Need to lose 66kg to be within 'healthy BMI' :(

I currently weigh around 284 pounds, I have decided I need to tackle my weigh because I can feel myself getting bigger. I calculated my BMI, which is 44. I need to lose 145 pounds before i will be classed as healthy, I don't know where to start, I don't even know how to go about it, I've joined gyms before but I can't seem to stick to them, I have gotten this big through being lazy and not being active as I should be. Has anyone else had this much to lose and have success?
I am also 20 if that helps.

Replies

  • mjf0461
    mjf0461 Posts: 470 Member
    You are already started. You've taken the first step. Now set yourself some goals, short term goals, mid term and then your ultimate goal. Now figure out your dietary plan, 1500 calories, working out 30 minutes a day for 4-5 days a week. You can do this, it's not as hard as our mind makes us believe. Read your labels always, get away from all the extra's that we take for granted and eat. Good Luck, and if you need a friend just add me..
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    Not being active or being lazy isn't the main thing.. its your eating habits.. you gained weight because you ate more than your body needs..

    I guess you can look on the plus side, you can have a bigger deficit than most of us to lose that weight for a time period... MFP gives you a calorie goal, go buy a digital food scale.. start using both and track everything you eat.. then start adding in activity here and there until you feel comfortable and get into a routine..

    Its all about short goals, and not the big picture.. if you sit here and say your going to workout 5-6 days a week and lose 100 lbs in 6 months.. well I would bet on failure.. just make small goals.. start with logging food, then start with exercise etc..
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    I didn't have that much weight to lose myself, but just to answer your point about not knowing where to start - just eat the calories MFP recommended. That's all you need to do. Everything else - exercise, what you eat, etc. doesn't matter as long as you're within your calories. Exercise and eating healthy will help and are of course good ideas, but they're not necessary.

    If you struggle with sticking to gyms you could try finding a sport you enjoy, or even just doing workouts at home while watching TV or something. But don't beat yourself up if you feel like you're not getting enough exercise, like I said, it's all about diet. I haven't exercised for months and I've steadily lost weight.

    With regards to food, protein will keep you feeling full the longest, so make sure to get lots of it! When I started dieting I stopped drinking fruit juice and changed to only drinking water - I didn't want to drink my calories away. You can eat & drink whatever you want within your calories, so don't worry about eating chocolate or junk food if it's in your budget - just remember they might not fill you up as much as a healthy meal would! But they're not going to stop you losing weight, and it's a good idea to treat yourself now and again so that dieting doesn't take its toll on you too much.

    Good luck with everything!
  • benefiting
    benefiting Posts: 795 Member
    First off, you have taken the first step. You've acknowledged you're overweight and want to do something about it, so well done!

    Look, the gym isn't for everyone. You have to find an activity you love. I was not very active myself until a few weeks ago (though I have been on my journey longer). Sometime last year I believe I found a 5K run called the Colour Run and I was very interested in completing one. It looks like so much fun! So from there came the idea of getting into running and let me tell you, it has changed my view on exercise. I get up at 5:30AM on some mornings to do it and once you see yourself improving and beat your times you'll feel so good about yourself! I also started Focus T25 (a high intensity workout program) and I was really excited starting that too and I also usually do two Body Balance (Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates) classes a week. You have to find something you will fall in love with! That is the key!

    A personal victory for me was yesterday when I felt completely sick. I wasn't up for running so I told myself I will just walk to do something. I didn't even feel like walking but I got up and did it anyway and about 1.5KM later I started my running program and actually did 5.70KM of walking/running! The old me would of never done that! She would of gone back to bed and slept!

    So you see love, to lose weight you have to find something you love. You also have to combine that with clean eating. However, that doesn't mean you have to restrictive. I'm still trying to manage this myself but have a cheat meal at least once a week. If you want a cookie, have a cookie but moderation is where it is at. I know it's hard since I'm still dealing with this issue but hopefully you can find the willpower to control yourself if you have that issue.

    Anyway, good luck with your journey love. Feel free to add me if you want support/advice! :)
  • thanks guys for the swift replies, I suppose it will be easier for me to lose weight at first. Its just the sticking to it thats the hard part. Everyone seems so supportive on here.
  • dswolverine
    dswolverine Posts: 246 Member
    Agreed re: eating habits. I had a slow steady increase in my weight when I wasn't monitoring my intake, despite the fact that i was a gym rat. Once I started counting calories and watching what I ate, I started seeing a slow decrease. Exercise is great for getting some additional calories, but it's key to not overestimate either calories burned or underestimate calories eaten!
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
    You're in the right place.

    Use the features of this site to figure out your daily calorie goal. That goal is designed to cause a deficit between the calories you eat and the calories you burn. The number it gives you does not take excercise into account. If you want to excercise you can eat more, but you don't have to excercise. Weight loss comes mostly from diet. If you hate excercise, hold off on that.

    Use the food diary every day even if you mess up. Try to weigh and measure your food because most people are pretty poor estimators. The difference between what you estimate for portions and what they really weigh might cause you to eat several hundred more calories than you think you are.

    Don't make the mistake of thinking that if a moderate deficit is good, then a larger deficit is better. Also, if you're miserable with the calorie goal you were given, try eating a little more. If you can eat more and still slowly lose weight, that's a good way to go.

    It may seem to you that you have a huge amount of weight to lose, but you will find people here that have lost way, way more that that. Find them...they will inspire you.

    I read this saying somewhere in this forum, but I don't know who wrote it:

    "Never give up on a dream because of the length of time it will take to accomplish. The time will pass anyway."