Many diets have failed for me. Will this really work?
Replies
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It's not a matter of whether or not the diet will work. The question is: will you work?
MFP hasn't been helping me very much, but that's because I find it really hard to stay under my calorie limit, also to be consistent about exercise. I have only myself to blame for that.
Agree with this.
Diets or eating healthy even has never failed me before, I failed at them. You have to want it, and more importantly you have to be HONEST with yourself. You'll hit a plateau or gain one week and get upset, but did you REALLY try? Or did you eat like *kitten* for a couple of days during that week? Whenever I get upset about a gain, I look through my diary. Oh, right, I ate Sour Patch Kids 3 days in a row and had chocolate cake and pickles for dinner... Duh.
Good luck!
Haha! I really hope you don't eat Chocolate Cake AND pickles for dinner!!! That sounds awful!0 -
I'd agree that MFP isn't really a diet plan, more of a calorie counter.
- forget about the gym. p90x is going to give you a better calorie burn and resistance work out then what 80% or more of gym goers put in
- consider running outside. spend the treadmil money on new clothes that you'll soon need or perhaps new cooking utensils.
- The lowest calorie goal in p90x is 1800. they calculate that the program burns 600 cals a day. at 1200 cals input that means your body only has 600 cals to do everthing else it needs too. You'll drop weight hand over fist but a lot of it will be muscle and then it will slow down. recomend you eat at 1800. i see your not really doing the whole program so maybe just add 300 for now so your eating 1500.
- it probably seems hella gimickie but i do believe in the post workout drink they push. at the very least i recomend eating some crabs and protein immediately after exercise.
Great Advice. I may just bump up to 1300 and see if I still feel good every day. If I feel rundown I will raise it more.0 -
Best of luck!
Stick with it, even if you have a cheat day here or there to celebrate a birthday, or the 4th of July, or whatever else. No one is perfect and is going go eat 1200 calories or 1300 calories every day for the rest of their life. That's unrealistic and we're human, not robot. Small changes can add up though and it's amazing what even a little portion control and increased exercise can do.0 -
HI I too am only 5'3 and have the curse of thunder thihgs big butt and hips to go with a smaller waist making fitting into a decent pair of jeans a pain been this way for years even when I was at a good weight all you can do is find a good exercise to get and keep them tone and as for diets not working I have tried several as well and I too failed at many including weight watchers give this a chance before you start to worry youve already lost 6 pounds so keep up the good work ive just started and have made it one of my goals not to worry until ive seen failure so make sure you track what you eat so that others will be able to see if there is something you should work on changing have yourself a happy healthy day0
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I think first you stop thinking of a diet as something temporary and something that can fail you. Diets fail because people stop following them. Eat a diet that you enjoy and feel you can stick with for the rest of your life. Ideally, the only difference between your diet while losing weight or while maintaining that loss would be the number of calories.
Just follow the MFP plan and don't try to lose too quickly and you should do just fine.0 -
Wow. I really appreciate everyones support and advice. Feel free to follow me (add me as a friend) and we can help eachother strive and accomplish our goals. This was a very helpful message board for me FOR SURE. I couldn't have asked for better responces! I definately am going into this with a second wind and a better mind set on the outcome. Thanks again to all of you!
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I sent out a friend request to you I think a lot of this is way more emotional and psychological for me than physical. That being said, I have tried a lot of different things as far as diets and feel a "lifestyle change" is a better way of looking at it. Think about what you'll be gaining in confidence, self-esteem, loving yourself better rather than "giving things up" for the sake of "dieting". I lost 67 lbs on here by being conscious of calories and working out a lot. 45 of it was in a 3 month period. I did a 1200 calorie diet. You CAN do this. Please don't be hard on yourself. I find it's so easy to go there for a lot of people but stress can also be a factor in weight loss/gain. Hope this helps in some small way - Rain 0
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Hey Erin!
I'm so excited that you're doing P90X...it's really one of my favorite workouts! I think your goal of 110 is great for your height...should fall into the healthy weight range.
One thing I'd recommend is following the nutrition guide. I think with those workouts, 1200 may not be enough to fuel your body. I was doing the same thing and didn't see the results I wanted, until I upped my calories to around 1600-1800. They are intense workouts and you need to think of food as fuel!
I'll friend request you...and if you have any questions let me know!0 -
Wow. I really appreciate everyones support and advice. Feel free to follow me (add me as a friend) and we can help eachother strive and accomplish our goals. This was a very helpful message board for me FOR SURE. I couldn't have asked for better responces! I definately am going into this with a second wind and a better mind set on the outcome. Thanks again to all of you!
You can do it!
My fiance' and I are about to add the 30 Day Shred to our plans... wouldn't mind adding a little muscle to the fat loss.0 -
Your goal is not far fetched. That is where you should be for your height. I am exactly that. The thing about all this is that "diets" don't work. It is about living a healthy lifestyle and splurging every once in a while. You must find balance and you will be on track 0
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1. throw out EVERY definition society has given you for the word "Diet"
2. Understand that your Diet is your regular, every day nutritional ("bad" and "good") intake
Then read this, accept the facts, and actually choose to change.
