60 pounds to lose!!

under200pounds
under200pounds Posts: 4
in Getting Started
Hi all you lovely people!

I was successful in losing around 40 pounds last year, but fell off the wagon...

My goal for now is to be under 200 pounds. I'm currently 260 pounds at 5 ft 8 (Female). Ultimately I want to get down to around 150 but for now my goal is to reach 199. I haven't been under 200 pounds in over 10 years and I felt so alive when I was down at 219 just last year.

What I've learned about myself when it comes to weight loss:

- Diets that restrict me to certain types of food don't work for me as well as counting calories does
- I always get a little paranoid about hitting a plateau and not being able to lose more weight
- I cannot successfully cut out carbs. Pasta, rice, chicken, steak are really the only foods that fill me up.
- I can successfully keep a 1,200-1,400 per day calorie diet.
- I eat my biggest meal at night

(Any thoughts on these btw? opinions or tips or things that you think would be helpful if I Tried harder to change?)

A few things that I've observed about myself which I hope to change:

- I've realized that I am an emotional eater. When I'm upset and mad at the world I drive to the nearest Wendy's and order $6 worth of fast food.
- I center too many things around food. I look forward to that one big meal I will have for dinner, all day.
- When I have a little bit of a cheat during the day, I sometimes use it as an excuse to just have a poor eating day overall rather than just during one meal
- I do not drink enough water

Hardships in eating healthy (I would love advice!!)
- My parents are strict vegetarians and don't like meat being cooked in their home. So unless I'm bringing food from a restaurant, I'm not allowed to make grilled chicken for a salad for example.
- I started working a job that's from 10-7, it's a sitting at my desk job with very little exercise. There are several vending machines and my cubicle mates snack through out the day on cupcakes, candy, brownies etc. It's VERY hard to not eat anything while at my desk.
- I am usually too exhausted to work out

My plan on losing 60 pounds:

I eat a lot of Chipotle. And I've lost weight eating it in the past (counting calories). Does a plan that involves a heavy dinner and a very light lunch make sense? 200-300 calories for lunch and maybe around 1,000 for dinner? I don't sleep right away after dinner. I'm still awake for around 3-4 hours.

According to myfitnesspal, I would have to consume 1,480 calories a day in order to lose 2 pounds a week. But I believe in the past I was aiming for 5 lbs a week and eating around 1,000 calories a day. Any suggestions on where to start?

I have heard that changing it up after the first 20 lbs are dropped makes more sense. So eating 1,400 per day at first and then dropping to 1,200 or 1,000.

Also in terms of working out, I'm not currently working out because I'm energyless but I know eventually I have to start. I was thinking I'll start at working out 2x a week. And gradually increase the rate. Is there logic or truth in the theory that not working out at the start is ok because you'll still lose weight. But after a certain point you should start to? Am I making sense?

I am so open to any of your comments, insight, opinions, and just general hellos! I am tired of dreading summer, dreading going anywhere because I don't know what to wear. I hate not liking going shopping because I'm scared of how things look on my body. I'm tired of being the biggest person in the room. Of people looking at my body for the wrong reasons. I'm tired of not being taken as seriously or being viewed as less than I am for my weight!!! Most of all I'm just tired of spending everyday indoors because I hate going anywhere, being in photographs, or even looking in the mirror. It's no way to live and starting tomorrow I really hope to make a change in my life that will last.

So many of you have lost so much weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle you are my inspirations!! Please provide me with any tips! Especially in regards to how many calories I should start off eating?

