What plan/program/advise, the key to your long term success?

Hi everyone my name is Jess and I am looking for help, a little bit about me, I am 37, live with my boyfriend, no kids but lots of pets, lol. Anyhow i have struggled with my weight most of my life but it has gotten out of hand over the last few years. I have always been a little bigegr then the other girls and I loved who I was so it was fine but now I have have reached the heaviest I have ever been in my life and I am very un happy about it. I have tried everything under the sun with some short term success but I always end up with the weight back on plus some. I am sick of fade diets that never last. I want to find a balance so that I can successed for the rest of my life. I am also currently on a waiting list for gastric bypass but hoping to find my weight loss key before then and avoid the surgery, mainly because I really want to have a child before I miss the boat and with surgery that would mean not getting pregnant for 1 1/2. I have been t reated pretty bad by people regarding my weight and it has really affected my self esteem, people some times do it on purpose (I think) and others not but it hurts just the same. I helped some one loose weight only to turn around and make comments to me about my weight. I just not feeling super anymore. I use to feel beautiful even if I was heavier now I feel fat and frumpy.

Anyways I wanted to see with people that had a lot of weight to drop what program or changes were the best for them. One of my problems is I just don't know how to prepare veggies so I can incorporate them more in my daily foods, I love fruit so that is ok but I always end up making carbs (not good ones) with my lunch and supper because I never know how to prepare veggies as a replacement or filler to eat less carbs. I also can't workout much lately as I am also waiting on foot surgery. I know full of excuses but this one is actually a real one, hoping to resolve this one very soon so I can start working out again but in the meantime figured if I can clean up my nutritrition maybe that will get me started.

I would really appreciate any help and advise people have to give. Thank you
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Replies

  • Angie_1991
    Angie_1991 Posts: 447 Member
    For me, I stuggled also. I have managed to lose 40+ pounds and have kept if off for over 2 years now...I have 9 pounds until I reach goal which is taking forever. What worked for me is calorie intake. I will have to watch it forever, but it is worth it. I walk 3 miles everyday...and watch my calorie intake. 1500 to maintain...1200 to lose. And eat my calories back...MFP has been so great for keeping track of calories and exercise. It has been my BFF!!!! Good luck!
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    I had great success by just tracking my foods and trying to hit my macros everyday.

    I did something close to 40/40/20 for carbs, protein, fats. Some people don't handle carbs as well as I do, in which case you might want to lower them and replace with protein/fat.
  • well you could try riding a bike, see how that goes with your foot... I messed up my achilles tendon, was in an air cast for a bit and was only able to ride my bike... took me a bit but it got better.... Now with the veggies, you could steam them (nuke those puppies in the microwave with no water) or you could grill them... "clean eating" will really help you drop pounds, and you will feel so much better physically... I have MS and this has helped me tons... I am a sweat junkie and pretty fit, run up and down the steps at work (4 stories high) 7 times each stairwell, and there are 3 stairwells... I have completed insanity, the asylum and p90x2... I am currently doing a hybrid workout with insanity and the asylum... feel free to add me, I am always here to help.. :flowerforyou:
  • ladytinkerbell99
    ladytinkerbell99 Posts: 970 Member
    Hi,
    For me, the last 15 years I have struggled with my weight. I also loss my self-esteem. I can relate to what you said.
    I lost a total of 10 lbs before MFP and 70 lbs while here.
    What worked for me:
    1) Walking
    2) I put pictures in my wallet, on my fridge, in the bathroom of what I wanted to accomplished and never lost sight of that.
    3) Finally, I repeated this over and over until I believed it..."I want it, I deserve it, I can do it."

    I know you can do it. I have faith in YOU!! :flowerforyou:
  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
    Welcome! I have found that focusing on getting protein and fiber (that's what the nutritionist told me) and eating regularly was infinitely more helpful than trying to starve myself, and also because I am addicted to sugar and I am prediabetic that the protein really helps level out my blood sugar.
    Getting more fish, eating veggies you can get veggies raw depending on what you like.
    Have you thought about seeing a nutritionist? They can really customize something based on all your particular needs.
    Sorry about your foot, that sounds annoying and best of luck with the surgery.

