How do you go from 300+ to 200lbs? Ugh!
rjqq1234
Posts: 2 Member
Hi Folks, I'm a newbie. Mid 40's and somehow scales tipped over 323 lbs. 200 lbs is the mark, need to get there, please help!
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Replies
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One very helpful thing for me has been adding recipe apps. FitMenCook is an awesome one.1
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Read the stickies in this forum. All is explained there.1
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I wasn't quite at your weight (but darn close).
I have knee joint problems so cardio exercise is not going to be a big part of my weight loss. That said, in the 6 weeks I have been logging and watching my intake of calories I have lost about 15 pounds!
I want to lose about 50lbs by next April, about 1lb a week, that will see me tipping the scales at 18 stone or so.
I am setting my self 'little targets' so that the big picture doesn't overwhelm me. My first 'little target' was to drop below 22 stone, I accomplished that last week, it made me very happy indeed. Only a small victory, but a victory just the same. My next goal is to hit the 299lb mark, I weighed in this morning at 304lbs and so have 5lbs to go.....
These 'little Targets' make the weight loss seem more achievable and keep my spirits up....
I keep a track of my weight loss on a spread sheet.....it works for me!
Our targets are pretty close, feel free to add me on here, I keep a blog, it may help......7 -
All you need to lose weight is a calorie deficit.
Not to sound mean but the scale didn't "somehow tip over 323", you've been eating too much for your activity level (have been in a calorie surplus) which causes weight gain.5 -
Just follow along with the rest of us and you will get there. Small goals at a time make the journey achievable.
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Just follow along with the rest of us and you will get there. Small goals at a time make the journey achievable.
This is exactly how I am doing things!
I am currently at 304lbs and wish to get below 200lbs, however, my next 'Target' is actually to hit 299lbs, I will be very happy that day!
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One pound at a time.
That sounds flippant but it is the truth. Determine your calorie goal by completing your MFP profile. Set it to lose 2 lbs per week. Eat those calories plus 50% of exercise calories you earn. After four weeks adjust your calories if you are losing too slowly or two quickly.
Best of luck to you!12 -
You just start. It may seem like a massive thing to do, but the lbs will drop off and you'll see your goal approaching slowly, it surely....
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Eat less.2
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I am 266 lbs currently and in one week on my return to MFP I have lost 2lbs mainly through short walks of 20-30 mins twice a day 7 days a week.... It will come off but you have to be very determined...... good luck.2
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walk more1
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I started out about the same as you back in 2012. I was over 330 and thought 200 would be impossible. I finally got under 200 after 13 months. It can be done, but it wasn't easy and staying there wasn't easy either. I ended up getting back up to 260 just this past Christmas. Maintenance is the hardest part IMO. When the clothes stopped fitting and I only had two shirts that still fit me, I determined I wasn't going to re-buy a whole new larger wardrobe again. So I am back on the program of logging daily. I don't think I will ever not be able to if I want to maintain the goals I reach.
There isn't any secret sauce or magic pill to make it work. It is 100% calories in vs calories out. I didn't exercise at all during my initial weight loss, but took up running after a couple years. That didn't last long term and I have recently (12 weeks ago) just started weight lifting. I am trying to get back down to under 200 and ideally about 185. This time though I would rather be more toned rather than "skinny fat", like I was the last time, when I get there.6 -
One pound at a time.
That sounds flippant but it is the truth. Determine your calorie goal by completing your MFP profile. Set it to lose 2 lbs per week. Eat those calories plus 50% of exercise calories you earn. After four weeks adjust your calories if you are losing too slowly or two quickly.
Best of luck to you!
This right here ^^
Do all of this!4 -
"How do you go from 300+ to 200lbs?"
A pound at a time friend. I started at roughly the same weight and am now roughly 180lbs. All of the newbie tips apply. Buy a food scale, measure food in grams, log your calories accurately. Stay busy, eat less, move more. Most of all, absolutely crucial: Put in the time for it to work. If you are doing everything right at first you'll drop 2 lbs a week easily, when I was that weight 3-4lbs a week wasn't uncommon. But that slows down.
