How To Start Again!?
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frenchy807
Posts: 37 Member
Hey there everyone!
A little bit of background on my history, I started on MFP about 4-5 years ago. When I was 19 or so, I had started at 200 lbs and made it down to 169 lbs within about 6 mo-year. I hadnt done any exercise (yes, not good I know). I was solely doing a calorie deficit and it worked for me!
At the time, I didn't really LOOK like my body had changed much in my eyes. Everyone around me was saying I looked great and I did feel a little smaller, but I didn't think it was that big of a difference. I fell off the bandwagon and stopped paying attention to my calorie intake.
Jump forward to today and I am now 22 and weigh 204 lbs (UGH!!). I have been off and on trying to start the calorie deficit, but it just feels SOOOO hard now, way harder than it had before. I do however work out 3 days a week for about 30 minutes, and I drink about 70 oz of water a day.
Maybe its the lack of motivation? But now I look at the pictures of the time I was 169 lbs, and I look SOO tiny! What had I been thinking?!
Anwyays, I'm just ranting now. But all I hear now is so many different forms of advice to lose the weight and keep it off that I just feel lost when trying to figure out how to start again.
"Stay AWAY from ALL carbs!"
"Cut out all soda, you'll be fine"
"Eat fruits for snacks instead, but not TOO many fruits!"
"Eat clean only! No processed ANYTHING!"
"Pasta and bread are your worst enemies"
"Cardio will make you lose weight more than strength training"
"1500 calories a day and eat anything you want!"
So, now I'm sitting here trying to find the right way to lose this weight and KEEP it off, and to help keep the mindset to keep it off. Mostly looking for motivation here and advice for what is right! Thank you so much, and love to you all!
-Chunky, yet funky
A little bit of background on my history, I started on MFP about 4-5 years ago. When I was 19 or so, I had started at 200 lbs and made it down to 169 lbs within about 6 mo-year. I hadnt done any exercise (yes, not good I know). I was solely doing a calorie deficit and it worked for me!
At the time, I didn't really LOOK like my body had changed much in my eyes. Everyone around me was saying I looked great and I did feel a little smaller, but I didn't think it was that big of a difference. I fell off the bandwagon and stopped paying attention to my calorie intake.
Jump forward to today and I am now 22 and weigh 204 lbs (UGH!!). I have been off and on trying to start the calorie deficit, but it just feels SOOOO hard now, way harder than it had before. I do however work out 3 days a week for about 30 minutes, and I drink about 70 oz of water a day.
Maybe its the lack of motivation? But now I look at the pictures of the time I was 169 lbs, and I look SOO tiny! What had I been thinking?!
Anwyays, I'm just ranting now. But all I hear now is so many different forms of advice to lose the weight and keep it off that I just feel lost when trying to figure out how to start again.
"Stay AWAY from ALL carbs!"
"Cut out all soda, you'll be fine"
"Eat fruits for snacks instead, but not TOO many fruits!"
"Eat clean only! No processed ANYTHING!"
"Pasta and bread are your worst enemies"
"Cardio will make you lose weight more than strength training"
"1500 calories a day and eat anything you want!"
So, now I'm sitting here trying to find the right way to lose this weight and KEEP it off, and to help keep the mindset to keep it off. Mostly looking for motivation here and advice for what is right! Thank you so much, and love to you all!
-Chunky, yet funky
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Replies
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Eat your foods, just less of them. Portion control is working well for me. I love my food scale.
I treat calories like a money budget. If a food is too expensive (will cost me more calories than I want to spend on it) then I substitute with another food that I also like.
If you find a way of eating that you like while you are losing weight, then maintenance will just mean that you can keep eating that same way with a few more calories in your food budget.0 -
Here is my advice.
1 eat food you like
2 maintain a smallish calorie deficit
3 start exercising by going for a walk.
4 be consistent.
5 don't listen to idiots.
6 succeed0 -
970Mikaela1 wrote: »Here is my advice.
