Not new! But finally taking this serious! Goal is to lose 20 lbs!

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alexacb92
alexacb92 Posts: 9 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey everyone I'm Alexa. I'm 22 years old and I am 5ft tall weighing at 145lbs. I've always had trouble with my weight and it always goes up and down but this is the most I have ever weighed! I finally decided to take this weight loss thing serious to be healthier and prevent diseases. Also I want to feel beautiful and comfortable again!

I am new to running, I recently have been able to run 2 miles without any break. I used to hate running and was only able to run about a half a mile before I got tired. This is such an accomplishment for me!

My problem is eating! I am a girl with a very huge appetite! I sometimes think I have a binge eating disorder cause of the way I put away food. I have to eat extremely large portions for me to feel full and I'm 98% sure that us why I have gained so much weight

Replies

  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
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    Hey! I'm glad you're here...it says a lot about your character.
    I like to eat. No doubt. One of my sayings is, "It's no fun being fat, but it sure is fun getting there."
    If you want to lose 20 pounds, you know what to do. Monitor your calories, create a deficit, and you'll meet that goal.

    Best of luck. I believe in you.
    Brandon
  • johannpascual
    johannpascual Posts: 14 Member
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    If eating is your problem... you can do it in phases. That's what I did. I believe the reason 99% of the people that try to lose weight fail is because they try to do too much all at the same time. That never works for most of us.

    You first need to train your mind and body. There's a conditioning period for it. It's not as easy as 'tomorrow I'll only east 1,500 calories!'. Nope. Slowly prepare your mind a few days before. Once you think you're really ready... the first thing you need to do is to NOT get full. This is your objective for the first few weeks. Just eat whatever but don't get full. Try 80% full only and never beyond. Your tummy will adapt. Once you get used to this, the next time you get full--- it will hurt. This is just the first step.

    This process might be slow... but it will work. Slowly but surely. It worked for me.
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
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    96% percent of weight loss is the calories you're consuming in a day. At least you know that you're overeating and that's a huge step forward. It's tough at first to stay within your calorie goal, and you will get hungry. You'll find as you go along which foods are better, and will start making better choices. As a rule of thumb never eat back more than 1/2 of burned calories, as MFP and other devices have a history overestimating those, and you could end up overeating your workouts.

    Good Luck to you, just stick with it and you'll get there.

    Remember it's just calories in versus calories out.
  • Jimsterintexas
    Jimsterintexas Posts: 53 Member
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    I agree with hearthwood that the majority of weight gain is tied to calories and diet. I've tried exercising intensely, but continued eating whatever, and my weight never changed. Once I started watching what I was eating, and portion sizes, the weight started to come off. Exercise in combination with a solid diet plan can help to accelerate weight loss. You need to come with a food plan and then incorporate exercise into the equation, and you will have success. Consistency and patience are the keys to success.
  • lovethepirk
    lovethepirk Posts: 41 Member
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    Alex,

    Heart is correct in that it is a calorie eaten game, treat is as such.....play with your meals in the app before you eat them to see what you can eat to achieve the calorie goal. I typically mock run my entire eating day over morning coffee.

    I ran and swam heavily for a year and lost 3 pounds. I scientifically analyzed my diet and lost 20 pounds in 2 months with 80% less exercise. I laugh now at myself b/c I walk the miles I used to run on the beach and know it's more about the food intake. The exercise is still fantastic tho and allows you to throw back more food.

    I go for a goal of 2 pounds lost per week. This is a pretty hard cut in my opinion. I'm 6'1 and 207 now and my daily goal is around 1750. THE KEY for me was to KNOW for CERTAIN my weight before I stepped on the scale each day/week. This means you throw out the HOPE and use math to know what your weight is going to be before you step on the scale. This means tracking your exercise and calories. Very simple, but takes logging every meal. Get a GRAM scale and measure your food to the precise gram before you cook it and use that number. KNOW your numbers inside and out! When you jump on the scale you will be within a quarter of a pound most of the time. Master your numbers. This app was huge for me as my excel sheet was getting insane.

