Someone please talk some sense into me!!!

Options
tripletmom2004
tripletmom2004 Posts: 168 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so desperate to lose weight!! I have done weightloss programs that cost$$ and lost and obviously didn't keep it off. I am 41, 5'9" and weigh around 176-180 (haven't stepped in the scale in months-too scared). My goal is to back down to at least 150. I am sooo tempted to go back to medi weight loss buti know that is only a temporary fix!! Do I spend that money on a personal trainer at the gym and just keep working my butt off??? I don't even know how many calories I should be eating. MFP set it at 1430 and I do eat some of my exercise calories back.

Someone please tell me it will be more rewarding to lose this weight through my own hard work rather than paying for stupid appetite suppressants and such!!!

Aaggghhh!!! LOL
«1

Replies

  • chrissymcmurray
    chrissymcmurray Posts: 19
    Options
    Short term fixes are just that. They never have LASTING results. MFP will help you make smart decisions. Just take it 1 day at a time, you can't make or break diets over night, it takes time. The screen saver on my computer says this, "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing. It takes 8 weeks for your friends and family, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world, KEEP GOING" I wish you all the luck in the world.
  • vicarella13
    vicarella13 Posts: 15
    Options
    Hi,

    I say pay the money and get a trainer. They will also support you with nutritional information. It has to become a lifestyle change if you want the weight to come off and STAY OFF. The best thing for your general health would be to do it the right way. Eating healthy and exercising.

    You can do this!
  • rgohm
    rgohm Posts: 294 Member
    Options
    I would try to do it yourself, with MFP, that is. If you want a personal trainer and you can afford it, why not? Even if you just had one for the first few times you went to the gym and then ever so often as a "check up", I think that would be great. I have two brothers that went to medical weight loss and the one is bigger than ever and the other is headed back up there. I am trying to get them to join MFP so they can learn to change their lives but they always want the "quick fix". I am not saying these places aren't good for some people but for my brothers, who need to learn self-control, they need to learn how to eat "real food" for "real life".
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Options
    90% of your weight loss will come from your food intake and there's no point in relying on the crutch of pills and food programs because as you've found out it doesn't last. If you really want to lose weight you'll buckle down and make the changes you need to. If you aren't ready to do that and are still looking for a quick fix then it probably won't work. The first thing you need to do to lose weight is get your mind in the right place, it's all easy from there.
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
    Options
    Go read the success stories I say - see that it can be done without gimmicks, paying $$, eating weird stuff, drinking weird stuff, just eat well and exercise! DO IT!! :flowerforyou:
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Options
    You can't make temporary changes and expect permanent results. :tongue:

    Try reading through this topic - great info and tools to help find your BMR, TDEE, and where to set your calorie goal for losing the fat: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I've been following this plan for quite awhile, and I'm consistently losing fat and inches, despite being near my "goal weight". Check it out and plug your numbers into the tools linked in the thread - it's great info and it works, and it's a sustainable plan that I know I can do for the rest of my life. :smile:
  • mrsjas2000
    mrsjas2000 Posts: 908 Member
    Options
    Hi, I am desperate just like you and I have also tried everything and spent alot of money and gained it back I am sure we will feel so much better changing our habits and with help and motivation from friends if we do this ourselves.
  • ttsewang
    ttsewang Posts: 2
    Options
    It is easy, first u need motivation. Then cut back on all the junk foods and depend more on greenish and fruits.. Drink water instead of all those sugary pop, also eat whole fruits instead of all those sugary juice. And do exercise 3 times a week or if u can 5 times a week and one day for rest.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    Options
    There are tons of people here who have managed to lose weight just by tracking their calories and trying to be more active. Paying a trainer might help teach you form and a few workout routines, but they're usually no good when it comes to nutritional advice and will (in my experience) just feed you a bunch of canned responses, such as "don't eat after 8pm" "reduce your carbs" "eat six small meals a day" "don't eat too much fat" "don't do HIIT, you are burning muscle and not fat" "eat 1200 calories a day" "don't skip breakfast or your metabolism will tank" ~ all of which is myth which just keeps trickling down like a stream until people educate themselves on how their bodies really work.

    Just eat at a reasonable calorie level - use http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ to figure that out and set MFP goals accordingly - try to fit in activity whenever possible, be honest about logging, and stop hoping for the quick fix because the quicker it fixes, the faster it breaks.

    Also, http://www.bodyrock.tv has a lot of free workouts, as does youtube, you can do in about 15 minutes or less. Get your heart rate up, challenge yourself, and reap the benefits.

