Weight loss

tcm2003
tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Is anyone in this forum weigh in at 300 lbs or use to weight that if so I would really like some advice on how to get this weight off this is my heaviest. Feb of last year I weight around 255 and have Gained from changing to working nights at the hospital and being lazy

Replies

  • jaqcan
    jaqcan Posts: 498 Member
    At my heaviest I was at 350ish. I started MFP weighing in at 294, I'm now down to 258!
    Get a food scale! Weigh all your solid food.
    Use the recipe builder!
    Eat some protein at every meal! (just a tip that helps me from getting hungry)
    Don't go all fat free, sugar free, low calorie all at once. Track and see where you can make changes. I love having yogurt for breakfast. But I didn't need 26g of sugar and 160 calories in one little serving. I switched to a light greek yogurt that has less sugar and lots of protein for 80-90 calories.
    Pay attention to how you like to eat. Can you go without breakfast in order to have a bigger lunch? Or does not eating early in the day set you up to munch all day long? Learning about yourself and accepting it and making it work FOR YOU will be better than fighting against yourself every day.
    Good Luck and add me as a friend if you'd like!
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    jaqcan wrote: »
    At my heaviest I was at 350ish. I started MFP weighing in at 294, I'm now down to 258!
    Get a food scale! Weigh all your solid food.
    Use the recipe builder!
    Eat some protein at every meal! (just a tip that helps me from getting hungry)
    Don't go all fat free, sugar free, low calorie all at once. Track and see where you can make changes. I love having yogurt for breakfast. But I didn't need 26g of sugar and 160 calories in one little serving. I switched to a light greek yogurt that has less sugar and lots of protein for 80-90 calories.
    Pay attention to how you like to eat. Can you go without breakfast in order to have a bigger lunch? Or does not eating early in the day set you up to munch all day long? Learning about yourself and accepting it and making it work FOR YOU will be better than fighting against yourself every day.
    Good Luck and add me as a friend if you'd like!



    Thanks for the advice I like yogurt as well its amazing that eating just any type of yogurt is still high in sugar and such ..and for me I feel like I need to learn how to eat the 3 meals a day more healthier and when choosing snacks choosing the right things
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    I think I just send you an add friend
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    This is good advice ^^.
    Read the sticky posts at the top of each MFP for tons of tips. There is also an MFP group gor 100+ without surgery.

    I just remember how awful I felt mentally and physically at 301 pounds. If I'm not moving forward, I'm going back there. Not.

    SW 301
    CW 189
    GW 150
    16 months
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    This is good advice ^^.
    Read the sticky posts at the top of each MFP for tons of tips. There is also an MFP group gor 100+ without surgery.

    I just remember how awful I felt mentally and physically at 301 pounds. If I'm not moving forward, I'm going back there. Not.

    SW 301
    CW 189
    GW 150
    16 months




    Wow that's awesome congrats ...what type of things did u do as far eating habits and exercising
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    tcm2003 wrote: »
    jaqcan wrote: »
    At my heaviest I was at 350ish. I started MFP weighing in at 294, I'm now down to 258!
    Get a food scale! Weigh all your solid food.
    Use the recipe builder!
    Eat some protein at every meal! (just a tip that helps me from getting hungry)
    Don't go all fat free, sugar free, low calorie all at once. Track and see where you can make changes. I love having yogurt for breakfast. But I didn't need 26g of sugar and 160 calories in one little serving. I switched to a light greek yogurt that has less sugar and lots of protein for 80-90 calories.
    Pay attention to how you like to eat. Can you go without breakfast in order to have a bigger lunch? Or does not eating early in the day set you up to munch all day long? Learning about yourself and accepting it and making it work FOR YOU will be better than fighting against yourself every day.
    Good Luck and add me as a friend if you'd like!



