200 pounds to lose.

Oh and a healthy mod morning snack might help

Thinking the full goal will seem overwhelming. I'm 65 lbs in a goal to lose 130. One thing I learned is that as the weight starts coming off and you get smaller, it's less daunting and starts being second nature.

danalikebanana wrote: »

How am I supposed to focus on 5-pound goals when I have this much to lose?

Sometimes I imagine slicing all of it off with a very sharp kitchen knife. But that's a problem (several problems) of its own, isn't it?

The day starts well enough...generally: exercise, proper breakfast, etc. Then I bounce right off the wagon and forget I'm on a WLJ (weight loss journey). Tomorrow's another day, I think to myself...yet again.

Focus hocus pocus. And my focus is of the fleeting nature about 3 hours into my day. I'm starvating 2 hours before lunch with panic in close proximity. Did I not eat enough for breaky? Just how much should a person of my size/height/activity-ness consume on the first encounter o'the day? 100 websites give me 100 different answers.

And why has it taken me so long to learn these things?

to start just put your current stats and activity level into mfp along with your goal and mfp will calculate your calories for the day. eat back some of the calories you burn doing exercise. if you're losing quicker than predicted you can add more calories, if you're losing slower than predicted you can cut back more.

if you're having trouble making it through the first day start slower. you can start just by practicing logging all your food. accurate logging is key to the process. just enter everything that you consume. after you've got the hang of that you can scale back by 100 calories a day for a week. then 100 more the next week, and so on until you've reached the MFP goal calories set for you in the first step. these can be super small changes. if you drink 3 cans of coke (not assuming you do) just drink 2 per day and there's 100 calories gone. if you eat 2 cups of rice, try 1.5. you don't have to change everything all at once or at all even. eat foods you like eating, just start to shave down the portions. if you're feeling hungry try to bulk up your meals with veggies if you like them. they add a lot of volume without a lot of calories. pay attention to how you feel after meals. if you eat carbs do you feel full for a while or hungry soon after? maybe fats help keep you full or maybe it's protein or a combo.

also, accept that there will be good days and bad days, but just because you've messed up on lunch doesn't mean you can't get back on track for dinner.

ETA: meal timing doesn't matter for weight loss. some people do well with a big breakfast others find that it makes them hungrier throughout the day. personally, i like to save at least half of my calories for dinner because that's when i like to eat fuller meals.

Sounds like you need to try keto dieting. Google it to get more info and then join MFP's Low Carb Daily Forum for help and encouragement. You can do this and without all the cravings and hunger pangs!

Send me a message girl, I'd love to help you, encourage you, support you!

If you're feeling binge-like after breakfast, try eating a higher protein breakfast with moderate carbs and fats. I find when I do that it regulates blood sugar and I don't feel the need to binge later

Every pound lost is one step closer to your goal.

I hadn't lost anything in 20 days and I hadn't cheated. So I looked up some ideas to get the pounds moving again. This is what I did. Increase water. Cut out as much sodium as I can. And stay under calorie count. Finally lists 1.6 this morning!

I start to get frustrated when I do everything right (log accurately, stay within suggested calories, increase water intake, reduce sodium, increase veggies, added exercises) and I still don't lose, or even gain weight (like today). I know that it's a long road, but sometimes I just get so frustrated that I'm doing everything right, but am making no progress. I'm determined, though, to stick with it and hope that the scale starts going my way!

nannon0502 wrote: »

I start to get frustrated when I do everything right (log accurately, stay within suggested calories, increase water intake, reduce sodium, increase veggies, added exercises) and I still don't lose, or even gain weight (like today). I know that it's a long road, but sometimes I just get so frustrated that I'm doing everything right, but am making no progress. I'm determined, though, to stick with it and hope that the scale starts going my way!

i get the frustration with the slow moving / backward moving scale. if you are doing everything right though, the scale will move eventually. it may be slow, and it won't be linear. a salty meal can bump me up 3 lbs for a few days easily as i'm sensitive to sodium apparently. TOM for women will also mask weight loss. if you've started a new workout routine or upped the intensity you're going to hold onto water for a bit too. there are what seems like a million reasons that your weight can stall but eventually it's going to succumb to the laws of physics and start decreasing.

i find that weighing every day and using a trending app like happy scale helps take the edge off the fluctuations and shows me my overall trend is downward. other people weigh once a week or once a month. figure out which makes you less stressed and weigh then.

@danalikebanana
"And why has it taken me so long to learn these things?"

I'll bet you a banana It took me longer to learn how to lose AND KEEP IT OFF!

I began my WLJ (this time) at age 65 four years ago! Now I'm 69 yo but I have lost 155#. (376 to 221)

Do it while your YOUNG because it just gets harder with age.

Find a group, a plan. a friend that will help you with the struggle. I joined WW,

Find a simple exercise that you enjoy and stick with it, I discovered I like aqua aerobics, swimming laps and walking my dog. No crazy workout routines but I do MOVE more now than I did sitting at my desk job.
I retired in 2010 and losing that 155# has made my life a lot more enjoyable.

Good luck to finding your way on the WLJ!