Need help and ideas to jumpstart my weight loss journey

ShelbyLynn9715 · December 2017

Hey everyone, so I’ve tried so many times to loose weight and everytime I never make it to my target or I just give up because I’m not seeing results fast enough. I’m begging for some advice to help me. I’m at my all time high at 260 lbs and generally feel sluggish and lazy and i do not want this to be my life anymore. I’m 20 yrs old and a college student. At 5’8” I’m trying to be healthy and would like to set my goal weight at 160 by the end of 2018. 100lbs 1 year. Is this too much too fast? Is it an achievable goal? Uhhhh hellpppp

lorabelllee · December 2017

You came to the right place!Log your food every day, use a digital scale to weight and measure everything! Measure liquids, solids and everything that goes in your mouth. Be honest with yourself. Drink your water and walk or get some activity in every day. That is a good goal but don't feel bad if you don't hit it...just do what you can every day to work towards that goal. Don't give up...you can do this! I'm still working on my weight..but I feel that this time I'll finish the job! Good luck! This is a hard time of year but dedication and writing everything down will help you get there! All the best!

Blythmag · December 2017

Patience.the rest is easy

Nony_Mouse · December 2017

No, it's not achievable in one year, but you can make a pretty solid dent in that time.

Set MFP to lose 2 lb per week, that's sustainable for you right now (you will need to drop this in time to 1.5 and then 1 lb as your weight lowers and you have less fat stores). Buy a food scale, weigh all solid food and measure all liquids, ensure you're using accurate database entries. Eat 50-75% of any additional calories burned through exewrcise on top of what MFP gives you for your baseline, and reassess in 4-6 weeks. That's it really. You don't need to make big, drastic changes, just eat within your allotted calories. Check out the "Most helpful posts" sticky at the top of this forum for links to a bunch of great threads with tips on how to log accurately and much, much more.

You don't need to jumpstart, just start

MrsVerge · December 2017

I have a motto I use all the time that I came up with early on that works GREAT: "It doesn't go into my mouth until it goes into my app". It really makes me aware of what's going into my mouth when I log first, and many times I will change my mind once I see those numbers. It's like budgeting your money. If you write out where the money went after you spend it, it's a financial log - not a budget. Same thing applies with calories.

On work days (I'm a shift worker) I go a step further and log my meals I take to work before I leave the house. When a coworker brings in Tim's (or I get snackie late in the day), I already know whether I can splurge and eat a donut or not because my food for the day is already logged.

The biggest thing that's working for me though is not restricting my foods. For me, I know if I tell myself "OK, no eating baklava ever" I will crave it all the time even though I hate the stuff. There's a reason restrictive diets don't work. However, now that I'm mindful of the macros in the foods I'm eating, I want that garbage much less and generally eat healthy just so MFP doesn't shame me with it's orange warnings.

Take it one day at a time, don't beat yourself up if you mess up, have patience, and you will succeed!

As far as seeing results: take photos, weigh, and measure. You'd be surprised at just how much you've changed but because you see yourself every day it's harder to notice it just by looking in the mirror. Here is an example.

237 lbs September vs 223 November on a 5'11" frame. Only 14 pounds lost, but when you look at the two side by side it's a massive change. That 14 pounds was 4 inches off my waist. Sometimes you need a scale, sometimes you need a measuring tape, sometimes you need photos. "Seeing results" isn't black and white - there's a lot of gray.

duskyjewel · December 2017

You've quit before because progress wasn't happening fast enough. So what are you doing now? Setting an unrealistic goal that will require you to lose 2 pounds a week every week for an entire year. Won't happen. You'll have plateaus. You'll have bad days or bad weeks.

You need to set smaller goals, and lose slowly because weight that comes off slowly tends to stay off much better than weight lost quickly.

Set MFP to lose one pound a week and your first goal for 10% of your bodyweight, so 26 pounds. It may take you 26 weeks or it may not. Either way, once you lose 26 pounds, you can declare yourself a success and then set a new goal. Compare that to your currently proposed goal where even if you lose 80 pounds next year, you'll see yourself as a failure because you didn't meet the nearly impossible expectation of losing 100 pounds.

duskyjewel · December 2017

I'll give you another tip: continue eating everything you love in smaller portions. If you get into, "I can't have that because I'm dieting," then you'll go nuts with it at some point and ruin your progress.

