Need to know it's going to work

Hi - I have been on MFP for a month now and have lost 12 lbs so far. But I need encouragement.

I do really struggle as I love food so have been going to a fitness bootcamp twice a week too.

My goal is to lose 70lbs and I hope to have lost the majority of this by Christmas. Is this realistic?

Would love to hear from you especially with any inspirational stories.

Roz

Replies

  • redsteve65
    redsteve65 Posts: 142 Member
    Hi and welcome to MFP.

    I have been lucky and never really been seriously overweight but back in January I recognised that I needed to lose approx 24lbs. I heard about MFP from a friend and deciede to give it a go.

    I found that logging my food very carefully and sticking to the calorie targets it really did work. It is very surprising how easily the calories add up.

    I've reached my target but still log in every day to ensure that I don'tgo back to bad habits. In my case chocolate.

    Good luck on your journey and feel free to add me as a friend if it helps.
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
    Don't stress about a number, but do eat healthy & move more each day ..... you will most definitely lose weight :drinker:

    Best of luck to you & enjoy your journey !
  • Personally, I lost 70lb over the course of around 5 months. It can be done, but is difficult. I mainly lost this much because I was going through a difficult time, but I did cut out a lot of stuff, eg. butter, cheese, and I ate a LOT of vegetables, eg. New Potatoes for lunch every day..sounds like not much but my word, it made a difference cutting out bread.
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 749 Member
    Yes it is a good goal, you might not lose all of it by christmas but surely you can lose most of it. The basics are basically to eat right, workout on a regular basis and control how much you eat. Yes it is easier said than done, but people on here will keep you motivated and being able to keep track of what you eat and exercise will keep you on track
  • TaylorsGranddad
    TaylorsGranddad Posts: 453 Member
    Hi,

    I say this a lot now read my blog, it might just help.
  • Anything is possible if you keep at it.
    You have to work hard, and keep working hard.
  • Strobins05
    Strobins05 Posts: 716
    Congrats on your journey thus far. I would not stress. You have done wonders by taking the first step to making your lifestyle a healthier one! Continue to eat proper calories and get in your workouts/ exercise daily. Find a plan that works for YOU and have fun by gaining and giving support to your pals here! Good luck on your journey and make it great! :flowerforyou:
  • jdploki70
    jdploki70 Posts: 343
    It can be done, but it's not easy. A lot of diet changes will get you going, but you have to put in the work at the gym, exercising a lot, saying no and walking away from food when you really don't want to, etc. I've passed on pizza, donuts, cakes, all kinds of stuff. Just remember, any diet change you make is likely to be permanent, so think a bit about whether you can do without, or take in much smaller portions over the long haul. I still enjoy food, and cook almost every night, but I'll have a serving size instead of two or three. The part that really shocked me about losing the weight is that I changed my diet so much that I never really went hungry. I ate low cal bulky foods more than high cal rich foods, and was fuller longer because of it.

    Also, eat more often, but much smaller portions. You get 1200+ calories a day, as well as whatever you get back from exercise. If you sit down to a huge meal, you are clumping most of those calories into a single sitting, which just weighs you down. I get lethargic when I eat like that.
  • cpaman87
    cpaman87 Posts: 193 Member
    I finally am serious about weight loss. Having a tool like MFP is a huge plus. Logging your food EVERY DAY has helped more than I can say. You don't realize how much you eat until you look at the food diary. It helps keep me under control. Exercise will help tremendously, also.
  • Roz, you can do it! You're looking for success stories, I'd recommend taking a look at DangerSass' success story. There are lots of great folks on MFP to help keep you motivated. If you don't have one already, find an accountability partner... someone who won't blow "unicorn farts" and will kick you in the *kitten* when needed but also help "spot" you to help get past the plateaus and hurdles.
  • kubyshechka
    kubyshechka Posts: 75 Member
    I also love food. When I joined MFP I realized how much calories my favorite foods were so I started to look for healthier choices that fill me up. I was not a big chicken fan but I found the way to make it taste different every time with sauces and spices. I am lucky that I love veggies and eat a lot of those raw and cooked. I also cut down on drinks. But I think to make it a success you should be able to eat food that you like. Just not as often and not too much. The biggest thing that worked for me - exercise(go figure - lol). Besides making you more fit, you can eat back the calories you earned from exercise. If I am almost done with my daily calories by lunch time (on some days :smile: ). I just pop in the DVD and 45-60 min later I have my dinner calories. Works for me. You can add me as a friend so we can support each other.
  • wefarnum
    wefarnum Posts: 2
    I am not on a diet. I tried dieting and it did not work. I have a food budget and stick with it. I log "EVERYTHING I eat and stop before my budget runs out. I am a foodie. I can eat anything I want, just not all at the same time. I run a competitive barbecue team so temptation is always there, but if the budget is spent I quit. When I eat less than I burn in calories, I lose weight. It is really pretty simple. Work with your doctor and set your goal and then be absolutely honest about what you eat and how you exercise. You asked if it works, It will if you will. It won't if you won't. Go for it!