Need to lose weight! But need help...

septsaphire
septsaphire Posts: 1
in Motivation and Support
Hi! First things first is in looking for people to help motivate me to lose weight! I need to lose 80 pounds and I am stuck with wanting to but not wanting to put the effort in! Lately, I have been wanting to so I can have a nice body for next summer! And it's not going to happen unless I have help and motivation! Losing weight is hard and difficult! What are some tips you have for someone who is just starting to lose weight? :)
Thanks!
Ps: feel free to add me! I will add back! :)

Replies

  • amandaarx
    amandaarx Posts: 3 Member
    For me it was about getting to that place where I really wanted it because honestly no one can really motivate you more than you motivate yourself having people around that help you is great but it's all you at the end of the day I just got to that place where I was done with being over weight and no matter how many times I crash I will always get back up again and that's what you have to train your brain because that's the only thing stopping you mentally changing the way you think will be the hardest part but get that down and you are half way there!
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    The absolutely best advice I have to offer is:
    Find the best calorie deficit for your weight, height and activity level-not an unsustainable, unhealthy deficit.
    This helps keep you satisfied so you don't binge or overeat as much.
    That being said, everyone eats too much at times so accept it-don't beat yourself up and immediately go back to your calorie goal.
    The most successful weightloss happens when people are able to recover quickly from a slip.
    Keep treats in your everyday food plan.
    Find exercise you love/like and will stick to.
    Add more movement to your life everyday.
    Eat back some of your exercise calories.
    Buy a food scale and weigh everything you eat.
    Drink water.
    Be loving and kind to yourself.
  • funchords
    funchords Posts: 413 Member
    Enter your starting weight and pick a goal here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    Then just log all of your food and activity (almost everything that's not sitting and reading, net surfing, or watching TV). Don't try anything else yet. Just do this. Do it for a week. If you skip a day, go back to that day and fill it in the best you remember. You're trying to start a habit, which some people say takes 30 days to make a new habit. For me, just logging unconsciously changed my behavior, made me want to try not to exceed the goals, and made me start losing weight. Logging is also sometimes tricky, so getting started and learning and overcoming the quirks will give you skills you will lose throughout your weight loss and maintenance.

    After you've got enough data, take a look at your food and exercise logs and see what you'd like to change. For me, I moved a morning yogurt and orange to an afternoon snack -- replacing the crackers and chips I had been eating.

    For your support group, participate in the message boards -- get help and give help.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    (1) Buy a food scale and use it for all solids. Do the same for liquids with measuring cups and spoons. This is particularly important with higher calorie foods such as peanut butter and oils, and foods that we can easily forget to log like coffee creamer. The idea here is to (a) make sure you are accurately logging your calories, and (b) over the much longer term, learn portion control. This can easily take a year or more as portion size is seriously out of control for many overweight people (it certainly was for me).

    (2) It sounds cliche (hell, it is cliche), but you need to make some lifestyle changes. Motivation and determination only go so far. Find things that you can do for exercise that you can make part of your daily routine. The problem with these 30 day challenges and what not is that they have many people going from 0-60 overnight and that is bound to fail for a large portion of them. Start with walking, using the stairs rather than the elevator, etc. If you hate exercising in the morning then don't do that. Do it in the afternoons during lunch or in the evening. Find friends, clubs, or anything else that will help. The point here isn't to "shred" your body in 30 days but to start creating habits that can last a lifetime. One point I will push here is to strength train. You're not going to get bulky lifting weights so just put that out of your mind. You will add muscle to your frame which equates to curves in women. Just trust me on this one. :wink:

    (3) Don't sweat the small stuff and stop reading popular magazines and articles on weight loss. They can screw with your head with articles about the dangers of "these 5 foods" and "OMG it's sugar! you can't ever eat that again!" etc. Ignore it. Eat a reasonably balanced diet of nutrient dense food, stay within your calorie goals, and forget the rest.

    (4) And, speaking of that, eat that bowl of ice cream when you're craving it. Just eat a portion and make sure to fit it into your calories. You didn't just joint a monastic order. You don't need to flagellate yourself. We like sugar and fat for a reason. It tastes damn good! :tongue:

    (5) And, speaking of that, let it go when you do screw up. You're human. It's food, not religion.
  • Chuck_Finley
    Chuck_Finley Posts: 29
    I'm a newbie here and I'm only on day 9 but so far this has been my first diet ever (only need to lose 15 pounds) so my advice may not be helpful.

    I started this because I realized I'm ashamed of myself. I look fine with my shirt on, but I can't take it off. It's been like this for years. It's been horrible. I can't believe I lived like this. Point being, you need to find your reason to do this. Everyone has their reasons.

    Secondly, remind yourself every day that what your doing has to work. It's just science at that point. I've woken up, looked at myself in the mirror, sighed and fought countless mental battles if what I'm doing matters. It does. If you can reassure yourself that you're living healthier and back it up, you will lose weight.

    I hate exercising. I love food. It's tough. However, I've already hit a nice caloric deficit that I alloted myself to enjoy junk food. I'm still on track for a pound a week lost, and I can have drinks on the weekend. I'm upset I didn't just eat more vegetables throughout my life or else I wouldn't have to be doing this in the first place.

    I literally am in a deficit by switching out that fried chicken I kept getting (you know you get it too much when people remember you and your order) for some curry rice with lots of broccoli and carrots. Switch the chips for an apple. Etc etc.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Losing weight is not really that hard once you commit to doing it. I lost my weight by eating all the same things I ate before--just smaller portions. Once you make it a habit it becomes your lifestyle. Just make sure you don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day. In the past I would have a bad day, then convince myself I was a failure and quit everything. Once I gave myself permission to fail occasionally it all became much easier.

    And listen to everything SonOfABeach said. I couldn't say it better.

    Good luck!!!

    PS - Oh, and when you're having a bad day (or even a good day) check out the Success Stories thread. It's truly inspirational.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,734 Member
    Great advice already given! All I want to add is: keep it simple!

    Don't over-think things and don't let it consume your life.

    Make ONE small change and do it for a while. Once you feel that success, move on to another change and so on. Example: start drinking more water every day. That's it. After you know you can succeed at a goal it helps you build confidence and momentum to go further. Good luck!

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