Weight loss help!
grayale9
Posts: 10 Member
I’m 5’3, embarrassingly 250lbs and I’m desperate to lose weight. Can anyone recommend any suggestions on how I should go about losing weight, I’ve heard about meal replacement shakes and was thinking about that but not sure what everyone’s input about that is. I’ve also heard of the keto diet. Was wondering if anybody can share some great meal plans for someone who’s on a budget.
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Replies
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Just eat what you eat now only less of it.
There is no need for meal replacements or diets with a name.
Make the foods you like fit your calorie goal.5 -
Meal replacement shakes do exist and I know all about the hype on it. My significant other bought into the hype and thought it’d be a great thing, but honestly, the shakes just sit in the corner of the pantry. Some of the most expensive shakes are disgusting (just saying...).
Just find things you like to eat that are healthy and go for it (I looove my mini 100 calories popcorn bags!) Make it all about you and focus on what works for you.
Budget wise, check out local ymca, usually affordable. Get measuring cups to measure food, use a smaller plate for meals (this works for me).
Good luck, and don’t give up!3 -
The only thing you need is a calorie deficit. Meal replacement shakes and keto aren't necessary.1
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Hey there, I was 292lb and really sick, out of control eating and desperate. I managed to turn it around. I fully understand 'desperate' but here's the good news - you can eat plenty of nice food, lose weight and get control. Really can so think positively
I'll give you some tips that worked for me. This is stuff I was told to do and I just followed the advice to the letter because I was clueless (Personal Trainer set me up)
First, set up your weight loss calories following the app. Setting 2lb per week should be OK but if that's not enough food then try 1.5lbs.
Then start logging all the food you consume. Accurately. There's a very useful thread around explaining how to log accurately. Use an electronic scale and weigh solids. Using cups for solids is less accurate.
Once you start logging you can look at your diary and start to examine food choices
You can eat when you want, as many or few meals as you want. Stick to your calories. What really worked for me, in terms of getting control of my eating, was eating the same (or very similar meals) at the same time of day every day for weeks and weeks. After that I was in a good rhythm and it became routine.
Get organised. Get a shopping list. Plan ahead. Cook batches of meals to freeze.
I chose, with the help of my PT, a list of foods that I like to eat and I make a variety of meals from those foodstuffs.
e.g I eat venison - as a steak, or as a burger, or as chilli or cottage pie but each meal has the same calories
I eat eggs all the time - scrambled, poached, omelettes, in 'shakshuka', soft boiled...
This way I get variety but can easily control my calorie intake without the dreaded 'what the hell am I going to eat?'
Anyway, hope some of this helps. What you are going to have to accept and commit to is:- to go from your current weight to target is going to take time. You could maybe lose 2lb a week for 20 weeks to begin. When I'd lost my first 40lbs I felt so much better and you will too.
Here's another big tip - just focus on doing your day today. Everyone here says this...
literally one day at a time, follow the process it really does work
very good luck9 -
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To lose weight the only thing you need to do is burn more calories than you eat. Meal replacement shakes could help lower calories but I prefer eating solid food (and shakes can be expensive) and keto does help some people to feel less hungry (and therefore eat less calories) but I enjoy carbs so it isn't for me.
If you're worried about money a good start would be eating the same foods you are already eating but in smaller portions and that will save you money and calories straight away. Make sure you weigh and log everything you eat/drink. You'll feel fuller on healthy foods but don't fall into the trap of 'all or nothing', make healthier choices bit by bit otherwise you might feel too deprived and give up if you try too much at once.
Some helpful websites for cheap and healthy meals are Eat Cheap & Healthy @ Reddit and Budget Bytes.
Finally don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. If I have had a bad day in the past I've had a tendancy to think that I've ruined everything and there's no point even carrying on but there is. Keep weighing, keep logging and get back to your deficit and eventually the weight will come off.0 -
I'm 5'2 and my starting weight was 230 lbs in June 2016. A year and a half later I am now down to 142 lbs. I did no fad diet, all I did was count my calories and stay within my deficit and I lost weight. I didn't even start to exercise until 6 months after I'd started losing weight.
Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do. Be prepared for it to take a long time.9 -
The best diet going is the one that you can do consistently.2
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Make a commitment to yourself to be consistent. I have just signed up for a 90 day transformation contest. This will push me to stay focused and measure my progress. Find an activity that helps you burn calories. This could be walking the stairs daily at work or walking during all commercials when watching television at home. Discuss you goals with individuals who support you rather then discourage you to make positive changes. Drink a lot of water or diet green tea. This will keep you hydrated and full. 2018 is your year to be successful. It's time to kick butt!