It's a long process that takes a lot of will power. But you can do it. It's simple, just not easy. So how do you go from 300+ to 200-? By putting one foot in front of the other, and baby stepping until you're running.16 -
Pretty simple, really (remember, I said simple, not easy!). You tipped the scales at 323 because you've been eating too much. Eat less calories than your body burns and the weight will come off. Assuming you're 5'9 (you stated no height) and 45 years old, you burn 2,800 calories a day just by existing. I'd recommend lowering your intake to 2,300 calories a day (loss of 1 lb per week) or 1,800 calories a day (loss of 2 lb per week)0
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Same way I'm going from 370 to 220...time, perseverance, and calorie deficit.6
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I'm at about 235, down from about 330. Goal is under 200, but short term is maintain for the summer. Read the stickies, they helped me a lot. The plan is simple, but it's hard to do. Trust the numbers MFP gives you, get a food scale and weigh everything you consume and start walking. Go easy on the exercise to start or your joints won't be happy. But experiment to find what you like.6
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This and other helpful threads are in the Getting Started section:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p10 -
One pound at a time.
That sounds flippant but it is the truth. Determine your calorie goal by completing your MFP profile. Set it to lose 2 lbs per week. Eat those calories plus 50% of exercise calories you earn. After four weeks adjust your calories if you are losing too slowly or two quickly.
Best of luck to you!
^This.
You just start. Start by tracking your food that you eat now.
Read the stickies at the top of the forum for how to do that.
Once you see what you're eating now, look for ways to cut back on calories, and take one step at a time.
All of us started somewhere.
I'm down 90 pounds, on my way down to 100 total lost same as you're planning, and it's just 1 pound at a time, 1 day at a time, 1 decision at a time.
Realize that this whole thing is something you'll be in for the long haul and is not something you'll mess up permanently. If you do mess up, just get back to it and keep moving forward.
Best of luck.4 -
How? One minute, one hour, one day at a time. Listen to all the great advice and experiences here, be honest to yourself and never forget the endgame. It's working for me so far! It will for you to.4
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Did this exact thing. 90lbs down. Friend me, I'll be glad to share/0
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Eat less & move more to create a calorie deficit.1
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I am currently in the same boat. I started at 336 and I'm now down to 265. Setting your calorie goal in MFP is important, and creating a calorie deficit will help you lose weight. But do not underestimate the importance of exercise. While MFP only calculates cardio exercise for additional exercise calories earned, strength training is far more important in the long run. Not only does it burn calories (MFP does jot count them because they are much harder to calculate), but every pound of lean muscle also burns about 75 calories a day, even at rest. Also, especially if you are diabetic, and even if not, toned muscle utilizes insulin far better thus burning the calories you eat more efficiently. My insulin intake went from 140 units per day and is already down to 25 in just a matter of months back at the gym. It started to decline steeply in just 2 weeks, showing I was using insulin better. Plus muscle looks good, and if you can put on 10 pounds of lean muscle you will burn about 750 extra calories a day. That's over a pound of fat every 5 days. For most men it is not that difficult to put on 10 pounds of muscle, and you should not look at just your weight as a measure of fitness. You are better off at a muscular 210 than you are at a flabby 200... and the extra muscle will make it much easier to maintain your weight. I have been fit and muscular much of my life, but I slacked off after I got married, developing diabetes and other health problems. I have lost weight dieting before, but my health problems did not really start to subside until I started taking working out again very seriously. You don't have to do a lot. I strength train every other day, and do cardio everyday. I know it sounds like a lot, but here's a trick. You probably watch a fair about of television. Get a Netflix subscription and choose a program that you will only watch (on a phone or tablet) while doing your cardio. Find something addictive, binge worthy. I started with Breaking Bad which you can download so you don't even need an internet connection at the gym. Episodes are 47 minutes. Doing 47 minutes on an elliptical or a treadmill goes much faster when you are distracted in this way. Don't worry about speed, figure out your target heart rate and go from there. Try to keep your heart rate in that zone and you will find that suddenly you have to up your game to reach that heart rate. Watching Breaking Bad I logged over 400 miles on various machines. For strength training right now I only do 2 sets per body part every other day, and I still have not started on any core exercise, the abdomen and lower back, as I carry most of my excess weight there and it is difficult to do these. That will come later. I would also suggest super setting and circuit training to save some time. Super setting is when you work