Newbie with 200+ to lose

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DJLMB
DJLMB Posts: 43 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi there :) I'm new to MFP (though I joined a while ago but didn't really get started) but not new to wanting to lose weight! I've been fat forever, and I'm now close to my heaviest and just turned 30. I feel like it's getting to a point where if i don't finally stick to a diet and lose a considerable amount of weight soon, it'll be too late to properly enjoy being a 'normal' person. Also, I have two little girls who aren't going to be little for much longer, and I (and they) miss out on so much because of the extra weight :(

So, I'm starting right now with a nice beef stew packed full of veggies and no carbs for tonight's dinner, and calorie counting from tomorrow. I'd LOVE to meet some people on here in a similar situation and get and give support for what is going to be an incredibly long and hard journey!

D xx

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  • EveyIX
    EveyIX Posts: 5 Member
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    Welcome! I also have 200+ to lose. I've been at a 17 day streak now and already lost 13 pounds :) I will add you!
  • DJLMB
    DJLMB Posts: 43 Member
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    Wow! 13lbs already? You're definitely the kind of person I need on my team ;)
  • EveyIX
    EveyIX Posts: 5 Member
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    When I saw the scale I thought I was going crazy. I'm pretty sure it is mostly water weight though because I started exercising too :) It's going to be a long journey but worth it!

    edit: also I should mention I lost the intial 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks, now I'm losing at a slower, healthier pace.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    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

    ...and here's another approach.

    Block off 6 weeks. log EXACTLY what you eat for those six weeks, weigh at the beginning, weight at the end. If you've lost, you're eating under your TDEE. If you haven't lost, congrats.. you found your TDEE, if you've gained... then you're above TDEE.

    From there, look at how much you lost or gained and you have a rough estimate of how to shift your intake to balance it out.

    Online calculators are great, but they're just estimates. They give you decent ideas for starting points. From there, it's on you to fine tune it.
  • bllhffmn
    bllhffmn Posts: 7 Member
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    Hi. Congratulations on deciding to get started. I think it's great that you are going to do this for you and your daughters. Starting a healthy lifestyle early on will be a great benefit to your girls. I'm just getting started too. Feel fee to ad me.
  • DJLMB
    DJLMB Posts: 43 Member
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    Thanks, trogalicious, some great advice there :D I've checked out that calculator and it says 400 cals higher than MFP! I think I'll go with the MFP estimate just to kick it off, but know that I have the extra if I need it. 1200 would KILL me, or at least make me so miserable and snappy that my husband would move out, lol, not one for me!
  • TowsonChuck
    TowsonChuck Posts: 65 Member
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    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)

    Listen to this guy!

    These two things along with just about all of his other advice are the two best things I've done.
    I started Jan 18 2014 with about 160lbs to lose. I dropped 15 lbs in the first 2 weeks. After the initial "big" loss you will start to level out.

    Dont guess at what you are eating, you will likely be wrong, and not have a true calorie count. Something goes with your fitness plans. The numbers a cardio machine will say you burned is wildly different, and varies from machine to machine, and is inaccurate. The numbers MFP will say you burned is alway inaccurate. Using a Heart rate monitor is the only way to get an accurate reading.

    I started with just changing my diet to a 2000 cal per day diet. I knew at my weight that would be well under my TDEE. It worked.

    Then after 30 days I started a fitness plan, nothing big, just 30 min of cardio 4 days a week. Now I am doing much more.

    After you got use to your calorie limit, start working on what those calories are. Start planning better protein, carbs, and fats.
    After 80 days of tracking all of my food (it is now just an easy habit to track everything), and working out regularly. I have lost 42 lbs, and have not had a 0 lb or positive week yet.


    Here is my little additions to his notes
    -Record Everyday ,even days you cheat. If you have a bad meal or bad day let it go. Don't let it be a bad week, or bad month.
    -It took years to get to where you are, it will no go away overnight. Make it about a lifestyle change and not diet.

    How do you eat an elephant? --- One bite at a time.
  • jennbrock522
    jennbrock522 Posts: 7 Member
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    -It took years to get to where you are, it will no go away overnight. Make it about a lifestyle change and not diet.

    How do you eat an elephant? --- One bite at a time.

    Amen to that!!! Thinking of it as a journey, in my opinion, is the way to view it.

    I am in your boat with needing to lose 200+. For me and my situation, I have decided to do the Gastric Bypass route. I have four months of medically supervised weight loss and I just had my second check-in. To date I have lost 33lbs. I know the surgery is not for everyone, but for *me* it is what I believe I need to do to live to see my 40's.

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