How to lose weight correctly? I'm dyin lol???

I have been through it all and I am tired of it. I want to lose weight the healthy and correct way.

In the past, I have gone through period where I lose tons of weight and then gain it back, rinse, and repeat.

When i was younger, I would not eat for days at a time, or eat and then throw up, or murder myself with exercise and only eat fruit and snacks. 1000 calorie limit.

Theeennn. I slip. I fall down the hill. And here I am trying to climb back up but my climbing gear has failed me many times and I want to get the right kind this time.

But how? Where do i start? All help is welcome!
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Replies

  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    ZoneFive wrote: »
    First of all learn, understand and EMBRACE that it is not about being perfect. It is about being consistent. If you have a bad day, log it and move on. Do your best to learn from it and improve the next day.

    Use MFP to figure out your calorie goals and target weight loss. Add in any extra exercise you do, but dont eat back the full amount of exercise calories as you may over estimate them. Start logging your food so you understand your eating habits better to learn from them. If you can, get a kitchen scale to weigh food so that you are as accurate as possible. Guessing is not good enough as we often guess very wrong.

    Have the foods you like and enjoy, just have them in proper proportions within your calorie goals for the day or week.

    Teach yourself how to eat properly as you go so that when you reach your goal, you eat at a maintenance level so that you do not regain all of the weight again.

    This here is the unsexy truth about weight loss. Not just weight loss, but having a healthy life. People can add all kinds of embellishments and embroideries, but this is the bottom line.

    Also drink your water.

    Thank you so much.
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    First of all learn, understand and EMBRACE that it is not about being perfect. It is about being consistent. If you have a bad day, log it and move on. Do your best to learn from it and improve the next day.

    Use MFP to figure out your calorie goals and target weight loss. Add in any extra exercise you do, but dont eat back the full amount of exercise calories as you may over estimate them. Start logging your food so you understand your eating habits better to learn from them. If you can, get a kitchen scale to weigh food so that you are as accurate as possible. Guessing is not good enough as we often guess very wrong.

    Have the foods you like and enjoy, just have them in proper proportions within your calorie goals for the day or week.

    Teach yourself how to eat properly as you go so that when you reach your goal, you eat at a maintenance level so that you do not regain all of the weight again.

    Thank you so much. I was feeling so down. Like Im some kind of loser. Thank you
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
    Oh honey. You are NOT a loser -- except in the scale-numbers area. To paraphrase Thomas Edison, you've just found a lot of ways that didn't work. Now onward to some ways that will work!

    Do you have any medical conditions that you need to take into consideration? High blood pressure, high blood sugar, migraines, PCOS? It probably wouldn't hurt to check in with your doctor to get an idea of where you're starting from. And you get to create a food plan for yourself. Check around MFP, see what other people are doing and eating that look good to you. Starting with veggies, fruits, lean meats/fish, good dairy and whole grains -- less processed stuff, in other words -- might be a place to start and then tweak.

    This is a process. Play with it!
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Recognize that this is a marathon, and not a sprint. You already know that deprivation doesn't work long term. As soon as your resolve falters, so do you. You are not alone!

    Pick a reasonable weekly weight loss goal. Unless you are morbidly obese, picking the maximum 2 lbs per week -
    with the thought to just get this weight loss thing over with as quickly as possible - usually doesn't work out for most people.

    Buy a food scale. It's a real eye-opener and the only way to get an idea of how many calories are really being consumed each day. Have patience. Trust the process and the science. If you have a bad day? Meh, it's only a day and irrelevant over the long term.

    Be kind to yourself. You've got this.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Plug your stats into MFP set to lose 1# a week and do exactly as it says. Give that a solid 6 weeks and then adjust as needed. You don't have to be perfect, just pretty darn good. Have fun and take this opportunity to educate yourself on nutrition. Lots of great blogs and websites out there.
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    Recognize that this is a marathon, and not a sprint. You already know that deprivation doesn't work long term. As soon as your resolve falters, so do you. You are not alone!

    Pick a reasonable weekly weight loss goal. Unless you are morbidly obese, picking the maximum 2 lbs per week -
    with the thought to just get this weight loss thing over with as quickly as possible - usually doesn't work out for most people.