Realize.Visualize.Choose.Act.SUCCEED.
If you are unhealthy, it is because YOU CHOSE and ACTED to be unhealthy. Choices are abundant in every moment of life. The impacts of your actions, both consciously and sub-consciously, are what define your present being. You CREATE the present. Accept that the reason you are who you are is by your choices and actions, REALIZE. See where you want to Improve, VISUALIZE. Make the CHOICE to Change. Take ACTION upon the choices that lead you to SUCCESS.0 -
Everything that everyone has been saying is definitely spot on. I know I didn't really start seeing success until I changed my mindset from thinking "diet" to thinking "lifestyle." Something else that helped me as well was to stop feeling sorry for myself or feeling guilty if I didn't go to the gym or ate a bad meal. If I do have a "cheat" meal, then I eat it, enjoy it, and move on. When you think about fitness as a lifestyle, you can't think that you're going to be 100% committed to that lifestyle for the rest of your life. For me, I found that I have to allow myself once a week (or every 2 weeks) to indulge so that I won't binge later. When I first started losing weight, this was my problem. I would wake up at 2:00 in the morning and gorge on a half jar of peanut butter because I was craving it so bad. If you allow yourself to indulge once in awhile, it will definitely cut back on the cravings and make you feel better (at least in my experience).
And changes are definitely not something that is going to happen overnight. I know everyone wants to lose weight and get to their goal as fast as possible, but it's definitely not realistic haha. If you don't see any changes for a week or two, DON'T GIVE UP. This kind of stuff takes time. My aunt told me once "it took you 24 years to put that weight on, it's not going to come off overnight" and that has absolutely helped me. And don't really put too much emphasis on the scale. If you're doing P90X (which is an insane workout) then you'll probably start building more muscle, which weighs more than fat. I base a lot of my progress on how my clothes are fitting. I would definitely start measuring yourself! This helped me a lot more. You can usually find a lot of YouTube videos showing you how to do it. Hope this helped, good luck and definitely don't give up! :-)0 -
1. throw out EVERY definition society has given you for the word "Diet"
2. Understand that your Diet is your regular, every day nutritional ("bad" and "good") intake
Then read this, accept the facts, and actually choose to change.
Realize.Visualize.Choose.Act.SUCCEED.
If you are unhealthy, it is because YOU CHOSE and ACTED to be unhealthy. Choices are abundant in every moment of life. The impacts of your actions, both consciously and sub-consciously, are what define your present being. You CREATE the present. Accept that the reason you are who you are is by your choices and actions, REALIZE. See where you want to Improve, VISUALIZE. Make the CHOICE to Change. Take ACTION upon the choices that lead you to SUCCESS.
So true!!!! I had to be honest with myself...I used to cry about how hard it was, and I couldn't lose weight...but guess what?! I was in so much denial lol I would eat the calories alloted for the day and then binge at night....I make sure I hold myself accountable for EVERYTHING!!!!! I recommend using MFP's calculations as to how much calories you should ingest because everyone is different and they base it off of height, age, weight, and fitness level then you have something to work from. Like everyone says-it is a lifestyle change....no amount of pills or shakes are going to get you to where you need to be....YOU will!!!! Good luck and congrats!!!! don't forget to take pics every 30 days or so!!!!0 -
Everything that everyone has been saying is definitely spot on. I know I didn't really start seeing success until I changed my mindset from thinking "diet" to thinking "lifestyle." Something else that helped me as well was to stop feeling sorry for myself or feeling guilty if I didn't go to the gym or ate a bad meal. If I do have a "cheat" meal, then I eat it, enjoy it, and move on. When you think about fitness as a lifestyle, you can't think that you're going to be 100% committed to that lifestyle for the rest of your life. For me, I found that I have to allow myself once a week (or every 2 weeks) to indulge so that I won't binge later. When I first started losing weight, this was my problem. I would wake up at 2:00 in the morning and gorge on a half jar of peanut butter because I was craving it so bad. If you allow yourself to indulge once in awhile, it will definitely cut back on the cravings and make you feel better (at least in my experience).
And changes are definitely not something that is going to happen overnight. I know everyone wants to lose weight and get to their goal as fast as possible, but it's definitely not realistic haha. If you don't see any changes for a week or two, DON'T GIVE UP. This kind of stuff takes time. My aunt told me once "it took you 24 years to put that weight on, it's not going to come off overnight" and that has absolutely helped me. And don't really put too much emphasis on the scale. If you're doing P90X (which is an insane workout) then you'll probably start building more muscle, which weighs more than fat. I base a lot of my progress on how my clothes are fitting. I would definitely start measuring yourself! This helped me a lot more. You can usually find a lot of YouTube videos showing you how to do it. Hope this helped, good luck and definitely don't give up! :-)
Thanks a bunch!0 -
It just takes dedication. Like everyone has said, this isn't a diet. It's truly a lifestyle change. You are attempting to educate yourself into the ways of eating and exercising properly.
