Help! I can't do this :(

here:

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. If you ask a question on the forum, give as much information as you can ("yes, I have a food scale and weigh my food" is worlds better than "I eat a palm full of miscellaneous boiled chicken parts..sometimes.")
17. Be honest with yourself and honest with us.
18. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

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

this could help.

Stop looking at it like a diet. Change your life gradually. Fell off the cart? You didn't make manageable changes.

My best advice to you is to just stop thinking about losing 150 lb. Change your goal and mindset to "I want to lose 20 lb (or 40 lb or whatever reasonable goal) this year".

Then you can meet that goal, and push yourself even more.

Seriously worked for me. I am down to 194 from an all-time high weight of 307 back in 2008 and to be perfectly honest, if I thought to myself "wow I need to lose 150 lb" there is NO WAY that would have motivated me. Try baby steps...

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First of all, don't listen to Dr Oz and don't do such a strict diet. It is unlikely that you will be able to stick to it if you enjoy the things you're completely cutting out. Been there, done that. Secondly, you need to read up on BMR and TDEE. Find the group eat, train, progress. They can help you setup everything. Calories, protein, carbs, fat, etc. Long lasting changes are made over a long period of time and not over night. You are more than welcome to add me as a friend and I'll help you if you truly want help. I wish you the best of luck!!

YES YES YES!! What this poster said!!!!! I follow Amber Rogers of Taking Up Space. She has a Facebook page called Go Kaleo and Eating the Food (two separate pages) and they have been my spot of sanity in this world of restriction and "dieting" -

I love food so much! I never feel full. I am trying to cut out dairy, wheat and sugar, I seen this on dr. oz's website and people lost between 15 - 20lbs a month. Don't know if this is healthy or anything but I was going to give it a go.
I just really need a strong support system because I am weak, very weak and easily lose motivation.
I have so much weight to lose, about 150lbs and it just seems impossible to do.....*sigh*

There is your problem right there, you are trying to restrict foods and it is leading yourself to either feeling hungry all the time or losing motivation.

You can lose weight AND et dairy, wheat, and sugar...I would suggest setting MFP to one pound per week loss and then following the 80/20 rule...80% healthy and 20% whatever you want = cookies, cake , ice cream, pizza etc...

This will help you get the weight off and keep the weight off ...

Remember, there are no "bad" foods just food that you use for energy .

Oh - and stop watching Dr. Oz that guy is a dangerous quack ....

bump

You CAN do this. You have already made a great start losing what you have, and getting focused enough to come back and try again. I find the support here amazing, let people help you and hang in there!

Don't lose weight for the sake of your parents, do it for YOU.
I agree with removing wheat and sugar from your diet, it's not good for you. I don't see any reason to remove Dairy though. Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are excellent for you.. or at least I believe they are.

You CAN do it. Anybody can. But you have to have the correct frame of mind. If you GENUINELY want it to be a lifestyle change, you have to accept that your body will lose weight at the rate it wants to. Two, if it's not as quickly as YOU want it to be, realize that slower is healthier and also helps with loose skin not being as big of an issue. Realize that EVERY loss is a victory. If you weigh in once a week, and that one week you've lost 3/10th's of a lb, that's progress, and THAT'S GOOD. Also, MEASURE yourself. Losing pounds on a scale won't always happen. But losing inches sometimes happens without that loss of actual weight. This will keep you motivated when you DON'T see the # going down. It really seriously honestly (any other word that will emphasize this point) helps me when I think that HUNGER IS JUST A FEELING, That's all it is, LITERALLY it's just something your body feels. And when you're not GENUINELY hungry it's an EMOTION, or an IMPULSE... that being said, the good news is YOU CAN CONTROL it and you can say no. It just takes a lot of practice at getting good at saying no. Believe me, I'm the QUEEN of binge eating. It's not easy, but once you make your lifestyle a habit, you will think nothing of it. I was 365lbs, I've lost 95 and I still have 120 ish to go before I'm happy with my weight. IT IS HARD, but it is worth it!! I promise! Add me if you want to!

You've logged for 3 days, so that's a good start. Your choices are pretty good so that's another plus. The way to stick to it it so change the way you think and the things you do, one thing at a time. Do you exercise? if you do you need to eat more. Get a scale.. I resisted for the longest time and what a difference. I'm a huge OVER estimator. So when I started weighing things I was able to eat more! Which was AWESOME. Usually people under estimate though, which would result in slower losses or no losses. Getting healthy and fit is all mind over matter. It's about the choices you make and whether you control food or the food controls you. it's hardest in the beginning, the cravings go away, the desire to eat *junk* goes away or lessens the less you eat it. I can (and do currently) have cookies in teh house that I have no desire to eat. I wouldn't have been able to say that when I started (or periodically through this journey as falling off track is soooo easy! LOL)

You will fall, you will have bad days, you will eat an entire cake or box of cookies on day, in one sitting, and you know what? That is ok. As long as you recognize that you ate what you ate, you accept it, you forgive yourself, you move on and get back on track.

Also check out Scooby's calculator (just google it) It will tell you how much you should be eating for health and weight loss. It's spot on for me. Just be honest in your activity level. If you but your calories too drastically int he beginning you'll be starving and you won't stick with it.

