Getting discouraged - please share how you lost weight(fat)

Most people don't lose 5 pounds a week consistently. Usually at the beginning of weight loss, people drop a lot of water weight from cutting the junk in their diets and drop a dramatic amount, but it isn't true fat loss. Also, if you're like me, you might lose weight in stalls and whooshes. So I won't lose any weight for a few weeks, and then I suddenly lose 7 pounds over the next couple of weeks, then I stop losing again for a couple weeks, and then suddenly I lose 3 pounds the next week. Consistent 5 pounds per week weight loss is generally only possible if you are severely obese and under a medically supervised Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD). VLCDs should NOT be attempted on your own, because under-eating is dangerous, and without a medical doctor to ensure you aren't killing yourself and a nutritionist to make sure you're getting adequate nutrition with your very few calories, you can very well end up with severe malnutrition symptoms. Do not do it on your own.

2 pounds a week is an excellent pace, faster than many people can accomplish, and you could probably get there by reigning in your cheat day. Once a week I have a "dirty day," where I stay under my calories, but let myself get those calories from fast food, restaurant food, and desserts instead of the usual. Maybe you can try that. Eat what you want, but budget for it.

I lost weight simply by calorie counting, both my intake and my output. I use a heart rate monitor to estimate my calorie burns through exercise, which I do 6 days a week, and I use this website to log everything I eat. I weigh all of my portions to ensure accuracy. I've lost 68 pounds in 7 months doing this, which averages out to a little over 2 pounds a week. I'm 100% sure I'll be at my goal weight before a year is up. A year is not that much of your life, and you can make amazing progress in a year's time losing weight at a sensible pace.

Edward, you should not attempt a VLCD to that degree, even short term, unless you are under strict medical supervision. I ran your numbers and you likely have an estimated 90 lbs of total fat mass and 170 lbs of lean mass at a hypothesized 35% body fat. If you are looking to lose a total of 60 to 100 lbs (depending on height), then a 1.5 lb to 2 lb weekly loss [initially] is realistic for you.

Let's say you want to reduce actual fat mass by 60 lbs, then the maximum deficit window whereby fat oxidation occurs will be approximately 2790 calories below TDEE (90 lbs of total fat mass x 31 calories). So if you need 3500 calories to maintain weight, fat mass will only be used as fuel by eating as little as 710 calories. Thus, if you eat 1 calorie a day, then 709 calories will come almost exclusively from loss of lean mass. Keep in mind that you likely will lose lean mass just by the large deficit alone, not including anything beyond the limit of energy transfer in fat stores.

Edward,

Some people lose weight quickly at first, and some don't. My beau did but it has slowed down significantly now.

Some people do very low calorie diets, including those protein shakes, and they lose quickly but then gain all or most of it back once they resume regular eating habits. This method is not recommended because VLCD can cause big problems later down the line.

If you establish a lifestyle of eating foods you like and at at a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

Edited to add: I'm sorry, I didn't finish my post. I lost weight by eating at a calorie deficit.

For me, I try to eat 1700-1800 calories daily and do a cardio workout 4X weekly doing 60 minutes on an elliptical trainer resulting in an 1100 calories workout. I don't eat back my exercise calories. I have been losing about 3 lbs per week and expect that to slow as I lose weight and get in better shape.