    Best of luck.
  • stonel94
    stonel94 Posts: 550 Member
    Options
    I know it's scary and depressing, but you HAVE to weigh yourself (and I would also suggest measuring yourself if you haven't been in a while because you can shrink or grow or sometimes the doctors say the wrong number or something) because all of the stuff you work off on on here is based on weight, if you say you weigh 150 and you really weigh 170 it's not going to be giving you enough calories and you'll go into starvation mode, if you have a weight too high then you'll be eating too many calories, if you put in that your sedentary or moderately active and you're really something else then everything will be off.
    I've found that MFP works well because it forces you to be honest with yourself, you really have to think about the exact portion size and number of things you've had because you have to log it, you have to know your weight so it can put you on the right track. Plus you should want to know your weight because this is your change, the worse it is just take it as more motivation to change your lifestyle, not some quick fix that doesn't last
  • MissAlyGator
    MissAlyGator Posts: 185
    Options
    I used the HCG diet as a jumpstart (lots of people on here wouldn't recommend it, myself included), but it worked well. I was then motivated to count calories and workout! Good luck and keep us updated. :)
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Options
    I am so desperate to lose weight!! I have done weightloss programs that cost$$ and lost and obviously didn't keep it off. I am 41, 5'9" and weigh around 176-180 (haven't stepped in the scale in months-too scared). My goal is to back down to at least 150. I am sooo tempted to go back to medi weight loss buti know that is only a temporary fix!! Do I spend that money on a personal trainer at the gym and just keep working my butt off??? I don't even know how many calories I should be eating. MFP set it at 1430 and I do eat some of my exercise calories back.

    Someone please tell me it will be more rewarding to lose this weight through my own hard work rather than paying for stupid appetite suppressants and such!!!

    Aaggghhh!!! LOL

    Patience and consistency will take you further than any diet pill or expensive program will.

    You already know this though. Just reread what you just posted.

    My suggestion to you is to start setting some weekly goals to figure out what you're doing in your daily life that can be changed permanently. These should not be scale goals. These should be behavioral goals or fitness goals that are 100% achievable with hard work and lead you to sustainable weight management plan. Examples would be to switch out chips for fruit this week for snacks and things like that.
  • ttsewang
    ttsewang Posts: 2
    Options
    Seriously, I used to weight 185 pounds..since i started my exercise and keeping the healthy diet, withing the month i lost 10 pounds. Now i m in great shape and i weight 155 pounds. Everyone is surprsie of my result and my looks. We need motivation and determination. You can do it. keep it on. good luck
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    Options
    Be accountable to yourself, then add weight loss friends to check in with everyday. Set small, teeny, tiny goals at first and then incorporate them into your diet decisions. Every motivation must come from within, no one else can do this for you.
  • wjniii
    wjniii Posts: 110 Member
    Options
    MFP has worked for me because it is about changing your life-style in regard to food. You do this from the inside out rather than the reverse and it works. Sure has for me. I hope it will for you. Be paitient, kind to yourself and give it a try. Oh, and free is pretty cool too :happy:
  • jayliospecky
    jayliospecky Posts: 25,022 Member
    Options
    Do it the right way this time. Save your money or spend it on a trainer, or a new piece of exercise equipment.

    But you know this. You want someone to tell you it will be more rewarding? I think you just told yourself.

    Edit: I see Pregosaurus and I were rather in sync, there.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Options
    CALM DOWN

    Try mfp, use the recommendations. its free. Eat all your calories back, as long as you are pretty accurate about it.

    try it for a month, then adjust.
  • guinnessstella
    guinnessstella Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    90% of your weight loss will come from your food intake and there's no point in relying on the crutch of pills and food programs because as you've found out it doesn't last. If you really want to lose weight you'll buckle down and make the changes you need to. If you aren't ready to do that and are still looking for a quick fix then it probably won't work. The first thing you need to do to lose weight is get your mind in the right place, it's all easy from there.

    Wow! Powerful words - thanks for sharing. It IS true, if you do want to lose weight you will make the changes needed. I needed to hear that.
  • hollyberry2012
    hollyberry2012 Posts: 253
    Options
    I like MFP because it's

    1. fun and unlonely....if that makes sense. After being on here, I realize that I never have to struggle in my own little world all by myself again. ~whew~ what a relief.

    2. I am in charge. I get to look up my own foods by the exact name brand, and record it all, and even if I do a smidgeon of exercise, I get to proudly record it :))))

    3. It's free, and I'm poor! Need I say more?

    4. I just got a peek right into your heart and I don't even KNOW YOU. How cool is that!!? :flowerforyou: so thanks..that took guts. :) Now go weigh yourself!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Options
    Short term fixes are just that. They never have LASTING results. MFP will help you make smart decisions. Just take it 1 day at a time, you can't make or break diets over night, it takes time. The screen saver on my computer says this, "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing. It takes 8 weeks for your friends and family, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world, KEEP GOING" I wish you all the luck in the world.

    I am stealing your quote!

Categories