Overwhelmed

stell12

Good afternoon everyone. With 120 lbs ahead of me, I'm a little more than over whelmed with losing this weight. I have so far to go. I've set a goal to be down at least 60 lbs by July for a mini-vacation but my problem is I really hate to be hungry.

I'm going to try and do the 6 small meals every day (approx every 2 hours). Has anyone had any success at doing this?

Also with winter on it's way it will get harder t oget out and exercise. I'm trying to save up for a treadmill.

ktfitzgerald

Welcome! This site is great and full of supportive peole. Don't be overwhelmed - Just take it one day, or one meal, or one minute of exercise at a time. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend.

mmildice

Good luck on your journey first all!! I had great success with the six small meals a day. I lost almost 60 pounds and it came off fairly quickly. You can add me as a friend if you would like.

hypotrochoid

Can't speak to the six meals a day, but for exercise, you could also get some workout DVDs. There are some walking ones that some people swear by. 60 pounds by July should be totally doable. Best of luck!

getitamb

It's doable. U don't have to be hungry to lose weight. I eat all day. Especially when I work out. You can do it!

k9hrd

First, don't try to eat the elephant in one bite! Break it down into small manageable pieces. Set small goals that are only a couple of weeks or a month away. Second, you just took the greatest first step! This site is AWESOME. There are tons of people wanting to help you. Third, you will need friends on here. Feel free to add me if you wish.

PoundPuppy1

It isn't that you eat; it is what you eat. :-) 60 lbs is completely and totally doable, but my suggestion is to break it down even more than that for yourself. Like, 10 lbs in 3 weeks as a motivational jump start and then 2 lbs a week through Christmas... or something like that. But what I really wanted to mention is that you will feel much less hungry throughout the day if you are increasing your fiber and protein intake. There are lots of sources of both, and you can start slow and increase depending on how you feel and what the scale shows you. :-) Best of luck!!

brandenocs

60lbs is entirely doable. Especially if you start right now. Best thing to do is set an even shorter term goal. If you look too far ahead you will get overwhelmed. Just start to eat clean and start your exercise journey. There are MANY videos on here people can help you find. Also, in the very beginning, the weight will come off fast so it won't take much. Just remember that eventually the loss will slow down. Don't get discouraged. It happens.

iwish123

Good luck , I find it easier to not look at the long journey ahead but to focus on mini goals along the way, I know that's the way a lot of people work and it helps to keep you motivated . I eat small meals throughout the day and I have found recently that it definitely helps to stave off feeling hungry and ensures I dont fall off the wagon so to speak! Good luck , feel free to add me as a friend

bjcl

Stell:
I think it is best to set smaller goals. Don't think about the total goal you have to lose or it will seem overwhelming. Set 10 pound goals and when you reach them start again. I have 40 more to go, I just hit 11 pounds and it took me a month and a half. I do the walking video's on exercise TV. I also do the dance ones.
I wish you success!!! You can do it!!!!
Betty
url=http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker][/url]
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Qarol

I've quoted it before...

A year from now, you'll be glad you started today.

aippolito1

You'll do great! I find eating every 2-3 hours really helps keep the crazy hungries at bay. Make sure you're getting about 25-30g of fiber per day and at least 20% protein. It will help you stay full and less likely to eat the bad stuff. Just remember, the more "bad" stuff (empty carbs: white pasta, white rice, burgers on white buns, mashed potatoes, french fries, etc.), the hungrier you will be and SOONER so it's just a waste of calories. If you must eat the "bad carbs", make sure you're getting fiber & protein in the same meal, i.e.: if you want to have white rice, pair it with boneless skinless chicken and a veggie. It will keep you full a lot better and longer! Also, for snacks or in between meals, try fruits with string cheese or peanut butter (apples and carrots are great with pb, try apples or grapes with string cheese) or cheese and wheat crackers or carrots and hummus, etc. Something nutritionally GOOD for you, with fiber to help stave off hungries until your next big meal.