    Thanks for the advice I like yogurt as well its amazing that eating just any type of yogurt is still high in sugar and such ..and for me I feel like I need to learn how to eat the 3 meals a day more healthier and when choosing snacks choosing the right things

    @jaqcan gave excellent advice! Start reading labels. Read them at the store while you're shopping and compare items. Also adapting to how you PREFER to eat rather than what or how you think you SHOULD eat is very important. Start tracking. Make small changes. Keep track of what works and what doesn't.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    The way to lose weight is to simply eat less calories than your body burns. Really. Right now, rather than worrying about all of the little things that go into being "healthy" worry more about simply losing weight, which is your biggest obstacle to health. Over time, you'll get better at making food choices, but you can simply lose weight by eating less of the foods you eat now. I promise that it's really that easy.

    The great thing about MFP is that it really teaches you a lot about food if you haven't taken time to understand how weight loss works. Once you have MFP set up with your personal information and goal, it'll give you a daily calorie total. Your job is to simply eat close to that calorie goal every day to lose weight at the rate you told MFP is your goal. View that calorie total as a food budget and treat it just like you would your money budget. If you have 2500 calories to eat each day, you can make decisions on how you want to "spend" those calories throughout the day. (Is that 300 calorie giant cookie really worth it or would you be better off eating the smaller 100 calorie cookie and saving those extra 200 calories for something later in the day when you know you'll be hungry?) When you exercise and enter it into MFP, you "earn" more calories to eat because eating them will maintain the calorie deficit defined by your goal. If you have extra calories at the end of the day, you can have a treat, or you can "budget" for a treat earlier in the day.

    Once you get used to staying at your calorie goal every day, you can look at your food choices and see where it might be a good idea to make healthier substitutions. An apple instead of that cookie, unsweetened tea instead of a bottle of Coca-Cola... you get the idea.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    SueInAz wrote: »
    The way to lose weight is to simply eat less calories than your body burns. Really. Right now, rather than worrying about all of the little things that go into being "healthy" worry more about simply losing weight, which is your biggest obstacle to health. Over time, you'll get better at making food choices, but you can simply lose weight by eating less of the foods you eat now. I promise that it's really that easy.

    The great thing about MFP is that it really teaches you a lot about food if you haven't taken time to understand how weight loss works. Once you have MFP set up with your personal information and goal, it'll give you a daily calorie total. Your job is to simply eat close to that calorie goal every day to lose weight at the rate you told MFP is your goal. View that calorie total as a food budget and treat it just like you would your money budget. If you have 2500 calories to eat each day, you can make decisions on how you want to "spend" those calories throughout the day. (Is that 300 calorie giant cookie really worth it or would you be better off eating the smaller 100 calorie cookie and saving those extra 200 calories for something later in the day when you know you'll be hungry?) When you exercise and enter it into MFP, you "earn" more calories to eat because eating them will maintain the calorie deficit defined by your goal. If you have extra calories at the end of the day, you can have a treat, or you can "budget" for a treat earlier in the day.

    Once you get used to staying at your calorie goal every day, you can look at your food choices and see where it might be a good idea to make healthier substitutions. An apple instead of that cookie, unsweetened tea instead of a bottle of Coca-Cola... you get the idea.

    All of this advice is excellent. Follow it.
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    SueInAz wrote: »
    The way to lose weight is to simply eat less calories than your body burns. Really. Right now, rather than worrying about all of the little things that go into being "healthy" worry more about simply losing weight, which is your biggest obstacle to health. Over time, you'll get better at making food choices, but you can simply lose weight by eating less of the foods you eat now. I promise that it's really that easy.

    The great thing about MFP is that it really teaches you a lot about food if you haven't taken time to understand how weight loss works. Once you have MFP set up with your personal information and goal, it'll give you a daily calorie total. Your job is to simply eat close to that calorie goal every day to lose weight at the rate you told MFP is your goal. View that calorie total as a food budget and treat it just like you would your money budget. If you have 2500 calories to eat each day, you can make decisions on how you want to "spend" those calories throughout the day. (Is that 300 calorie giant cookie really worth it or would you be better off eating the smaller 100 calorie cookie and saving those extra 200 calories for something later in the day when you know you'll be hungry?) When you exercise and enter it into MFP, you "earn" more calories to eat because eating them will maintain the calorie deficit defined by your goal. If you have extra calories at the end of the day, you can have a treat, or you can "budget" for a treat earlier in the day.

