Help ME!!!!

You probably need a good support system - feel free to add me as a friend, I'm a very good support and motivator. Plus I started at 196lbs and I'm 5'7, I now weigh 153lbs x

Your going to love it here at MFP so keep coming back. Add me too, I'm 5'8 too

Hello, i just read this. Looking for motivation myself.

#1 – Drink More Water

Just 64 ounces of water a day can help you lose more weight — and you’ll feel better too; mentally and physically.

#2 – Reduce Portion Sizes

Many people have formed a habit of eating more food than their body really needs, which inevitably results in weight gain. Start gradually reducing your portion sizes, and eating only until you feel satisfied. You can shave off several hundred calories a day by doing this.

#3 – Eliminate Refined Sugar

Sugar makes you feel bloated and moody, and contributes to excess weight around the middle. Start reducing refined sugar as much as possible and notice how much better you feel, and how much easier it is to lose weight.

#4 – Reduce Fat

If your current diet includes a lot of fried foods, start replacing them with baked or broiled versions. Avoid using oil or shortening when cooking as much as possible, and instead use clear broths and juice.

#5 – Choose Better Fats

Not only is it important to reduce your fat intake, it’s also beneficial to adjust the kinds of fats you eat. Avoid excessive saturated fats (like those found in animal products) and trans fats. Instead, lean more toward monounsaturated fats like those found in olive oil and nuts; and polyunsaturated fat found in fish and some vegetable oils.

6 – Get More Active

You don’t have to workout for hours each day to lose weight. Simply start getting a little more active than you are right now. Take brisk 10 or 15 minute walks; run up a flight of stairs a few times each day; or invest in a stationary bicycle you can ride while watching television.

#7 – Get Better Sleep

Getting adequate rest each night goes a long way in helping with weight loss, for a few reasons. First, you’ll be less stressed if you are fully rested, so you won’t be secreting excess cortisol and storing more belly fat. Second, you’ll find it easier to exercise if you have more energy, and you’ll have more energy if you get enough sleep. Third, you’ll find it easier to stick to healthy diet if you aren’t moody from a lack of sleep.

#8 – Meditate

Likewise, daily meditation goes a long way in keeping your stress levels down and your mood up

#9 – Eat Often

Skipping meals always leads to overeating later. A smarter way to cut calories is to eat often throughout the day, eating 200-300 calories at each meal or snack, and being sure to have a meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours. You’ll make it through the whole day keeping your calories in check but also not feeling hungry or deprived.

Make this a routine, hope it helps and good luck!!!

First of all, don't tell yourself you can't. This is not a diet, it's an adjustment of the way you live your life. It's creating new food habits and adding more activity into your life. You CAN do this. It's not hard.

Start by moving. Get out and walk, ride a bike, run - whatever gets you moving and gets your heart rate up. Also do some strength training - get some weights if you can afford to, or resistance bands or just lift heavy items in your home.

Start logging your food and counting your calories. Seeing how much you're putting into your body is very helpful in knowing where your problems are. Look for trends like binging at night, eating sweets at a certain time of day or when you're feeling a certain way. If you can predict your weak times, you can do something to divert your attention from food during those times.

Don't expect it to happen overnight. It took time to put the weight on. It will take time to take the weight off. I've lost 47 pounds in a little over a year. Sometimes it seems too slow but what keeps me going is that I can live like this the rest of my life. I'm not depriving myself of anything, I'm just planning better and exercising more.

Do some research. There are a lot of different opinions on how to lose weight out there. Don't buy into the fads that promise rapid weight loss, target areas, etc. Pay attention to the ones that tell you it will take time and that you will have to change to make it work. Try some of them. Some things will work for you, others will not. If something works for a while and then seems to stop working, change it up.

Use this site for support. There are a lot of great people on here that can cheer you on, inspire you with success stories and talk you out of quitting. Add some friends and lean on them!

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