I can't lose weight!!

Eat more protein and get a food scale. Eyeballing isn't the most accurate option.

QFT

It is so easy for portion size to creep when we are eyeballing. Don't trust your eyeballs on portion size! Get a food scale!

PS: when I was around 200lbs, the same thing happened to me. Have you tried running? Getting my heart rate up is what finally helped me to break the plateau, and I steadily lost about 5lbs/month after that. TRY IT.

Hi Steph!

I did not read the whole topic but I got the just of it. Here are some tips:
- DON'T undereat. Eat as much as you need to, and have a light snack every 3-4 hours. If you starve yourself, your body starts to store fat because it begins to think it's never gonna get food again. With a light snack I mean i.e. an apple, banana, a few nuts.

- NO candy bars, burgers, fries... You can toss those out of the window. They'll do nothing but harm to your weight & health. Added sugar is the main reason why people are getting fat. When the liver gets too much sugar it doesn't know what to do with it so it turns the sugars into fatty acids. Added sugar is EVERYWHERE, even in bread so do read the nutrition charts. The body needs maximum of 25 grams of sugar daily (for women). Guess how much one Mars bar has? FRUIT SUGARS DO NOT COUNT.

- To avoid added sugar completely: bake your own bread. Cook at home. You'll start to love homemade food and your son will thank you later in life.

- Exercise regularly but remember to rest. 5 days a week is a LOT if you've just started exercising. Listen to your body. If your muscles feel tired, do something lighter. Get a decent PT.

- Eat more greens, fruits, veggies... All the good stuff. Support local & organic. Don't buy GMO products: these are toxic. GMOs are everywhere, especially meat. Learn how to cook vegetarian: I promise you'll love it.

- Get inspiration for cooking from the internet. You'll find recipes that are super delicious and healthy! You can start with this: http://myhealthygreenfamily.com/blog/wordpress/ Remember, if the recipe says "1/2 cups of sugar" you don't need to put that much. There are a lot of healthy ways to sweeten it up: i.e. bananas. If you use Tumblr or Instagram, just search for healthy / eat clean / fitness / what ever and get inspired!

- Use whole grain products when cooking pasta, noodles, baking bread...

- Don't fear the carbs. Eating too much (animal-based) protein is bad for your health: the risk of heart disease etc grows. Replacing carbs with proteins does not necessarily help either: if you don't burn the calories you eat, they'll turn into fat.

I could go on and on with this. In a nutshell: everything in moderation. Eat clean. Eat healthy. Exercise. Most of all: this does not happen overnight. Give yourself time to adjust. Trying to run 5 miles after a long break doesn't do any good for you. Make goals that you know you can achieve. When you're more advanced: take it to the limit. Enjoy cooking, eating & exercising!

(And go vegan, haha.)

Good luck & get inspired!! Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
My tumblr: http://kincanada.tumblr.com
I also have Instagram if you need inspiration

Love,
Kisse

Hi! That was a joke, tho I do recommend trying it even just for a day. And it's not as extreme as it sounds. If you want to lose weight, just do it. It'll take a lot of courage and perseverance. With the tips above you can do it. Just start easy: i.e. if you eat a lot of candy or other sweets every day, try going a day without. Then 2 days. And finally you don't need them anymore. Sugar is more addictive than crack and does a lot of damage to our health, metabolism etc. Good luck!