    Once you get used to staying at your calorie goal every day, you can look at your food choices and see where it might be a good idea to make healthier substitutions. An apple instead of that cookie, unsweetened tea instead of a bottle of Coca-Cola... you get the idea.

    All of this advice is excellent. Follow it.

    Thank you and that's really what I need to learn to do is stay within my calories each day and make better food choices
  • shellinut
    shellinut Posts: 33 Member
    I don't have much to offer you besides support in this, I currently weigh 352, down from 359 (lost 7 since beginning last week). I am here to read everyones tips and get inspired.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited October 2015
    tcm2003 wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    SueInAz wrote: »
    The way to lose weight is to simply eat less calories than your body burns. Really. Right now, rather than worrying about all of the little things that go into being "healthy" worry more about simply losing weight, which is your biggest obstacle to health. Over time, you'll get better at making food choices, but you can simply lose weight by eating less of the foods you eat now. I promise that it's really that easy.

    The great thing about MFP is that it really teaches you a lot about food if you haven't taken time to understand how weight loss works. Once you have MFP set up with your personal information and goal, it'll give you a daily calorie total. Your job is to simply eat close to that calorie goal every day to lose weight at the rate you told MFP is your goal. View that calorie total as a food budget and treat it just like you would your money budget. If you have 2500 calories to eat each day, you can make decisions on how you want to "spend" those calories throughout the day. (Is that 300 calorie giant cookie really worth it or would you be better off eating the smaller 100 calorie cookie and saving those extra 200 calories for something later in the day when you know you'll be hungry?) When you exercise and enter it into MFP, you "earn" more calories to eat because eating them will maintain the calorie deficit defined by your goal. If you have extra calories at the end of the day, you can have a treat, or you can "budget" for a treat earlier in the day.

    Once you get used to staying at your calorie goal every day, you can look at your food choices and see where it might be a good idea to make healthier substitutions. An apple instead of that cookie, unsweetened tea instead of a bottle of Coca-Cola... you get the idea.

    All of this advice is excellent. Follow it.

    Thank you and that's really what I need to learn to do is stay within my calories each day and make better food choices

    That's something we all struggle with a bit when we start. If we didn't, we wouldn't have needed the site in the first place, right? :smile:

    You'll learn through trial and error; you'll learn by doing the right things and the wrong things. You'll find foods or meals you always thought were "healthy" and low calorie that really aren't (1200 calorie salad, anyone?) All you can do is try your best, keep your eyes on your goal and keep moving forward. You will slip up some days; forgive yourself when you do. Tomorrow is always another day and this is a journey without a finish line.
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    SueInAz wrote: »
    tcm2003 wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    SueInAz wrote: »
    The way to lose weight is to simply eat less calories than your body burns. Really. Right now, rather than worrying about all of the little things that go into being "healthy" worry more about simply losing weight, which is your biggest obstacle to health. Over time, you'll get better at making food choices, but you can simply lose weight by eating less of the foods you eat now. I promise that it's really that easy.

    The great thing about MFP is that it really teaches you a lot about food if you haven't taken time to understand how weight loss works. Once you have MFP set up with your personal information and goal, it'll give you a daily calorie total. Your job is to simply eat close to that calorie goal every day to lose weight at the rate you told MFP is your goal. View that calorie total as a food budget and treat it just like you would your money budget. If you have 2500 calories to eat each day, you can make decisions on how you want to "spend" those calories throughout the day. (Is that 300 calorie giant cookie really worth it or would you be better off eating the smaller 100 calorie cookie and saving those extra 200 calories for something later in the day when you know you'll be hungry?) When you exercise and enter it into MFP, you "earn" more calories to eat because eating them will maintain the calorie deficit defined by your goal. If you have extra calories at the end of the day, you can have a treat, or you can "budget" for a treat earlier in the day.

