question for those who have lost 75 Lbs or more.....

amandajolewis

Hi! I'm Amanda and new to the MFP world. Ideally, I'd like to lose 100 pounds. I just wondered if you guys lost it strictly by counting calories, or if you changed the way you ate as well. I know I'll need to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle to be as healthy as possible, but its my eating that I've always struggled with.

AshinAms

Yes, all of those, plus the ability to get back on the wagon if you fall off! Good luck.

Majunta

I too HAD 100+ to lose....almost to my have way point now. The keys to weight loss for ME are:

Food journaling (MFP)
Water
Making the food I like fit into my daily intake
Water
Staying true to myself
Making the life change about ME and no one else
Water
Did I mention Water????

Good luck with your life change and new choices.

Feel free to friend me.

YOU CAN DO IT! I KNOW YOU CAN.

fatboypup

Hi! I'm Amanda and new to the MFP world. Ideally, I'd like to lose 100 pounds. I just wondered if you guys lost it strictly by counting calories, or if you changed the way you ate as well. I know I'll need to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle to be as healthy as possible, but its my eating that I've always struggled with.

by counting calories you will change the way you eat

coltrane23

I started simply with counting calories and modifying my intake accordingly. I was also working out with dumbbells in the garage and hitting the treadmill for a vigorous walk a couple times a week.

After about three months, I started reading about Primal/Paleo eating and learned that not all calories are created equal. Once I changed over to a Primal lifestyle, which means avoiding added sugar, grains, and legumes, the weight loss really started to kick into overdrive. However, that was a combination of eating differently AND exercising vigorously. Bottom line, though: In my own personal experience, it is absolutely true that not all calories are created equal. Counting calories is a good place to start, but even though a Coke is similar in calories to 1/2 cup of pistachios, the pistachios are a lot better for you.

JayneWilson1963

Hello, I have lost 87 pounds and what worked for me was the following:

Staying within calorie count
Making better food choices (more salads, fruits and veggies)
Watching my sodium intake
Drinking at least 80 oz of water daily
Exercising for at least 30 mins a day.

For the past 3 months, I have been working on maintaining my weight. I have 17 more pounds to lose. MFP and MFP friends are are awesome, I could not have done it without them. Feel free to add me as a friend if you like, we can help motivate and support each other.

Good luck on your weight loss journey.

catwrangler

Hi! I'm Amanda and new to the MFP world. Ideally, I'd like to lose 100 pounds. I just wondered if you guys lost it strictly by counting calories, or if you changed the way you ate as well. I know I'll need to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle to be as healthy as possible, but its my eating that I've always struggled with.

If you can, join a gym. Get going on the exercise first, especially strength training, then work on the eating. Excercise is a game changer, wish I'd found that out a long time ago!

My starting weight a few years ago was 270. I did dieting only and I did lose and got down to 200, then regained to 230. Then I joined a gym. Now that I am exercising more than ever before, I feel better, my head is in a better place and the eating healthy part is much easier!

welcome!

Majunta

Yes, all of those, plus the ability to get back on the wagon if you fall off! Good luck.

This is probably the most important advice to remember! Do not let set backs deter you from your goal. Each day is a new day. Small goals and not dwelling on the big picture helps me.

Majunta

REPLYING TO FATBOYPUP'S COMMENT....[/quote]
by counting calories you will change the way you eat
[/quote]

So true!

Gary6030

MFP Journaling, Water, Water, Water and Exercise. Eat those exercise calories if you can and stick with it. Don't let a bad meal turn into a bad month. One off meal really won't effect your progress within a week/month/year! You can do it. You've already made the best and first step.

calig8tr

Hi Amanda!

I lost 81 lbs just a little over a year ago. And I did it by pretty much just drinking water and a very strict/limited diet. I lost the weight, but at the point where I only had about 10-15 more to go to hit goal I HIT A BRICK WALL. And I mean I hit it HARD. So hard, I gained half of it back in the past year (slowly at first and then very rapidly). That's what has brought me to MFP. Water and diet are EXTREMELY important, for obvious reasons...BUT so is the LIFESTYLE. I couldn't survive forever off of chicken and broccoli or chicken and green beans, which is pretty much what I was doing. I really didn't exercise...I've never bought in to that. But NOW, I'm seeing it's all part of the puzzle and you must do some sort of physical activity EVERY DAY in order to take the weight off and more importantly, KEEP IT OFF. With MFP tracking it for you, it's amazing to see how much just daily living can affect your weight...something very obvious to me now. I'm now a newbie to MFP too, and hope to lose 60lbs for ONCE and FOR ALL. Good luck to you too.

Tree72

I've lost 75 pounds now and still have about 25 more to go. I have definitely changed what I ate, as well as how much, over time. Almost all of my changes have been gradual. If I'd have tried to go from where I started to 100% healthy eating overnight I would have totally failed and given up long ago. But as you start counting calories you'll see what things are easier for you to give up or substitute on a regular basis. I haven't given anything up completely, just changed how much and how often I have certain higher calorie and less nutritious foods. So, don't be scared to get started. Just honestly log what you eat. This will give you an idea of what you want to change and where to start.

And as a few others have mentioned, exercise is key for me. Above and beyond calories burned, exercising regularly really helps me have a different mind-set. I feel better, so I make healthier choices for food. It definitely helps reduce my sugar cravings. So I would encourage you to find something you like and get moving. Even just walking for half an hour a day (even if you have to break it up into 5 or 10 minutes at a time) will make a big difference.

Best wishes on getting your journey to better health off to a great start. :flowerforyou:

akaDumbo

Hi Amanda welcome to MFP, start by logging your food every day making sure you log everything that goes in your mouth even if it is bad for you and you go way over your calories.

Then start trying to stick to your calories, it wont be long before you realise that you can eat so much more by making healthier food choices. Once you see that you can have a thick slice of chicken or pork loin in your sandwich for less calories than a thin sliver of cheese and that by using relish or sauce instead of butter on your bread that you knock another 100 cals off you will soon see that you dont have to be hungry and the changes will just happen.

Don't try to be perfect 100% of the time, allow yourself the occassional small indulgance, then stick to it the rest of the time, without feeling guilty.

Don't feel bad about leaving food. Throwing it away is not a waste, it's a waste of years of your life if you keep treating yourself as a garbage can.

Keep hydrated water, water, and more water.

Get moving, any movement is better than none, and the more exercise you get, the more calories you burn, the more you can indulge yourself.

Remember you are doing this for you, don't let anybody try and tempt you away from your goal. When a "friend" says "1 wont hurt you" what they are really saying is " I feel insecure so want you to stay fat"

Good luck

keschuh79

My ticker says 35 lbs lost but, I'm about 2 lbs away from 150lbs total. (woo!!) It's taken me a long time to take it off, but I'm a big fan of small achievable goals and no timelines. I want a forever change, not a right now change. So more than anything, the best advice I can give you... is listen to you body. When I started it was all about food restrictions and light workouts (bc at the time it was all my body could do). I've done weight watchers, low carb, counting calories, and it all works... When I get bored or plateau, rather than get discouraged I switch it up. It's good to keep my body guessing and it always seems to jump start weightloss again as well as motivation. And with exercise, it's all about basics to start (walking, elliptical, etc) and you'll see more and more what else you body can do if you push yourself. I never thought I could be a runner... but I kept pushing myself bit and bit. And now I can run 5ks/10ks. It can be done! Just believe in yourself and let the small achievements accumulate. Before you know it, you have a whole lot to be proud of!