This is about simple math- calories in versus calories out. Like fuel in your car, food has to be consumed wisely - put in what you take out. Any more and you get fat. Burn more than you eat and you'll lose weight.
MyFitnessPal is a great tool for this lifestyle change because it helps you do the math. It's also loaded with support from friends and the community!
I HIGHLY recommend downloading the MFP app if you have a smartphone. You can log meals so easily that you will be more likely to actually do it.
Also, consider investing in a calorie monitor of some kind (I recommend the Bodymedia Fit armband, it's pricey but well worth the investment) so you can accurately gauge your daily calorie burn. I wear mine all day every day just take it off to charge while I shower.
Other than that, just try to enjoy yourself! Reward the small things, keep positive, try new things fitness-wise and include your husband! Find a trail to hike, go for bike rides together, get off the couch! On that note, getting fit will really improve your love life- it sure has for my husband and myself! wink wink!
Best of luck girl! Add me as a friend if you like. Take care and keep active!
Candace0 -
Remember, women typically gain a bit of weight in the early 20s (commonly called the freshman 15). This is hormonal, so perhaps HS weight is a bit low.0
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I couldn't agree more with the other posters in this is not a "diet" it's a lifestyle change. I had to reprogram my mind to understand that and that is why I feel that I have been so successful.
A few things that I have learned over the last year are:
1. weigh and measure everything you can. plan ahead when going out to dinner. do some research and look up the menu and calories (if available). this will help make much better choices when you eat out.
2. do not overestimate your calorie burn and underestimate your calorie consumption. fyi...from my experiences, mfp tends to have a lot higher calorie burn in the exercises on here. if you can, i totally agree with getting a heart rate monitor or an app that can better assess your burn. this made a HUGE difference for me once i purchased my heart rate monitor.
3. don't get hung up on going over your calories or splurging from time to time. live your life and enjoy splurges. everything in moderation!!! be sure to log all your food even on the days you splurge. it helps keep me accountable.
4. figure out what works for your body and do it. if that is eating 1200 calories a day, then that is fine. if it's eating 1600 calories a day then do that. everyone has their own opinions, which is great, but ultimately all of our bodies are different and respond differently. figure out what works for you and your body and do it.
i had a lot to lose and the ultimate goal was a very daunting one. instead of looking at the total amount i had to lose, i broke it up into smaller more manageable goals. i figured out rewards to hit those goals (new clothes, shoes, spa day, etc.) which helped me focus on what i needed to do. once i would hit a goal, i would set another one and so forth. before i knew it, i had lost over 100 lbs.
you definitely can do it and there is a huge support network in here to help you along the way!!!0 -
Hey Erin!
I'm so excited that you're doing P90X...it's really one of my favorite workouts! I think your goal of 110 is great for your height...should fall into the healthy weight range.
One thing I'd recommend is following the nutrition guide. I think with those workouts, 1200 may not be enough to fuel your body. I was doing the same thing and didn't see the results I wanted, until I upped my calories to around 1600-1800. They are intense workouts and you need to think of food as fuel!
I'll friend request you...and if you have any questions let me know!
Exactly. Slashing your calories to 1200 and then doing high intensity workouts is never a good idea. I would google Scooby's workshop calorie calculator, enter your stats and find out what you should actually be eating in order to lose weight in a healthy and maintainable way0 -
Hey Erin!
I'm so excited that you're doing P90X...it's really one of my favorite workouts! I think your goal of 110 is great for your height...should fall into the healthy weight range.
One thing I'd recommend is following the nutrition guide. I think with those workouts, 1200 may not be enough to fuel your body. I was doing the same thing and didn't see the results I wanted, until I upped my calories to around 1600-1800. They are intense workouts and you need to think of food as fuel!
I'll friend request you...and if you have any questions let me know!
Exactly. Slashing your calories to 1200 and then doing high intensity workouts is never a good idea. I would google Scooby's workshop calorie calculator, enter your stats and find out what you should actually be eating in order to lose weight in a healthy and maintainable way
Is maintainable a word or did I just make that up??! :indifferent:0 -
Well - as others have said - it's a lifestyle, not a diet. Once you get to your goal weight, you'll have to keep doing what you're doing to keep it off. Trust me - after a 3 month challenging surgery recovery and other stuff, I fell so far off the wagon I couldn't see it anymore and gained 18 pounds.
My suggestion is to focus on 2 things: lean/healthy protein (PARTICULARLY if you're doing P90X, you'll need LOTS of extra protein), and fiber.
The plan will work if you work the plan.0 -
The good news is, this is not a diet. Diets are restrictive. With this, you can eat anything as long as you stay within your calories. Yes, this will work, and you will actually start to like it, if you stick with it. Just make sure you do what you can at home, and stay within your calories. Also, eat as clean as possible and you will be fine. 110 may be a little low. If that's what you were in high school and you felt too skinny, maybe shoot for 120, then once you get there, re-evaluate.0
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