    Once you get used to staying at your calorie goal every day, you can look at your food choices and see where it might be a good idea to make healthier substitutions. An apple instead of that cookie, unsweetened tea instead of a bottle of Coca-Cola... you get the idea.

    All of this advice is excellent. Follow it.

    Thank you and that's really what I need to learn to do is stay within my calories each day and make better food choices

    That's something we all struggle with a bit when we start. If we didn't, we wouldn't have needed the site in the first place, right? :smile:

    You'll learn through trial and error; you'll learn by doing the right things and the wrong things. You'll find foods or meals you always thought were "healthy" and low calorie that really aren't (1200 calorie salad, anyone?) All you can do is try your best, keep your eyes on your goal and keep moving forward. You will slip up some days; forgive yourself when you do. Tomorrow is always another day and this is a journey without a finish line.




    That's a problem I have as well when I mess up eating I'll get discourage or when I step on the scale and either it stays the same or go up I feel like giving up sometimes
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    shellinut wrote: »
    I don't have much to offer you besides support in this, I currently weigh 352, down from 359 (lost 7 since beginning last week). I am here to read everyones tips and get inspired.


    Congrats on loosing I haven't lost weight in weeks but I'm an trying to get on the right track and I do the same as u reading things to get some tips
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
    I started off over 300, and am now down to the low 200s after losing 103 lbs. I still have a ways to go, but am on my way there! The advice above is good.

    Personally, I think of my calorie goal like a budget. I get so much per day and I get to choose how to spend them. I usually try to get a mix of "healthy" foods in (I think of those as things like rent, tax, etc.... aka the basics that I should have) and then fill the rest in with treats like chocolate (I think of those as spending money on music, films, fun stuff that makes life enjoyable). I have a fitbit and work hard to earn more calories (which to me is like doing overtime at work so I earn more). I'm in this for the long haul, so I have found the things that make it sustainable for me. That is key!

    It ends up being simple... if I eat less than I burn, then I lose weight. To start, keep it simple. Then, as you learn more about things, and the way your body reacts to food (some food may be more filling, others might not be worth the calories, and other stuff may be), you can refine things. At the end of the day, know that this is a long term thing, and that you got this. You can do it, and that if you pay attention to your "budget" then you will be successful. :)
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    I started off over 300, and am now down to the low 200s after losing 103 lbs. I still have a ways to go, but am on my way there! The advice above is good.

    Personally, I think of my calorie goal like a budget. I get so much per day and I get to choose how to spend them. I usually try to get a mix of "healthy" foods in (I think of those as things like rent, tax, etc.... aka the basics that I should have) and then fill the rest in with treats like chocolate (I think of those as spending money on music, films, fun stuff that makes life enjoyable). I have a fitbit and work hard to earn more calories (which to me is like doing overtime at work so I earn more). I'm in this for the long haul, so I have found the things that make it sustainable for me. That is key!

    It ends up being simple... if I eat less than I burn, then I lose weight. To start, keep it simple. Then, as you learn more about things, and the way your body reacts to food (some food may be more filling, others might not be worth the calories, and other stuff may be), you can refine things. At the end of the day, know that this is a long term thing, and that you got this. You can do it, and that if you pay attention to your "budget" then you will be successful. :)

    Congrats on your success that's awesome!! And that is a good idea to think of it as a budget I would of never thought of that so I'm gonna give this a try this is very encouraging to me...how long did it take you to loose your weight and how many and what kinds of exercise do you do?
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
    edited October 2015
    Thanks! I started last September, just about a year. For the first 6 months approx. I lost about 3lb/week, but I wasn't counting my calories then, and since I had so much to lose, it was not unsafe for me then. I now lose about 1-2 lbs/week, which is more appropriate at my weight now. Everyone will lose at different rates though, so please don't get discouraged if you don't lose at the same rate. You also may not lose every week. I have weeks where the scale doesn't move, but I'll get a larger loss the next week. It's just water fluctuations so as long as I've tracked my food, I know it's fine. You really just have to trust the science that if calories in is less than calories out, then the weight will come off.

