Obese dieters- what worked?

fitoverfortymom · October 2017

Calorie counting. Weighing and logging my food in MFP. I started at 256 a little more than a year ago and I'm at 157 now.

davidylin · October 2017

Time, effort, honesty, persistence, and accountability.

MissyCHF · October 2017

I expect not to be popular with my answer but I lost my first 30 lbs thanks to Slimfast, it enabled me to change from obese to overweight in six months. I can now say calorie deficit, knowing of course now it will take much longer because I am old and don't move a lot and when I do, it is very slowly. I felt I had to post here because Slimfast gave me the original boost. My first steps on a long and winding road.

empressjasmin · October 2017

fitoverfortymom wrote: »

Calorie counting. Weighing and logging my food in MFP. I started at 256 a little more than a year ago and I'm at 157 now.

Great job! Did you incorporate exercising? If so, what did you like to do? I started around that number and am now about 30 lbs down from that after putting some of the initial weight loss back on.

dfnewcombe · October 2017

Try to avoid thinking "I'm on a diet" and frame your focus on making great choices for yourself. Consistently maintain a deficit as best you can, but work on other goals besides a downward trend on the scale. Try new recipes, incorporate new activities in your life. Right now I am working on a 750 cal/day deficit (give or take)- religiously weighing/logging my food. I re-started my couch to 5k app and I am working on completing some 5ks that I have signed up for- my times are not great right now but it doesn't matter. My goal right now is to complete a hike with my family next September up a mountain in NH. I gave myself 52 weeks to do this! The running should help with the endurance, but I am also working in strength training with a trainer which right now is more palatable because I know it is helping get me ready for my hike (she is not always very nice)... by the way, I plan to beat my brothers up to the top (my 54 year old self)! On days I don't run or feel like running I strap on a backpack with 15# weights in it and go for a 3-4 mile walk- all over town- meeting new people along the way. Since I have started working on this goal a few weeks ago (when I saw pics of the fun everyone had this past September) I have worried less about the scale but I have noticed my jeans have gotten looser- even fitting in to a smaller size! Over the next few months I will find some trails nearby with some hills and elevation for practice....

Make short term goals that can feed into long term goals but avoid making a number on an inanimate object one of them. That one measurement is too often given way too much power.... The time is going to pass either way- make it count!

empressjasmin · October 2017

dfnewcombe wrote: »

Make short term goals that can feed into long term goals but avoid making a number on an inanimate object one of them. That one measurement is too often given way too much power.... The time is going to pass either way- make it count!

Awesome advice! Smaller attainable goals. Wtg! Such an inspiration!!

cwolfman13 · October 2017

empressjasmin wrote: »

Just curious. As I feel as if I have been a yo-yo dieter for the entire time I have been on this journey, over a year. I have tried it all and found that calories-in/calories-out worked, but my weight loss was very slow. Tried keto, weight-loss shakes, you name it. I have tried it. For those who had or wanted to lose 30-50lbs what helped you lose the initial first 30lbs? I guess because I am considered obese, I thought the fat would just melt away lol...

Weight loss is slow...that's how it is...I started obese and it took me 9 months to lose 40 Lbs...and that was 9 months of just plugging away and being consistent, recognizing that weight loss is a slow process.

callsitlikeiseeit · October 2017

eating less. moving more.

100 pounds down.

it takes dedication and patience. 3 years for me to get this far, and more to go. but im not complaining with my size now

empressjasmin · October 2017

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

eating less. moving more.

100 pounds down.

it takes dedication and patience. 3 years for me to get this far, and more to go. but im not complaining with my size now

Great job!

bdalton26 · October 2017

I've tried low carb and the everything-else-diets and nothing worked. Until I went to calorie restriction/deficit of 1500 cal/day and I take Adderall 3 times a day. Ive lost 23 lbs in 2 months.

cparsons_60 · October 2017

After I dropped the first 30 by eating less/moving more, I happened upon an exercise I love -- rowing. I wanted to row better, so that motivated me to keep losing weight but also to get stronger. Rowing is still my favorite, but I realized I needed exercise that didn't require special equipment and wasn't weather dependent. First I took up jumping rope -- 3 minutes on, 1 minute off, indoors on four of those soft plastic interlocking squares so as not to wear out the carpet or jar my joints on the tile. As my wind improved I started running -- slowly, but for longer and longer times, so as to build my endurance. (I find that with rowing, it's my lung power that limits me, not my overall strength.) I don't jump rope or run every day, but I usually do one of them once per week, more if I can't row. And if I'm traveling it's easy to throw my running shoes and jump rope into the suitcase. I don't love either of these activities, but now that I'm not hugely overweight they are tolerable, and I enjoy seeing my gradual improvement. 50 pounds down, kept off for 2+ years.