    Buy a food scale. It's a real eye-opener and the only way to get an idea of how many calories are really being consumed each day. Have patience. Trust the process and the science. If you have a bad day? Meh, it's only a day and irrelevant over the long term.

    Be kind to yourself. You've got this.

    Thank you! You are so reassuring (:
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    BabyBear76 wrote: »
    Why people can't lose weight:
    1. They aren't eating enough. Sounds counterintuitive, but it's true. It just has to be good food. Lean protiens, fresh veggies, complex carbs.
    2. Lack of musculature. 1 pound of muscle will burn 100 calories a day just to exist. This means if you gain 5lbs of muscle, in order to maintain you need an extra 500 calories a day. There's a reason bodybuilders need 6,000 calories a day diets to stay the same size.

    I did not know that... thankyou!
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    ZoneFive wrote: »
    Oh honey. You are NOT a loser -- except in the scale-numbers area. To paraphrase Thomas Edison, you've just found a lot of ways that didn't work. Now onward to some ways that will work!

    Do you have any medical conditions that you need to take into consideration? High blood pressure, high blood sugar, migraines, PCOS? It probably wouldn't hurt to check in with your doctor to get an idea of where you're starting from. And you get to create a food plan for yourself. Check around MFP, see what other people are doing and eating that look good to you. Starting with veggies, fruits, lean meats/fish, good dairy and whole grains -- less processed stuff, in other words -- might be a place to start and then tweak.

    This is a process. Play with it!

    Thankyou so much! You are so helpful and reassuring.
  • edlanglais
    edlanglais Posts: 39 Member
    Don't give up or be discouraged. This app is a very useful tool. Low salt potato chips are still very tasty but are pointless if you eat the entire bag. Only 110 calories if you eat the actual portion size.

    I'm glad you're finished with the silly gimmicks out there. There's no question they help you lose weight. But the fact is, they are simply unsustainable for most people.
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    edlanglais wrote: »
    Don't give up or be discouraged. This app is a very useful tool. Low salt potato chips are still very tasty but are pointless if you eat the entire bag. Only 110 calories if you eat the actual portion size.

    I'm glad you're finished with the silly gimmicks out there. There's no question they help you lose weight. But the fact is, they are simply unsustainable for most people.

    Thanks so much. And yeah you know I thought it was me.. like I wasn't strong enough to keep up with it. But I realize now that they were gimmicks.
  • bettycooker
    bettycooker Posts: 29 Member
    You are not alone in this! I've struggled for 30 years. I've lost and gained prolly thousands of pounds and tried every diet and gimmicks out there...but I started MFP and logging every lick, bite and sip. Drink lots of water and stay connected with the successors on here. Ask questions, search recipes, read others success stories! Take ONE day at a time and set small goals! This helped me..I have 105 more lbs to lose and I'm actually motivated for once, thanks to the good Lord!
    I'm having knee surgery in 2 weeks, but I found chair fitness on YouTube called HASfit (check it out, they have lots of non-chair videos too) and I do 30-45 minutes 5 days a week and water aerobics! Good luck and I'll be praying for God to give you strength to do this the healthy way! ☝
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Life is a miracle. Choosing a healthier life should not make you feel like death. Since permanent weight loss takes a while I suggest you pick weekly goals. These should be behavioural rather than weight goals. Each week evaluate your progress and if something is not working, change it up. This will give you a sense of progress without the guilt. Here's a plan:

    1. Log all your food for two weeks. Note what MFP tells you about your diet; how many calories you are consuming daily and what it is composed of.
    2. Make a small change you can live with. It might be as simple as switching from latte to black. Do this for a week and assess.
    3. Please love all your foods. Take your time and enjoy every bite. This will keep you from mindless eating that does nothing for you. Plus you get more pleasure from every bite.
    4. Repeat.