    If I am hungry as hell I clobber two fresh thinly cut cucumbers and balsalmic vinegar. This is almost a 1.5 pounds and is enough to put you on the couch for an hour. I will also do that with baby carrots. You can eat pounds of these type veggies and put back limited calories. I look for the most physical weight I can put into my stomach with the most limited calories. Lots of lightly steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts. Keep the veggies lightly steamed so you can really chew them and the eating process takes some bodily chewing work. Try eating 400 grams of lightly steamed brussel sprouts in less than 20 minutes lol. You'll be so tired of chewing you won't want to eat for a couple hours :)

    When I feel I need a much more dense meal I clobber a couple microwaved sweet potatoes drizzled with just enough olive oil to make it not dry. Typically a sweet potato weighs 310 grams prior to microwaving, then comes out at 270, but that doesn't matter it is water lost in the cooking process. I don't eat the skin so the 310 gram potato becomes 260 logged in the app. I eat two of these sometimes so that is 520 grams which is a lot but sometimes you just gotta eat :)

    Get a scale
    Know your numbers
    Make it a game
    Eat a ton of colorful veggies(color is polyphenols/antioxidants----research ORAC values)
    Keep the fruit/fructose you eat to a minimum, get your micro nutrients with the veggies if you can
    Egg whites are fantastic to eat and you can eat a lot of them
    Don't be afraid of replacing some fruits with bread or buttered pasta(I used to eat a ton of oranges, apples, and grapefruits and I replaced that with more complex carbs to limit the fructose)

    1 pound lost per week is damn good. Never get disappointed with a simple 1 pound week. Hell, I'd high five someone if they had the patience during a cut to be satisfied with just .5 lost per week. I'm not that patient so I play the 2 pound game and eat a ton of veggies and egg whites, and protein shakes. While I'm at a heavy deficit the weight of the food I put down is higher than most people eat in a day eating 3000 calories. Last thing....I used to throw back 4 beers per day making dinner. If you like alcohol which is ethanol it is going to really put a hamper on your efforts. Just seeing the daily intake of ethanol calories for a week got me to quit without a problem. I wish I tracked my calories years ago, I'm an ignorant fool for not doing so earlier. I thought I could run off the beers, foolish me.

    Good luck, I've got another 20 to go and I should be at or getting near 10% body fat which is my main goal.

  • alexacb92
    alexacb92 Posts: 9 Member
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    Wow!! You guys are great thanks for the advice! I will definitely work harder on thinking before I eat!

    I work in an office too, and they eat so bad and unhealthy. Almost everyday they snack on chips and candy and have soda. And if I say no to them, I won't hear the end of it! It's going to be tough but I will have to try my absolute best to manage my eating.

    I love food! Lol but I really have to think before I eat.

    Thanks guys :smile: ,
    Alexa
  • lovethepirk
    lovethepirk Posts: 41 Member
    edited May 2015
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    A protein shake that helps you consume 10-20 grams of protein depending on your end day macros would be good for lunch along with a cucumber or two and some carrots drizzled with balsalmic. I used to work in an office for 5 yrs with normal hours and I wish I'd have done this than eaten fries and a steak sandwich 2x a week and who knows what I ate the other days. Some days I would go get a pound of fruit and eat that thinking I was the healthy guy....fantastic for micros but horrible amounts of fructose I was consuming. Hell, why not bring in a sweet potato along with a cucumber and fire that puppy in the microwave then drizzle some olive oil on it with a dash of salt.....your co-workers will think you are a freaking chef lol :) If you eat 2 cups of water with the protein and a cucumber maybe also a sweet potato you will be stuffed and have done this 10x faster than your co-workers going to lunch. You will also spend less and feel 10x better in a week.

    You could also load up on breakfast and do an intermittent fast from morning til you leave work. Then clobber some dinner like a champ. I do that a few times a week. Food is most likely the most important thing you can do each day so take it serious. My problem was I had 75% of the knowledge and still didn't act. Just stupid of me.


