Feeling Overwhelmed and Scared by the Amount of Weight I need to Lose.

reh54
reh54 Posts: 5 Member
edited November 29 in Introduce Yourself
After surviving 6 months of chemotherapy and cancer, I am now focused on getting healthy, which means losing 50-70 pounds. That seems like an impossible number, but I have enlisted a trainer to help me get there. He is working with my mainly on exercise, but we talk a lot about nutrition, too. Still the amount of weight I need to lose seems formidable, in part because I have a lot of bad habits to change to make this work. Any advice would be welcome!

Replies

  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
    Look at the stickied threads in the forums. There's lots of great info for new people.

    You can lose weight with zero exercise.

    It is great that you are exercising since that will help your overall fitness.

    Good luck with your fitness goals and your recovery.

  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Don't think about losing 50-70 lbs, break it up into smaller more manageable pieces. Think about losing 10 lbs per month and make sure you reach that goal by the end of the month, then do it again, and again until you've reached your goal. Huge goals tend to be discouraging, so make the goals smaller.
  • reh54
    reh54 Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks so much. 10 lbs sounds a lot more doable.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    If you got thru cancer & chemo, dropping the pounds should be easy.
    We all have bad habits...make small changes. One day, one pound, one step at a time.
    I lost most of my weight without exercising -just with calorie deficit.
    I eat out, I eat junk food, I eat chocolate...I didn't cut anything out, just eating in moderation.
    Get yourself a good food scale, weigh/measure, write what you bite. You CAN do this.
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  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    Wait... you kicked cancer's butt and you're afraid of fifty pounds? Dude, you so totally can do this. :) Every small step is a big step towards a new healthier you.

    And remember that even though there will be up and down days, and hungry days, and over-snacked days, it's about finding balance and taking it one step at a time. :)
  • Qskim
    Qskim Posts: 1,145 Member
    reh54 wrote: »
    Thanks so much. 10 lbs sounds a lot more doable.

    We tend to think that only the goal number means better health but increments are significant towards it too.
  • reh54
    reh54 Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks all.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Instead of looking at how far you have to go, focus on how far you've come. So for example when you lose that first 5 lbs, instead of thinking "I still need to lose 65 lbs" think to yourself "I've already lost 5 lbs!"

    I still have 20-25 lbs to lose, but I've already lost 77 lbs.

    See where I'm going with this? :)

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    reh54 wrote: »
    After surviving 6 months of chemotherapy and cancer, I am now focused on getting healthy, which means losing 50-70 pounds. That seems like an impossible number, but I have enlisted a trainer to help me get there. He is working with my mainly on exercise, but we talk a lot about nutrition, too. Still the amount of weight I need to lose seems formidable, in part because I have a lot of bad habits to change to make this work. Any advice would be welcome!

    Baby steps. Find smaller goals and aim for those. 10 lb, 10% of your body weight, 1/2 of the amount you need to lose, etc. are all good goals to work towards, one at a time. It can be done!
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  • Ibeachlover
    Ibeachlover Posts: 66 Member
    Just to let you know you aren't alone ! I also need to lose that much, however, I have been working out for quite a while now, and its been hard for me. However, despite little weight loss, people keep telling me I'm thinning out...I'll take it . However, I have now added much more aerobic to my routine, and really focusing more (but not being a Spartan), on nutrition. I think if you keep with your exercise, and focus on changing your eating habits, you will lose the weight. In a past life, I lost 40 plus pounds, so I know it can be done. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day...give yourself time and a few breaks.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    You have a unique opportunity that a lot of people don't have. You've beat down a formidable enemy and come out victorious!

    Now you need to load up every weapon in your arsenal to keep that enemy from coming back. Good nutrition, exercise (especially strength training), sleep, positive energy with the added bonus of weight loss, will go be great weapons to help you stay in remission and improve your overall health!

    You got this!
  • getfitbrandi
    getfitbrandi Posts: 8 Member
    I think it's important to count the non-scale victories on your journey to better health as well. For example fitting into your clothes better, joining friends/coworkers on a walk without getting out of breathe, workouts becoming easier to accomplish. When the goal is truly health these things should matter just as much as the number on the scale. I think breaking up the weight into manageable goals is excellent and a tactic that I am using myself as my goal is 70lbs.
  • gabrielirish1974
    gabrielirish1974 Posts: 3 Member
    Don't forget muscle ways more than fat. Pack some healthy weight on get rid of the fat. Use a tape measure and pictures so you can see your progress. Focus less on pounds and more on your health.
  • brymerjessica
    brymerjessica Posts: 6 Member
    dont give up do baby steps first this is new to me its hard trying to break habits one step at a time.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    gabrielirish1974 wrote: »
    Don't forget muscle ways more than fat. Pack some healthy weight on get rid of the fat. Use a tape measure and pictures so you can see your progress. Focus less on pounds and more on your health.

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. They weigh the same.
  • jmackey1980
    jmackey1980 Posts: 29 Member
    I lost 60 before (and gained it back) and am 20 into losing it again. The losing is doable, the lifestyle changes to keep it off is the hard part in my view. You can do it!
  • NOWHEREGIRL55
    NOWHEREGIRL55 Posts: 8 Member
    Just one day at a time is all you can do. Soon, you look back and you'll see your progress. Like everyone says, just set smaller goals or it can get discouraging. Looking down the road it 50lbs can seem eternal but as you said, 10lbs is doable. :)
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I think everybody said pretty much what I was going to say: start with 50 if that is your minimum for a long-term goal. Break that down into manageable chunks (like 5-10lbs). Look up the term SMART goals. Celebrate the accomplishment of the short-term goals. Losing 5lbs may not sound like a lot, but it is 5lbs closer to your long-term goal.

    A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    gabrielirish1974 wrote:
    Don't forget muscle ways (sic) more than fat.
    1 lb feathers =1 lb fat = 1 lb muscle = 1 lb lead = 1 lb plutonium = 1 lb neutron star
    The volume those take up will be VERY different.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    As to the OP,
    how do you eat an elephant?
    One bite at a time.

    So make a list of every 5 lb you want to lose, and when you get there write the date next to it.
    Reward yourself with fun new socks, or a song / audiobook to walk to, or an MP3 player, or bubble bath,
    or going for a hike in a state park you haven't visited before ...
    Then look to just the next 5 lb.

    Be reasonable in your expectations of how much you can lose safely,
    as well as how fast you're going to do it.
    At first, 2 lb a week is probably possible, but as you get closer to goal that will slow to 1/wk, then maybe
    2/month. It's natural. Don't get discouraged.
    Also, it's not linear.


    Here are some useful posts. Definitely read sexypants, and you will probably find some of the links in my
    blog post (the last thing here) useful. They go to reliable informative sites, such as medical schools &
    nutritional trade association journals.

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

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1


    Goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045

    .
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  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    Also, I'd be leery about taking nutritional advice from someone who bills himself as a fitness trainer.
    What is his education about nutrition?
    Does his credentialing body include nutrition in what they allow their trainers to teach? (For example, ACSM does not.)
    What is his credentialing body? Did you check to be sure he's current?
    (I don't need to know the answers, but you do.)

    One of the links in that "goal setting" blog post I just linked to is to a calculator from the Baylor College of
    Medicine which will show you how many servings of the food groups, as well as how many calories per day, are
    needed to maintain a particular weight.
    Another link is to an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (dietitian's professional org.),
    and it discusses the healthy macronutrient ranges.
    I would (do) trust those sources as safe & science-backed information.
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