HELP! Tried every diet going but getting no where.

Options
Heroes1
Heroes1 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Ive battled with my weight all my life. Im 30 this year and want to be a stone and a half lighter. Easy. Well not so far. Do I cut my calories and do exercise or hold off on the exercise until I start to lose the weight??

Replies

  • amandarunning
    amandarunning Posts: 306 Member
    Options
    Personally I'd do both but with the basis being that the weight loss will come from eating at a deficit. The exercise is a bonus for health and can allow you to eat more than you could without it...
  • SwankyTomato
    SwankyTomato Posts: 442 Member
    Options
    If you are just starting out, I would say focus on calories and what you are eating. If you can do both great! However doing one thing is hard enough when you begin, imo.
  • redskiednight
    redskiednight Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    Read all of the stickied posts at the top of this forum board, they will get you on track armed with the best possible info :)
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Options
    Heroes1 wrote: »
    Ive battled with my weight all my life. Im 30 this year and want to be a stone and a half lighter. Easy. Well not so far. Do I cut my calories and do exercise or hold off on the exercise until I start to lose the weight??

    Cut calories and exercise. Cutting calories is the most important. Don't worry about diets. Just eat at a deficit and lose weight. It's that simple.
  • mikeyev60
    mikeyev60 Posts: 3
    Options
    Both. Exercise will contribute to weight loss will contribute to exercise will contribute to weight loss.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    Exercise is for health - not for weight loss. So why would you wait to be healthy?
    You do know that you are supposed to eat back exercise calories anyway so extra exercise wouldn't increase your calorie deficit. Please read the stickies on how to use this tool if you haven't already.

    If you have "tried every diet" why don't you try slow, steady weight loss that you can stick to rather than a quick fix? Think ahead to maintaining your ideal goal weight rather than short term fixes.
  • dirtyflirty30
    dirtyflirty30 Posts: 222 Member
    Options
    A good start would be visiting with your doctor and discussing it with her or him.
  • julesribar
    julesribar Posts: 43 Member
    Options
    I have found that logging in every day and documenting every thing you eat is the key. Mfp is no different than weight watchers. And yes, cutting your calories and getting that metabolism kicked in by doing some cardio (fast walking, eliptical, etc..) will also be key. Good Luck! :D
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    I would get smart and learn what goes into making an effective and efficient diet.
    You can also learn how to avoid the mistakes that many beginners make and end up posting on here about.

    If you are going to do it then it makes sense:
    1. To do a diet that you will finish and get you to target.
    2. To do one that you can live with and is sustainable rather than oen that makes you miserable.
    3. That its safe and healthy.
    4. That you can adopt the right mindset so that when a bump comes along you are resilient enough to deal with it.
    5. Where you learn enough about nutrition and exercise so you know how they fit into helping you above.

    If I were starting again then id just learn how to use MFP properly by logging food, doing some research and weighing. Go for baby steps plan but introduce the changes gradually.

    MFP will work 100% (excepting the rare cases where its a medical condition and even then it will mostly work0 if you apply the knowledge correctly and eat at a consistent deficit, theres no secret. Considering your past experience, then doing something that works has to be high on your agenda.

    This sticky contains a lot of good advice in one place.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    Once you have mastered calorie deficit control then move onto exercise. Alternatively you could go for a walk each day, decide how or what exercise you might do and start when you are ready.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Options
    calorie deficit. Exercise if you want, which simply increases your caloric maintenance needs so that you can eat more food. So if you start off without exercise and find you are hungry then you can exercise and eat back at least half of those calories.

    I've been doing both at the same time but I started exercising 5+ years ago. I no longer exercise for weight loss but instead for body composition (weights), cardiovascular health, and slight increase in caloric intake. Whcih is why I may start doing more or more intense cardio soon, at least once finals are over in April.
  • KirbySmith46
    KirbySmith46 Posts: 198 Member
    Options
    sijomial wrote: »
    Exercise is for health - not for weight loss. So why would you wait to be healthy?
    You do know that you are supposed to eat back exercise calories anyway so extra exercise wouldn't increase your calorie deficit. Please read the stickies on how to use this tool if you haven't already.

    If you have "tried every diet" why don't you try slow, steady weight loss that you can stick to rather than a quick fix? Think ahead to maintaining your ideal goal weight rather than short term fixes.

    Exercise can be for both. By creating a larger deficit and creating muscle which will in turn burn more calories over time.
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    Options
    I try and work on the calories for the first two weeks, then I incorporate the exercise... All at once is overwhelming for me.
  • JoyeII
    JoyeII Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    Stop trying diets and eat what you want. Figure out how many calories you should be eating and cut it by 500 daily, do some cardio exercise a couple times per week, and pick up heavy things, put them down, and pick them up again. Repeat. ;)

Categories