how to effectively lose weight without starving yourself?

aido1ce

I want to lose 12 pounds in approx 3 months. from what I gather, it's achievable but requires a lot of hard work.

I'm not ao sure what this hard work composes of, because instead of trying to eat less.. I'm working on eating more. so by hard work, does it mean I have to do a lot of exercise and weights? but what if I do too much and end up going back to having less calories than I'm suppose to.

I really want to lose these pounds but I dont know what people mean by being extremely dedicated and motivated.. anyone help me understand?

1a1a

I wouldn't put a time limit on it. But, the way things worked for me was, I like to eat, I ended up doing a lot of exercise so I could eat as much as I wanted, I also set my daily deficit quite mild, half a pound a week/a daily deficit of 250 calories. After a while, I burnt out doing that much exercise and I still like to eat so I'm maintaining, when I'm ready to lose again, all I'll need to do is eat a little bit less (getting back that 250 a day deficit).

BoatReadyBody

Calories in vs out. I have lost 51 pds since DEC. There is noway of getting around calorie intake. Lots of cardio as well.

downhomechik

For me it means committment to eating healthy foods and making good choices when I eat. Like eating a good breakfast: oatmeal & fruit or greek yogurt & baby carrots versus two bowls of fruity pebbles with whole milk.

Exercising regularly committing to it and actually doing it. Losing weight is math...burn more calories than you eat BUT eat enough calories to maintain nutrition. I'm still working on it but I've been doing this 3 months and I've lost 20 lbs so can be done...and I am not as good at the regulare exercising as I should be...and I'm working on that but the food thing for me has clicked.

tbresina

I want to lose 12 pounds in approx 3 months. from what I gather, it's achievable but requires a lot of hard work.

I'm not ao sure what this hard work composes of, because instead of trying to eat less.. I'm working on eating more. so by hard work, does it mean I have to do a lot of exercise and weights? but what if I do too much and end up going back to having less calories than I'm suppose to.

I really want to lose these pounds but I dont know what people mean but being extremely dedicated and motivated.. anyone help me understand?

For me it means, making sure I exercise 5 days a week. It can be fun exercise like biking, running, roller blading etc or I can go to the gym and tear it up on the machines. The goal is to create a calorie deficit and to increase metabolism by keeping the fire burning. This is of course my course of action and it is working. I have lost 13 lbs and that is just on the time I have been on MFP. I went from 174 to 141 so far. I really don't need to lose a lot more, I need to learn to maintain and tone the flab left behind. It does take dedication and hard work. Start by setting your goals and sticking to them!

KelseyDawn84

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map

Read "New Rules of Lifting for Women" (it's a book)

SuffolkSally

For me it meant being diligent about weighing and logging everything all the time, reading labels in detail and googling for info rather than just best guessing, and upping my excercise (not all that much - Ifeel I should also be lifting some weights but I haven't done yet) so that I could eat more and have some treats so that I didn't feeel deprived and stayed motivated... I indulged in a few days of debauchery in March around my birthday, and then struggled to get on track again (think I'm rather all-or-nothing about things, LOL) but really it wasn't that hard.

But a lot depends on how much you have to lose, your usual activity levels, age and gender etc - you need to do the maths yourself using the tools on the site to make sure you start from a good foundation.

Di3012

I want to lose 12 pounds in approx 3 months. from what I gather, it's achievable but requires a lot of hard work.

I'm not ao sure what this hard work composes of, because instead of trying to eat less.. I'm working on eating more. so by hard work, does it mean I have to do a lot of exercise and weights? but what if I do too much and end up going back to having less calories than I'm suppose to.

I really want to lose these pounds but I dont know what people mean by being extremely dedicated and motivated.. anyone help me understand?

It all depends on how much you really want to lose the weight.

Log everything, do your exercise and stick to your eating plan which should be sensible eating and not eating crappy stuff as crap ius just empty calories.

Calories in -v- calories out - that means, take in less calories than you use up and for every 3500 calories you are in deficit you will lose 1lb. If you match exactly the amount of calories you eat to what you use up, you will stay the same weight. If you take in MORE calories than you use up, you will put weight on.

By not eating enough calories, your body has to go into your reserves which are fat, it is this it burns off to use as energy for moving about during the day and it is this exact fat that gets burned off that will govern whether you lose weight or not.

Calories in -v- calories out - try not to get caught up in all the technical stuff, you will end up with a boggled mind, that ruins your experience of it all and will end up worrying the life out of you when there really is no need.

mphlab

Check out the Eat More To Weigh Less Group. I lost 23 1/2 pounds the "eat very little" way but now I am trying this - I have alot more weight to go and it seems more realistic to maintain. The theory is that you have to eat above your basal metabolic rate and below your Total Daily Eenerhy Expenditure to lose weight and avoid starvation mode for your body. I don't know myself yet that it works, but tons of people swear by it. I am handicapped and cannot vigorously exercise so it can be done by cutting calories alone. Good luck to you - you can do it! The fact that you are seeking advice is a good sign!

bjfrezell

For me it meant being diligent about weighing and logging everything all the time, reading labels in detail and googling for info rather than just best guessing, and upping my excercise (not all that much - Ifeel I should also be lifting some weights but I haven't done yet) so that I could eat more and have some treats so that I didn't feeel deprived and stayed motivated...

This is what I did and I've lost nearly 30 pounds since mid-January. I certainly haven't starved and chocolate is still a part of my life. Hang in there!

aido1ce

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