wanting to lose 40lbs

heif2004
heif2004 Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
I am 27 and am wanting to lose 40lbs. I have tried different diets but have given up after two weeks. I am now determined to lose the weight. If anyone has any suggestions or words of wisdom it would be greatly appreciated

Replies

  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,320 Member
    HI! The only real suggestion I can make is to not diet....diets don't work, as you have found out. Change the way you eat for life and you WILL lose weight. Don't deprive yourself but eat most everything in moderation. Good luck!
  • DanceFittDiva
    DanceFittDiva Posts: 83 Member
    Losing weight is about a lifestyle change and not about "dieting." You have to stick with it much longer than 2 weeks to see any results. The first 2 weeks is when many people's bodies are getting adjusted to a new eating and work out routine. You may lose little to no weight in the first 2 weeks. 40 lbs took time for you to gain and it's going to take time for you to lose. I've lost 21 lbs since committing to working out and eating right at the beginning of Jan. 40 lbs may take you several months to lose. MFP is a great tool to use to let you know how much of a calorie deficit to eat at. Are you exercising?
  • luckyjuls
    luckyjuls Posts: 505 Member
    The best thing you can do is read through the boards. My first stop was the Success Stories forum. It's great to see people doing this the right way. And they usually talk about how they started, what habits they adapted, etc.

    I would then add on friends from there, or see people who I felt had the same goals as me. The more you surround yourself with good examples and people curious and looking for knowledge, the better this will be.

    Get a food scale. That's my best advice.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    #1 is determination.. You gotta stick it out... 2 weeks will not get you anywhere..
    #2 - read and research... Dont just take what MFP tells you and follow it... do you research on the forms and get a good idea about how to be successful
    #3 - Don't starve yourself whatever you do, you need to eat enough to fuel your body, and move a bit more than you used to..
    #4 Its a marathon, not a sprint,.,, dont expect fast huge results.... slow and steady wins the race and keeps the weight off..
    #5... Dont fall for fad diets... Eat a balanced healthy diet..


    good luck!!
  • DeeDiddyGee
    DeeDiddyGee Posts: 601 Member
    Check out these links for newbies. Packed with GREAT information!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again


    Wishing you a succesful journey,

    Dee
  • DeeDiddyGee
    DeeDiddyGee Posts: 601 Member
    The best thing you can do is read through the boards. My first stop was the Success Stories forum. It's great to see people doing this the right way. And they usually talk about how they started, what habits they adapted, etc.

    I would then add on friends from there, or see people who I felt had the same goals as me. The more you surround yourself with good examples and people curious and looking for knowledge, the better this will be.

    Get a food scale. That's my best advice.

    Excellent advice!
  • lalonmeg000
    lalonmeg000 Posts: 276 Member
    The first and hardest part for me was accepting myself. I finally threw out my scale and decided to make the change not for the weight loss but to be healthy. I had to tell myself, and still do, that no matter how much I lose, I love myself the way I am. I also began to eat more rather than less and I gained so much more energy. So far I have lost 30lbs in the past 9 months. Its been slow but I have also not worried about the holidays etc, I have still enjoyed life. You can see my success post here

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/964876-9-months-and-30lbs

    feel free to add me as a friend if you like! Best of luck, I know you can do it!
  • determined_erin
    determined_erin Posts: 571 Member
    You can do it! I'm 22 and recently hit my 40 lb weight loss mark. It took from January until the middle of April. I watch my calories and track everything on MyFitnessPal. I also take many walks and have a goal of 15,000 steps per day (around 7.5 miles). I track my steps and exercise with BodyMedia (www.bodymedia.com). I don't consider what I'm doing to be a diet. The main thing is to stay motivated and never give up. There will be days you go over your calories, don't exercise enough, etc... but don't let that stop you forever. Just get back at it the next day and keep working hard.
  • TravisBikes
    TravisBikes Posts: 674 Member
    TDEE - 20%

    Digital Food Scale

    Pick up heavy things.
    Put them down.

    Repeat.
  • the_green_midget
    the_green_midget Posts: 80 Member
    Nothing revolutionary... but these are things that work for me:

    1. Don't deprive yourself. Try to enjoy the foods you like, but in smaller portions. I have a sweet almost every day, be it a cookie or a piece of chocolate. Depriving yourself just makes you want those forbidden foods more.

