How did you lose weight? (I'm new to this)

Buy a food scale. Log everything you eat. Learn how many calories you are actually eating. Then use a TDEE calculator (Google it) to determine how many calories you should be eating. Eat that many calories. Weight loss engaged.

You don't have to eliminate any food.

If you want to workout, do it. Find something you like. But if you are eating in calorie deficit, you don't HAVE to exercise.

I like running, yoga, and Stronglifts 5X5 weightlifting. They have an app you can follow at stronglifts.com. If you don't know how to perform the lifts, you can use Youtube to learn form.

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

then read this - http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1


Personally, I cut my calories back by determining my TDEE and taking off 10%. I work out 4-5 times a week, 3 days strength training 2 days HIIT. I had gone from 169 down to 138 doing this consistently (I'm 5'5") - then I slacked off and gained back 10 pounds....working on retraining myself now.

Make a plan and stick to it, that is all there is too it. You have to be consistent.

I didn't really do any workouts, didn't cut out any specific food, didn't add any specific food, just stuck to my calories and lost 55lbs.

My main advice would be to weigh everything with a food scale if you're not already. While cutting out any specific food isn't necessary, it's worth looking at what foods you like and which of those foods are lower in calories. For example, I like lasagne just as much as burgers and chips, but lasagne tends to be lower in calories, so I have that more often now. I like Kitkats just as much as Mars bars, but Kitkats are less than half the calories, so I'll have one of them instead. I still have a Mars bar if I can fit it in, but if all I want is some chocolate I'll have the lower calorie option.

I still don't really do any workouts but I do do a lot more walking than I used to - I always take the stairs, I always walk during lunchtime at work, I sometimes walk home. I would have never done any of that before, but now it's just habit. I also started putting more effort into walking faster, and now my walking speed is naturally faster, which means I can walk further and burn more calories at lunch. Getting a Fitbit has really motivated me to do more walking, too, so do look into it if you think something like that would also work for you.

All you need to know is that it's all about calories. Do whatever works for you if it fits your calories. Eat chocolate, skip breakfast, eat before going to bed. And don't worry about having a break once in a while if it's a special occasion, one meal won't ruin your diet.

Good luck!

Me too ... ate fewer calories. Did some walking, kept active and off my behind. I've lost 24 lb so far.

It's good to build a support system here as well ... feel free to add me.

To lose the weight... Seriously I just ate less, it really is just math.

For fitness, body composition and strength I lift heavy.

I lost 42lbs in 8 months, I slacked over winter and gained back 10lbs. Slacking wasn't my mistake though, my mistake was getting down over the 10lbs instead of celebrating the 32lb loss and moving forward.

As for diet... I eat what I want. If I was to deprive myself any certain food, I do not believe that it would be sustainable. Plus I can be a brat and denying myself anything only increases my desire for it.

Eta.... I have tried to increase protein intake.

valcala23 wrote: »

Archerychickge wrote: »

Four words.... Eat less, move more.

Theres specific questions i asked if you dont want to post your story please dont post at all...!

There really isn't much more to a weight loss story than that. Ingesting less calories than you burn is what it all boils down to in the end.

Personally, I've lost nearly 50lbs since November by being honest with myself, and my calorie intake. I also started going to the gym to run in order to burn off even more calories. I was lifting for a while, but I injured my idiot self, and will resume lifting when I'm all healed up.

I first started by cutting out alcohol and soft drinks. Not saying they're bad, they just added calories up way too quick for me... And I found I would rather eat my calories. I don't eat very many fried foods. Bake, roast or grill most things.

Exercise is my downfall but my best advice is find something you like. One thing I enjoy is playing Just Dance with my daughter. It's fun. It burns calories and time goes by quickly.

Also, I had to let go of the " either I do it perfect or not at all". You know the well, I ate that cookie; there goes today. I will start over tomorrow. No, not cool. Now, I'm like I ate the cookie. It is what it is. How can I recover from it?

Good luck!

Tracked all my food and drinks, came in under my calorie goal.
Ate foods high in protein and low in calories
I cut out sugary drinks (not soda for me but juices) I miss my juice, but I love my skin being clear!


I exercise 6 days a week, but that's because it keeps me motivated. If I'm exercising it doesn't make sense to go home and eat junk. I did Boot Camp classes at my gym and have now started cycle classes to keep pushing myself. I have done mostly cardio and lost 36lbs so far.

I also enjoy the Protein Shakes my gym sells... awesome flavors that taste great... even a "Candy Bar Craving" shake that taste like a liquid peanut butter cup!

