I need structure! What program WORKED for YOU?

The best program is the one you design yourself and stick with.

Yes, there's a lot of trial and error. Yes, you will fall off the wagon once in a while. But eventually, by listening to your own internal cues, you will discover what works for you. Following someone else's structure will not get you the same results they get.

That being said...I'm hypoglycemic and need to eat every few hours, otherwise I'll get sick. I also have a genetic hormonal imbalance that limits how far I can go with sugar. I only learned this after fasting blood work (awful!) and going to my doctor. With these limitations, I learned to pack lower-calorie snacks, and lots of them. I eat them throughout the day whenever I start feeling unwell. My meals are rarely one solid piece of anything; they're a mix of a lot of little things. That way I can eat when I'm hungry, not bored/tired/stressed.

I also eat to MFP's macros as far as possible. I'm especially focused on protein (more) and sugar (less) these days. I have bad days...I doubt today will be good (I'm on the road/away from home)...but 85% of the time I do pretty well.

Keep this in mind: you don't gain 15-20 lbs overnight, and it doesn't come off that fast, either. I've never used a specific diet or weight loss method, but I've dropped 45 pounds in 3 years. You can lose faster than that; I choose not to because I like to eat well and get everything I need to be healthy.

Good luck on your weight loss journey. You can do this!

I'm the opposite. I don't want to follow someone else's meal plan, etc. I simply stay at my calorie goal, eating foods I enjoy.

Why do you fall off? Have you set your calorie goal too low and are hungry? Are you accurately logging calories (weighing or measuring everything)?

Another thing that has helped me is setting mini goals. I started out at almost 240 lbs and wanted to lose about 95 lbs, but that seemed overwhelming. I've set mini goals of 10% weight loss that slight decrease each time. I've lost 50 lbs in 10 months doing that. I've also set fitness goals - completing the C25K program, taking a weight lifting class. My goal now is to jog 5k in 35 minutes (currently I'm around 41-42 minutes).

I was doing well when I attended Weight Watchers sessions. I can't go anymore and the pounds are starting to creep back. I'm thinking a group challenge might be the way forward.

i created my own structure

I log everything, eat everything ( high carb) only moderation and portion control.
Every night i sit down and log/plan the next day..( next day i can tweak a bit)
I weigh all my food
I exercise 6 days a week for approx 300 calories a day.
I am patient
I am consistent

And it works

I'm following a whole foods plant based lifestyle called Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman. Still learning a lot about it but have been doing pretty good with it so far. Check it out when you have some time. Best of luck...

What really got me started was this program from Zoe Rodriguez (insta: zoelivelovelift) that involved home exercises and guides and information about how to count macros (She uses MFP also)/ recipes/ muscle group workouts/ etc and her inspirational posts usually kept me motivated. Her programs are cheaper than most (about $19.95 but she has sales a lot) and she's actually the sweetest human being ever and she had offered me two free programs (we e-mail quite a bit about fitness and motivation and insecurities) I love her, great girl, great personal trainer

I completely understand where you are. I started this year at 180 pounds, so I did a couple of rounds of Les Mills Combat. The great thing about the Beachbody programs is they give you a well rounded workout program and schedules that tell you exactly which workout to do every day. They also come with nutrition books that give you a detailed eating plan and quite a few recipes.

I love this because if I don't know what workout I'm doing on a given day, sometimes I just end up not doing it. It's perfect for someone who needs complete structure, but you can also tweak it to fit your needs as they change. I still go back to the nutrition plans when I need ideas.

When I finished my second round, I was down to 160 pounds (In June). I've only lost a few pounds since then as I started lifting and running, but I plan to start 21 Day Fix to get me back on track.

I will disclaim this and say that I am a Beachbody coach, but I was not while I was doing Combat as I just signed up last week. you can check out my blog for my full story: findingkodex.wordpress.com

Good luck to you and feel free to friend me!

I logged into MFP and used nutrisystem for the first month and in the second month I started replacing those meals with healthier recipes that I tried and liked. The Nutrisystem helped me get used to portion control and I didn't have to think about my meals too much. As I realized I could live on less calories, I was more excited to try my own cooking but didn't obsess because I still had left over nutrisystem meals to fall back on if I didn't feel like cooking. Almost 3 months done and I do all my own meal prep, relying on prepackaged meals only about 1-2x a week. It has given me a sense of control and confidence in myself that I haven't had in a really really long time.

maybe counting calories isn't enough. maybe you also need to count macros. that'll give more specific structure if you're looking for it. just split your calories in 3 between the protein, fat, and carbs. include 20g-40g fiber.