also don't weigh that often - the fluctuations that we all have that are not necessarily weight gain were making me crazy so I probably only weigh every 10 days or 2 weeks. Good luck - you can do this. Just don't expect it to happen in one day - it sounds cliché but it's true - you did not gain it in a day and you won't lose it in a day.

simplydelish2

First, reality TV isn't reality. Don't compare yourself to the biggest loser. They are under strict medical supervision and the weekly weigh-ins we see...not really just a week! Losing 10 pounds a week is not practical, safe, or sustainable. Choose to be healthy and the weight will come off.

My tips - don't eat less calories than what MFP says you should eat - and eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories. Here again, healthy is the priority. I tend to be a big eater - so I eat tons of salad and veggies (frozen veggies are a good choice and sometimes cheaper than fresh), lean meats, and a limited amount of grains. The only dairy I generally eat is greek yogurt.

Exercise - start walking and keep walking. Do weights at least 3 times a week - that will help keep muscle mass and help tone as you lose.

You can do it...just be realistic. The weight didn't come on all at once and it's not going away all at once.

neandermagnon

I often find myself crying when i'm alone because I feel like i'm going to be stuck with this weight all my life. I'm 19 and 304 lbs, yes I know it's disgusting!

Stop right there..... don't talk about yourself like this, you're not disgusting!! Speak kindly to yourself. You can't make changes in your life by beating yourself up.... talk to yourself the way you'd speak to a friend... i.e. with compassion and kindness. That puts you in a much better mental space to be able to make the necessary changes.

I've tried weight watchers and it didn't work, I tried the hCg diet and it was working but I ended up fainting and in the hospital because of it.

That's because those methods suck. I'm glad you haven't stuck with them. And HCG is dangerous, as you found out the hard way. Really, the MFP method is different.

I don't want to die but it seems like all the food choices I make state otherwise. And yes I know exactly what I'm doing but I get so sad sometimes that literally food is the only thing to make me feel better. It's getting harder for me to move around and do simple things like climb the stairs, or tie my shoelaces or even getting on a ride at the amusement park, and on top of all that because of my obesity I suffer from acanthosis nigricans on my neck and in between my breasts. Today I've decided that i'm tired of feeling sorry for myself and i'm ready to go on this journey and take it seriously. I need too. I'm tired of crying about my weight then shoving pizza and wings down my throat smh. I know I have a long way to go but atleast I made the choice to do something about it.

yes you're doing the right thing. And it doesn't have to be arduous or difficult like WW and it's nothing like HCG.

set yourself a sensible calorie goal and reasonable expectations. You're not going to lose this weight overnight... don't aim to lose it quickly.... focus on never getting it back again.... i.e. every lb of fat lost is an lb of fat that's gone forever. Set your goal to lose 2lb a week and eat that number of calories each day. Yes it will take longer.... but remember, the focus is "gone forever" not "gone quickly"..... this way you get to eat enough food that you don't feel starved or deprived, you get to eat enough to feed your body properly and protect your lean mass. Fast weight loss leads to feeling starved, tortured, deprived, losing lean mass along with the fat, rebound fat gain and even health problems. you tried that route (HGC) it didn't end well. It pretty much never ends well.

do any kind of exercise or physical activity you enjoy. Anything that makes you move around is good. It doesn't have to be hardcore exercise... walking a little more, anything. At first it will be difficult because you have so much to lose... but it will get easier and easier and easier... as it does you can add more different kinds of exercise, you'll find you enjoy it more, and it'll be strengthening your body and you'll become fitter... and the fat will slowly start to melt away.