I started by walking every morning pushing my 2 children in a stroller. Then I started eating about 1300 cals a day. I was eating about 2000. I eat my refined carbs in the morning or lunch, and at dinner I would eat my complex carbs (sweet potatoes ect...) I have lost 33lbs in about 6 months. I'm sedentary for the most part ( In college for my M.S in Nutritional Science. Will be a pediatric dietitian soon!! ) I have learned that if I deny myself foods like chips or chocolate, I would eventually binge on them and go back into my old eating habits. I personally believe that you should never make a drastic change in your eating habits, unless they are sustainable. Best of luck!

valcala23 wrote: »

kristen6350 wrote: »

Ate less calories. That's it. Seriously, 17lbs in about 120 days. Slow, but it's off and I'm in my goal jeans.

No working out?

Working out is for fitness & health. Sure it burns a few calories, and the right kind of exercise can help you keep lean muscle (strength training). Plenty of people who cannot exercise lose weight. Exercise is not mandatory. In fact MFP will give you a calorie deficit with zero exercise factored in. It's up to you.

I agree, you can't go in with the mindset of 'I just want to lose weight, and fast' - you have to know that there isn't some magic end date. You cannot ever go back to the former lifestyle that you had that made you gain the weight. So you need to make changes you can live with for the rest of your life.

I like to eat more (and drink alcohol occasionally) so I choose to make time for moving more to help me lose and keep weight off.

I go to the gym 4-5x per week but I only spend 35 minutes at the gym. I walk 1/2 a mile to from my parking garage to work and I do it as fast as I can to give me a little boost in calorie burn. On the weekends, I don't think I sit down all day until dinner time, I am constantly moving.


I lost the weight in segments, 20 pounds from January to June. I had lost 10 pounds in the year prior to that and had maintained that, then lost the next 20 in 6 months.

I know you probably think, "ok, everyone's giving me these "typical" "easy" answers that I've heard a million times before," but it's because they are the absolute truth. It took me a LONG time to realize this and have my epiphany moment. Seriously. Soak it in now, and not after a decade of crazy yo-yo'ing and trying to figure out the "magic secret" like me. lol. It's 100% about the math and science of it. In order to lose weight, you have to eat at a caloric deficit. Although it's easier said than done, that's really it.

Read this: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

...Read the post, read the comments. Read them over and over and over until you have your ah-ha moment like I did.

The thing I personally still struggle with (in my brain) is remembering this: "Eat at a deficit to lose weight; exercise for health and fitness." I've been exercising consistently, hardcore, high-intensity forever. I'm a gym rat. Sometimes I've been a 145lb gym rat, sometimes I've been a 210lb gym rat. Sometimes I've lost massive amounts of weight while doing "workout x y or z," and sometimes I've gained that weight back, all while working out even harder. I've told people I've had "massive success with such-and-such workouts the first time around, but not the 2nd time around," etc. ... I know now, that my weight loss successes/"failures" have been 100% nutrition-related. I had it hammered in my head so many times, but it just never sank in until I really delved into MFP. I let pregnancy, medications, hormonal issues, stress, and every other thing I could think of BESIDES "calories in vs. calories out" be my excuse.

I would say, "I eat all healthy foods...I eat salads every day...I only "cheat" now and then...I eat "clean". Then, my trainer, who's a total MFP guru, told me something that stuck hard and fast. She said, "You can eat the 'cleanest & healthiest' foods in the world...but 6,000 calories of 'clean, healthy' food...is still 6,000 calories. Yes. Yes. Yes. Back to calories in vs. calories out. I then realized my "clean eating" obsession was what helped me gain back 40lbs of pregnancy weight that I had already lost!!!

Also, for me, the "automatic" calorie burn calculations MFP puts out are highly inflated, so either use a HRM or only eat back like half of your exercise calories to be safe. (Yes, you can eat back exercise calories and stay in a deficit. MFP calculates your daily calorie goal as if you were trying to lose weight without taking additional exercise into account.

Oh yeah, and I ONLY ever enter "intentional" exercise (for example, I don't eat back 100 calories if I spend 1 hour cleaning my house, or total up the minutes I spend "incidentally" doing things like walking to my car or taking the stairs at work, etc. That's just how I roll, but I know a lot of people track steps and house chores, so play around with what works).

And, remember this...I've heard it on MFP forums a million times over: "Weight loss isn't linear." If you don't lose for a couple weeks, don't think you are "failing." It takes time. Some weeks I'm up, some weeks I'm down. Some weeks I stay the same. Some weeks I drop a few lbs at a time.