    2. Think of the calories you have to eat as money in a bank account. You can eat anything you want, but if you have a big-*kitten* piece of cake now, that leaves less "money" left over for other filling foods later on. I try to eat foods that give me the biggest bang for my buck, that is, stuff that will fill me up without using up all my day's calories. It adds a nice logical aspect to it that makes me less likely to eat emotionally.

    3. Don't starve yourself. I think that most instances of people failing at this diet thing is that they eat too little (like 1200 calories), are hungry and lose the will to continue. That's what I did, anyway, prior to this most recent fling with calorie-counting, which seems to have stuck. Eat less than you burn, yes, but keep your calorie intake at a reasonable deficit. Eat back your exercise calories so that you're at least netting above your BMR.

    4. Move more. I think the major contributor to my weight-loss sticking this time has been my increased physical activity. First of all, when you move more, you get to eat more. Eating only 1200 calories a day is torture to me, but if I run for 5km in the morning, I can eat an extra 300 or so calories that day. Second, it gives you a goal to work towards besides just losing weight. When I started running, I could run a 5k in 50 minutes. Now I can run one in 35 minutes. So even if the scale doesn't move one day (or week, or month), I can at least be proud of my improvements in fitness.
  • auntjojoma
    auntjojoma Posts: 4 Member
    I am 46 and if I can do it so can you. I started in July and have chosen this as my lifestyle. I literally had to take it day by day. If you do something more each day then you are making progress. Instead of saying how much weight I wanted to lose in total, I looked at my weight loss in 10 pound increments, it was easier than looking at the end result number. I had to get real and honest with myself. I didn't put the weight on overnight and it's not coming off that way either. There is no magic pill. Be kind and gentle with yourself, you are human. YOU CAN DO IT!
  • 1awesomewoman
    1awesomewoman Posts: 18 Member
    You can do it! I'm 22 and recently hit my 40 lb weight loss mark. It took from January until the middle of April. I watch my calories and track everything on MyFitnessPal. I also take many walks and have a goal of 15,000 steps per day (around 7.5 miles). I track my steps and exercise with BodyMedia (www.bodymedia.com). I don't consider what I'm doing to be a diet. The main thing is to stay motivated and never give up. There will be days you go over your calories, don't exercise enough, etc... but don't let that stop you forever. Just get back at it the next day and keep working hard.


    I just want to say that you are a true inspiration!! Thank you for sharing! :happy:
  • daylily2005
    daylily2005 Posts: 203 Member
    Find something active that you love to do (or let's face it, maybe you just don't hate it) and do it 3-4 times a day. Then just start slowly changing your eating habits. I had to do that part REALLY slowly--it was all mental. Skipping eating out at first felt like punishment to me. Now, nearly a year later, eating out (most of the time) is just a hassle and not as good as I used to think it was.

    I've stalled out at 33 pounds lost (out of 45), but I'm happy. I've bought a lot of a new wardrobe, really begun to enjoy running, and am starting to work on doing a little bit of weight lifting when I can to help firm up my arms and legs. and abs. Really all of it. the trick is not feeling like it's punishment. 99% of weight loss is getting over that mental block that you should be punished or that you don't deserve something.

    I eat a little chocolate almost every day. Every day I want some. And nutella. and I still eat french fries. And sometimes I go over my daily limit...but I don't beat myself up for it. One or two days out of 20 or 30 is nothing.

    You can do it!
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    Eat healthy foods at a small caloric deficit, lift heavy weights 3x a week and get a little cardio 3x a week.

    Read this:

    http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

    and this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

    Good luck
  • 1Fitgrannynow
    1Fitgrannynow Posts: 1
    I find myself starting this journey once again. I am trying to take a less perfectionistic view this time! I have more than 40 lbs to lose...but losing ANYTHING will be a big boost for me. (I have weighed about the same thing for more than 10 years. it seems no matter how much I try, I tone up but don't see much of a change on the scale.) I now have issues with pain that keep me from being consistent. Water fitness has been my saving grace!! When I can hardly move any other way, I get in the water. Recently, I have begun ZumbaGold and riding my bike outside. I also walk my dog everyday. I am dealing with figuring out WHAT to eat and WHEN. I am hoping this site will help me with that.

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