Instead of two cups of fettuccine alfredo, have one cup along with a cup of veggies you really enjoy. Have a square of chocolate now and then. Drink a smaller glass of wine. Have only one slice of pizza or piece of fried chicken and veggies or salad with it. I'm using examples of things I love, but I'm sure you get the point. Yes, pay attention to nutrition, but at the end of the day, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, whether fat, protein, or carb and as long as you keep yourself in a deficit, you'll lose.

Good luck.

kommodevaran · December 2017

You have to lose the ideas of try and fast and jumpstart first. Weightloss is slow. But it's also very simple. This means that you just have to eat less, but you have to do it for real, and consistently, and forever (unless you want to regain). Setting up a diet to give you a calorie deficit is easy. 10 000 diets plans are available, for free or a fee. Consistently eating less than you burn, but not so little that you burn out, and keeping on doing it, takes discipline. If you eat less than you burn, over time, your weight will drop. But you won't see it as a straight line. You have to be sure that you're really eating less, and trust the process, and yourself, and not panic and either eat even less, or give up and overeat, every time you don't see the predicted drop. That number is just an average. That number will also decrease as you lose weight. So you will need more and more patience as time goes by. But it's easier to stay patient and consistent if you don't eat too little. You can even eat whatever you want, and in any schedule you want.

One year, two years, three years - it doesn't matter how long it takes to lose your excess weight. What matters is how you do it, and your attitude, which will influence what you'll be willing and able to do for the years and years after that. Don't set deadlines for weightloss. You can't do anything about your weight. But you can eat less, and if you consistently eat less, over time, you lose weight. Set behavioral goals - like "every day, I will hit calorie target */-50".

Weightloss is simple. It's up to you to make it easy or hard, enjoyable or miserable.

duskyjewel · December 2017

Well.....I dunno about enjoyable, but at least tolerable.

dfnewcombe · December 2017

Do you live at home or on campus? And do you or can you cook your meals or buy them from the cafeteria? If you are cooking your food you can be much more accurate with your logging your calories.if you are eating from the cafeteria then try to decide on your meal before you go and pre-log it. That will help you with your calorie budget for the day. Consider signing up for a physically active class if you can fit that into your curriculum- yoga, running, self-defense, strength training, ball room dancing... check out what is available and be open to new ideas. If you can’t fit a class like that into your curriculum can you find time 3 times a week to go to the gym? Have you come considered the couch2-5k app? You can do each run on a treadmill if you like.

This is the perfect time of your life to commit to your health. Make a list of obtainable goals- I will log my food daily, I will exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week in the gym for the next month, I will always take the stairs 1 floor up or two floors down, I will sign-up for (fill in). Consider a nutrition class also if you think that might benefit you....

Iwantahealthierme30 · December 2017

I'm 221, by the end of next year calculations say I should be 169-170 at 1660 calories a day. So... no it's not achievable in one year safely but I would still do it because you're gonna be closer to your goal than you are now.

DebLaBounty · December 2017

I set a goal weight and did not give myself a timeline. For me, that would have introduced unnecessary stress. Took me about four months to lose 24 pounds. Be aware that while you will see progress on the scale you may not notice any difference in how you look until you lose about 20 pounds. Good luck!!

lorrpb · December 2017

If you're driving to the store or a friend's house and run into traffic that slows you down, do you get discouraged, turn around and go home, or do you keep going at whatever rate traffic allows because you still want or need to get there?

kshearer13 · December 2017

If you want someone you can chat with daily about goals and tips/accountability let me know!
1. Start slow: if you choose January 1st and say I'm never eating sugar, I'm never eating this or that etc., I'll work out every day, it's too much. Choose one thing to change first and remember it takes 21 days to make something a habit. I would suggest choosing something small enough for it to be attainable, but that will kickstart your healthy behaviours like packing your own lunch every day for a month, or working out 30 minutes 5 days a week.
2. Don't restrict yourself too much. You want a lifestyle change not a diet. It has to be attainable. If you have chicken and plain broccoli, don't plan to eat that every day. I need sweets or I feel restricted so I eat them within my calorie goals. For example, I buy low calorie hot chocolate, and those 110 calorie mini drumsticks.
3. Healthy food doesn't have to taste gross. Buy some seasonings so you can make cool things with veggies.
4. Have a supporter.
5. Know you will not be perfect all the time, that's okay. It's good. That's life. Eat cake on your birthday, have that extra drink at the bar, eat popcorn at the movies. Just make those occasional things. and don't keep yourself down when that happens. Eat the things. Go to bed. Wake up the next day and wprkpit, eat healthy, and crush your goals.

