Damn...I need to lose how much??!!

I feel you...140 or so to go here. Just log and move. I'm new here, but it's working! Happy New YOU. :happy:

150.... never been "normal" size...

You got this! It won't be easy...but you got this! The only real secret is not quitting!

I truly understand, I have over 150 myself....but I can't think like that....thinking about my health more than the weight. I just discovered MFP through a health coach and I just started on Monday. It has been a huge eyeopener for me to in how quick the calories can add up if you don't modify your serving sizes. I like what you said about not wallowing in how we let ourself get this big...have to move forward, not backward. Stay encouraged and good luck!!

Yes, don't rush it, we all need to start with babysteps. It is more about replacing bad habbits with good ones and finding your personal balance. I do not believe in "diet fads" but more about healthy eating and living. I agree being able to keep a food log is a huge help and is a great tool.

I have also been on here since Jan 1, though this not my first time re-checking my habbits. It is great to have a site and forums to help the process along. 8yrs ago I did lose 90lbs in the course of three years, and kept it off for 5yrs. It has only been the last year and half or so, because of health issues, I gained 70lbs back. Now that I am feeling better and starting to feel like my old self I am ready to start anew to loose that weight again.

I know you will be able to do this, 8yrs ago I was able to, so I know anybody can. It wasn't easy at first but once I had those good habbits in place, it felt great. Just keep moving forward!

I started with 102lb to lose, and I felt the same. I made myself a list of smaller goals to hit, so it doesn't look less daunting:

282 - starting
268 - 1 stone loss
257 - quarter of the way there
254 - 2 stone loss
254 - 10% of body weight lost
240 - 3 stone loss
232 - Halfway there
226 - 20% of body weight lost
226 - 4 stone loss
212 - 5 stone loss
207 - 3 quarters of the way there
198 - 30% of body weight lost
198 - 6 stone loss
184 - 7 stone loss
180 - goal


Ignore the 'stones', I'm English. ;-)

But this way, I'm only ever aiming for the next milestone. So I'm just saying 'only 10lb to go till I hit x', rather than 'OMG, I've still got 73lb left to lose!'

hi there,

i have 100+ lbs to lose as well. I only started logging 2 days ago, but love it already.

please feel free to add me for mutual support and encouragement

The killer for me was when I was fiddling with one of those bmi calculators and it said I was "morbidly obese" - I'm what???!!! No way!!! That was a shocker, I knew I was "overweight" but had no idea they had set up these classifications of obesity and that I fell into the second category, frankly at that point I was almost to the worst category. When I looked in the mirror I think even in the back of my mind I was in denial that that couldn't be me, I was still the skinny guy of my 30's.

So much good advice from fellow posters, do it now, it does get harder as you age BUT not impossible by any means. I love what Lauren3101 posted about small goals. I've done the same and added some rewards along the way. I set up those goals and rewards and communicated them to my close family and friends. They are all routing for me and are ready to celebrate as I hit those targets. It's been fun!

Another little hint that may help you. I set up a Facebook private group and invited my closest friends and family. Each day I weigh in and post a pic of the scale and the stats for the previous day, how many calories, how much exercise, my net calories, etc. MFP gives me all that great info. They keep posting wonderful encouragement and chide me a bit if I miss a post. It has really encouraged me to NEVER overeat. By using MFP before I eat to figure out a meal I have been able to never over eat my calorie target for a day. Accountability using FB private group has been a big help for me. Of course, initially the weight changes were big, now that things are becoming more gradual I'm going to post a pic once a week starting this week and just give occasional updates every couple of days. But several have also joined on MFP and can check my diet status here on a daily basis.

Good luck, friend request on the way, you can do it, find the tools that work for you and you will succeed!!

Log and move! Yep!! Lol Just tracking my calories has been a huge eye opening experience, but in a good way! It's crazy how people, myself included, don't realize how many calories are being taken in until you acutally calculate it. Good luck to you and feel free to add me!

This is so true. Not only did I not realize just how many calories I was taking on, I also thought that my diet was pretty healthy and logging it in made me realize that I was drinking maybe 3 cups of water daily and rarely eating fruits and veggies! It was such an eye-opener!

Anyways, good luck to everyone and feel free to add me

Welcome!! Never sit there and dwell about how much weight you need to lose. That will discourage you. Just put your plan into action, eating better and exercise. Work hard and keep motivated. The weight will come off .. I am here to lose about 130 lbs all together. I have been at it for the past year, and I have bad days and good days. But I keep trudging. I love this site for the friends that you can make that keep you going. I am here for support and motivation! So feel free to add me if you'd like!

I am a major foodie as well and one the hardest things for me in the beginning was going cold turkey and trying to give it all up.....well I learned the hard way and it was a disaster so I focused on 10lbs at a time and one habit at a time after that.

I also saw someone say "if you ran one red light you wouldn't keep running red lights for the rest of the day" which is so true with food because I was all or nothing in the beginning and would get discouraged if I messed up my calories and then go off track the rest of the day, but that was a great way to look at it and put it in perspective. Good luck and you can do it!!!

I am with Witchy on this. Don't think so much about the long term goal. It will just loom hugely in front of you, particularly when you have a bad run of days. Make a series of small intermittent goals and push hard to make those. As you succeed they will reinforce your feeling that this IS doable. You can map out a whole list or just make one small goal at a time. I usually have one or two small steps laid out in front of me and no more. If you are the type to work for some sort of tangible reward, plan out something healthy and fun that you get to have when you make each mini-goal. I'm not especially motivated that way, I just like making those stepwise goals I set and marking them off the list. I started with a goal of losing 85 pounds. Honestly, as I've progressed I've realize that it probably needs to be more, but I'm not changing things until I reach that initial long term goal. I have lost 55 pounds so far and weigh less than I have in 2 decades. My next goal is to drop from "obese" to "overweight" BMI, which will put me nearly 60 pounds down. I'm also targeting trying on jeans to move down a size (or maybe even 2). I find it much easier to tell myself that my target date is getting close and I really need to be on my food plan or get in that exercise to get rid of just 1 or 2 more pounds to make the next waypoint than to think, "Geez, 30 more pounds to goal and probably even MORE to get where I find I truly want to be. Ack."

Good luck, you can do it!

I love your positive attitude! There is a lot of support on MFP but all and all you need to want this bad...and it seem like you have that already covered. I am also at the beginning of my weight loss and when I feel like slipping at times with my calories or logging I tell myself that the only person I am cheating is myself and myself is worth more than that.

My phrase to live by when I get discouraged by the scale or my physical results is, "you didn't put it on in day...it's going to take more than a day to get it off." Good luck and I look forward to supporting each other.

...thinking about how much weight I need to lose is overwhelming.

I have a lot to lose too. I did the calculator on Slim Fast.com to find out how long it would take. It seems like once I knew how long it would take, even if it was a whole year, I just felt like you know what, a year is nothing compared to all the years I've been alive and all the years I have left. Maybe once you see the length of time it will take you to lose your weight it will be shorter than you thought or at least not as bad once you know there's a definite end time. It might make you look forward to like a shopping spree next spring, or a new bathing suit in the summer, or jeans shopping in the winter depending on when you'll reach your goal.

Welcome aboard.
I'm 47, lost 52 lbs. with less than 100 to go to my goal. (Staying for more)
I would love to help support you on your journey.
I'm very active and committed to doing this.

Feel free to add me.

Julie