  • lovethepirk
    lovethepirk Posts: 41 Member
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    Get the extra virgin olive oil for drizzling....don't cook that b/c you will ruin the polyphenols in the oil that are healthy. Olive oil has mono fats(oleic acid/Omega 9) which is not a criminal fat. For home cooking you can use some type of refined oleic acid for cooking or 2nd use saturated fat like butter or coconut oil b/c while it has some sat fats you will avoid the Omega 6's. The Omega 6's are poly fats and cheap so food producers use them like crazy for making foods and is one reason most people overconsume those. Too much 6's vs 3's and your machine won't operate as well. The best place to get the 3's is fish oil that is not contaminated b/c it has the longer chained EPA vs the ALA that you will find in hemp or chia seeds. I don't take fish oil but may in the future. The EPA will inhibit an enzyme that helps produce Arachidonic Acid. You mentioned you want to eat right to avoid diseases so that is why I tell you this. Research the Omega 3 fats and why EPA is better than ALA, but why ALA isn't all that bad b/c it can turn into EPA. Also, learn about EPA's effect on Arachidonic acid.
  • SarahSloth342634
    SarahSloth342634 Posts: 90 Member
    Options
    Your fitness levels sound great, your running ability is much better than mine! Stick to a sensible calorie controlled diet and you'll be seeing results in no time
  • kimadm4
    kimadm4 Posts: 68 Member
    Options
    lovethepirk wrote: »
    Alex,

    Heart is correct in that it is a calorie eaten game, treat is as such.....play with your meals in the app before you eat them to see what you can eat to achieve the calorie goal. I typically mock run my entire eating day over morning coffee.

    I ran and swam heavily for a year and lost 3 pounds. I scientifically analyzed my diet and lost 20 pounds in 2 months with 80% less exercise. I laugh now at myself b/c I walk the miles I used to run on the beach and know it's more about the food intake. The exercise is still fantastic tho and allows you to throw back more food.

    I go for a goal of 2 pounds lost per week. This is a pretty hard cut in my opinion. I'm 6'1 and 207 now and my daily goal is around 1750. THE KEY for me was to KNOW for CERTAIN my weight before I stepped on the scale each day/week. This means you throw out the HOPE and use math to know what your weight is going to be before you step on the scale. This means tracking your exercise and calories. Very simple, but takes logging every meal. Get a GRAM scale and measure your food to the precise gram before you cook it and use that number. KNOW your numbers inside and out! When you jump on the scale you will be within a quarter of a pound most of the time. Master your numbers. This app was huge for me as my excel sheet was getting insane.

    If I am hungry as hell I clobber two fresh thinly cut cucumbers and balsalmic vinegar. This is almost a 1.5 pounds and is enough to put you on the couch for an hour. I will also do that with baby carrots. You can eat pounds of these type veggies and put back limited calories. I look for the most physical weight I can put into my stomach with the most limited calories. Lots of lightly steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts. Keep the veggies lightly steamed so you can really chew them and the eating process takes some bodily chewing work. Try eating 400 grams of lightly steamed brussel sprouts in less than 20 minutes lol. You'll be so tired of chewing you won't want to eat for a couple hours :)

    When I feel I need a much more dense meal I clobber a couple microwaved sweet potatoes drizzled with just enough olive oil to make it not dry. Typically a sweet potato weighs 310 grams prior to microwaving, then comes out at 270, but that doesn't matter it is water lost in the cooking process. I don't eat the skin so the 310 gram potato becomes 260 logged in the app. I eat two of these sometimes so that is 520 grams which is a lot but sometimes you just gotta eat :)

    Get a scale
    Know your numbers
    Make it a game
    Eat a ton of colorful veggies(color is polyphenols/antioxidants----research ORAC values)
    Keep the fruit/fructose you eat to a minimum, get your micro nutrients with the veggies if you can
    Egg whites are fantastic to eat and you can eat a lot of them
    Don't be afraid of replacing some fruits with bread or buttered pasta(I used to eat a ton of oranges, apples, and grapefruits and I replaced that with more complex carbs to limit the fructose)

    1 pound lost per week is damn good. Never get disappointed with a simple 1 pound week. Hell, I'd high five someone if they had the patience during a cut to be satisfied with just .5 lost per week. I'm not that patient so I play the 2 pound game and eat a ton of veggies and egg whites, and protein shakes. While I'm at a heavy deficit the weight of the food I put down is higher than most people eat in a day eating 3000 calories. Last thing....I used to throw back 4 beers per day making dinner. If you like alcohol which is ethanol it is going to really put a hamper on your efforts. Just seeing the daily intake of ethanol calories for a week got me to quit without a problem. I wish I tracked my calories years ago, I'm an ignorant fool for not doing so earlier. I thought I could run off the beers, foolish me.

    Good luck, I've got another 20 to go and I should be at or getting near 10% body fat which is my main goal.

    This was so helpful!! Thanks!

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