RoseG1

You can do this !!! It's one day at a time. I personally have to eat snacks so that I do not get too hungry & overeat. I've found many good snacks that keep you full -- greek yogurt w/honey or stevia + fruit, cottage cheese + fruit, I'm a chocoholic so greek yogurt w/unsweetened cocoa powder & stevia is really good, go-lean cereal (has lots of protein + fiber), a wedge of laughing cow cheese + 8 reduced fat wheat thins is 100 calories. Good luck, I hope this helps.:bigsmile:

bdur76

You can do it!! It appears that you have realistic goals for weight loss and with the tools and community here at mfp you are definitely in the right place to be successful. I joined in July and have lost 50 lbs since joining, on top of the 78 I had lost prior to joining. I know how it feels to be looking at a huge number on the scale, and the overwhelmed feeling of I can never accomplish this! But you can! Just take things one meal, one day, one minute at a time. When I began I could barely walk the two miles, but I forced myself to keep doing it. Everyday got a little bit easier, and now I'm on week 8 of the C25K program, and am running almost three miles a day! You are in the right place and you can succeed! I still have 43 lbs till my goal, but after coming so far I have zero doubt that my goals are possible! This is the power of the tools you have in front of you! Good luck!

mccgivens

Good afternoon everyone. With 120 lbs ahead of me, I'm a little more than over whelmed with losing this weight. I have so far to go. I've set a goal to be down at least 60 lbs by July for a mini-vacation but my problem is I really hate to be hungry.

I'm going to try and do the 6 small meals every day (approx every 2 hours). Has anyone had any success at doing this?

Also with winter on it's way it will get harder t oget out and exercise. I'm trying to save up for a treadmill.

One pound at a time. If you think of the total, it will drive you crazy. I had about 90 to lose. Evey pound is one pound closer to your goal. Keep on trucking and take baby steps. If you eat right, you shouldn't be hungry. Very rarely am I hungry. As a matter of fact, I have to talk myself into eating so I don't get hungry. You can do this...just relax and take it slowly. Good luck!

LTGPSA

In order to lose at all, you have to get started. You have to break yourself of the "I want it right now mentality". I am bad about that myself. If you just relax and work the system, it'll come off as it should (not too fast). Best of luck to you! Add me if you like. Lots of success stories here. You can do it!! :flowerforyou:

techymum

I've quoted it before...

A year from now, you'll be glad you started today.

I love this!

Welcome, congratulations, and yes you CAN do it! At first you may feel hunger due to the correction in the amount of food you are eating. But honestly, it doesn't take long to re-adjust your body to the new limits. Sometimes I find it hard to get all my calories in now, which just seemed incomprehensible before.

Have a peek through the Success stories thread, you will see that it is possible!

NefertitiRocks

keep it up

Tantrisis

Don't look at the big picture, just take baby steps and before you know it you will be at your goal, I feel the same way about winter, I tend to hybernate and I don't have a tread mill but I do have 3 sets of indoor steps and I try to go up and down them as much as I can. On Saturday I plan on going to the local shopping mall and do some indoor walking, it's on two levels so I'll take the stairs to the second level of the mall when I am finished with the first level. Key is to stay away from the food court and leave my credit cards at home,
Just making little changes in your life style will make a big difference and you will notice them in a few weeks, I've lost 3 pounds and I can bend down and pick something up off the floor with out bending one knee or doing a squat. My extra tire just above my waist seems to have gone down and I'm in a better mood, I have more energy and when I pick up a 3 pound dumb bell it's amazing to feel what 3 pounds feels like and to know I'm not lugging it around with me any more.
When you weigh more it's normal to lose more the first weeks, my goal is to lose a pound by next Friday and get to my 5 pound challange goal by the end of the month. Feel free to add me as a friend if you wish. I'm rooting for you, I know you can do it.
I have an opportunity to go to Mexico in February I hope to be down 20 pounds by then and not busting out of my bathing suit.

kitkatkait

Just let this part of your life be like background noise. Do what you can, but don't stress about it too much, and before you know it you'll be 60lbs down and fitter than ever.

I used to eat every 3-4 hours, but I couldn't take it. I was focusing so much on food that I felt crippled in my ability to make good food choices, let alone focus on anything but dieting.

There is no hard scientific proof that eating every 3-4 hours will help you succeed, but some people find it helps to keep hunger at bay.

Countless studies have shown that you will not lose muscle mass or have a slower metabolism or have your blood sugar drop below the normal range by eating fewer meals over the course of one day.