    I started off walking. At first it was just for 15-20 minutes at a time, and then I slowly ramped up. I now walk 7-8 miles a couple times each week, and get over 10,000 steps most days. I also love swimming (I used to play waterpolo and be a lifeguard) so I started doing that again, and aqua aerobics (which I love! I recommend it a lot). I have a spine issue so I can't do high impact stuff, but I slowly worked my way up to doing some weights in the gym, plus the bike and elliptical. I also love fitness blender videos (free on youtube) so I'll often do those. Now I typically swim a couple times a week, do aqua once, and then the other days, I go to the gym, walk, or do a video at home. This is what works for me, but you need to find what works for you. A combo of strength training and cardio is usually good, but if you aren't used to exercising, start slow and find what you enjoy. :)

  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks! I started last September, just about a year. For the first 6 months approx. I lost about 3lb/week, but I wasn't counting my calories then, and since I had so much to lose, it was not unsafe for me then. I now lose about 1-2 lbs/week, which is more appropriate at my weight now. Everyone will lose at different rates though, so please don't get discouraged if you don't lose at the same rate. You also may not lose every week. I have weeks where the scale doesn't move, but I'll get a larger loss the next week. It's just water fluctuations so as long as I've tracked my food, I know it's fine. You really just have to trust the science that if calories in is less than calories out, then the weight will come off.

    I started off walking. At first it was just for 15-20 minutes at a time, and then I slowly ramped up. I now walk 7-8 miles a couple times each week, and get over 10,000 steps most days. I also love swimming (I used to play waterpolo and be a lifeguard) so I started doing that again, and aqua aerobics (which I love! I recommend it a lot). I have a spine issue so I can't do high impact stuff, but I slowly worked my way up to doing some weights in the gym, plus the bike and elliptical. I also love fitness blender videos (free on youtube) so I'll often do those. Now I typically swim a couple times a week, do aqua once, and then the other days, I go to the gym, walk, or do a video at home. This is what works for me, but you need to find what works for you. A combo of strength training and cardio is usually good, but if you aren't used to exercising, start slow and find what you enjoy. :)

    [/quote


    That's great! I love going to the gym too I just haven't been able to go as much as I would like but I have to learn now to work out at home and stop using the fact I can't get to the gym as an excuse got not working out. I can't swim a bit but I'm gonna check out the fitness blender videos on YouTube as well. Thank you so much this has really helped me alot.
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
    I'm glad I could help! Thanks for the friend request. Let me know if you have any questions, and I can try to help answer them. The videos are great... I prefer fitness blender ones, but there are tons on youtube that don't require any equipment, so it's perfect if you can't get to the gym. :)
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks and no problem! !
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited October 2015
    tcm2003 wrote: »
    Thanks! I started last September, just about a year. For the first 6 months approx. I lost about 3lb/week, but I wasn't counting my calories then, and since I had so much to lose, it was not unsafe for me then. I now lose about 1-2 lbs/week, which is more appropriate at my weight now. Everyone will lose at different rates though, so please don't get discouraged if you don't lose at the same rate. You also may not lose every week. I have weeks where the scale doesn't move, but I'll get a larger loss the next week. It's just water fluctuations so as long as I've tracked my food, I know it's fine. You really just have to trust the science that if calories in is less than calories out, then the weight will come off.