1 eat food you like
2 maintain a smallish calorie deficit
3 start exercising by going for a walk.
4 be consistent.
5 don't listen to idiots.
6 succeed
I like this!!
I like the consistency part too...I think thats been my biggest downfall, and would probably be one of the things to help me the most. Thank you! 0 -
Oh darling! Can I tell you I am in the same boat, but even worse you could say!
In 2009 I had had it! I was 315 lbs, and I did a total 360, I signed up with a nutritionist at work and started working in out, and in about a year and a half, I had lost 137 lbs. I was at 178 at my lowest. It was great! I met my husband and I moved to Canada. Then for the next two years I lived with my in-laws in a basement with no income (my husband's and no control over the food in the house, and I gave up). It had all started to come back, and I was miserable!
So fast forward, for the past few months I had been building up this motivation to get back to that lowest weight, to feeling energetic and looking good again, and not to mention we want to start a family! I was at the doctor's office in Mid January and it turns out that it was official, I had gained it ALL back, plus 5 lbs. I was shocked. But that day I knew, I had reached the end of the line. That week I started to plan and on the 25th of Jan I weighed myself and I haven't looked back. As of today I've lost 16.6 lbs. I've completely changed the way I eat, I've started excising 3-4 times per week (which as soon as a few more pounds come off, I will increase).
My point is, we can't look back, we just have to look forward, and at least in another 2 year we will be where we want, not stuck in the same place, thinking we should have done something back then!
Add me as a friend, we can motivate each other, finding MFP has been a great tool for me this go around since I don't have my nutritionist here, I do email here and have spoken with here once. But logging on this site and the community has been great!
-Naboo1 -
4 years ago, I started at 357 and dropped to 192. In the interim I gained back up to 290. I now sit at just below 270.
For me the problem was execution. I knew what I had to do to lose the weight, I knew what I had to eat to lose the weight, but I just couldn't seem to find it within me to do those things. I kept telling myself I SHOULD lose some weight, I SHOULD start exercising, I SHOULD eat better, but I never DID any of it.
For me the difference has been commitment. I stopped saying SHOULD and started say WILL. Once I did that, I ran out of excuses. SHOULD implies that today I can eat that donut and not exercise cause I'll start another day. WILL does not allow you any excuses. You can not tell yourself that you WILL eat better with a mouth full of brownie.
You know what you have to do. You know the best way to do it healthily. Now you just have to get it done. It's not going to be easy, and you're going to want to quit at various times, just like I'm sure you wanted to quit the first go around, but you can do this. The question is whether or not you WILL.
For the record, I know you will.0 -
Oh darling! Can I tell you I am in the same boat, but even worse you could say!
In 2009 I had had it! I was 315 lbs, and I did a total 360, I signed up with a nutritionist at work and started working in out, and in about a year and a half, I had lost 137 lbs. I was at 178 at my lowest. It was great! I met my husband and I moved to Canada. Then for the next two years I lived with my in-laws in a basement with no income (my husband's and no control over the food in the house, and I gave up). It had all started to come back, and I was miserable!
So fast forward, for the past few months I had been building up this motivation to get back to that lowest weight, to feeling energetic and looking good again, and not to mention we want to start a family! I was at the doctor's office in Mid January and it turns out that it was official, I had gained it ALL back, plus 5 lbs. I was shocked. But that day I knew, I had reached the end of the line. That week I started to plan and on the 25th of Jan I weighed myself and I haven't looked back. As of today I've lost 16.6 lbs. I've completely changed the way I eat, I've started excising 3-4 times per week (which as soon as a few more pounds come off, I will increase).
My point is, we can't look back, we just have to look forward, and at least in another 2 year we will be where we want, not stuck in the same place, thinking we should have done something back then!
Add me as a friend, we can motivate each other, finding MFP has been a great tool for me this go around since I don't have my nutritionist here, I do email here and have spoken with here once. But logging on this site and the community has been great!
-Naboo
Oh Naboo you are SOOO sweet!!!!