Lisa_222

Take it one day at a time. Don't look at the whole journey. One pound a week is 52 pounds a year. If you let it get to you and you quit, in a year you will not be 52 pounds less, you will be the same. Wouldn't you rather be 52 pounds less? Figure out your calorie amount and log everything You will be a little hungry for a few days until you get accustomed to not eating the way you're used to but you'll get used to it.

They say you lose faster on small divided meals. For me, its just something to keep me munching. Since my problem is snacking, I'm trying to get the snacking mentality out of my life. Three meals a day and only two snacks and by snacks, I mean an apple or a couple cookies and glass of milk, not a full meal. I have to get myself away from food to forget about it, otherwise it's all I think about.

Figure out what works for you and then take it one day at a time. And if you're still hungry, take it one hour at a time. You can always make it one more hour until meal time if you get busy and stay out of the kitchen.

pinkakira1

Yeah you can do this... what i did was instead of putting a goal way ahead of me I broke up my main goal into easy goals to reach like 6-8 pounds a month... 2 pounds a week... it really seemed to help me. I mapped out what I wanted to lose and by when and it really reved (did I spell that right lol) me up to reach that small mini goal. Try that. Oh also I joined this christmas challenge group that has really supported me in my weight loss. I have only been at it for two weeks but lost 5 pounds already... I feel great!

JamieSK

I wouldn't look at it as the whole number if it seems overwhelming; set various goals and work towards the main goal until you achieve the desired weight level you want; the # may change along the way once you see how you feel & the way your clothes fit.

msbrowneyes85

As long as you keep as close to your calories as possible you should be fine every one's metabolism is different some will do amazing with small meals every few hours and some just wont..I have tried the small meals every few hours and some days it worked and some days i would get so hungery later at night I have found that i start out really good losing weight and then slowly i get off track but i think that happens

This time is i took some drawing paper and on each one i wrote a number and put days left to go (example: DAYS LEFT TO GO 23) i nailed the calander to the wall and every morning i rip one page down so it tells me how many more days i have left to go i just started with 25 days that way i know i will stick to it. You could try the same and see how it works with any number you feel comfortable with even 10 days. You want to set small goals that way when you do lose weight you will be so happy rather then expect a huge amout but i think your 60lbs by july is great Good Luck!!

bedoozled

You can definitely do it! Take everything one day at a time, and it'll help - as opposed to thinking "I have 120 pounds to lose" try and think "today I'll eat well, and do this exercise", etc.! I also try to do the smaller meals + snacking thing, and I definitely think it helps, especially in preventing over eating later (I HATE when I wait too long, get starving, and then eat way way too much - it never feels good!). I'd try snacks that would be good for filling you up and keeping you feel - 100 calorie oatmeal packs, a small handful of nuts, carrots (any veggie - fiber!), beans or grains with protein, low-fat cottage cheese, etc. etc (I keep dried pears, almonds, clementines and baby carrots at work with me!). And for working out at home, I'd recommend buying yourself a few key items - some small low-weight dumbbells (mine are only 3-5 pounds, but when you do enough repetitions you start to feel it!), maybe resistance bands, a jump rope, and a yoga mat, and you'll be good to go for lots that you can do right in your house - yoga, pilates, weight lifting, some light aerobics! Good luck!!

carebear7951

Welcome! This site is great and full of supportive peole. Don't be overwhelmed - Just take it one day, or one meal, or one minute of exercise at a time. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend.

^^^^ Yeah that!! ^^^^

grannisue

Welcome. You can do this. Your mention of the treadmill reminded me of my DIL, her mom found one at a garage sale and the lady said it just quit working and she could have it for free! She didn't know their is a reset button under most treadmills and guess what they got it home, plugged it in, hit the reset button and it has been working ever since. Keep your eye out as you drive by garage sales and watch your local ads. Put the word out to friends there are a lot of people who just have them sitting around and not using them. Feel free to add me as a friend. I want to loose 30-40 lbs by next summers vacation - Disney World with some of the grandkids. I need to loose more but health problems prohibit a lot of exercise and my metabolism has slowed as I've gotten older but those obstacles are not going to stop me this time. Feel free to add me as a friend. Good luck on your journey.