ADVICE PLEASE!!!!

tabithap07

Okay so i have started and fallen off the wagon i dont know how many times, now i have a personal trainer twice a week and i will do workouts 4 days a week on my own. I have 80 pounds to lose. What i want to know is exactly what made everyone else's journey so successful. Diet? Exercises? Videos? Websites? Please be as specific as possible and let me know what exactly i need to do. I am so ready to change my life!! Thank you everyone

BlueObsidian

I've went through every diet and exercise program on the map. They all work, if you're willing to put in the work. I like MFP because it is simple and straightfoward: so many of the other programs are gimicky. I like to walk (working up to running), use the elliptical, and lift weights. However, what has changed my mindset and given me the tools to success actually had nothing to do with a program. It was about understanding myself and figuring out why I overeat.

So, while it isn't the right path for everyone, seeing a therapist was actually one of the most important steps on my weight loss journey. When I didn't understand why I overeating, I kept falling off the wagon. I feel so much calmer about the whole process now that I've really talked about why things have gotten this bad for myself.

V_Zanoudakis

hi (: i'm tori, i'm pretty young and i'm still in school and i work and i do sports and bunches of clubs and because of that all i never had time to work out or eat right. i'd try really hard and then pretty much just give up. then a little while ago my aunt lost probably a hundred pounds and got married and had twin girls and i just realized that if i want to have the life i want then i'm gonna have to get the weight off before college. especially if i want to have an amazing prom and a good senior year. so i just got my crap together and i told myself that i could do it. plus it's proven that if you stick to a routine for about two weeks then it just becomes habit. so now instead of watching tv, i go to the gym and instead of snacking i drink water and play games with my family. no one said it'd be easy. but it is SO worth it.

trhjrh06

This website, honestly! It has helped me so much! But most importantly the mind set and the knowing that this is it. This is the time I have to do this and I am and will do this!

But I have found love for Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and Ripped in 30 and am now I'm on Biggest Loser Cardio Max. The DVD's really help me. I am not lucky enough to have a personal trainer or even get to a real gym, so I do the best I can with the workout's at home. I also have an Elliptical and I love it!

tabithap07

Thank you everyone for your advice. I am just trying to find out what works and what doesn't. I find that i do good for a while then for someone stupid reason i give up. But i just need to stay motivated and have great friends on here to keep me going. What does a typical day look like in your eating??

leann74016

I have lost 15 lbs so far on mfp. Somedays are really hard for me like this week (i have been really struggling for some reason) but planning to get back on track again soon! I walk a ton at work b/c i work with 4 year olds at a daycare. I try to drink my water everyday. Some days i don't do great but you just gotta stick with it really. The 15 lbs for me came off pretty easily. Now I just gotta get back into gear and keep going. Thats my advice for you too just keep going and you will succeed!

mstawnya

You have to make it a priority until it becomes a habit. I used to skip workouts if there was something better to do, cave every weekend when someone brought out something yummy and I never lost the weight. Unless it's an event for one of my kids, I rarely miss a workout and stay within my calories 80 percent of the time. Now I feel weird when I don't make it to the gym. Good luck on your journey. I just hit the 80 lb. loss mark (from my highest ever) last month. You can do it!

vettechclaire

One step at a time. One day at a time.

mimstero

The biggest thing for me in finally losing weight is that I had to be realistic in what I was eating. Not in the amount, but in the amount of calories being consumed every day. Who knew that one cup of skim milk has about 80 calories or that a slice of cheese can have 100-120 calories? Just learning the numbers and sticking to what I have been given, with a net of 1200, has been incredibly beneficial in my weight loss. I would usually eat back my exercise calories and having 600-700 more calories a day made it completely workable. Just eating 1200 per day is virtually impossible for me. I would starve. Make a commitment to using MFP and you will be successful!!!!!

bjfmade

Logging, logging and more logging. Finding healthy food that tastes good (skinnytaste.com). A variety of exercise you enjoy doing.
Never ever give up

AdrienneinTO

Try to gradually get more exercise into your life. That made a huge difference to me. I find it easier to exercise more to burn off the calories than to restrict my calories and feel hungry.

Do not starve yourself. Really, it's counter-productive. Your metabolism will slow down eventually. Whatever MFP sets as your goal, adjust it manually to make sure that it is not below your BMR (under Tools - this is the # of calories needed for you to survive, even if you were lying in bed all day).

I don't know what your typical meals are like, but gradually improve your diet so that you have less processed food, less take-out food, more whole grains, more lean protein, more vegetables. Learn to cook some simple meals for yourself.

Don't give up. It may feel like it will take forever to reach your goal right now, but if you stick to this, once you lose 5 lbs, then 10 lbs, once your clothes start to fit better, you will be glad that you are doing this. You will be happier even before you lose all the weight you want to lose.

Feel free to add me if you'd like some help.