bellaesprita000 · October 2017

I lost about 40 lbs a couple years ago by incorporating exercise and portion control. I also started cooking regularly and that probably led to a calorie deficit. After a plateau and a long diet break, I'm back at it again. 19 lbs down thanks to calorie counting and eating at a calorie deficit.

lorrpb · October 2017

CONSISTENT calorie deficit. Keep "cheat days", "binges", etc in check. I lost every month for 2.5 years, 150 lbs lost in total.
Keep trying new ingredients and new recipes.
Keep moving.
Keep track of everything, including progress pics and measurements.
Don't make crazy changes for weight loss you're not willing to stick with long term.

kimny72 · October 2017

It took me a year to lose 20 lbs so I know slow

But my slow loss led to a much easier transition to maintenance, and I've kept it off for over a year now. This is just my 2 cents, but I really believe that the key is losing the weight by eating and exercising in a way you can stick to at goal weight, just with more calories to play with. I know so many people who lose the weight then go back to eating "normal" and gain it all back. I think I succeeded because I found a new normal! I also have a 3 year logging streak

Good luck!

changeconsumeme · October 2017

Calorie deficit.

empressjasmin · October 2017

kimny72 wrote: »

It took me a year to lose 20 lbs so I know slow But my slow loss led to a much easier transition to maintenance, and I've kept it off for over a year now. This is just my 2 cents, but I really believe that the key is losing the weight by eating and exercising in a way you can stick to at goal weight, just with more calories to play with. I know so many people who lose the weight then go back to eating "normal" and gain it all back. I think I succeeded because I found a new normal! I also have a 3 year logging streak

Good luck!

I’m impressed at the 3 year logging streak! Wow! Clearly you have consistency downnnn! Congrats even on that!

JeromeBarry1 · October 2017

@empressjasmin Look at your life and identify one bad food habit that you're going to change, then work on changing that one bad food habit.
If you get that one habit changed and still want to lose more weight, identify another and change it. Keep making small changes until you get the fitness you want.

CoriPiche · October 2017

Keto

kpchoate · October 2017

Slow really is the way to go as mind-numbing as that can be. I started at 313 lbs six years ago today. I'm 76 lbs lighter. All I do is log everything into MFP nutrition-wise and try to hit the myplate.gov macros. And I do 40-60 minutes of some sort of physical activity every single day. Could be walking, running, cycling, weight-lifting, doesn't matter. Just something. Make sure your exercise gets logged into MFP as well so that you aren't causing your own plateau by cutting too many calories.

It works. It's slow. Enjoy the journey. If you lose it all too fast, you still won't look the way you'd like because all the lose skin will be covering up your new amazing body.

And "dieting" implies that you'll go back to your old habits prior to losing the weight. Lose it slow and build some good habits. You'll thank yourself later. ;-) Best of luck! You got this!

lucerorojo · October 2017

I haven't been obese until the last 5-6 years. I did do some diets in my youth, but usually that was to lose about 10-20 lbs. They usually worked (the younger I was the faster I could lose weight) but then there was no plan for maintenance included and something would throw me off the low carb, the low fat, or whatever the diet was.

I have lost 22 lbs. since the last week in June. I haven't made it to thirty yet, but I'm happy with so far. There were two weeks that I ate at maintenance while on vacation, so I've been losing 1.5-2.0 lbs. per week. I've been logging, and got a food scale a couple of weeks ago. I also increased my gym workouts. I'm over 50 so I think the weight is falling off considering that. My goal is 100 lbs. so I'm about 23% there. I ate relatively healthy but I used to eat too much of the healthy food and some calorie dense items. Now that I have to eat about 1/2 or less of the calories that I used to eat, in order to have a deficit, I have to be a lot pickier about what I eat. The most calorie dense items I can't have daily otherwise I'll be too hungry. MFP has taught me to make some choices about food--the most bang for the buck, and also to eat more foods that I like (that are nutritionally worthwhile) too.

I like logging and knowing how many calories I need to eat and how much I need to exercise. I enjoy exercise but coordinating it with the deficit is powerful. I can plan my workouts when I will be able to get the most out of them (not dead tired or rushing) and what I need to eat for the day. I have a busy life and a crazy schedule so the planning is really important. I think this will help me when I can eat a bit more once I've lost the weight and am on maintenance.

Obese dieters- what worked?

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