I need to lose a lot of weight, but I need some help as to where to begin.
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I spent six months in the "just logging" stage myself and, for me, it's made the reducing stage almost embarrassingly doable.
And BTW, you must be a *very* patient person! I can't imagine logging calories for 6 months without jumping into restricting, but it's a good recommendation for people to figure out where they are at first. Congratulations on your success!
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Here's how I started and am keeping it up -- I basically need to cut my weight in half, so morbidly obese, too.
1. Get a twenty-buck digital kitchen scale from a big box store, amazon or whatever.
2. Get some measuring spoons, although these are less vital than the kitchen scale, they're handy.
Next
3. Determine your daily calorie goal. I use the calculator at https://tdeecalculator.net/ but there are others that work, too. Since to lose a pound a week, one needs to consume 3500 calories fewer than one burns, I eat my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) minus 500 each day.
Then, to make it work, you MUST
3. Weigh (occasionally measure) everything you put in your mouth.
4. Keep track of the calories you consume -- using the MFP diary, some other online tool, spreadsheet, whatever.
You can eat whatever you want but over time you will become fussier about what you eat to use up your daily calorie allowance. For health, you may decide to try to follow some dietary guidelines like Harvard School of Public Health's Healthy Eating Plate but you don't have to for weight loss.
All that's needed for weight loss is consuming less than you burn. For health, maintain a "healthy diet" as defined by whatever criteria you find most convincing.1 -
The very first thing I did was start tracking religiously. I didn't even try to reduce calories, but it's eye-opening to start learning how many calories your common foods might be. I dropped 5lbs right away just because I realized I didn't really need or want some of the things I was mindlessly eating.
I very much advocate for the slower loss. This needs to become how you live now, not just a diet so you can go back to eating "normally."2 -
mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
It isn't necessary to eat "clean" or avoid processed foods. And 1400 is lower than the minimum, so he should follow what MFP says.
If you disagree on the calories, that's fine. But couldn't disagree with you more on eating clean. I've found I eat less when eating non processed foods and have had far better energy than I have had in a long time. You can also eat larger portions of non-processed foods as they are typical less caloric dense. It's also nice to know what's in your food.5 -
I very much advocate for the slower loss. This needs to become how you live now, not just a diet so you can go back to eating "normally."
This is often the attitude that gets people into a yo-yo cycle- hurry up & get the weight off so I can go back to eating my normal way. But there has to be a new normal, and that takes time to get comfortable with.3 -
The bolded is TERRIBLE advice. Very few people (mostly, people who are small, short and relatively sedentary) need to be on such a low calorie intake. There's no reason for someone who is morbidly obese to drop to 1400 calories unless directed by a doctor; the OP should be able to lose just fine on a far higher intake.mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
They say a lot of overweight people take advice of being super low calorie to start loss and end up sick and binging. Our bodies have to slow down or else it says we are starving. Look up what mfp says is safe for 1 to 2 lb loss and go off of that, which will probably be 1700-1900.
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mangofish44 wrote: »mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
It isn't necessary to eat "clean" or avoid processed foods. And 1400 is lower than the minimum, so he should follow what MFP says.
If you disagree on the calories, that's fine. But couldn't disagree with you more on eating clean. I've found I eat less when eating non processed foods and have had far better energy than I have had in a long time. You can also eat larger portions of non-processed foods as they are typical less caloric dense. It's also nice to know what's in your food.
Some people think eating clean is no sugar, vegan, and gluten free and everything organic. That's a lot for people used to junk. I personally am not eating clean and I try to cook as much as I can but counting calories has caused me to lose weight.0 -
brentleyann1 wrote: »mangofish44 wrote: »mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
It isn't necessary to eat "clean" or avoid processed foods. And 1400 is lower than the minimum, so he should follow what MFP says.
If you disagree on the calories, that's fine. But couldn't disagree with you more on eating clean. I've found I eat less when eating non processed foods and have had far better energy than I have had in a long time. You can also eat larger portions of non-processed foods as they are typical less caloric dense. It's also nice to know what's in your food.
Some people think eating clean is no sugar, vegan, and gluten free and everything organic. That's a lot for people used to junk. I personally am not eating clean and I try to cook as much as I can but counting calories has caused me to lose weight.
Perhaps I'm not well versed in what eating clean means. I cook almost everyday, and do not eat vegan nor gluten free. I simply think of nonprocessed foods like cheetos, snickers, stouflers lasagna, etc
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mangofish44 wrote: »brentleyann1 wrote: »mangofish44 wrote: »mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
It isn't necessary to eat "clean" or avoid processed foods. And 1400 is lower than the minimum, so he should follow what MFP says.
If you disagree on the calories, that's fine. But couldn't disagree with you more on eating clean. I've found I eat less when eating non processed foods and have had far better energy than I have had in a long time. You can also eat larger portions of non-processed foods as they are typical less caloric dense. It's also nice to know what's in your food.
