200+ pound goal

ashleygerow87
ashleygerow87 Posts: 2 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm a 28 year old female looking to lose about 220 pounds.

I need tips on how to succeed. Meal plans, excersise routines for extremely over weight people ... basically anything that I can use to succeed.

Thanks

Replies

  • SpleenThief
    SpleenThief Posts: 293 Member
    Firstly, welcome to step one. Step two is talk to your doc.

    Lots of nutrition info on this website as well as others. It'd be difficult to really address that in a single message. Ultimately the key is take in fewer calories than you burn and you'll lose weight. Browse around, read a bit and develop something that works specifically for you.

    Exercise should be a part of your routine but it's not the key to weight loss per se. Exercise is the key to fitness. Eating right is the key to weight loss. Any sort of exercise you enjoy that you do consistently is fine. If something burns a gazillion calories but you hate doing it and won't stick with it it's not the right thing for you. There's a long road ahead of you. Try to have fun doing it.

    Do you have people in your life that can support this? Someone to walk with, someone to try new recipes on? That can be really helpful but it's not a deal killer. Connect with people here. Lots of new folks chime in with "need support friends" sort of posts and response it generally receptive to that sort of thing. It's important once someone is added as a friend to actually interact with them. It supports them as well. Feel free to add me as a friend or message me if you have specific questions.

    Don't get discouraged. The road from here to there isn't a straight line. There will be setbacks. Don't worry about them; they're part of the process. Don't start off with massive changes to your life. Change a few small to medium sized things. Let them work then make a few more changes.

    Welcome aboard.
  • JennieMaeK
    JennieMaeK Posts: 470 Member
    edited November 2015
    Stay within your calorie goal. Put your info into MFP and stick to the goal. Eat foods you enjoy, but don't go over your calories. Personally, I couldn't follow a specific meal plan.

    Find an exercise you like. I discovered I love jogging. I did the Couch to 5k program (C25k). Took me 3.5 months to do the 8 eight weeks, but now I jog regularly. Maybe you like Zumba or walking or swimming. Exercise isn't need for weight loss, but it's good for overall fitness and for me helps reduce stress.

    Remember, weight loss is not linear. There will be ups and downs. Don't let gains on the scale get to you. Celebrate the wins. I set smaller goals for myself which was less overwhelming that trying to lose a huge amount. I could focus on something that seemed more attainable.

    Feel free to add me as a friend. Extra support is always great.
  • klkarlen
    klkarlen Posts: 4,366 Member
    Excellent advice from the first two responders. Also read the Success Stories categories, and reach out (friend request) some of the folks that have posted their inspirational weigh loss stories, I'm sure most will be happy to help.

    I only needed to lose about 15%, which was not a lot, but I started slow, logged first, adjusted intake, made changes to stay within the allotted calorie goals, and increased my activity (not formal exercise, just walking, taking the stairs, etc.). Even on days where I know I'm going to go over, log it, and get back on track the next day.

    Don't be discouraged if the scale fluctuates - I weighed myself twice a day so I could become familiar with the daily water weight cycles, learned to know which foods were going to cause a bigger water weight gain.

    Good luck, and welcome to MFP.
  • rats2010
    rats2010 Posts: 79 Member
    I'm in a similar situation, starting weight was 351, down to 322 right now. Still have 180ish to go. 5'8"
    These are things that have helped me so far:
    Quit drinking regular soda, limit 20oz diet soda/day - preferably less.
    Drink at least 8 cups of water daily (I use the crystal light off brand flavors)
    Try to limit breads/pastas/sweets (PCOS and pre-diabetic reasons)

    Try to stay within my calorie goals each day, and starting out, even getting CLOSE to the goal took an effort. I logged for a month before making any changes, just for a baseline of sorts (and before I got the pre-diabetes lab results back).

    Find high protein, high fiber foods that you will be able to tolerate on a daily basis or that you can rotate throughout the week so it will be changes you can stick with and not get burnt out on. This will help you stay fuller longer. Eat your protein first. Try to stretch your meals out to 30 minutes.. chew slowly and often. This may sound silly but it helps to decrease the amount you're eating per meal. Also try eating from a saucer vs a large dinner plate. You can pile it full which makes your brain think you're getting a lot and still be eating less than as if from a regular plate. Weigh your food. Package sizes and portions can be deceiving.

    For exercise, I lift weights and do squats. I started out doing wall push ups and bodyweight exercises that didn't require weights. Find some activity you can do and enjoy that gets your heart pumping and do it 30minutes a day. Exercise will make you feel better and is a good stress reliever, and sometimes appetite reducer.

    Set mini goals for weight so you are not comparing "I only lost 7lbs this month and still have 213 to go." Personally I made a chart and each pound I drop gets highlighted, each new month gets written in next to the weigh in so I can see my progress. Take pictures and measurements in case the scale stalls.

    If you have a bad day, log it and move on. None of us are perfect.

    Mostly, don't give up!
  • ashleygerow87
    ashleygerow87 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks everyone. It'll be a long process but I can do it. Your advice has really helped motivate me.

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