opposing muscle groups, so you do not have to rest as long between sets. So you do a set for the chest that and then a set for the back then another for the chest and then another for the back. Biceps and triceps is another good group to oppose each other. I then Do shoulders and legs, which is a combination circuit and superset. Shoulders and legs are not related, and the calf is not really related much to the upper leg. So that sort of makes it a circuit as opposed to a superset. However, when I do this routine and instead of doing squats or leg presses I do leg extensions and leg curls, that is a superset in the middle of the circuit. It also adds an exercise to my routine. Every 2 to 3 weeks you should change the exercises you are doing for each muscle group. So for a few weeks I will do a routine such as bench presses and rows two sets each, and I will switch to flies and lat pull-downs for a couple of weeks. I will do leg presses for a couple of weeks, and then switch to leg extensions and leg curls. Unfortunately calf raises are the only exercise I can think to do for the calf, but you could do them the different ways and change the angle a bit. You should also change up your cardio. I generally do treadmill on the days that I Strength train, and elliptical on the days that I do not. You can do this quicker than 40 or 50 minutes, but the longer you go the more calories you earn to eat back. As they said above, only eat back about 50% of the calories you earn. If you are using machines, be sure to enter your current weight to get a more accurate calorie count, but even that will NOT be spot-on, that's why you should not eat back more than 50%. Always get your heart rate into the target zone for a minimum of 20 minutes. When I do a short workout I usually find a half-hour program to watch (Portlandia right now) I pump the elliptical very hard for the first 2 minutes and get my heart rate up, and then I maintain that for 21 or 22 minutes. I will do this sometimes on days I Strength train because for whatever reason I don't have the time to be in the gym that long. My gym is Cheap, Planet Fitness only $10 a month. If you can't afford a gym there are many exercises you can do at home with no weights at all, or with a cheap dumbbell set you can get at a garage sale. Walking is free...just keep a good pace and check your heart rate. Even if you can't maintain a HR at first, keep moving. The bottom line is you need to get moving and do something or maintaining any weight loss will be nearly impossible. And this is not a diet, it is a new lifestyle. You will always have to watch your portions and track your weight and your Fitness, and adjust accordingly. That doesn't mean you can never go to a party again, it just means that the week before or the week after you may have to be a little more strict with yourself. I know I went on for a while, but this is really important stuff and you cannot underestimate it. I did not gain my weight until I stopped my workouts. I really feel that activity is the key Fitness. Calories are important, but activity will burn those calories more effectively. START OFF SLOW, and build up as you udentify your limits. I woyld suggest abkut 12 reps per set to start, then add weight until you can't do 12...but can do at least 8. Stay there until you can do 12 again then add a few pounds. For cardiovascular start easy for a few weeks but monitor your heart, then push a little harder each time until you are maintaining 75%-85% of your maximum heart rate. Do some research to calculate this and determine your most appropriate zone. We can take control of this thing, and it's not nearly as hard as it seems when you first start. Good luck, and feel free to contact me directly if you need any support or advice. I am on the same Journey, but managed to stay fit for a very long time after a pudgy childhood. I simply forgot my body's natural tendencies and let them get away from me. There is no magic pill or potion, just diligence and determination. Best to you.5
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It's all very daunting, isn't it? Don't let it overwhelm you! My advise is not to think about loosing over 100 pounds. It sounds insurmountable! Set small goals, like 20 or 25 pounds. I started at the beginning of the year, lost 13 pounds in January, but .....0 in February. So I called a local weight loss clinic. (They push bariatric surgery and food replacements, but that's not for me!) I knew it had to be a change in my lifestyle and eating habits. By the time I got in to see the dietician I had lost 30 pounds on my own! That was on May 23 and today I am down about 6 more pounds! They strongly suggested using MFP, which I actually stumbled upon while doing some on-line research waiting to get to the weight loss clinic. I had started logging but quit in March. So I started logging again in May, since now I had a better understanding of what I was doing and up against. You have to log EVERYTHING you eat. Jot it down on paper so you don't forget all you've eaten if you can't log it right away. At first, I was just concerned with calories consumed, now I am taking a look at the carbs, fat and protein grams as well. Little steps at a time. If you drink soda or beer or alcohol, cut it out of you diet and drink only water. At least for now. You can friend me if you want. Hope you do well, don't get discouraged. We've all been there!2
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It'll be a lot like how I got from 250 to <150. Planning, patience, and a good calorie goal. Walking for exercise also helped. You got this.