Some people think eating clean is no sugar, vegan, and gluten free and everything organic. That's a lot for people used to junk. I personally am not eating clean and I try to cook as much as I can but counting calories has caused me to lose weight.
Perhaps I'm not well versed in what eating clean means. I cook almost everyday, and do not eat vegan nor gluten free. I simply think of nonprocessed foods like cheetos, snickers, stouflers lasagna, etc
I think the point is that "clean eating" doesn't have a solid definition; it's difficult when people recommend "clean eating" to others because of the lack of specificity. It literally means something different to every person who practices it.0 -
mangofish44 wrote: »brentleyann1 wrote: »mangofish44 wrote: »mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
It isn't necessary to eat "clean" or avoid processed foods. And 1400 is lower than the minimum, so he should follow what MFP says.
If you disagree on the calories, that's fine. But couldn't disagree with you more on eating clean. I've found I eat less when eating non processed foods and have had far better energy than I have had in a long time. You can also eat larger portions of non-processed foods as they are typical less caloric dense. It's also nice to know what's in your food.
Some people think eating clean is no sugar, vegan, and gluten free and everything organic. That's a lot for people used to junk. I personally am not eating clean and I try to cook as much as I can but counting calories has caused me to lose weight.
Perhaps I'm not well versed in what eating clean means. I cook almost everyday, and do not eat vegan nor gluten free. I simply think of nonprocessed foods like cheetos, snickers, stouflers lasagna, etc
But now, I had 2 of those things yesterday (a few cheetos off my son's plate at lunch and a snack size Snickers almond bar), and I feel great, my health markers have all drastically improved from losing a bunch of weight, and I lost another lb this week. I don't like frozen lasagna, but I would have had that too, probably with a nice Greek salad full of veggies on the side. See where I'm going with this?
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The bolded is TERRIBLE advice. Very few people (mostly, people who are small, short and relatively sedentary) need to be on such a low calorie intake. There's no reason for someone who is morbidly obese to drop to 1400 calories unless directed by a doctor; the OP should be able to lose just fine on a far higher intake.mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
I started at 230lbs am now 195lbs. When I decided it was time to lose weight I had to go big (so to speak) or go home. I dropped to 600 calories a day (I know I know) for about 3 weeks. I could only function on 600 because I was not working, I would literally sit on my couch for 12 hours a day, walking maybe 300 steps a day. Once I started my job that is VERY physically demanding (housekeeping wooo) I was more aware of how much carbs, protein, fat, etc I needed to function during the day. Now I rarely go over 1200 calories. I've lost 35lbs in 2 months. I feel awesome, I don't feel tired, I don't feel dizzy, and I'm seeing results. I am NOT saying do exactly what I did because in hind sight 600 calories a day is crazy. BUT what it did was make me more aware of how too much of this or too much of that made my body feel. I can tell now if I eat a bit too much salt, or too many carbs and it really helps me make good decisions because I don't want to feel like crap anymore.
Start with counting your calories. That's all you need to do for now. Don't pay for a gym membership if you're never going to go. I paid for 3 years and I went maybe twice.
ALSO, this is just what worked for me. You can do all the research you want, I did way too much research for YEARS before actually doing something about my weight, but in the end your weightloss journey is yours and everyone does it differently.
ALSO, MFP gives me a daily calorie intake of 1310.2 -
That's close to dangerously fast.eliciaobrien1 wrote: »
The bolded is TERRIBLE advice. Very few people (mostly, people who are small, short and relatively sedentary) need to be on such a low calorie intake. There's no reason for someone who is morbidly obese to drop to 1400 calories unless directed by a doctor; the OP should be able to lose just fine on a far higher intake.mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
I started at 230lbs am now 195lbs. When I decided it was time to lose weight I had to go big (so to speak) or go home. I dropped to 600 calories a day (I know I know) for about 3 weeks. I could only function on 600 because I was not working, I would literally sit on my couch for 12 hours a day, walking maybe 300 steps a day. Once I started my job that is VERY physically demanding (housekeeping wooo) I was more aware of how much carbs, protein, fat, etc I needed to function during the day. Now I rarely go over 1200 calories. I've lost 35lbs in 2 months. I feel awesome, I don't feel tired, I don't feel dizzy, and I'm seeing results. I am NOT saying do exactly what I did because in hind sight 600 calories a day is crazy. BUT what it did was make me more aware of how too much of this or too much of that made my body feel. I can tell now if I eat a bit too much salt, or too many carbs and it really helps me make good decisions because I don't want to feel like crap anymore.
You are losing muscle.Start with counting your calories. That's all you need to do for now. Don't pay for a gym membership if you're never going to go. I paid for 3 years and I went maybe twice.
ALSO, this is just what worked for me. You can do all the research you want, I did way too much research for YEARS before actually doing something about my weight, but in the end your weightloss journey is yours and everyone does it differently.
ALSO, MFP gives me a daily calorie intake of 1310.