    Just focus on you and what you need not anyone else - don't ever starve, your body needs food to operate, and the better the food you give it, the better it will respond.

    Good luck! There are good supportive people here! You should feel great for taking the first step :)
  • This is going to be your best bet: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    As for preparing veggies, I don't know if this appeals to you or not, but I buy those bags of frozen vegetables (like broccoli, or cauliflower, or some kind of vegetable blend, but not just corn or peas and carrots) at Kroger because they are $1 a piece and sautee them in some coconut oil or butter with some minced garlic. Sometimes I'll eat the entire content of a bag for lunch, and sometimes my family splits it for dinner. Even my little boys like veggies prepared in this way. I've pretty much come to grips with the fact that I am not a salad person, but this helps me get a ton of veggies in.

    As far as exercising goes, I don't know what your limitations are with your foot, but I would recommend a basic barbell plan like Stronglifts or Starting Strength. Again, I don't know what your limitations are with your foot, but these types of exercises aren't going to be high impact like jumping or running, so they may be appropriate for you (but check with your doctor, etc).

    Good luck!
  • d0gma
    d0gma Posts: 3,966 Member
    I've had success just tracking my food. I don't worry about my macros, just looking at the calories. I stopped exercising in July due to laziness and haven't started up again, but I'm still losing weight. I made small changes, I love burgers and eat them all the time so I switched to turkey burgers. If vegetables don't work at this time, then look at lower calorie alternatives to what you already eat. The main thing is to find what works for YOU.
  • ElleBee66
    ElleBee66 Posts: 128 Member
    http://allrecipes.com/recipes/side-dish/vegetables/

    Vegetable recipes - you should find something here that will appeal to you.
  • Welcome!
    I eat clean, which I love. I don't feel deprived, I don't starve, and it's taught me a lot about food. I subscribe to Clean Eating magazine, which you can check out at cleaneatingmag.com. It's all about eating whole, unprocessed foods, eating small frequent meals, eliminating sugars and refined grains, and drinking primarily water.
    Good luck!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    My plan:

    1) Eat within a calorie range that aligns with my weight goals.
    2) Eat the appropriate number of macronutrients for my body composition goals and my training goals.
    3) Lift heavy stuff
    4) Rest
    5) Repeat.

    I also try to eat "mostly" whole foods with good nutrient density. Then I also eat "a little bit" of junk food for sanity.

    Beyond the above recipe, I really don't bother with anything else.
  • Jessvaliquette
    Jessvaliquette Posts: 111 Member
    Thanks everyone, I think I will start tracking again, this way I can share that with people and maybe having someone look at my food journal they might see what I am doing wrong or offer what were I can make changes.

    I find people's opinions have really affected me, has anyone noticed people in the environment that like to try and sabotage your progress? See what I mean is some times when I start to make progress, there are a few people that feel the need to add in their 2 cents.

    For example I was doing well on 17 day diet just over a year ago, managed to drop about 35 lbs, I was so close to my first big goal and one of my friends from work said to me " hey this is where you always screw up and go backwards' well her comment stuck in my mind and then I just kep repeating that, freaking out that she was right, I had come to this point so many times and then fell off, you know what pretty much the next day I quit and started to put the weight back on.

    Then another person, I helped, started making comments to me offerring me her fat clothes, telling me I will enjoy being able to cross my legs one day (which I can already), she also told me once, I carried my weight like you, around the arms and legs but I never had a big gut like you. First of all when she was heavy, HELL yeah she did, second of all I am not skinny but I am one of those people that my weight is distributed all over.

    Anyhow I could go on about all people have said to me but my question is, in the meantime, of finding my strength in my confidence again, how to do I block them out or not listen to their crap, has anyone gone through this? Help not getting stuck on someone else's BS. Thank you
  • lunnay
    lunnay Posts: 66 Member
    Veggies are easy, I used to have the same problem. :) Here's some easy tips to incorporate more of them!