    This plan is simple and sustainable. It is not fast and does require determination. But not killer determination. It is just enough.
  • bkberry1
    bkberry1 Posts: 10 Member
    MODERATION - steady deficit - consistent nutrition & time

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/arrghmatey1
    MODERATION - steady deficit - consistent nutrition & time

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/arrghmatey1
    MODERATION - steady deficit - consistent nutrition & time

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/arrghmatey1

    I enjoyed reading your blog! Very inspiring! Keep up the good work!
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
    Set small weight loss goals weekly, monthly ? Not the total amount you want to lose. This really helped me stay motivated.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    pita7317 wrote: »
    Set small weight loss goals weekly, monthly ? Not the total amount you want to lose. This really helped me stay motivated.

    I personally was never hurt by having a large weight loss goal of 110 lbs. I just didn't care how long it would take me to get there.
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    You are not alone in this! I've struggled for 30 years. I've lost and gained prolly thousands of pounds and tried every diet and gimmicks out there...but I started MFP and logging every lick, bite and sip. Drink lots of water and stay connected with the successors on here. Ask questions, search recipes, read others success stories! Take ONE day at a time and set small goals! This helped me..I have 105 more lbs to lose and I'm actually motivated for once, thanks to the good Lord!
    I'm having knee surgery in 2 weeks, but I found chair fitness on YouTube called HASfit (check it out, they have lots of non-chair videos too) and I do 30-45 minutes 5 days a week and water aerobics! Good luck and I'll be praying for God to give you strength to do this the healthy way! ☝

    Thank you so much! God bless you and good luck in your journey!
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    1. I echo everyone who said to choose small, sustainable changes. For me, it started with taking my dog for a thirty minute walk every morning. Then I started weighing myself. Then I started tracking my calorie intake. Then I added in an evening walk. In January I started running. Right now I am working on adding in resistance training. I worked on one sustainable goal or habitat a time and tried to really get each one down before moving on to the next.

    2. Approach this for the long haul. This has a number of different components. Firstly, you are not on a diet, you are making permanent changes to the way you eat and live. This means that you should never introduce changes to the way you eat and live that you are not planning on doing permanently (or seeing if you can do permanently, it's fine to experiment--more on that later). Secondly, there is no need to rush. You are working on building a healthier you one step at a time. The period of weight loss is just a practice time to get your new habits working together cohesively before you enter maintenance. Use this time wisely, enjoy it even, and never feel the need to rush. Celebrate each small accomplishment, both scale victories and non-scale victories.

    3. Experiment! Find out what works for you. Some things sound like really good ideas and turn out not to work so well for you. That's fine; if it doesn't work then ditch it. However, you should definitely play around with different areas and see what works for you. Experiment with meal timing, macronutrient breakdowns, different exercises, new foods, how frequently you weigh in--find out what works for you.

    4. Find out what makes you feel full. This is one of the biggest areas that helped me. For me, I have found that high fiber and high protein keeps me feeling much more full than what I previously ate. Thus while you can eat whatever you want and still lose while in a calorie deficit, sometimes incorporating specific foods or macronutrient/micronutrient goals can make staying in a deficit easier.

    5. Use a weight trending app (such as Libra for Android, HappyScale for iPhone, or TrendWeight for desktop). Your weight is effected by a myriad of factors, not just your fat loss. Your weight can be effected by the amount of sodium and carbs you are eating (both of these increase water retention), what time of day it is, if you worked out recently, if you are constipated, what time of the month it is (for women), and stress. When I tried to lose weight back in college I did not realize this, and I weighed in weekly. I took each week's number very personally as it showing that I was either a success or failure at losing weight. However, this time around I started weighing in daily and tracking using Libra--this changed everything for me! I am up a pound and a half today from yesterday, but it's all cool because I know I ate more carbs and food than usual yesterday. This weight will dissipate with time. Using a weight trending app really helped me to treat my weight as an impersonal data point instead of as an inherent statement on my value as a human being.

    6. Add people as friends on MFP! It has been super helpful to me to have friends who I aspire to emulate, friends who I mentor, and friends to encourage/to provide encouragement. Often it helps me to keep pushing onward, knowing that I am not alone.

