Need a fresh perspective

beckerbaker

Hello all, I'd appreciate your thoughts, I am new here and I'd appreciate the feedback.

A little (embarassing!) info: I'm 41, 231 lbs, 5'9, size 16. Looking to slim down to about 160, size 10.

In the past, I have tried Weight Watchers. I gave it another shot for all of January. For various reasons, I'm not doing it any more, I found MFP and have been doing it for the last 2 weeks on my iPhone. I do 1300-1400 calories per day. I eat 3 meals, 2 snacks. I portion carefully. I eat very healthy, preparing most all of my meals, eat from all food groups. My weakness is wine (love it!) and I've cut back on that. I usually allow myself 1 or 2 glasses every few days. I exercise (elliptical, dvd's by The Firm) 3-5 days a week. I allow myself treats. Just yesterday I had a few Malley's chocolate covered grapes. I mean, it was Valentine's day after all. LOL

I have lost 11 lbs since the beginning of January, and even though I think that is a good, reasonable number, I loose it in "chunks" and spend 2 weeks at a plateau.

ANYWAY! I've been reading posts here about eating exercise calories and the like. There is SO much information about the "best" ways to loose weight in books, online, magazines, and for sure, there ARE many ways to do it. But all this information overload ends up making me more confused than better educated. I don't want to do a 'diet' that excludes anything from it, because I know I'll just end up craving what I can't have (like say dairy) and fail.

I am just wondering if all you experienced, successful folks out there think this is a reasonable plan for me, and how long doing such a plan it might take me to reach my goal? Just looking for ballpark info. I definately notice that it's a lot harder now to loose than it used to be. Thanks probably to my age and the fact that my body had children. I am impatient but determined to do this in a way that will hopefully be a lifestyle to make good choices.

Thanks so much!

ckapes

You sound a lot like me. I am 53 years old, I started at 212 lbs and I am 5'7 1/2 " tall. I would like to get down to the 150's. As of today I am down 7 lbs, which I am very happy with. I started this program 3 weeks ago. My husband is also doing it and that has been a big help discussing calories, exercise etc. I also am a former Weight Watcher person and have lost and gained weight over the years. The good thing about weight watchers is that you know what the good stuff is to eat, but they also teach you not to deprive yourself of anything. I want to change my eating habits permanently, not "diet" and then go back to my bad habits once I lose the weight. I am happy with a 1 to 2 lb loss a week. I know this will be a slow process, but I am not going to put any time frame on it. Good luck! You have the tools, you will do fine.

7funnygirl7

Everybody is different and will see changes in their "diet" and weight loss regimen to each their own. Whatever works for some does not work for others. guess you just have to unfortunately be patient and find what works for you! I am sure you are working hard,~ try to keep positive that things have to happen slowly in order for them to be totally successful. Keep your chin up....you're doing great! How is your water intake? Try changing your workout at different times and some different form of exercise. I go to curves 5 days a week and use the treadmill. I change how fast I walk and the incline and throw in some situps and floor stretching to "trick" my body.....LOL. I hear this is supposed to help if you change routine! Good Luck.

jms3533

I have had luck with a primarily plant based diet that I started a few months ago. I still like my share of cheese and Greek yogurt. I have lost 30 pounds since September, and just discovered this website, and hope that my tracking will result in a steady 2 pounds a week weight loss from here on out. I watched the documentary Forks over Knives and that convinced me to try the vegetarian route for the most part. It is a very interesting documentary and not a gory one with animal abuse scenes. Very informative. Another reason I switched is that I developed an allergy to sulfites, and had to check what I eat very carefully. Wine went out the door with the sulfite allergy, unfortunately. So I'm just going without alcohol for a while.

I also pack my lunch to work each day, and on the weekends make my dinner meals for the week ahead, so I don't splurge on unhealthy items.

Bottom line for losing it...the old adage: Calories In, Calories Out. When I entered everything I ate yesterday, I as 900 calories over what I should have eaten to lose a steady 2 pounds a week. And today, after dinner, I'm out of calories. A food diary will help tremendously.

Good luck to you! I'm new at this site, so don't know how to add buddies, etc. yet.

techigirl78

In the end, calories in must be less then calories out and you need to feel good while doing it. That is all you need to remember. If you hit a plateau, trying something different, like increasing or decreasing your calories. Slow and steady wins the race. You'll lose weight faster in the beginning then the end. If you are hungry all the time or irritable, increase your calories. A lot of people set it too low. If you exercise, you should at least eat some of the calories back to fuel your body.

Don't look at it as a diet. Stay away from fad diets, they often cause frustration if done for more then a week or two. Look at it as a lifestyle change. Don't restrict the things you love. Continue to eat those things in moderation and make sure you are eating more good than bad. Don't feel bad about doing it either. Once you finish losing the weight, this will allow you to know how to eat the rest of your life. If you have a day where you go over your calories, look at the calories for the week and make sure they are under.

Make mini goals for youself. 70 lbs is a lot to lose and if you are just waiting to get to 160, it will seem you are never going to get there. Instead make goals like 220, under 200, etc. Make 5-6 of them so every 1-2 months you take the time to sit down and be happy for all your good work. It makes a difference.

I also lose weight in chunks. During the time of the month, I plateau for 10 days or so, then I'll drop 4-5 lbs within a few days afterwards. I have only changed what I do when I plateau for more then 2-3 weeks and have no way to explain it (sodium/fiber/protein/water intake all good). I increased my calories when I plateaued and it helped.

If you have the money, get a good HRM if you are regularly exercising. It will let you more accurately keep track of calories out. I didn't feel comfortable eating a lot of my exercise calories until I got my HRM.

Everyone is different, so we all lose weight at different weights. In 7 months, I lost about 65lbs. The entire month of december I plateaued, but part of it was that I got a new scale that was higher then my old scale.

cardbucfan

Techno girl absolutely hit the nail on the head. I am 100% in the moderation camp. You will find that your taste buds change and also that you can eat more healthier foods for the same calorie count. I like to eat so this is important to me! You want to net 1200 a day after exercise but play around with your numbers. I'm constantly changing my numbers (patience is not my best trait!). Remember, you did not gain the weight overnight and if you want to keep it off, you can't lose it overnight! Good luck, you can do this!