    I started off walking. At first it was just for 15-20 minutes at a time, and then I slowly ramped up. I now walk 7-8 miles a couple times each week, and get over 10,000 steps most days. I also love swimming (I used to play waterpolo and be a lifeguard) so I started doing that again, and aqua aerobics (which I love! I recommend it a lot). I have a spine issue so I can't do high impact stuff, but I slowly worked my way up to doing some weights in the gym, plus the bike and elliptical. I also love fitness blender videos (free on youtube) so I'll often do those. Now I typically swim a couple times a week, do aqua once, and then the other days, I go to the gym, walk, or do a video at home. This is what works for me, but you need to find what works for you. A combo of strength training and cardio is usually good, but if you aren't used to exercising, start slow and find what you enjoy. :)
    That's great! I love going to the gym too I just haven't been able to go as much as I would like but I have to learn now to work out at home and stop using the fact I can't get to the gym as an excuse got not working out. I can't swim a bit but I'm gonna check out the fitness blender videos on YouTube as well. Thank you so much this has really helped me alot.

    At your current weight, just walking is good exercise. I also highly suggest strength training as soon as you can begin. I know that most people with a lot of weight to lose want to just focus on seeing the number on the scale get smaller, and I get that, but being significantly overweight actually has some advantages when it comes to strength training. I'll explain....

    When we lose "weight" the pounds we lose are made up of a combination of water, fat and muscle. The faster you lose weight, the more of that lost weight will be from muscle because our bodies are looking to preserve as much stored energy as possible against a future starvation period and unused lean muscle mass is an easy target. As you shed pounds, you need less muscle to move your mass around so your body will break it down and it'll be gone.

    Strength training forces us to use our muscles in such a way as to signal to the body that we need them. This limits muscle breakdown for energy and helps to retain the muscle you already have. It's much easier to maintain your current muscle mass than it is to build new muscle (just for starters, building new muscle involves gaining weight!) and here is where those advantages I mentioned come in. As I said earlier, when we lose weight it's a combination of muscle, fat and water. The opposite is true, too! Your current muscle mass is significantly greater than someone who is smaller because while you've been gaining weight over the years some of what you gained was extra muscle so that you could simply move around your extra weight. That's a huge advantage if you're willing to capitalize on it!

    Strength training now will allow you to keep a lot of the extra muscle rather than losing it along with the fat and water. This means more of your weight loss will be from fat and that's what you really want to lose. It also means that when you reach the weight you want to be that your body fat percentage will be much lower and you'll be much firmer at that weight than you would have been if you simply "lost weight" to get there.

    So, rather than reach your goal weight and then decide you want to "firm" or "tone" your body, start strength training now. Doing so will help to ensure that you will look, and feel, amazing when you've reached your goal and lost the fat that is covering all of that muscle hiding underneath.
  • alohajls
    alohajls Posts: 55 Member
    @SueInAz I think I might love you. Thank you for being so clear in your reasoning, this is much more useful than just being told to 'lift heavy' when you have a lot of weight to lose. I lift heavy all the time--I lift *me*!
  • tcm2003
    tcm2003 Posts: 30 Member
    SueInAz wrote: »
    tcm2003 wrote: »
    Thanks! I started last September, just about a year. For the first 6 months approx. I lost about 3lb/week, but I wasn't counting my calories then, and since I had so much to lose, it was not unsafe for me then. I now lose about 1-2 lbs/week, which is more appropriate at my weight now. Everyone will lose at different rates though, so please don't get discouraged if you don't lose at the same rate. You also may not lose every week. I have weeks where the scale doesn't move, but I'll get a larger loss the next week. It's just water fluctuations so as long as I've tracked my food, I know it's fine. You really just have to trust the science that if calories in is less than calories out, then the weight will come off.

    I started off walking. At first it was just for 15-20 minutes at a time, and then I slowly ramped up. I now walk 7-8 miles a couple times each week, and get over 10,000 steps most days. I also love swimming (I used to play waterpolo and be a lifeguard) so I started doing that again, and aqua aerobics (which I love! I recommend it a lot). I have a spine issue so I can't do high impact stuff, but I slowly worked my way up to doing some weights in the gym, plus the bike and elliptical. I also love fitness blender videos (free on youtube) so I'll often do those. Now I typically swim a couple times a week, do aqua once, and then the other days, I go to the gym, walk, or do a video at home. This is what works for me, but you need to find what works for you. A combo of strength training and cardio is usually good, but if you aren't used to exercising, start slow and find what you enjoy. :)
    That's great! I love going to the gym too I just haven't been able to go as much as I would like but I have to learn now to work out at home and stop using the fact I can't get to the gym as an excuse got not working out. I can't swim a bit but I'm gonna check out the fitness blender videos on YouTube as well. Thank you so much this has really helped me alot.