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One of the main things I would recommend is start thinking about what foods fill you up the most, and put greater focus on them. If you are satiated by fats, then lower carbs; and if you are satiated by carbs, then lower fats. But that one thing I would suggest is get adequate protein (~100 to 130g) and plenty of fiber (20-40g). They are the toughest to digest and satiate people more than any other nutrient.
Personally, I am one who stays away from a prescribed diet as I hate restrictions. If I want candy or chocolate in a day, I will make sure it's incorporate it.4 -
I suggest punching your stats into MFP at lose 1# per week and following its calorie suggestion. If you enjoy it, get outside and walk. Incorporate as many fruits and veggies as you can, they are filling. Take it slow and be a student of nutrition along the way. Small changes will lead to big results.
This does not need to be a white knuckle ride.1 -
ClaireGleek wrote: »I'm 5'2 and my starting weight was 230 lbs in June 2016. A year and a half later I am now down to 142 lbs. I did no fad diet, all I did was count my calories and stay within my deficit and I lost weight. I didn't even start to exercise until 6 months after I'd started losing weight.
Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do. Be prepared for it to take a long time.
This. Calories in vs calories out.0 -
Make small changes here and there. That doesn't sound like much....but those changes are going to be MASSIVE if you can make them lifestyle (forever) changes. You have to be in this for the long haul.
I did meal replacements until I couldn't stand it anymore. Lost some weight, then gained it all back because meal replacements taught me nothing about my eating habits.
I did low carb (keto is just extremely low carb). Those are elimination diets, and again I got tired of the same limited food choices. I did lose some weight, and then gained it all back because low carb was not part of my maintenance plan.
Whatever you do choose, find something that teaches you about your eating habits. Keep an eye toward maintenance because that too takes an effort.
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Start logging and weighing (with a scale not measuring cups) everything you eat for the next couple weeks. Log how you feel before, right after and an hour after each entry, and WHY you are eating it.
IE. 12:30, food things, itcs lynchtime and I am really hungry. 1 hour It was good, but my stomach still feels a bit bloated.
8:30 pm Doritos half bag. Watching Game of Thrones and need to munch. Not partucularly hungry. Hour later, feeling normal, except for the headache from crying over that Hodor scene again.
This sounds like extra annoying work, but it will give you a solid baseline for to work with. You can then vo over your logs and look for places it is easier to cut down. Maybe one taco at lunch instead of two, or skipping fries and cheese. Maybe if you are eating very late meals and following with another less than two hous later, you can combine them. Maybe you don't need the tv chips, and crocheting or drawing while watching tv might be a better option.
Making small, sustainable changes, basedon your specific lifestyle will help you WAY more than randomly cutting back and starving yourself for a few weeks, until you can't deal with this nonsense and rage quit. Again.1 -
We're the same height and my starting weight was 254 lbs. 14 months later, I'm 97.4 lbs lighter. I did it by counting my calories and eating healthy-ish. In other words, I make room for indulgences. I haven't given up processed foods. I'm a kosher vegetarian; that's enough limitation. But I do find that for me, upping my protein and keeping my carbs moderate to high has been good. Satiety is pretty individual. Most people who succeed with keto find fat highly satiating. I don't seem to. By which I mean I try to hit my protein and iron and let everything else fall where it falls. And where it falls is usually on or around my 50% carb target and between 50 and 80% of my fat.
This is absolutely doable. But try to do it in the least painful way possible. Don't go for a deficit that's too aggressive, just because you can. Don't cut out your favorite foods; change the amount/frequency so you can make them fit.
I find that exercise has been great for helping my health, my mood, my appetite, and my emotional/stress eating. But you can lose weight without it, too. Baby steps. You've got this.2 -
CICO (calories in calories out). Now, some people thrive on structure and intermittent fasting works well for them. Keto seems to work well for people who are insulin resistant like myself (down 78 lbs since May). There are different ways of eating, and while some people can be dismissive and refer to anything other than CICO as a"fad" there is really nothing wrong with playing on your strengths/weaknesses as an individual to find something that will help you and become part of your lifestyle.That being said, you should still mind your CICO but you can choose a way of eating to help you stay within your calories as long as it's something you can maintain. I suggest getting a food scale if you don't have one already.
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Eating sensibly, logging meals, increasing your physical activity and water consumption are all great! Find someone to buddy up with too. Celebrate, work out, and keep eachother accountable. MyFitnessPal is an excellent choice for logging meals and exercise. One meal replacement shake a day can have great benefits especially as a breakfast or in between meals for busy people. I have used them or protein shakes, vitamins and a fiber product while keeping calories in check to maintain a healthy weight, ensure my body gets what it needs and to bridge the nutritional gaps in my daily diet. Bicyclemom.com0
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