I haven't been getting much responds, Would like some help

I eat what I want, but at a deficit. Probably not what you want to hear, but it's what works for me.

I lost 60# by cutting way back on carbs. But I have high (like off the chart) triglycerides as well so the doctor was all for cutting back on carbs. Said he'd rather see me eat a steak than pasta. So we're all different.

The thing that I've seen many people say on MFP is that you need to make a significant change in what you eat to get the weight loss going. Drop the chocolate, cut the carbs, eat only veg for two of three meals, eat celery for a snack, something. But (there's always a catch) what works for others won't work for you so keep experimenting. If you aren't loosing weight after two weeks try something else.

There have been a bunch of papers in "The Economist" lately that say that the bacteria in a person's digestive system have a lot to do with our well being and weight in general. You might try different yogurts and other "pro-biotic" foods or supplements for a while. Once you get the good bacteria going they should displace any "bad" bacteria.

You have to be exercising as well. The low end of the exercise scale is 20 minutes 3 times a week. Exercise not only burns calories it increases your metabolism and changes your hormone levels. You have to do this. You'll feel a heck of a lot better too.

That's my $.02. Keep at it!

Exercise and meal plans(good foods to eat and ones to avoid)..I need some suggestions on which and most helpful exercises to help lose 50 lbs. For anyone that has lost 25-50lbs how did it take you to lose? Any help would be great, Thanks

most people here aren't following "meal plans" other than the ones they have figured out for themselves through research and trial and error. you may want to start by reading the posts at the top of the Getting Started forum:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/50200-getting-started

If you are looking for someone to specifically tell you what to eat and how much of it, I suggest you friend people with similar goals to yours who have open diaries so you can see how they eat. Don't expect anyone here to spoon feed you the information.

I'm still a work in progress... obviously... but I've done it all before. The important thing for you to realize is: 1) this is a marathon, not a sprint. DON'T start things now that you can't live with for the rest of your life. What does that mean? Don't give up all the foods you like... because eventually you will miss them and you'll go back to your old ways. Let yourself have chips, pizza, chocolate, ice cream, pasta, whatever... SOMETIMES in small amounts. 2) calories are like currency... and cardio is your job to earn more calories (or money). You do cardio to earn more calories to eat. If you're already eating at a deficit (500 calories below your burn)... don't do cardio. Period. 3) Strength training is the best way to burn FAT and ensure that as the lbs come off... you don't look like someone that used to be fat. That may sound mean but its the god's honest truth. You see people that lost alot of weight... and they look flabby still... that's because they didn't do enough strength training.

Make better choices... live each day at a time. Don't beat yourself up for going a little over on your calories today... there's always tomorrow. Make one choice at a time and eventually you'll get there. A friend told me the other day... nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. I keep telling myself that.

As for food... try not to catagorize things as "bad foods". You want to keep a good relationship with food. But, try to incorporate more foods that will actually benefit you. Junk food is nothing but empty calories. Veggies, lean meats, whole grains, a little fruit... they all give you vitamins, protein, etc that your body needs. Stay away from stuff that doesn't help your body operate as much as possible. Good luck!

I've lost about 40 lbs in about 9 months by cutting out things that my body doesn't really process well (dairy, wheat), eating lots more fruit and green things, drinking 3 quarts of water a day, buying a pair of running shoes and running for 45 min 4-5 times a week, and doing strength workouts 1-2 times a week. All of these things were built piece by piece, though - it's a lifestyle change.

Start by doing something small, and build on the momentum you get from that. Make it your hobby to invest in your health.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

As far as dietary preferences or what to eat go, you will often see flame wars about who has the "Supreme diet" Paleo, clean, dirty, vegan, vegetarian, Atkins etc it is endless. I think my friend summed it up nicely when it comes to this debate...

This is a quote from a debate about Paleo but I think the reference to adherence is of utmost importance. (Thank you EvgeniZyntx)

This touches an import point in weight loss. The psychological processes that lead to adherence and consistency are essential.
We are social animals that adhere by association to common understood belief clusters. When that association is strong we will tend to adhere better to some basic principles. So belonging to the paleo tribe or the IIFYM tribe or cabbage soup cleanse tribe and supporting the tribe principles leads to better adherence. But at the end of the day, in terms of actual loss, the key foundational element is that there can not be weight loss without a calorie deficit. How you chose to go about that, and how it influences your long term adherence are actually more important that the science behind it (says the scientist).

Paleo is cool, it's an in-cult, has lots of structuring belief systems and fast initial results due to carbohydrate/water loss - much like Atkins, Dukan diets (they are less "in" now), Paleo is lower (if not necessarily low) carb than the standard American diet by what it excludes.
Some of the tribes actually adhere to practices that are intrinsically unhealthy and fail to take a global, long term, if I may use the word "holistic" approach.
Richard's post is on the money. Paleo can be fine and healthy. It isn't necessary. Consistency and a deficit are necessary. But of course I agree with him, I'm part of the IIFYM, Science (capital S), train for fitness, love to eat tribe. We have cookies and beer, do you? :laugh: :drinker:

The link the quote came from...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1132695-weight-loss-with-paleo-diet

I lose weight quickly off running on my treadmill. Lots of cardio I would say. If wanting to build muscle or "tone up" then strength training exercises and weights.

Find out what your daily calories are and log them.

I would look around and see what others log as far as food. Can you give an ideal what healthy and nutritional foods have been effective for some. Based on your personal taste you can pick and choose.

Basically you got to do a little foot work.

The problem with lots of cardio.. it tends to lead to lots of muscle loss too. Realistically, you want to lower your body fat %, which you accomplish most by doing a combination of weight training and cardio, as well as, a calorie deficit. But if your goal is lean and fit look (aka defined), then weight training is where you will see the greatest progress. Lets face it, I can show you may women who have gained weight and look better. For example, one of the best examples is staci in the below link. In the end, body composition plays a much greater role in your look that your weight does.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

It's actually very simple. I eat less bad foods and eat more veg, fruit, healthy fats, proteins, etc. I work out 5 days a week, 1 hour a day. I throw in some cardio, ab workouts, arm workouts, leg workouts. I've lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks. Just be consistent and you will see results.

I drink between 9-14 glasses of water a day. I exercise (bike, treadmill, elliptical, whatever) 5-6 days a week. I eat back most (sometimes all) of my exercise calories. I eat whatever I want, but I feel that a week of eating chicken breast and salad is going to go better than a week of eating lasagna and french bread. The two times my weightloss has stalled, I increased my calories and started losing again. It's also important to do some strength training to maintain muscle mass.