And that's before you do any activity.
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eliciaobrien1 wrote: »
The bolded is TERRIBLE advice. Very few people (mostly, people who are small, short and relatively sedentary) need to be on such a low calorie intake. There's no reason for someone who is morbidly obese to drop to 1400 calories unless directed by a doctor; the OP should be able to lose just fine on a far higher intake.mangofish44 wrote: »Losing weight, at first at least, is more about diet than exercise. I've had a foot issue and had to temper off running and am down nearly 20lbs.
The key is food. Try to eat clean and avoid processed crap and your taste buds will change. Drop down to 1,400 cal and you will see immediate weight loss
I started at 230lbs am now 195lbs. When I decided it was time to lose weight I had to go big (so to speak) or go home. I dropped to 600 calories a day (I know I know) for about 3 weeks. I could only function on 600 because I was not working, I would literally sit on my couch for 12 hours a day, walking maybe 300 steps a day. Once I started my job that is VERY physically demanding (housekeeping wooo) I was more aware of how much carbs, protein, fat, etc I needed to function during the day. Now I rarely go over 1200 calories. I've lost 35lbs in 2 months. I feel awesome, I don't feel tired, I don't feel dizzy, and I'm seeing results. I am NOT saying do exactly what I did because in hind sight 600 calories a day is crazy. BUT what it did was make me more aware of how too much of this or too much of that made my body feel. I can tell now if I eat a bit too much salt, or too many carbs and it really helps me make good decisions because I don't want to feel like crap anymore.
Start with counting your calories. That's all you need to do for now. Don't pay for a gym membership if you're never going to go. I paid for 3 years and I went maybe twice.
ALSO, this is just what worked for me. You can do all the research you want, I did way too much research for YEARS before actually doing something about my weight, but in the end your weightloss journey is yours and everyone does it differently.
ALSO, MFP gives me a daily calorie intake of 1310.
Just to make clear for the benefit of OP or lurkers: the fact that this poster has lost 4+ lbs a week means she has had a calorie deficit of 2000 calories a day. The average woman's maintenance calories are about that. So 2000-2000=0. The body has a limit to the amount of body fat that can be burned in a week- roughly 2 lbs, more if a person is extremely obese. The rest of that weight has to come from somewhere, which is your lean muscle mass. Losing lean muscle mass is BAD. It is extremely difficult to rebuild once it's lost, and don't forget that your heart is a muscle also.
This poster's current weight loss goal is still a bit aggressive (judging from her calorie allowance), even assuming she was eating it all. And apparently she is not eating back her exercise calories or changed her activity level to accommodate her new active job. She is still basically starving herself. Doesn't matter if she feels great... the negative effects are still happening. Here is a great post about why MFP gives us the numbers it does and why it's unwise to shortchange them:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p10 -
I would suggest to simply log your calories first. This way you can see exactly what and how much you are consuming. It was definitely a wake-up call for me and has allowed me to remain accountable. Best of luck to you.1
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The most important thing now is to not overcomplicate things. Just log what you eat, don't restrict too much (1400 calories is too low) and the rest will come on its own gradually. If you make it reasonably easy for yourself, at some point you will get this urge to try things out and discover what works better for you. You will form a mental list of all the foods that fill you up and all the foods that are just not worth the calories. You may get curious about certain approaches, macros, food scheduling...etc. You will find subtle ways to move more even without purposely exercising (I'm the designated trashperson and grocery buyer in the house). Sometimes you will encounter specific or general issues and will come to the forums for help, and leave the thread with a few ideas to try.
This will all come in time if you make it easy enough on yourself to survive the initial reduction in calories, so please don't burn yourself out doing too much too soon trying to change everything at once.0 -
20 months ago I was super morbidly obese at 5'2" weighing in at 290lb, today I'm edging ever closer to "normal" at 154lb. My first piece of advice would be to take each day at a time, you will have good days and bad days, but don't let a bad day derail you.
My next advice is to take little steps, start by simply logging your food, to give yourself a baseline. Then plug your details in here and choose a sensible rate of loss, I started at 1lb/week it gave me a lot of Calories to eat (even more after exercise) and I actually found myself losing around 2.5lb/week for the first few months. Whatever you do don't try and eat a stupidly low number of Calories, apart from when I was ill I don't think there's been a day when I've eaten less than 1800 Calories and more often than not I eat >2000. Don't restrict food groups, if you ban something altogether then it's more likely you'll binge on it. Don't follow any faddy diet simply eat less than you burn.
Once you're ready to add in activity, again take it one step at a time. I started by buying a Fitbit and simply wearing it for a week to discover where my baseline was (<3000 steps a day). I then set the target steps up adding 100 steps a day until I was walking 10000 and then 20000+steps a day.
By doing this I've transformed myself from the fat mum who could barely walk without crutches to the Mum who will be running her 2nd half marathon in 2 weeks.
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Edit: lol, I totally forgot that I already posted in this thread.0
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