    At your current weight, just walking is good exercise. I also highly suggest strength training as soon as you can begin. I know that most people with a lot of weight to lose want to just focus on seeing the number on the scale get smaller, and I get that, but being significantly overweight actually has some advantages when it comes to strength training. I'll explain....

    When we lose "weight" the pounds we lose are made up of a combination of water, fat and muscle. The faster you lose weight, the more of that lost weight will be from muscle because our bodies are looking to preserve as much stored energy as possible against a future starvation period and unused lean muscle mass is an easy target. As you shed pounds, you need less muscle to move your mass around so your body will break it down and it'll be gone.

    Strength training forces us to use our muscles in such a way as to signal to the body that we need them. This limits muscle breakdown for energy and helps to retain the muscle you already have. It's much easier to maintain your current muscle mass than it is to build new muscle (just for starters, building new muscle involves gaining weight!) and here is where those advantages I mentioned come in. As I said earlier, when we lose weight it's a combination of muscle, fat and water. The opposite is true, too! Your current muscle mass is significantly greater than someone who is smaller because while you've been gaining weight over the years some of what you gained was extra muscle so that you could simply move around your extra weight. That's a huge advantage if you're willing to capitalize on it!

    Strength training now will allow you to keep a lot of the extra muscle rather than losing it along with the fat and water. This means more of your weight loss will be from fat and that's what you really want to lose. It also means that when you reach the weight you want to be that your body fat percentage will be much lower and you'll be much firmer at that weight than you would have been if you simply "lost weight" to get there.

    So, rather than reach your goal weight and then decide you want to "firm" or "tone" your body, start strength training now. Doing so will help to ensure that you will look, and feel, amazing when you've reached your goal and lost the fat that is covering all of that muscle hiding underneath.




    Great advice you hit that on point!! Thanks alot
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    alohajls wrote: »
    @SueInAz I think I might love you. Thank you for being so clear in your reasoning, this is much more useful than just being told to 'lift heavy' when you have a lot of weight to lose. I lift heavy all the time--I lift *me*!

    :heart:

    I'm a huge believer in helping people to understand why something is a good or bad idea. I've never been one to blindly follow rules or advice myself unless I understand and agree with the reasoning behind it. I believe that most people are reasonable, logical creatures so I resort to logic a lot in here. (Maybe one day you'll catch me responding to someone who wants to lose 20 pounds in two weeks and see me break down the math for them. :wink: )

    I have to admit, I've never been technically "overweight" but I have been stupid enough to just want to "lose weight" most of my life. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've come to realize how important maintaining muscle mass really is to our health and happiness, especially as I'm quickly approaching the BIG 50.

    Since I started lifting last year I've discovered a few amazing things about myself.
    • At 5'3.5", I now bounce around between 130-135 pounds and still fit into the same clothes I was wearing at 120-125.
    • Because my metabolism is a bit higher I can eat more.
    • I'm strong and that's empowering all on its own.
    • I'd rather be "buff" than thin.
    • My goal weight is now higher than it was because I'm smaller at the same weight.
  • DLMitch22
    DLMitch22 Posts: 47 Member
    Hey.... I work night shift at a hospital... The work is laid back ... However when I started I was 256.6 ... I am Down to
    227... What works for me is eating at 630 am before I get off and then I go work out for 2 hours and then I sleep and then when I wake up it's time to go back .. My dinner is at midnight ....basically I be so tired I only eat twice a day ....
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