Katherinelittle24 · December 2017

I think 100lbs in a year is very doable. But then again, just remember to take it one day and one step at a time. When I started my weight loss journey, the first step I asked myself was "am I ready to start this journey?" I started about a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. I decided not to wait for the holidays to be over haha because I knew that I would probably lose control with my eating habits over the holidays, so I commend you for wanting to start something now. That is always the first step.

The second step is to track everyday, no matter how much or how little you eat. Try doing this for two weeks straight, soon enough it be second nature to you. I started out by just logging my food and now, it has been a new habit of mine. I've been tracking my food intake every single day since I started my journey.

Third thing to do is to drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Most people always say, drink half of your body weight in ounces but not me, when your just starting out take it one step at a time.

Forth step is to walk at least 10 minutes a day and then day by day try to challenge yourself with a new exercise or maybe go for a longer walk, increase your steps in any way possible.

Finally and this is a good one to remember is figure out a system and, or a program that works for you. I started on a very structured program called, HMR. It mostly consist of shakes, entrees, soup and oatmeal. That's all I eat. It's pretty expensive but thank goodness I have my mom and my boyfriend helping me out at the moment. I also go to weekly support groups and I see a doctor at the clinic once a week to check to see how I am doing, etc and I take blood test once a month. A support system is very important. You're going to need one! So remember these steps and you'll be fine

Believe me, I understand how you feel. I pretty much ate my way through college. I graduated two years ago and currently, I weighed at 370lbs but I did weigh 400lbs when I started the program, so I'm climbing on down....if you want, I can be a support system for you! Add me on here and we can chat anytime

emilyvictoria7 · December 2017

I do not believe 100lbs in a year is realistic. Mostly because you'll probably hate every minute of it - especially in the beginning which leads to a huge lack of motivation and eventually giving up. Which was also the lifestyle of yours truly until a year ago. Literally, 364 days ago I started using this app.

I started at 270lbs and one year later, I weighed in at 210lbs today - that's 60lbs lost in 52 weeks and I promise you the extra 8lbs came off the first 1-2 months before my progress settled around -1lbs per week. Now, I anticipate having at least another 50lbs to lose and am giving myself another year to lose it.

However, in the last year I have dropped from a size 20 to a size 14 (which are too big - I think I'll be settling into my first pair of 12s any day now). I've quit smoking, gone from no exercise to running a 5K then a 10K. I work out 3-4x per week with a personal trainer (a student, with reduced fee, once a week). I can see my feet again. I don't have a double chin anymore. I don't have to buy "wide" calved boots this winter.

I'm not happy when I look in the mirror most days, but every once and a while I see a picture of me from a year ago and I smile to think of the hard work I've put in. I'm also experiencing the most energy I've ever had, and I look the healthiest and youngest I have. I looked about 30 this time last year, and now I actually look my age (23)!

Start slowly, research, and don't expect changes overnight. For the first two weeks, I just ate at maintenance. I didn't add exercise until 4mo in and I didn't add strength training until 10mo in. It's a SLOW process but damn is it worth it.

Good luck, and feel free to message/friend me if you would like

BBum69 · December 2017

I'm 5'8" and started on 7/30/2017 at 260 pounds, with a goal of 160 pounds by 7/1/2018. This morning I weighed 190.8 pounds, so I think it's an achievable goal. But as they say, the first 10 pounds are easy, the last 10 pounds are impossible.

nowine4me · December 2017

Agree with everyone here. Set your goal for 1# per week and do exactly as MFP says. While you’re at it, Learn about proper nutrition along the way to set yourself up for life. It’s taken me 2 full years to lose 85#, but I’m confident I can maintain. Track, log and plan.

Rickster1967 · December 2017

Yeah

no 'jumpstart' needed as someone said above

You have great advice here and I can tell you from experience, having followed similar advice, that it works

I started 151 days ago. I needed to lose 140lbs to begin with.

I weigh and log everything I consume. I'm down 54lbs but my weight loss is slowing a bit recently - I'm less active because of winter. I'm planning to take about a year to lose the remaining 80 or so.

Just start

Need help and ideas to jumpstart my weight loss journey

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