Focus on long term compliance, i.e. your goals now are to stick to your MFP calorie number (including eating back around 50% of exercise calories, or up to 80% if you feel hungry enough to eat them) - by stick to I mean eat that number, or within 50 cals either side of it, rather than trying to be a long way under that number, and to stick to doing whatever kind of physical activity you enjoy..... for 1 week, for 2 weeks, for 3 weeks, for 1 month, for 6 weeks, for 2 months, for 3 months, for 6 months.... i.e. compliance goals. Focus on sticking to the plan. It shouldn't be hard to stick to, because you should be eating enough to not feel deprived, and you should be enjoying whatever physical activities you choose to do. So reward yourself for sticking to the plan. The lbs will come off as a side effect and of course you can reward yourself for weight milestones too, e.g. 5lb gone forever, 10lb gone forever... etc. And as you're doing this the slow and steady way and focusing on long term compliance, you'll know that's 5lb of fat that really has gone forever, not 5lb of water weight that'll come back on when you start eating normal meals again.

I know it's long and arduous but there are people on this site who have lost hundreds of lbs of weight doing just what I described above.... what made them succeed was their focus on the long term, and on sticking with the programme, which includes making the programme bearable enough to be able to stick with it... slow and steady really does work... think tortoise and hare...

and yes you can enjoy whatever treat foods you want along the way.... just make them fit in your calorie goal. So long as you stick to that goal no food's going to make you gain fat. Focus on getting plenty of protein, some fat (especially foods high in essential fatty acids, e.g. egg yolk, oily fish, nuts) enough carbohydrate to give you the energy to get through your day, and plenty of vitamins, minerals and fibre.... when you know you've fed your body well from doing this, you can eat whatever you want to take you up to your calorie goal.

Get a food scale and weigh everything so you're sure you're eating the right amount of calories... getting into the habit of logging will really help.... include that in with your compliance goals, i.e. reward yourself for 1 week, 2 weeks etc consistent logging.

Yes it's long.... but you can do it :flowerforyou:

JavarMartin

Hello! It was a real eye opener when I got on the scale at a doctor's appointment and I weighed 495lbs! I got down to 432 then started eating badly again and got to 476. I've decided that I'm making a lifestyle change. I'm currently down to 435lbs and am close to my first long term goal of 399lbs! I feel motivated when I set weekly or biweekly short term goals. I usually surpass them! It can be done and we are ALL going to do it! I have not began exercising yet this time around and have lost 41lbs just by changing my diet! "Success and Failure Begins In The Mind!" STAY STRONG, STAY MOTIVATED, and STAY WINNING!!!

cincysweetheart

I started at 381 (Starting MFP weight: 367) and I've lost a total of 50 pounds in about 15 weeks. That's much faster than the 2-lb a week ideal… but it's nowhere near the 10 pounds a week you claim to want to lose. I really don't mean to be nasty… but honestly… if you want to lose weight at "Biggest Loser" speed… you better just audition for "Biggest Loser." Because it's really not realistic for those of us who still have to keep a job and a family while we are losing weight.

But onto calories… when I first joined MFP I was given a calorie goal of 2050 a day. Now, I'm down to 1890. My actual calorie intake is usually somewhere between 1400-1600… although I may occasionally have a bigger day. I basically try to eat lean meats and dairy and have substituted whole grains for white carbs (breads/pastas) and try to get more fruits and veggies. I still enjoy treats in moderation… I just fit them into my calories for the day. I workout 6 days a week… combo of strength training and cardio (usually between 60-90 minutes total). The extent of my cardio is walking on a treadmill since that's all I can do and still breathe! I just gradually up the speed and/or incline as I get into better shape.

My advice is to not make it so hard on yourself. A goal of 50 pounds in less than 2 months is setting yourself up to feel very disappointed and like a failure when it doesn't happen. Don't get me wrong… I'm thrilled with the rate I've been able to lose thus far… but I try hard to not be goal oriented at this point in the game. I want to be "process oriented." Meaning, I try to be more concerned about eating healthy and exercising regularly and setting up a positive routine and habits than I am with the number on the scale. Every week when I step on the scale I remind myself that as long as it's LESS than it was the previous week… I'll be happy. There is a quote I found on Pinterest that says "If you focus on results, you'll never change. If you focus on change, you'll get results." That's kinda my motto as I go along. So far, it's worked.

(Edited for clarification)