19 years old with 60 lbs to lose.

beccajordan7
beccajordan7 Posts: 12
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 19, 5'2'', and 180 lbs. My goal weight is 120.

I have all intentions of losing this weight, but I don't have the drive to. I've tried all sorts of "tricks to losing weight" and none of them have worked very well for me. I've tried eating healthy foods and exercising 3x a week, and I felt better and had more energy but only lost about a pound in a month. It discouraged me a little bit.

Any advice, food ideas, and/or stories would be lovely.

Replies

  • abellante_0205
    abellante_0205 Posts: 368 Member
    sometimes it doesnt show on scale but it shows in inches....... measure urself! :)
  • Don't get discouraged, check to see if you're losing inches. In the beginning the scale is not your best friend. Don't depend on it for results, as long as you feel better and notice you are losing inches that is a good sign. It took me months before the scale moved, but now it's just coming off. Just keep working at it. Joining this site was the first step to a better you, don't get discouraged, if I can do it anyone can. Good luck in your journey and feel free to add me if you need friends on here. i love the messages and motivation I get from everyone on here.
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
    Add me we're like exactly the same! lol
  • Timeforme714
    Timeforme714 Posts: 189 Member
    Do you eat all of your calories every day? Some people need to eat more to get their metabolism going.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Honestly, I don't think working out 3x/week to lose 60 lbs is going to work. You're going to have to dedicate yourself. Unless you're busting your *kitten* 3x/week, I think you're going to have to work harder. You can easily lose the weight if you just stay within your calories and eat those calories in healthy food, exercise, drink enough water, and eat some of your exercise calories back. Try a Jillian Michaels DVD ($10 each and a challenge/good results for anyone) and a variety of cardio (elliptical, crossramp, stair climber, running/walking, stationary bike, rower, biking, swimming, rollerblading, etc.)
  • momofclaire
    momofclaire Posts: 4 Member
    Lots of fiber, lots of water, & eat at home as much as possible. Home is a much more controlled environment. You have age on your side! :)
  • Monarch1982
    Monarch1982 Posts: 15 Member
    You're young and beautiful. You can do anything you put your mind to. You deserve to be thin! Believe it! :flowerforyou:
  • theprettyone1010
    theprettyone1010 Posts: 408 Member
    Hi, I'm 20 and have 65 lbs to lose. Currently I've lost 12, so 53 to go.

    I used to only work out 2-3 times a week and only lost 5 lbs in 2 months. You have to start working out 4-6 days a week. It will seem like a lot at first but once you start to see results, it'll be worth it. Even if you just start out with 20 minutes a day. That'll be at least 1,000 calories burned a week.

    Also find a diet that works for you. I have one day a week where I eat what I want but still lose 1.5-2 lbs a week from working hard the other 6 days.

    Good luck!
  • lovelyfacex3
    lovelyfacex3 Posts: 68 Member
    Alright. I am in exactly your boat. I am 19 as well with 60 lbs to lose. Honestly, I was the way you were before. I didn't have the energy or drive to be dedicated to losing weight. It clicked for me one day when I saw a picture of me next to my friends and I thought I looked ginormous. Basically, my advice to you, is to make small changes, everyday. Start with your diet. Kick sugary foods out, eat more fiber, incorporate more veggies in to your diet, etc. Then work out. Start small. I find that the more I work out, the more I become in love with it. You feel AMAZING afterwards. The endorphins that your body releases are basically the best natural drug you can find in this world.

    Start small, move forward, don't give up!
  • johnsonjk
    johnsonjk Posts: 23 Member
    To make a positive impact on your weight, the biggest change you have to make is how many calories you ingest. Exercise will help tone you and help you look, feel and be healthier in the long run but you are unlikely to exercise off the weight. You have to do too much to compensate for the natural increase in appetite that you will have.

    You say you get discouraged, so I would start with the following:

    1) Use the site to set your goals and set them based on a pound a week of weight loss. Your current statistics allow you to only lose 1.5 lbs of weight per week if you maintain a 1200 calorie diet. You don't want to drop below that total. So 60 lbs by the end of the year is not healthy. It may be possible, but it isn't a healthy goal. Also keep in mind, as you get closer to your goal weight, you will have fewer calories that you can restrict, so you will naturally slow down in your weight loss. Officially I can only lose .7 of a lb per week as I just don't have that many calories over the 1200 mark.

    2) Commit to entering everything you ingest every day. Just do it. Stick to your calorie allocation and the weight will come off.

    3) Since you get discouraged, I would start with just restricting your diet and I would not do any additional exercise except for walking. Why? So that you see some progress at the start. When you start to work out you will find that you will likely plateau your weight loss. I started losing weight first and then started doing Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred and I plateaued for 3 of the four weeks. So get a couple of months or more of weight loss done to see the scale move and have some positive feedback.

    3) Once you start to exercise, give yourself 6 weeks before you expect to see any further changes on the scale. Make sure you have taken some measurements before you start, as this is where you will start to see results first. When you start to exercise, eat back all your exercise calories to fuel the next day's exercise. Start off with shorter routines and build towards longer ones.

    4) Plan out non-food rewards that will motivate you --- a new hair cut, a new pair of jeans. Window shop for some article of clothing in the next size down that you will reward yourself with when you get there. Only buy flattering clothes as you lose weight and get rid of your old clothes as you shrink out of them.

    5) Find foods that work to fill you up (almonds work for me) and some treat foods so that you aren't feeling too restricted. Change your diet in gradual steps to allow you to stick with it.

    Congratulations on your start. You can do this and it isn't as hard with the website and apps to keep track of the calories as you might think. . I hope you are very successful.
  • summalovaable
    summalovaable Posts: 287 Member
    The best tip i can give you is a classic:
    "you didn't fat over night so you wont get skinny over night."

    If you want to make sure the dedication is there then write it out. List off things you want to change about yourself, reasons you want to change them and HOW you're going to change them. Look at yourself in a mirror, and write out a list of words that come to mind, describe how your feeling at that particular moment. THAT can be your motivator when you just don't care anymore or when you decided that "being fat isnt so bad."
    Also, Identify your bad eating habits, and figure out a way to best change/ fix them. If you want this to be a lifelong journey you need to figure out what works best for YOU. It's pretty obvious you shouldn't be eating junk food. But the real question is: Do you know what junk food is? Make yourself knowledgeable and informed on EVERYTHING you put into your body.

    Regardless of what others may say, you do not need excercise to lose weight, and you certainly don't need to be a gym junkie to lose weight. My cousin has lost around 50 lbs without entering a gym, or getting any type of regular exercise. If anything i might even encourage you don't work out too excessively until you're eating habits are under control and you're on a "feel good" high. 3 times a week would be a good baseline, and make sure this includes WEIGHTS. I find lifting weights to be easier then running for twenty minutes, and it lets me burn more calories overall too :)

    I know thats really general, but you can do it if you want to. IF you don't then you've all ready set yourself up for failure.
  • I am 18 with 65 pounds to loose. So we are almost in the same boat :)
    Honestly, being on here is probably the biggest help I have because of all the encourgement I receive daily. Also, my family is a big support. What I had to do was put myself in an environement that was going to help me loose weight. Therefore, out went all the junk food and in came ONLY healthy food. If you can find a workout buddy that will constantly be encouraging you and will work out with you, that is also a big help. Stick with it, strictly exercising every day and eating right for two weeks. You should see great results. And the results will encourage to continue. Something else I had to do was tell myself that I wasn't getting on another diet, I was making a lifestyle change. Once you accept that, you will be golden. Feel free to add me! I would love to encourage you on your new journey! :)
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