have you lost 50-60 pounds? how did you do it ?

It doesn't really matter *what* you eat. You can eat nothing but lean meats and veggies and actually gain weight. It's down to how many calories you consume vs how many you burn off.

As far as exercise, I'm a huge fan of Jillian Michaels' DVDs. There are several on YouTube which require little to no equipment. Good luck!

ME! We have similar stats (but I'm 32). I'm 5'2", started at 198. For three months, I ate 1200 calories a day. Then I began running and cycling, and kept my net at 1200, eating back all my exercise cals.Took me 7 months to drop 74 pounds.

I found it hard to maintain on just calories in/calories out, so recently I've paid more attention to nutrition. I've eliminated processed foods, grains, artificial sweeteners, and most sugars. Also eliminated carbonated beverages.

ETA: Since eliminating processed foods/artifical sweeteners/grains, I'm never hungry

I lost a little over 70lbs, I was just consistent in being in a calorie deficit, and I logged in every day and kept my diary updated.

I also get constantly hungry on some days, I think the trick is to occupy yourself and you won't even think about food.

My diary is open, you can take a peak. I eat at a calorie deficit and work out. That's the secret!

PS - I eat out A LOT!

I'm 5'2 and started at 211 lbs. It took me about 10 months to lose 57 lbs. I ate anywhere between 1500-1900 calories, depending on how much I exercised.

I did Zumba, Swimming, Hiking & Walking.

Give it time. Take the time to care for yourself properly. It's a marathon, not a race. Find the appropriate calorie intake for you, move more and the weight will come off.

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

im trying to get motivated into losing the weight that ive gained im 18 years old, 5'2 tall, and weigh around 200 pounds now. i need to lose 50 to 60 pounds as soon as i can i dont want to take a full year to do so. i was thinking if i ate only lean meats and fish and veggies if that will help ?

It's not necessary, and depending on your personality and food preferences it might make it harder, although that really depends on you. I'd get bored or feel restricted, although I eat lots of fish and other leaner meats and veggies in addition to other foods.

You are only 18--given your stats you can probably lose 50 lbs in less than a year while eating at a reasonable calorie level. Your metabolism should be a good bit faster than someone my age (44, 5'3). I've lost 55 lbs in less than 6 months, and you are starting about where I was (correcting for height I was still a bit heavier, but roughly similar).

Basically, count calories and try to eat an overall balanced, healthy diet that is within your calories. MFP will figure that out for you, if you like (remember that you can eat back exercise calories), or you can check out one of the TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculators and cut calories from that number. I started at 1200 because I wasn't doing a lot of exercise and am older, but now that I've ramped up I eat more (sometimes significantly more) typically. If you check out my diary you can see I eat a range of foods. Like I said above, I do tend to eat a lot of protein (meat and dairy and eggs, especially) and vegetables and fruit, but I also eat potatoes and other starchy carbs and ice cream in moderation, etc.

One important thing to remember is that you will need to be consistent for a long enough time to get the results you want, and if you do something too extreme it's unlikely to be sustainable for that time period. If it's sustainable, it goes by much faster than you'd think, especially since you start feeling really good well before hitting goal. I'm at just below 165 now, which is significantly higher than the weight I think I look best at, but I feel great and so much lighter--you really don't need to think that it's not worth it until or unless you make some specific goal.

I do lots of outdoor cardio--biking and running, mainly, but there are DVDs and internet options for workouts of the cardio or circuit training sort, and there are tons of bodyweight exercises that you can be doing also. Check out You Are Your Own Gym.

Patience is key here.