You have given me some incredible motivation, and I know I was so frustrated when I stepped on the scale. I'd LOVE to get back to where I was and then some....I know we can both get back to those points, weve done it before and we can do it again!! What have you been doing, mostly a calorie deficit? I'd love love love to be your friend so we can keep each other motivated 
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4 years ago, I started at 357 and dropped to 192. In the interim I gained back up to 290. I now sit at just below 270.
For me the problem was execution. I knew what I had to do to lose the weight, I knew what I had to eat to lose the weight, but I just couldn't seem to find it within me to do those things. I kept telling myself I SHOULD lose some weight, I SHOULD start exercising, I SHOULD eat better, but I never DID any of it.
For me the difference has been commitment. I stopped saying SHOULD and started say WILL. Once I did that, I ran out of excuses. SHOULD implies that today I can eat that donut and not exercise cause I'll start another day. WILL does not allow you any excuses. You can not tell yourself that you WILL eat better with a mouth full of brownie.
You know what you have to do. You know the best way to do it healthily. Now you just have to get it done. It's not going to be easy, and you're going to want to quit at various times, just like I'm sure you wanted to quit the first go around, but you can do this. The question is whether or not you WILL.
For the record, I know you will.
This made me smile, thank you so much for the motivation!!! You are SO right. I just need to do it. And even though that seems like the easiest part, its literally the hardest. Ive done it before, and I know I can do it again. I WILL do it again Thank you! 0 -
Losing weight is done in the kitchen, getting fit is from exercise. Losing weight is all about calories in and calories out, eat what ever makes you happy if it fits in your calorie goals.0
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I went from size 18 (uk) to size 10. I am currently 12/14 but was edging more to 14. Found the blood sugar diet and against my natural instincts started it. Today I feel so ill, carb flu. Think I will have to go back to plain old calorie counting. I cook from scratch and only eat clean food which is more important to me than weight. I am so tired of the diet bandwagon.0
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Use MFP. Tell it your height, weight, activity level and set a reasonable goal of 1 lb a week. Eat the number of calories it tells you. All you need to do to lose weight is have the right calorie deficit for you.
Eat food you like every day. Eat the way you can imagine eating the rest of your life. Learn to fit the food you like in your goals.
Pre-logging can be really helpful. Plan meals and snacks.
Get enough protein, fat, fiber to feel satisfied.
Drink water or unsweetened tea and save calories for food if you are feeling like you want to eat more.
Pair smaller portions of high calorie items with more low calorie foods. Fill your plate with more vegetables.
Log as accurately as you can. Weigh and measure food and drinks. Choose correct entries. Use the recipe builder when you cook.
Get some MFP friends with similar stats and goals.
Take body measurements, take a photo once a month, have a test piece of clothing or set a fitness goal in addition to the number on the scale.
Be patient. It will take time. Stick with it.
Every day you take the best care of you is an improvement. You deserve a full, healthy life.
If you are new or coming back to exercise after being sedentary don't start with intense hour long workouts. You might start with just walking or short beginner workouts. You Tube has tons of free workouts.
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For me, the first step is the hardest, but is also the most necessary, and that is to START LOGGING HONESTLY. It's when I see what I eat and how much that I can begin thinking about changing.0
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Try a higher calorie goal. The temptation is to shed weight fast, fast, fast. However, if you have a higher calorie goal it helps mentally to know that you're not going to have to be under an enormous amount of restriction.
So you lose a little slower. That's okay. It means you can eat more!
And a thousand-percent yes to the folks saying eat food that you enjoy. You don't need to arbitrarily cut out anything. You don't even need to exercise (as you know from past experience.)0 -
rosebarnalice wrote: »For me, the first step is the hardest, but is also the most necessary, and that is to START LOGGING HONESTLY. It's when I see what I eat and how much that I can begin thinking about changing.
Yep! Log every lick and crumb! I have a bad habit of cleaning the crumbs off my children's plates...even when I'm not hungry. Taking time to recognize those little things will make a huge difference at the week 0
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