ETA And diet soda (diet dew, coke zero) made my life much easier.1 -
This time last year, I was 328 pounds and the idea of losing 100+ pounds seemed extremely daunting. Today, I am 181 pounds and my only regret is not taking responsibility for my weight sooner. The real secret to losing weight is that there is no secret. You simply eat fewer calories than you burn. In other words you maintain a calorie deficit. If you make responsible decisions one day at a time, you can lose as much as you want. This isn't a race and there are no bonus points for losing the weight quickly. Also, the time will pass regardless so you might as well keep marching forward. What has really helped me is learning how to stretch my calories further and choose foods that keep me satisfied and not feeling deprived. Lose the word diet from your vocabulary and focus on learning to simply budget your calories as you would money. Also, definitely get a food scale, weigh all solids, measure all liquids, and count absolutely everything that passes your lips. You can do this and you deserve this.5
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After I had my baby 4 years ago I got on here an lost 40 pounds. I needed to lose about 130. I'm tall so it distributes so I'm not round just big. Yuck! But after regaining 10 last month I decided I better get focused on my health again. My advice is don't stop logging on here. When I got lax about writing down everything that I put in my mouth and how much exercise I was doing I completely stopped doing any of it. Then I became a yo-yo again. Now that I am back on here. I am consistently eating better and exercising. My only issue so far has been that now that it's getting hot I have water retention, so I am really having to watch sodium content/eating out or I will put back on several pounds even though my calorie count is good. WATER, too!1
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Make a solid plan with realistic goals write it down and stick to it.
Prepare yourself to become very disciplined
Take weekly a picture of your body, much better than a scale for short term motivation.
Weigh yourself daily for the long term motivation, don't give any attention to the weight going up and down. That is mostly due to gaining and loosing water and feces.
Get some things in order:
- Start drinking water, a lot of it, nice goal is +3 liter a day, spread out over the day, your kidney's can handle a maximum of about 1 liter every hour.
– Make sure you sleep well, 8 or 9 hours, if not, change what is preventing you from a good night rest.
Blinds, new mattress, white noise generator, whatever.
- Try to get rid if as much stress as possible, well can't give you any advice here, don't know anything about your life.
- Relax now and then, If you have a busy job, make some time for yourself and do nothing.
Start with kicking the really some habits like:
– Junk food
– Sugar in coffee or tea
- Drinking soft drinks and juice
- No more candy bars
- No more alcohol
Pick up some good habits:
- Start logging your food intake
- Sign up at a gym
- Start eating clean food, gather recipes you like
- Start eating smaller amounts per meal.
- Start walking about 10.000 steps a day
If you go to the gym two or three times a week, start off slowly! I know you will be very motivated in the beginning and want to hit the ground running. You probably will have an injury within a week or two. Do some cardio and weight lifting.
You will probably gain weight! That is due to the muscles you are gaining, at your weight it is very easy to gain muscles, you want to have a bigger muscle mass:
1) muscles, even if you don't use them they use energy (burn fat).
2) They motivate loosing weight, as soon as you can feel these muscles but can't see them you will understand why.
3) Your skin will look less flabby once you start loosing fat.
4) As you have a high muscle mass you will sooner reach a healthy fat percentage.
Start doing this for a about three months, the first month you will probably gain some weight and loose that amount in the next two months.
After these three months, you are used to smaller size meals, are used to clean food, know what your calorie maintenance is, build up some muscle mass, sleep 8+ hours a night and are stress “free”.
Now you are ready to create a calorie deficit, keep going to the gym for cardio and maintenance of your muscle mass. (you want to loose your fat, not your muscles).1 -
It's really tough losing weight and not regaining. Some great advice you were giving. Hugs1
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