Tips:

- food scale will help with accurately determining portion sizes and will make your logging more accurate
- I'm not against eating out. I would just say limit it. Typically it's not that easy to fit in unless you've had an extremely active day.
- make sure to accurately set your goals here. Select the closest activity level to what you do without exercise and then choose 1lb - 1.5lb loss
- log your exercise calorie burns
- eat about 50-75 % of those calories back. MFP is designed for you to eat your exercise calories back. Since MFP and exercise machines tend to overestimate the calorie burns for most people, it is recommended to only eat some of them back.
- In terms of exercise: I suggest both cardio and some sort of strength training.
You don't have to go all out on the strength training with heavy weights if you don't want to. Just doing exercises with body weight, resistance bands or low weight dumbbells will be beneficial. It will help you maintain lean body mass (your existing muscles) and give you a leaner look. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn in a day so you want to keep as much as possible. Oh and don't worry, it takes a lot of effort for women to put on muscle, so you aren't going to bulk up like a man without some serious effort.
Cardio is great too. It is good for heart health, endurance, and will help burn some extra calories.- in terms of calories: eating too few (generally under 1000) can be just as bad for your health as eating too many...please keep this in mind. I'm not talking about "holding onto fat", I'm referring to actual medical problems that can cause permanent damage
- food is yummy. There are lots of things you can eat that are lower in calories but will help you stay full longer. Lean meats and veggies are great. Don't forget fruits. You can still have a serving of ice cream or anything else you like, just keep in mind they aren't as filling so you don't want to fill your day with them. Moderation is the key.
- Another thing you should keep in mind: Weight isn't everything
I'm 100% serious in this statement. It is possible to lose inches (which isn't that what we all want, to fit into smaller clothes) and not lose a lot of weight. There are women who use this site who have started lifting weights, gained a bit of weight, and ended up in smaller clothing.

Weight – So many things can affect weight, because of this it shouldn’t be the only way you track your progress. Things to keep in mind:
:drinker: Always use the same scale – Different scales can show different weights. You will get the most accurate number for tracking when using the same scale.
:drinker: Don’t move the scale – Carpet, uneven flooring, different types of flooring…can all affect the weight on the scale. So when you weigh, you want it to be approximately the same spot for the most accurate number for tracking.
:drinker: 3500 calories – To gain 1lb of fat you need to be over maintenance by 3500 calories.
:drinker: Muscle Repair – Muscles will hold onto water to repair, because of this it is not uncommon to see a gain for a little while after a workout. This weight comes right back off when they are done repairing.
:drinker: Sodium – Can cause you to retain water. This can also be amplified if you don’t drink enough to flush it out of your system. This is also another reason for temporary weight gain.
:drinker: Water – Not drinking enough water can actually cause you to retain water. Recommended amount is 8 cups or 64oz. I drink 64 oz to 128 oz of water a day. It doesn’t have to be plain water either. I like to flavor mine with crystal light or tea.
:drinker: Time of day – Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day. So for the most accurate tracking, you want to weigh at around the same time.
:drinker: Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
:drinker: Lightest Weight – Will be naked, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom
:drinker: Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
:drinker: Clothes – If you weigh with clothing on, keep in mind that the scale will show your weight plus the weight of your clothes. (Jeans are heavy)
:drinker: TOM - A lot of women will retain water around their TOM, but its just temporary and will go away.

Take measurements. Even if the scale doesn't seem to be going in the right direction, if your measurements are going down than you are losing fat and making progress.

_________________________

I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things (currently 6wks postpartum). My ticker used to show around a 90lb loss, but I got pregnant and gained about 40lbs or so. Some of the weight was lost before joining MFP. In about 6 months last year I was able to lose around 47lbs. Keep in mind though, fat is easier to put on than it is to get rid of.

Here is a progress thread I posted last year before I found out I was pregnant:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1100730-191-days-of-mfp-47-8lbs-lost-35-2lbs-to-go?hl=191#posts-16987716

The key is to consistently make the right choices, and eat less then you burn on a daily basis. <---- This!

Find workouts that you enjoy that will help too if you hate going to the gym don't, if you hate running don't. However, positive motivation works as well, if people say you can't run- PROVE THEM WRONG.

Eat foods that you like.

REMEMBER YOUR STOMACH IS NOT A WASTE BASKET.

I started at 314 in April of 2015. I lost 16 pounds the wrong way by skipping breakfast and lunch and walking. I then started seeing a doctor continued my walking and began to eat a high protein, low carb diet and I am down approximately 56 pounds. If you need motivation, support or tips, let me know. You can friend me too.