Replies

  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    Hello. First off, if you are currently 260 lbs. you are eating WAY more than 1400 calories a day to maintain that weight. I would HIGHLY recommend the following:

    1) Eat 1800 calories a day to start as a minimum. It is way to strict to go from eating probably 3000 calories a day (probably what you were consuming) to 1400. It's not necessary to cut that much right now. Make sure you TRACK all your food, condiments, drinks that have calories.
    2) Talk to your parents and explain that you need to cook meat for your protein requirements and that their decision to eat vegetarian diets does not mean YOU have to. You are an individual and should be respected as such. If they don't agree, go to the supermarket and buy grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, cottage cheese, canned tuna, Greek Yogurt, low fat cheese. These all have protein and will help you get what you need and don't need to be cooked.
    3) Drink lots of water throughout the day. It helps keep you feeling good.
    4) Try some form of exercise. It is good for your MENTAL HEALTH, not just for your body. Try walking 30 minutes a day to start, even if you have to break it up.

    Regarding the emotional eating, I used to do the same. I finally realized that the eating did not help me feel better, did not make my problems go away, and if anything just made things worse. Still, if you are an emotional eater, sometimes you need something to replace the food to help you cope with your feelings. Exercise can be a great substitute for eating. So can yoga, meditation, taking an art class, picking up a new hobby, going to therapy, reading books on the subject, etc.

    You have to decide you want to break free from emotional eating and get healthy MORE than you want to soothe yourself with food. If you aren't ready, you aren't ready. Only you know if you are.

    You know from past experience that overly restrictive dieting doesn't work for you (and for 94% of the people who do it and regain the weight) so try something different......a moderate restriction. That way, you should not feel deprived, can eat everything you want in moderation (you still have to pick and choose and balance everything out).

    Food can feel really important when you are an emotional eater. Figure out what you really want out of life. For me, I wanted to get really fit again and overeating doesn't help me with that goal, so I don't want to do it. If you have a goal you are passionate about, it will be easier to avoid overeating. But you have to have something else to take the place of the food and how you have been using it.

    Good luck!
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    Also, I would work really hard to love and accept yourself RIGHT NOW, regardless of your size. There are plenty of overweight people who love to shop, have great social lives, and are living life to the fullest because they don't let their weight define who and what they are. Just because you are the biggest person in the room doesn't mean you don't deserve to be in the room, doesn't mean people won't like you and want to get to know you. How YOU think about yourself is THE MOST IMPORTANT factor in your happiness. You have a choice about how you choose to think about yourself and your value.

    Do you think overweight people have less value than skinny people? I am guessing no. Give yourself the same compassion and acceptance as you give other people! :)
  • psibaby
    psibaby Posts: 88 Member
    It's great that you have experienced loss before because you know you can do it.
    A few things that I've observed about myself which I hope to change:

    - I've realized that I am an emotional eater. When I'm upset and mad at the world I drive to the nearest Wendy's and order $6 worth of fast food.
    - I center too many things around food. I look forward to that one big meal I will have for dinner, all day.
    - When I have a little bit of a cheat during the day, I sometimes use it as an excuse to just have a poor eating day overall rather than just during one meal
    - I do not drink enough water

    Hardships in eating healthy (I would love advice!!)
    - My parents are strict vegetarians and don't like meat being cooked in their home. So unless I'm bringing food from a restaurant, I'm not allowed to make grilled chicken for a salad for example.
    - I started working a job that's from 10-7, it's a sitting at my desk job with very little exercise. There are several vending machines and my cubicle mates snack through out the day on cupcakes, candy, brownies etc. It's VERY hard to not eat anything while at my desk.
    - I am usually too exhausted to work out

    My plan on losing 60 pounds:

    I eat a lot of Chipotle. And I've lost weight eating it in the past (counting calories). Does a plan that involves a heavy dinner and a very light lunch make sense? 200-300 calories for lunch and maybe around 1,000 for dinner? I don't sleep right away after dinner. I'm still awake for around 3-4 hours.

    According to myfitnesspal, I would have to consume 1,480 calories a day in order to lose 2 pounds a week. But I believe in the past I was aiming for 5 lbs a week and eating around 1,000 calories a day. Any suggestions on where to start?

    I have heard that changing it up after the first 20 lbs are dropped makes more sense. So eating 1,400 per day at first and then dropping to 1,200 or 1,000.