    - Almost any sauce you make with meat can take some onions. Cut them up into small pieces, and let them cook with the meat.
    - Tomato sauce is excellent on pasta, and you can make it from scratch by cutting up tomatoes into tiny pieces, heating up some olive oil with onion and garlic, then adding the tomatoes and cooking on low until tomatoes turn to mush. I add extra garlic, peppers, basil, oregano, and sometimes thyme too, but experiment to find what you like.
    - Grilled zucchini is good on its own as a mini-side dish. Just clean the zucchini, cut it into slices (keep the skin), and grill it with a very minimal amount of oil and salt and pepper. I am told eggplant (without the skin) also works, but you need to drain the liquid out by letting it sit with some salt for half an hour and the flavor isn't as good.
    - Carrots! are amazing raw and on their own as snacks!
    - Get frozen green peas and add some to any rice you make five to ten minutes before it's done cooking.
    - Side dishes! Sautée white mushrooms in olive oil with a little salt, put in a pot with frozen peas and let cook for fifteen minutes on medium, stirring now and then.
    - Any omelette or scrambled eggs I make get some onion and a shredded carrot topping (carrots added raw and after it is cooked, onions added to the pan and cooked before the eggs, until translucent).
    - Add some frozen broccoli to a roast when it's 10-15 minutes from being served. I like the crunch the broccoli gives and it's healthier than adding extra potatoes. It doesn't need much time to cook through.

    :)
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    Just eat food and not food-like product.

    The longer the ingredients list, the more suspect it is.
  • put those people's comments out of your head... They are HATERS that do not want to see you accomplish your goals... Everyone has to deal with that at one point or another... You do what you want to do to feel good about yourself... Just log your foods, stay away from unhealthy fats, avoid sugar, eat your carbs earlier in the day so you have time to burn them off, eat more fiber rich foods, stick to whole grains, lean proteins... it will take some time but you can do anything that you put your mind to...
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member

    ^^^ I agree! Read through that link and let math and science, plus honest logging on MFP, do the work for you. The concept of losing weight is very simple. Breaking old habits is the hard part, and that's just up to you. But MFP makes it really easy to track your exercise and everything you eat.

    So if you are looking for a key, you've found it here. :flowerforyou:

    Good luck!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Veggies are easy, I used to have the same problem. :) Here's some easy tips to incorporate more of them!

    - Almost any sauce you make with meat can take some onions. Cut them up into small pieces, and let them cook with the meat.
    - Tomato sauce is excellent on pasta, and you can make it from scratch by cutting up tomatoes into tiny pieces, heating up some olive oil with onion and garlic, then adding the tomatoes and cooking on low until tomatoes turn to mush. I add extra garlic, peppers, basil, oregano, and sometimes thyme too, but experiment to find what you like.
    - Grilled zucchini is good on its own as a mini-side dish. Just clean the zucchini, cut it into slices (keep the skin), and grill it with a very minimal amount of oil and salt and pepper. I am told eggplant (without the skin) also works, but you need to drain the liquid out by letting it sit with some salt for half an hour and the flavor isn't as good.
    - Carrots! are amazing raw and on their own as snacks!
    - Get frozen green peas and add some to any rice you make five to ten minutes before it's done cooking.
    - Side dishes! Sautée white mushrooms in olive oil with a little salt, put in a pot with frozen peas and let cook for fifteen minutes on medium, stirring now and then.
    - Any omelette or scrambled eggs I make get some onion and a shredded carrot topping (carrots added raw and after it is cooked, onions added to the pan and cooked before the eggs, until translucent).
    - Add some frozen broccoli to a roast when it's 10-15 minutes from being served. I like the crunch the broccoli gives and it's healthier than adding extra potatoes. It doesn't need much time to cook through.