The only food you should cut out is those you are allergic to or "trigger" foods, until you can get a grip on them. For example.. if I eat pizza I crave ice cream. So if I decide i'm going to eat pizza, I eat it with a huge salad (so I eat less pizza lol) and i have cottage cheese or yogurt mixed with jam ready for afterwards or a smoothie. to combat the "I was dessert or something sweet craving" Listen to your body, learn how you eat and learn what you like. Then build your diet around that.

1. Take pictures often. You'd be surprised at how amazing and wonderful those pictures can make you feel when you see progress.
2. Take measurements often. Days where the scale doesn't move are not unproductive or failure days. Sometimes, the inches fall off despite the scale. That means things are moving in the right direction.
3. Measure everything with a food scale and log it before you put it into your mouth. Be accountable.
4. Move more. It doesn't matter what this is. Walking, home DVD, lifting your laundry bottle up and down--just move and burn some of your fuel away so you can have some more!
5. Blog about your journey. We have a free blog with this site and it has been enjoyable to write about my journey. "Day One: Puked after my workout. I think I may die." "Day 100: Looked at day one exercise and laughed at how easy that seems now. Did it in double-time." Massively motivating!
6. Find what works for you. Not everyone can eat anything they want in moderation. Sometimes, you need to use tools to help you get to a place where you can. Some people do well on a more structured eating plan and others are more successful just eating smaller portions of anything. Some people do a combination of both. Whatever you find that works for you, commit to doing that.
7. Take note of things that don't work. Just as important. For me, I am sensitive to sodium and turn into a human water balloon if I eat too much. Since I cut it down, I've been doing well and that water weight has long gone.
8. Pick rewards that are not foodcentric. Manicure, movie night, a new purse, etc.
9. Know you are worth it. Not all of us know how worthy we are, but we definitely deserve a long, happy, healthy life. Start today and never stop. No matter what.

and this!! I LOVE it!! Esp take pictures! I was taking a monthly picture and posting it to facebook under an album called "The incredible shrinking woman" and my friends were pointing out differences that I didn't see. It's an AWESOME motivation.
I also wish i had done the journal thing. I think it would be great to look back at where I started and see my progress from my own words too. I think we all have that "I can't do this" moment.. I've had quite a few actually. LOL

I also have the picture of myself, that I hate, that makes me want to puke, because I can't believe i allowed myself to get that over weight, saved on my phone and taped to my mirror in my bathroom. Motivation for those "I don't wanna work out today" days...

Yes you can.

Eat veggies, fruits....If your eating healthy you can eat a lot of it to get full just don't have a little of it....Make it most of your meals...If I cheat with like chinese or pizza I make most of my plate a salad and then like one slice of pizza or some rice and a little chick stuff like that helps too Nuts, seeds.... beans are very filling...The canned ones in the store are good...I get cheap beans for a dollar rinse them off and eat lots of protein and fiber. Eat up! yummm

Hello,

I won't offer too much in the way of diet , others can and will do that but I can say this .......losing weight has to be a selfish act. I don't believe you can do it for anyone else....it has to be for you.....YOU.
I didn't really understand that for years I wanted to lose weight for so many reasons and the reasons were always for someone else ...a boyfriend, my parents, my friends, my sisters but when it’s all said and done I finally realized I have to do this for ME.

Losing weight is a very personal thing and each person will have many different feelings about it. Don’t allow yourself to feel guilty about boasting when you are successful…shout it out loudly and be proud.


Draw the motivation you need from knowing that you are worth it. No one can say that you are not worth it even if they say things that make you lose your resolve. Stay strong and let that strength come from loving yourself and being proud each time you make the right choice.
Weight loss is about one choice at a time. Sometimes we all miss step the important thing is to love yourself enough to realize that you can do it just get up and start all over again and keep going choice by choice. That's not even one day....just one choice.


If you need a friend who has walked and is still walking the weight loss path then shoot me a note. My journey has not been easy but entirely worth it in the way I feel….and yes I made it all about me to everyone. My journey has been entirely personal for no one else just me.
So stand tall and make it about YOU!

Your advice is so perfect I want to cry (in a happy way).


I lost weight about 8 years ago, and maintained it, until I had my daughter (the only way to deal with 24 hr nausea was to graze, and then life took over). I'm back again, doing what worked last time, eating less, moving more, writing everything down, but a few things I have learned.

1. I'm doing it for me, and I'm doing it for my health. I won't look like Angelina Jolie when I'm done, and I'll still get spots, have really appalling dress sense and hate clothes shopping with a passion. My mom and sister nagged me endlessly for years, but it felt like a betrayal that they only saw me in terms of a number on a set of scales. I am so much more than that.
2. I waited until I was ready. That meant I felt I was in a good place with my life and my emotions, wasn't too busy with work and hubby was away on a business trip, so I could plan what I was going to do and then practice it with no distractions, including practicing measuring out portions and just figuring stuff out.
3. My weight is a number on a set of scales. To get that number down you can consume fewer calories, or burn more through exercise. It's just math, it's not an emotion.
4. I still love food and I always will. It's one of life's greatest joys IMO. I bought myself a gorgeous recipe book with lovely pictures, reasonably healthy, simple recipes and have enjoyed the process of figuring out some new, healthy, lower calorie meals rather than denying myself
5. Losing the pounds is not everything, but it's easy to become obsessive and think about food all the time. Go and find something else to do when you start thinking about food. I work or read trashy romances.

Oh, and you can do it. There's a ton of people here who have succeeded.

Bump to return to this thread, 'cause I read, 'Dr Oz' in the OP.