    Also in terms of working out, I'm not currently working out because I'm energyless but I know eventually I have to start. I was thinking I'll start at working out 2x a week. And gradually increase the rate. Is there logic or truth in the theory that not working out at the start is ok because you'll still lose weight. But after a certain point you should start to? Am I making sense?

    So many of you have lost so much weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle you are my inspirations!! Please provide me with any tips! Especially in regards to how many calories I should start off eating?

    I have only been on this weightloss journey for 2 months, so take my advice with a grain of salt. In 2 months, I have lost 19 pounds. I am not in onederland yet, so we some similarities, I want to lose 60 pounds as well.
    - I currently eat 1550 calories a day and when I stick to that I am able to lose. You don't have to go terribly low in calories to lose weight.
    - As an emotional eater, my advice to you is to find some fruit that you really enjoy. When you want to go through the Wendy's drive through to spend $6 instead go to the grocery store, walk to the produce section and pick up some freshly cut pineapple, melon or strawberries. When you get the ones that are already cleaned and cut you can eat them right away in the car and it is much healthier than Wendy's.
    - I lost my first 12 pounds without exercising at all. Then my loss slowed down (-.6 one week, -.8 the next) so I added in 30 minutes of cardio a day. That's it. 30 minutes and my losses went up to (-2.2 lbs and -3.4lbs) The calorie deficit is the most important, exercise helps supplement and tone you up.
    - I love Qdoba and Chipotle, but I haven't had a burrito in 2 months. They are just too many calories. What I do treat myself to once a week is a Qdoba naked chicken salad. It takes amazing and is under 400 calories. So you may be able to still go to Chipotle, just go the nutrition page on their website.
    - The best way to combat the constant flow of goodies at work is to come prepared. Get fruit cups, applesauce, fat free pudding cups, measure out snacks like goldfish or wheat thins in a baggie in the morning. This way, when they pass the cookies past you, you can walk to the fridge and get some fruit. You may even prompt your co-workers to make healthier choices.
    - The rotisserie chicken idea is a good one this way you can take a salad with chicken to work.

    Best of luck to you. Feel free to add me. I'm still learning, but so far I have been successful on this journey.
  • under200pounds
    under200pounds Posts: 4
    Do you think overweight people have less value than skinny people? I am guessing no. Give yourself the same compassion and acceptance as you give other people! :)
    Hi there! First, thank you so much for responding. Myfitnesspal recommends that I eat 1,480 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week. The last time I lost weight I was losing 2 pounds per night (scary but that's what I was doing). The trouble was that I fell off the wagon and started overeating to compensate for how little I was eating.

    Maybe 1500 calories is a better place to start? 2 lbs per week seems slow but it seems rational and more productive.

    Also, I do not think that skinny people are of more value. But I don't think the world operates by what is fair. Admittedly, I can work on my confidence which is directly related to my weight; but I do think that people perceive you differently when you are obese. And of course there are overweight people that love to shop, I am not saying there are not. I'm saying that I'm not one of them because I'm unfortunately not accepting or comfortable with my body.

    Thanks so much for the tips on the emotional eating! And for your insight :) hope to be friends! xo
  • under200pounds
    under200pounds Posts: 4
    It's great that you have experienced loss before because you know you can do it.

    Best of luck to you. Feel free to add me. I'm still learning, but so far I have been successful on this journey.

    Thank you so much! I hope we can be friends as well. The bringing healthy snacks to work is a great tip. It's still hard to say no to the pizza, cookies, and cupcakes but I really want this and am willing to sacrifice for it.

    I never eat burritos! 300 extra calories for just the tortilla alone. I usually just get a burrito bol without sour cream or guacamole. I do get extra rice. When I eat chipotle I don't eat much the rest of the day.

    Does anyone have an opinion on what times of the day are best for the biggest meals? I know the common answer is breakfast but I eat a huge calorie meal during dinner and not very much through out the rest of the day.

    Good luck on your weight loss & thanks again!

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