I need help to lose 50 lbs!!!!

Push yourself to the MAX! The app for your phone has a built in bar code scanner, I use it all the time. Also if you want to really know your exercise amount for YOUR BODY, get a body media armband or a heart rate monitor. You will lose that 50lbs in no time!!

1) Patience. The weight didn't just show up suddenly, and it won't disappear suddenly either ... but if you stick to your calorie and exercise goals, before long you'll be seeing and feeling the positive changes.

2) If you're normal like most of us, you WILL have the occasional bad day. Log it, learn from it, and move forward. Don't use it as 'proof' that you can't do this. The truth is that you can ...

Log EVERYTHING, EVERYDAY!!!! .... and lurk in the message boards!!! there ares so many people with excellent advice and tips. and pros and experts here too. also, when you're feeling down, its always nice to know that other's are battling the same thing. and if you need some motivation - the success stories will put your butt in gear :-)

GOOD LUCK!!! i have 65+ pounds to lose myself.
ADD ME if you need support! Lets do this!

Surround yourself by like minded people. I have lost a total of 50 lbs and at 41 I am in better shape now than I was at 20 and in the Marine Corp. Good luck!!

Take "before" pics. A visual reminder of how far you have come is a very powerful tool to keep you motivated. Don't solely rely on the scale, also take measurements. Know that your weight will go up and down on a daily basis, and don't be discouraged if the numbers don't go down when you expect them to. Weight loss is not linear. Good luck.

Log everything, don't give up & I'm sure there is more I could say but it's probably already been said :flowerforyou:

Push aways.

Push away from the table when you've eaten enough to sustain your daily calorie goals. Track calorie intake with MFP. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid), at least at the beginning. I'm not worried about the macros at this point, just the calories and I've been successful.

That said, I haven't made a diet of cheese and diet coke either. I don't like structured diets. I'm an opportunistic omnivore. Don't tell me what you're having, just invite me to dinner.

What's worked for me is removing the opportunity to eat cake and ice cream and candy and cookies and I've kept my portions reasonable. Be sensible about your food. Eat as much unprocessed foods as possible to reach your calorie goals. From my experience, think produce aisle, meat counter, seafood, eggs, dairy, pasta and whole grain bread instead of the aisles in the middle of the store. It's OK to mix some of the box products and cans in. Just make sure you're not basing all your calories off of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Make food prep sensible too, roasted, baked, grilled, smoked, raw, boiled and lightly sauteed have been good to me. Battered and deep fried or seasoned with ham hocks and bacon grease have not.

Push away from the couch, the chair, the ground. Exercise. Track that exercise with either a phone app or a pedometer type device (fitbit, up, fuelband). It doesn't have to start out with a strenuous marathon run. Make small progressive changes and increase movement. Make sure you're measuring that movement and feed it back into MFP. Eat the calories you gain from the exercise. It's OK and will help support your long term goals.

Actually, I like to leave a little deficit, a couple hundred calories, each day if I can. It's a psychological thing that I'm caching calories for those days when I know I'm going to have a piece of pie for dessert after the shrimp and grits and the cold beer. It helps keep me honest and works for me but may not work for you. You'll still lose the weight if you eat the calories MFP suggests and are honest with the app and yourself.

Push away from old habits and develop patterns in your daily life that promote good health. Repeatable processes are easy to remember, to follow and become part of your routine. Jumping from one thing to the next gets confusing and could give conflicting results. Stick with one thing for a month or two and let it work before jumping to something else. Couch to 5K is a good example. It won't help to start it and then jump to Jane Fonda workout videos mid way through. The next best thing isn't always the best thing for you. Staying the course and not being confused is better than going over a cliff and being frustrated to the point of quitting, or worse yet, getting injured. Perfect is the enemy of good.

Push away from the alcohol. Moderation is key here. It's empty calories and you count them in MFP. I like a cold beer, a glass of wine, whiskey or a single malt scotch on an occasional basis. The key is to not over indulge and don't cheat yourself. Be mindful of how it's going to effect your eating and exercising.

Push away from depending on others to support or dictate your goals. I know this is counter intuitive to the MFP forums but you have to be the person to make the changes and you can't depend on those around you to constantly support your efforts. Encouragement and support is wonderful and experienced advice is great but you have to filter the things you know won't work for you and concentrate on the things you know that will. I have my way of losing weight and I've been successful at following it through. I cannot make, nor do I want to make my wife follow my rules for eating and exercise. I have no doubt that the rules work but they are mine and would not support achieving her goals in a way she would be comfortable. That's OK. She's on her journey, I'm on mine and we're together on ours.

"Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." -- Napoleon Hill, 1938, "Think and Grow Rich"

I hope this helps and good luck.