my goal of losing 45 lbs seems like a huge mountain to climb

Ugh, I remember saying 46 pounds is too much to lose, I'll never do it, and then I have another 12 after that. I cannot do almost 60 pounds! I was pregnant at 193 lbs though. I knew giving birth would start the process, but I knew I had a LONG way to go.

I lost 22 lbs from birth and was 171. I need to get down to 135 to be healthy. I am currently 146 lbs. It is a long slow process. I've lost 25 lbs in 3.5 months.

My first (inexperienced) advice is not to eat too few calories. Maybe you don't need to lose 2 lbs a week. Set your goal for 1 lb a week and see what those calories are then try to get under that. I know when I was hungry I would possibly eat 1200 calories that day, but it got old being hungry fast, so it didn't last long and I gave up. So I would up my calories (I don't know what it would be? Maybe 1400, 1500 then eat under them if I could).

Second, I found I am much fuller eating healthier. I hated HATED vegetables. My husband kept buying different ones until I found I liked bell peppers and cucumbers, and I tolerate baby carrots. The only way I will eat these is if I have ranch. But I can sit down and eat a whole plate and feel fuller than the equivalent 4 oreos of calories. Yes, I can only eat these with ranch which is more calories and fat, but we need those too.

I found low calorie breakfasts so I have calories to snack later. If I eat oatmeal with milk it's only 250 calories, leaving me able to eat a nutragrain bar, or goldfish crackers with my son later when I am hungry. Watermelon and strawberries are low calorie snacks that give me the sweets I am craving. I eat 3 main meals and usually 3 snacks (I know this is the healthy way to go and not what I started out doing - but I get hungry inbetween and I'd rather eat often then binge later).

So I guess what I'm saying is I don't talk myself out of eating, I just try to talk myself into eating better more often. When I first started my food diaries were ridiculous. I'd have oatmeal, a lean cuisine for lunch, a salad for dinner, then 8 oreos LOL. I'd save my calories, I'd be hungry all day so I could eat a ton of dessert.

I hope this helps some. I've lost 47 lbs now (but nursing has helped a lot) and I still have 11 to go just to be healthy. Those 11 lbs are still daunting. I know weight comes off easier in the beginning and that every pound from here on out will take longer/be harder to lose. But I really do want to get down to a healthy weight. I really want to be a healthier person, so I am going to take it one pound at a time and try to make long term changes to my life, for myself, for my husband, and our children. (He's doing it with me which really helps too! Get him involved! If my husband ate cake in front of me every night I'd be eating it too. But when we make chicken breast and rice and vegetables then it's a lot easier to eat better).

Best of Luck!

Maybe all you need is a little tweak in your plan. 1200 calories is not the only way to lose weight. I had a hard time eating 1200 calories a day and to top it off I stopped losing! I switched to a 1 pound loss per week and have had no problems sticking to my plan. It makes it much easier to do for long periods of time. Or consider that you can still lose weight if you net 1200 calories. Meaning you log your exercise and eat the amount you burn so that your calorie deficit stays at 1200. So you could do an easy to moderate workout and eat 1400 calories or somewhere around there. Possibly more.

Just think about this: if it's too hard for you to eat 1200 calories to lose two pounds a week you probably won't stick with your weight loss plan and you'll stay the way you are or possibly even gain more weight. Losing one pound per week is still great progress and is easier to achieve. Still a challenge, but so much more doable.

Just my two cents but I get to eat pretty much as much as I want because I DO exercise... there's no way I would deprive myself of food just to lose weight, it's all a balancing act... plus working out gives other benefits as well such as increased strength, stamina and health. Have you considered adding in some additional exercise?

1200 is a recommendation but you do not have to follow it.

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There's lots of good advice on here already (and I agree with your choice to aim for 1 pound a week), so just one more suggestion--set mini goals for yourself in addition to your goal of losing 45 pounds. If you focus on losing 5 or 10 pounds at a time, it's a little less intimidating. And don't lose sight of what you've accomplished already--congratulate yourself on your loss so far!

yes and just be patient, I think everyone had doubts when they started. I know I remember thinking it will take forever but it goes by faster than you think. Remember it took a while to put it on and it will take awhile to take it off. I know I never would have made it this far without the support from the people on this site. Just keep logging in and you will get there. Good luck

I weighed myself this morning. it showed 79.2

I have a really hard time doing 1200 calories a day but it seems that if I want to lose 2 lbs a week, its the only way to do it (unless I do some major workouts). I need encouragement from you to continue my mission. it would make such a positive difference in my life (and my husbands!) for me to persevere but it seems huge. how did you folks manage to lose so much weight?!

how do you talk yourself out of eating so much?

Surely, this is a typo or are you talking KG and not pounds? Because 79.2 pounds for an adult is absurdly thin.

Surely, this is a typo or are you talking KG and not pounds? Because 79.2 pounds for an adult is absurdly thin.

That is a typo if you look at the progress meter on the post it is 179.2 probably.

I definitely think the hardest thing for some people is when they decide to eat 'diet' food. Try to avoid that, find a way to stick to real foods and budget your calories. But like others said, 1200 is probably not sustainable, you will either need to exercise to bring up that number or go with a smaller deficit so you aren't under nourishing yourself. I have personally tried 'dieting' multiple times, and failed every time, this time I am trying to do the lifestyle change instead, adjust my calories, add more exercise and avoid 'diet' foods I wouldn't eat when I reach my target.