    :)

    Awesome veggie advice! I am taking notes myself. More often than not, I just boil them until they are tender, then sprinkle with salt. :tongue:
  • Jessvaliquette
    Jessvaliquette Posts: 111 Member
    Yes I have been thinking of going to see one to see if they can set me up on something specifically for me, I have a lot of food alergies too so maybe it would be best if I did that.
  • Scarlett_S
    Scarlett_S Posts: 467 Member
    Logging every bite I put in my mouth and sticking with a high protein, low carb diet helped me. Not NO carb but low. Having a variety of foods to eat as well as allowing myself to eat out once in awhile without going crazy gets you over the humps. It is definitely a lifestyle change and not a diet.

    If you cannot do intensive cardio because of your foot, concentrate on just moving more. Walking, yoga, stretching, etc. Working with weights on your upper body, things like that.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Here's the plan I'm following:

    1. Eat a 20% deficit from my TDEE.
    2. Track everything - even on the occassions I go over my limit.
    3. Exercise - do something I enjoy 4-5 days a week.
    4. Lift heavy stuff (see #3)
    5. Enjoy life! Don't stress about special occasions, birthdays, parties, etc.
    6. Try to make decent decisions regarding food - enjoy treats, but also nourish my body.


    You don't need a special diet, pills, shakes, etc to lose weight. You just need to eat less and move more. Don't make a million changes right away - just track your food. Then, every week change something small. Maybe one week, stop drinking soda. The next, add an extra serving of veggies every day. The next week, try a new healthy recipe every day. You don't have to do it all at once. You have a long life ahead of you, so take it slow and do it right.

    And read the link other people posted for you - it's priceless info!!!!
  • D3vAnge1
    D3vAnge1 Posts: 104 Member
    Have U considered living as though U'd had gbs? I mean it's a bit rough the first several days, but will get easier and will give U time to "break" some of ur current bad habits (IE food choices & how U think about food). Do the entire process, liquids then soft foods, then progression. It'll do wonders in resetting your current food habits/mind set & in shrinking your stomach. Read successful WLS patients' testimonies, meditate on what they did to succeed in their loss but most importantly keep it off, listen to a few of their vblog journeys...So much to learn from them (regardless of how so many fail to give 'em their props). Through WLS patients, I have learned how to overcome outside influences (IE family & friend sabatogors).

    I was dx'd w/Type 2 DM about 3 yrs ago and it began to really take its toll on my kidneys, feet, vision & liver a bit over a year ago, so I had to get serious & arrive there quick. I began by cutting out added sugars and most "known" & refined/bleached carbs (breads, pastas, etc). I also limited my juice intake (beginning with NEVER eating everything on my plate but rounding up when I journal it) and began watching portion sizes. Eventually, I began utilizing a notebook as a food journal before coming to MFP. It's taken me quite a while, but I am doing it, successfully might I add w/o feeling restricted & on a diet.

    Exercise is not a new concept to me. I ran track from middle thru high school & began my adult yrs teaching aerobics, serving in the military, & bodybuilding with the goal of fitness modeling in view until a few medical issues intercepted. I'm approaching the mid-30s now, so I doubt if I will ever be able to "model," but my goal is to look as if I had, lol :laugh:

    Slow & steady is the best way to get to where U wanna be. Take your time, it's not a race and if U insist on looking at it as one, remember that a real failure is when U completely give up. One step at a time make adjustments, set mini goals and rewards that will lead U to where U long to be and keep at it. Make a mistake (fall), don't wallow in self pity, dust yourself off & get back into the game.

    Pick up a tip or two from web searches, magazines, and others who post on this site. Apply it for no less than a month then incorporate one or two more until you're rolling on auto-pilot and can say proudly, "I GOT THIS". **My favorite song by J. Hudson, lol**

    QUOTE: Veggies are easy, I used to have the same problem. :)
    Lunnay is absolutely right! Spinach is an excellent veg to add to the list. Raw--makes for an excellent salad base. Boiled--w/ a lil seasoning...Excellent. Sauted with other vegs (onions, carrots, mushrooms) makes for a nutritious side dish. Toss in an omelet or in pasta dishes...delicious & quite filling.