Advice for someone who has 125lbs to lose!

1. Staying on track over time (I've lost over 100 lbs, am 5'1", F 46, with about 10 more to go, btw): I know it's a cliche, but success breeds success. If you can just get yourself locked in for a month, your body and mind will change A LOT in all sorts of ways. You'll notice smaller wrists or ankles, it will be normal to eat less, or the numbers on the scale move downward. Record everything: weight, measurements, photos. When you can see progress on many fronts, it helps to keep going.

2. Exercise when heavier: honestly, anything you like and you'll do.

3. Loose skin: it's not that bad considering you get a new kind of life

4. Best thing about not needing to deal with weight any more: the experience of being free, confident, proud of myself. And so hopeful about the future. (Like, hey, this is the year I find someone and get married? That's a much better "resolution" -- creating a new future -- than what I've done in the past.)

I am currently on the journey of losing 197 pounds. I have lost 9 of those to date. It is a journey. I see many others stating this and it is true. The weight loss is just the start. Maintaining the weight loss is the continuation for the rest of my life. I too have lost weight and then gained it back plus more. So I am now viewing this as what permanent changes can I make to be healthier and lose weight? The answers to that is what I am doing.

The first thing that has helped me is awareness of my eating by tracking it here on MFP. Seeing that has helped me to know what to change and how.

The next thing is moving/exercise each day. I have started slow by setting a goal of 20 minutes a day. I have a stationary bike, I walk and I dance. I find just getting up, putting on some music with a good beat, and dancing to it in my livingroom works well.

I find support and encouragement to be crucial to being successful. I love making new friends on MFP and supporting them on their journey. This helps me to remain committed to my goals and on track.

I think losing weight slowly is the best way to avoid a lot of sagging skin. The amount of skin you will have is going to depend on so many factors that it is hard to say what is the main thing to focus on. I agree with what has already been said...drink lots of water, moisturize....but also know that the amount of time you have had this weight and your skin has been stretched out will be part of the issue as well.

I wish you all the best on this journey!

Be patient. Anyone who tries to push a quick weight loss program is likely trying to sell you something.

Do not embrace an "all or nothing" mentality. Example: I ate a cupcake. Judge yourself as "I'm bad and a failure." Eat the rest of the cupcakes. Give up on program because you're bad and what's the point.

Be careful of your knees, back and feet. 125 extra pounds puts a lot of strain on joints and particularly these areas. Pick exercises that don't have a lot of impact for this reason. GOOD: stationary bike, swimming, weights, walking.

Nads36 wrote: »

What are your top tips for staying on track over a long period of time? What is the best exercises when heavier and any beauty care or techniques which help you with preventing loose skin.
And what has been the best thing about being slimmer?
Thanks in advance!!

Start now. Don't stop. Don't get discouraged. When someone tells you you're too skinny ignore them. When someone tells you you shouldn't be doing something that's working for you, ignore them. Don't fall for the low carb/fad diets, simply eat at a moderate deficit and exercise regularly. Eat back up to half of your exercise calories.

As far as exercise, when I was heavy I walked. Walked. Then I walked more. I walked as fast as I could sustain, then walked a little faster, and then walked up hills as much as possible. I would adjust my walking path to include hills. When I got used to a specific route, I'd change it up and add more hills. I was relentless. I averaged walking 4 miles a day up to 6 days a week up to 4mph.

Do yourself a favor, make sure you take at least one rest day a week. You'll have to eat less that day most likely because you won't have exercise calories to add back but your body needs to heal and rest. I managed to lose 115 lbs my first year, and honestly that was a little too fast. I even ended up injured after the first six months (back issues) because I was going at it 7 days a week.

My suggestion, set your loss rate at 1lb/week, eat back half of your exercise calories. That should give you a bit more than 1lb a week loss. Adjust your macros so that you're getting around .8g/lb of your target weight in protein. Set your fat intake at around 25% of what's left after that, and the rest in carbs. No food is off limits, but higher calorie foods may leave you hungry with no calories left for the day. So you are welcome to adjust according to what satiates you, but no need to avoid any food. Sugar, in moderation, is fine for non-diabetics. Caffeine is definitely fine for most people. Carbs are not the enemy. Fats are higher calorie so the only reason to avoid an excess is just that, it'll eat up your daily calories. Excess protein over .8g/lb of your target weight won't hurt, and it takes longer to digest so it'll keep you full longer.

As far as the loose skin, you're going to have that no matter what you do depending on your age. Best thing you can do to avoid some of that is to exfoliate daily, and drink lots of water for hydration. Expensive oils, lotions, bands, etc. are a waste of money if you ask me. Your body will snap back somewhat, but if you have a ton of excess skin it may not. Better to have loose skin than be obese in my book.

My goals were 10% of my weight. I started at 247, so my first goal was 25lbs. I heard once somewhere that you can't feel the difference in the size of an object until it's about 10% lighter or heavier (comparing small objects in your hands). I focused on that as a guiding principle and to keep me from being overwhelmed by the big picture. This helped me lose 80lbs, though now it's been a couple years I'm having to lose 30 of it again. Try to make it a lifestyle change, simple is better if you can keep to it more. I started regaining from cheating too many days in a row and not being as active on MFP. I've counted my calories at least, so I always know what I'm doing wrong to gain. I'd suggest logging no matter what, at least it will tell you what you eat.

What works as far as diet and exercise for one person may not work for you, so I would suggest trying different healthy foods and finding out which ones you really love and what exercise you enjoy and will stick to. I eat a lot of the same foods over and over but I love them so it's something I can stick with and I don't feel deprived. I eat a lot of protein, healthy fats, and fruits & veggies. I don't enjoy going to the gym that much but I love walking in the nature, swimming, and dancing around the house so I do those types of things and some strength training. Most importantly though, believe in yourself and have a positive mindset about weight loss. If you really want this and don't ever give up, you will certainly succeed but it will take patience and commitment and it's important to love yourself through the whole process. I've lost 115 pounds over the past year so far and it was something that seemed impossible before but with the right mindset it's not as hard as I would have thought. I believe anyone can do this. I wish you the best with your journey!

It's all been said. Log everything. Be honest when you log. Try not to get frustrated. We all go overboard . Don't let a bad meal turn into a bad day/week. Set time aside to workout daily and commit. You ARE worth it. Revel in your daily/weekly accomplishments. Buy new clothes when necessary (it rocks)! I've been in maintenence for over 3 years. I'm proud of my accomplishments- I will keep re-vamping my workouts so they don't get boring. The perks? When you look AND feel great!

Just take it ONE POUND at a time. That's all you need to look at. Also, don't stress if you don't get work outs in. Lots of people here have lost lots of weight without exercise.