One last thing...treat MFP like it's Facebook. I don't even have a fb account anymore. This is the only social media I use. All of my MFP friends are friends in "real life" and I make my diary public. Support and accountability. Be active in the MFP community. This social media site has a purpose. I used to spend hours on facebook. At least on here, I'm on it and in it for my health.

I hope all of this helps!!!

valcala23 wrote: »

MelWick524 wrote: »

I know you probably think, "ok, everyone's giving me these "typical" "easy" answers that I've heard a million times before," but it's because they are the absolute truth. It took me a LONG time to realize this and have my epiphany moment. Seriously. Soak it in now, and not after a decade of crazy yo-yo'ing and trying to figure out the "magic secret" like me. lol. It's 100% about the math and science of it. In order to lose weight, you have to eat at a caloric deficit. Although it's easier said than done, that's really it.

Read this: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

...Read the post, read the comments. Read them over and over and over until you have your ah-ha moment like I did.

The thing I personally still struggle with (in my brain) is remembering this: "Eat at a deficit to lose weight; exercise for health and fitness." I've been exercising consistently, hardcore, high-intensity forever. I'm a gym rat. Sometimes I've been a 145lb gym rat, sometimes I've been a 210lb gym rat. Sometimes I've lost massive amounts of weight while doing "workout x y or z," and sometimes I've gained that weight back, all while working out even harder. I've told people I've had "massive success with such-and-such workouts the first time around, but not the 2nd time around," etc. ... I know now, that my weight loss successes/"failures" have been 100% nutrition-related. I had it hammered in my head so many times, but it just never sank in until I really delved into MFP. I let pregnancy, medications, hormonal issues, stress, and every other thing I could think of BESIDES "calories in vs. calories out" be my excuse.

I would say, "I eat all healthy foods...I eat salads every day...I only "cheat" now and then...I eat "clean". Then, my trainer, who's a total MFP guru, told me something that stuck hard and fast. She said, "You can eat the 'cleanest & healthiest' foods in the world...but 6,000 calories of 'clean, healthy' food...is still 6,000 calories. Yes. Yes. Yes. Back to calories in vs. calories out. I then realized my "clean eating" obsession was what helped me gain back 40lbs of pregnancy weight that I had already lost!!!

Also, for me, the "automatic" calorie burn calculations MFP puts out are highly inflated, so either use a HRM or only eat back like half of your exercise calories to be safe. (Yes, you can eat back exercise calories and stay in a deficit. MFP calculates your daily calorie goal as if you were trying to lose weight without taking additional exercise into account.

Oh yeah, and I ONLY ever enter "intentional" exercise (for example, I don't eat back 100 calories if I spend 1 hour cleaning my house, or total up the minutes I spend "incidentally" doing things like walking to my car or taking the stairs at work, etc. That's just how I roll, but I know a lot of people track steps and house chores, so play around with what works).

And, remember this...I've heard it on MFP forums a million times over: "Weight loss isn't linear." If you don't lose for a couple weeks, don't think you are "failing." It takes time. Some weeks I'm up, some weeks I'm down. Some weeks I stay the same. Some weeks I drop a few lbs at a time.

One last thing...treat MFP like it's Facebook. I don't even have a fb account anymore. This is the only social media I use. All of my MFP friends are friends in "real life" and I make my diary public. Support and accountability. Be active in the MFP community. This social media site has a purpose. I used to spend hours on facebook. At least on here, I'm on it and in it for my health.

I hope all of this helps!!!

Thanks this is really helpful.

You're welcome. (Now, every time I struggle with my own journey, I can just read what I wrote, lol!)

As others have posted before- calories in/ calories out. Track accurately with MFP. My diet hasn't changed much-other than trying to not drink most of my calories. I also learned that my snacks need to have a bit of protein or complex carbs to keep me going (ie apple w PB, Veggies and hummus, berries and greek yogurt). I do workout at least 5 times a week- for the health, the "me" time and to earn my glass of wine! I've also built in multiple strategies for support- A nutrition support group at work (I work at a university so the nutrition students and prof lead the program), a trainer at the gym (YMCA) and the MFP community. My workouts tend to be at the gym. Spin classes or TRX are my current go tos. But also walking, hiking, biking, skiing and yoga- because I enjoy these. HIIT videos at home when I can't get to the gym. And when its too nice out to go to the gym- a playground workout while the kids run around.