Spooked by weight loss?

step 1. lose the drama of it. Weight loss from a practical viewpoint is very strait forward. You need to take in less calories than you require.

step 2. start tracking every single thing you swallow including water. Dont change anything yet. Just make yourself log every single thing you eat and drink.

step 3. determine your TDEE. check out scooby website or any TDEE calculator. At this point, a rough estimate is all you need.

step 4.after one week, review your log to see where you can cut back.

step 5. research basic nutirtion.

take small steps. dont expect rapid results.

stay on this mfp and track everything on here be honest. it works I am new but I eat and its simple ,you can eat pretty much what you want and not feel hungry. I pretty much eat something small every 2 or 3 hrs for i wont feel hungry. You have to set your mind . everytime you go to the frdge to eat say to your self I can do this and I am going to do this. I try to eat as healthy as I can lots of vegetables and a small piece of meat. you can do this . fell free to message me any time. also fine a goal mabe a vacation and say I want to feel and look like this by this time . you can do this one day at time. phatgirl4

Your story is similar to mine, except, I mostly just thought about trying to lose weight, not really doing much about following through, until 3/12/12, when I got serious and really started to change my life. I am coming up on my 8th month anniversary on MFP.
What has helped me most is coming to this site. Logging everything I eat, every day. I am only walking for my exercise, but so far, it is working for me. When I feel most like over indulging or eating, I come here and read the success stories and advice from others here. It really helps me stay focused.
This is a personal journey, but you will find that there are others who have similar issues, temptations, failures as well as victories and triumphs along the way.
The very best of luck to you! You can do this! One step at a time.

The psychology of temporary dieting means any attempt is doomed to fail. It's an insidious torture that puts people off the effort, and often means they gain weight - more than before. And it costs them years.

Until I found myself in the right place just over two years ago, and encountered the correct information, I'd never survived more than three hours on any of the kinds of diets you describe.

It's very simple, once you're able to accept a few things. It really is going to be a lifestyle change. For life. It will make your life better. It does involve reeducation and change in habit, as someone said, one step at a time.

Calorie counting, and switching to the right diet - whole grains, veg/fruit, lean protein is all you need to do, nutritionally. You learn how YOU do this slowly. It means learning how to measure foods, exploring new flavours and cooking methods, finding out what works for you. I learn new things all the time, and I've been at it for a few years (not on this site).

It helps to approach this learning with a bit of enthusiasm. I get why you're not feeling like that now, of course. But if you start to think of what you're ADDING to your life (vs what's being subtracted, deprivation), it can help build a bit of excitement, even.

Taking pleasure in learning how to cook helps a lot. Being in the moment - present and appreciative of the process itself - helps a *lot*. Admittedly, this gets easier after the first few weeks, which are uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable to do things you haven't done before, maybe to have pain (from eg new exercise) or frustration (how the crap do you poach fish? NB, I've yet to do that right).

In those moments, push through. Keep your goal in mind, all the time. Become obsessed. Use anything you can to reinforce your motivation, to overcome tiredness and discouragement. My motivation had to do with loss and fear. (I'd moved after ending a relationship, and found myself with lots of other things ahead of me, and time wasting.) These sorts of changes, lots of times, are what prompt the decision that makes the difference.) Some people have positive motivations, like seeing themselves crossing a finish line, or participating in a marathon. I guess fear might be important for you now. Use it.

After a few weeks of getting oxygen into your blood by walking, and nutrients to your body from good, healthy food, I guarantee you will feel better. You'll move, think, breathe, sleep, feel better. You will probably have lost some pounds, as well. That's a great feeling too, of course

After a month or so, the exercise will feel like a habit, and you will want to continue. You'll get used to new foods. Eventually, many of the things you currently like may put you off, that's how much you'll have changed.

Some things will make it easier. As above, introducing things bit by bit helps. Week one: introduce 1 new vegetable every day, and walk for 20 minutes. Week two: Exchange soda for lovely clean water. Log calories. Maybe, learn a recipe. Etc.

(As you get further along, and start to trade your old foods for new ones, make things easy for yourself. Don't test your willpower by keeping stuff in the house. Most would struggle in that situation. Make it not an issue - no temptations. So much harder that way.)

Best of luck. You can do this!

I have to disagree and say it doesn't matter what you eat, it matters how much you eat. Eat less calories and eat a nice % of protein. Other than that, enjoy the food you like.

I'd say, it's much easier to be full on those foods, and meet macros within the calorie limit that guarantees weight loss. (Which, OP, should be 10-30% less than the calories required to maintain your current weight. Here's a(nother) calculator:
http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced )

And there's less temptation. If I had to worry about restricting myself to, e.g., half a pancake and just a teaspoon of maple syrup and 1/2 a pat of butter, every day, it would be a test of will I couldn't win. I can very easily enjoy 2 eggs, whole wheat toast, and a tomato, and feel more full, for longer, without losing my mind. But different strokes for different folks, obviously! Above is what's worked for me.

My penny's worth would be to change the word diet to healthy living. Since being on this journey I no longer look at it a weightloss I see it as fat loss. My aim is to lose inches and tone up. I love food and have made healthier choices and still have one day a week where I consume what I want then go back to what is now normal to me. If a healthier lifestyle is to be had a healthier mindset is paramount. You will get that from MFP. Add me if you wish.

You've got some great advice here, starting with Dave198 (that's just what I'd say, too)!

Hope you can sense my good will in these words: we all get attached to our drama, our fears and our past failures. But that's an old story, and if we live that way we're prisoners. Your new story is here, with MFP's straightforward method and plenty of supportive people who have their own great qualities and flaws.

We still have to cope with life, but life is easier without hauling around the equivalent of another person- or at least a good-sized dog

Also, you will find the appeal of certain foods and your desire for the overall amount of food will change. It's always a conscious choice but it gets easier.

The only thing I can add to the above advise is this: The word "diet" implies you are temporarily changing your eating habits to hit some number, at which point you'll go back to eating "normally." What you've been eating "normally" is what caused the weight gain in the first place. By focusing on becoming healthier instead of dieting, the changes you're making will be easier to maintain. Get a food scale so you can measure what a true serving size is - restaurant portions have gotten so out of hand that we don't know what an individual serving is supposed to be. Losing weight is the benefit of becoming healthier, not the aim. Change your mindset is the best advice I can give you. I, too, have cycled up and down. I made a concious decision not to do that anymore. Embracing a healthier lifestyle - exercise (both aerobic & weight training), whole foods, reasonable portions, and going to the doctor to have a complete workup to have a true picture of my overall wellness - is making me happy. Slowly but surely, these changes will become your new normal. Good luck on your journey. Add me if you'd like.