SergeantSunshine_reused

A consistent calorie deficit. Works every time.
And I lift to keep muscle mass.

MaximalLife

Okay so i have started and fallen off the wagon i dont know how many times, now i have a personal trainer twice a week and i will do workouts 4 days a week on my own. I have 80 pounds to lose. What i want to know is exactly what made everyone else's journey so successful. Diet? Exercises? Videos? Websites? Please be as specific as possible and let me know what exactly i need to do. I am so ready to change my life!! Thank you everyone

I associate extreme pain to being fat and intense pleasure to being fit.

Fat, I feel like an ugly, bloated, unlovable slug.
Fit, I feel desired, dynamic, happy and healthy.

That is how I stay motivated.

amymeenieminymo

The three things that helped me the most were:

1. Actually being ready to lose weight. In the past I wanted it, but never enough to actually work hard for it.

2. Finding exercises I enjoyed, so it felt less like work.

3. Being organized. If I already had a dinner planned out and ready to make when I got home from work, I was much less likely to say screw it, and get something unhealthy instead. The same for lunch, packing a lunch (and getting it ready the night before) kept me from eating out.

KellyRichwine

I started at 225lbs (I'm only 5'1'). I lost 80 lbs by keeping a food journal in 2002. I managed to keep most of the weight off until recently. In November I was at 169lbs. I got back on the food journal thru MFP and have taken 13lbs off so far. You have to make better food choices. You look at a 280 calorie candy bar vs 1 small apple, 1 orange, 1 small banana and 1 small piece of chocolate for the same 280 calories. I don't know about you but I like food and will almost always go for the choice that will give me the most to eat. Good luck on your weight loss journey.

kevinlynch3

Experimenting..this site is awesome for that. I knew nothing about macro nutrients before joining this site and making friends with others who were successfully losing weight.

I upped my proteins..result is less carbs being consumed and a higher likelihood of not losing lean body mass. I'm not religious about the macro nutrients. Macro nutrients are basically the percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat in what you consume daily. Mine is 40/30/30.

I worked out 3-4 days a week initially ..then 5..then started averaging 6-7 days a week. I ate back some of my exercise calories sometimes. Changed this back and forth a few times until I found what worked. If I burn 1200 calories in exercise in a session..then I'll eat back more exercise calories than if I burned 400 for example.

The social part of the site is what makes you accountable. Make friends with people who won't molly coddle you or tell you that you are doing great when you aren't. These people are invaluable and will keep you on the straight and narrow if you are really serious about changing your life.

Pandorian

I like how MFP is set up, giving me a caloric goal to lose weight before I ever lift a finger in exercise. It's much more realistic to me than giving a higher calorie goal and counting on me to exercise enough to create the required deficit to lose weight. Before here I gained 10 lbs working with a nutritionist / dietitian (family health clinic where I worked with both, and gained 15 lbs in the 3 years since I was there... came to MFP and have managed to lose that 3 year gain in 1 year.

VRoseDuda

I think mindset has a lot to do with it. Once you accept that your habits and lifestyle are what molds you, the easier it is. I used to get very discouraged if I didn't see scale results after a few days. Once I accepted that the damage wasn't done in 2 weeks and therefore wouldn't be un-done that soon either, the easier it gets. I had lost 30, 15 crept back on...now I get back to work :0)

sweldud

It is really hard to stay on track. Believe me. I think rewarding yourself at the end of the week can help. Sometimes i will give myself a cheat meal on sundays, if i do good all week. It gives me something to look forward too. I have lost weight doing just about every kind of diet. But i thanks to mfp, and actually looking at what i eat on a daily basis, i have almost lost that last bit of weight. I have about 10-15lbs to go (depending how i feel when i get the 10) and have lost 55 lbs so far. Exercise is a big tool! I have learned to LOVE to run. Just stay with logging your food, even when you are not eating so good.

Tan43

Hi,

You have taken the first step by starting with My Fitness Pal. This webiste has taught me alot in regards to nutrition. What I love about it the most is that it makes you accountable for what you eat and how much you exercise. It all comes down to you. Keep honest with yourself and believe that you can do it. Sure you will fall down a couple of times but the most important thing is that you pick yourself back up and keep going one day at a time. Be realistic with your goals so you do not feel too much pressure or disappointment if you do not reach weight losses that are to be expected. This is all about changing a lifestyle with sensible eating and exercise. We are all here for the same reason...Good Luck

ncsjodi

I agree with the person who said to make it a habit! Tomorrow will mark the one year mark of my weightloss journey and I'm down 90 pounds. The first few months were hard, but as time goes by, it truly does get easier. Make it a priority to SCHEDULE your workouts in your calendar. Your health is as important as anything else in your to-do list! And reward yourself for the babysteps. I celebrate every new middle number I see with something special -- but NOT food. Good luck and keep moving forward!