    7. Read all the stickied most-helpful threads in the forum. These are incredibly helpful.

    8. Seriously, get a food scale. It's pretty cheap (usually about fifteen to twenty bucks on Amazon or from Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc.). With it you should weigh all non-liquids in grams. It is faster than using measuring cups and spoons, has less clean-up than cups and spoons, and (most importantly) is way more accurate than cups and spoons. Using a food scale has seriously helped me feel more confident about my calorie intake and less afraid of accidentally going over.

    All the best of luck--you can do it! If you need any help or encouragement then please feel free to send a message or friend request.

    Thank you so much. (: you were so helpful and I am downloading Libra now!
  • weightlossmfp1
    weightlossmfp1 Posts: 20 Member
    1. I echo everyone who said to choose small, sustainable changes. For me, it started with taking my dog for a thirty minute walk every morning. Then I started weighing myself. Then I started tracking my calorie intake. Then I added in an evening walk. In January I started running. Right now I am working on adding in resistance training. I worked on one sustainable goal or habitat a time and tried to really get each one down before moving on to the next.

    2. Approach this for the long haul. This has a number of different components. Firstly, you are not on a diet, you are making permanent changes to the way you eat and live. This means that you should never introduce changes to the way you eat and live that you are not planning on doing permanently (or seeing if you can do permanently, it's fine to experiment--more on that later). Secondly, there is no need to rush. You are working on building a healthier you one step at a time. The period of weight loss is just a practice time to get your new habits working together cohesively before you enter maintenance. Use this time wisely, enjoy it even, and never feel the need to rush. Celebrate each small accomplishment, both scale victories and non-scale victories.

    3. Experiment! Find out what works for you. Some things sound like really good ideas and turn out not to work so well for you. That's fine; if it doesn't work then ditch it. However, you should definitely play around with different areas and see what works for you. Experiment with meal timing, macronutrient breakdowns, different exercises, new foods, how frequently you weigh in--find out what works for you.

    4. Find out what makes you feel full. This is one of the biggest areas that helped me. For me, I have found that high fiber and high protein keeps me feeling much more full than what I previously ate. Thus while you can eat whatever you want and still lose while in a calorie deficit, sometimes incorporating specific foods or macronutrient/micronutrient goals can make staying in a deficit easier.

    5. Use a weight trending app (such as Libra for Android, HappyScale for iPhone, or TrendWeight for desktop). Your weight is effected by a myriad of factors, not just your fat loss. Your weight can be effected by the amount of sodium and carbs you are eating (both of these increase water retention), what time of day it is, if you worked out recently, if you are constipated, what time of the month it is (for women), and stress. When I tried to lose weight back in college I did not realize this, and I weighed in weekly. I took each week's number very personally as it showing that I was either a success or failure at losing weight. However, this time around I started weighing in daily and tracking using Libra--this changed everything for me! I am up a pound and a half today from yesterday, but it's all cool because I know I ate more carbs and food than usual yesterday. This weight will dissipate with time. Using a weight trending app really helped me to treat my weight as an impersonal data point instead of as an inherent statement on my value as a human being.

    6. Add people as friends on MFP! It has been super helpful to me to have friends who I aspire to emulate, friends who I mentor, and friends to encourage/to provide encouragement. Often it helps me to keep pushing onward, knowing that I am not alone.

    7. Read all the stickied most-helpful threads in the forum. These are incredibly helpful.

    8. Seriously, get a food scale. It's pretty cheap (usually about fifteen to twenty bucks on Amazon or from Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc.). With it you should weigh all non-liquids in grams. It is faster than using measuring cups and spoons, has less clean-up than cups and spoons, and (most importantly) is way more accurate than cups and spoons. Using a food scale has seriously helped me feel more confident about my calorie intake and less afraid of accidentally going over.

    All the best of luck--you can do it! If you need any help or encouragement then please feel free to send a message or friend request.

    Thank you so much. (: you were so helpful and I am downloading Libra now!

    Also, how do I send a friend request? I don't know how lol
  • CaladriaNapea
    CaladriaNapea Posts: 140 Member

    Also, how do I send a friend request? I don't know how lol

    I sent you a friend request, but just so you know for the future, you click on the person's username, a pop-up appears (at least on the desktop), click the person's name again, and there should be two big green buttons, one says "Send message" and the other says "Add as friend."