410lbs in Dire Need of a Lifestyle Change

I think the important thing for long term weight loss is to avoid labelling foods bad, fast food in itself isn't "bad", just as a salad isn't "good" it's your diet as whole which needs to be balanced, that doesn't mean you have to cut out sugar, fast foods or soda. You just have to learn to moderate them.

Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable and mean missing out on the foods you enjoy. I don't have as much to lose as you, I have around 100lbs to lose altogether, I am down around 35lbs (was 40 but gained a bit back whilst on holiday a couple of weeks ago). Most of the time I eat relatively balanced meals, but I still have the odd pizza night/chinese takeaway or go out for a few drinks with my friends.

You have to find a way of eating that works around normal life and that you can stick to for years and years. Would highly recommend checking out the success boards for people who have lost similar amounts and adding them.

I hear ya, If I didn't do something when I did I would be right up there with you. I started at very close to 300. My problem was beer, and lots of it. As soon as I quit drinking beer, started tracking my macros, and easing into the gym the weight has begun to drop. I'm about two weeks in now and have a long way to go, but this time with these smaller changes periodically I WILL succeed, and so will you.

One thing that really helped me, was a YouTuber called FatMeetsFire. He is a down to earth guy who gives it to you straight. Check him out, at lot of good information on his channel. Anyhow, here are my tips.

1. Get used to measuring portions, yes it is a pain in the rear, but you would be surprised at how much of a difference in calorie intake there is in what you would think is a serving size, and what really IS a serving size. Get a decent digital home food scale and become good friends with it.
2. You're on this forum, so I assume you already have MyFitnessPal installed. Great tool to use, just log everything. This app makes it super easy, especially with the barcode scanner.
3. Determine your calorie needs here: https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator and subtract 500-1000 calories per day from it for your daily intake.
4. This has been a new one for me, and has helped keep my motivation up. Take a few moments out of each day to read someone's success story, there are MANY out there. One quote that I saw was "A year from now you will wish you would have started today." 52 weeks at 2 lbs per week is 104 lbs! I know THAT is where I want to be.
5. There are no shortcuts, no fad diets, no wraps, pills, supplements, acupuncture, therapy, or any other miracle working device or drug out there to get you results. It's either diet and exercise, or surgery. Wake up call for me as well. Under the knife or on the treadmill, so to speak.

TLDR: Start small, get into a calorie deficit, start getting active, and start today! You got this!

Hello,

My starting weight was 398 and I am down to 236 and still going. I have added you as a friend. Don't hesitate to reach out.

As someone who has been in your position, I will share some things that have worked for me;

- I recommend staying away from trigger foods. Sure if you are only counting calories then it is ok to have a slice of pizza, but if you know that you can't stop at 1, then avoid it until way later in the process. A lot of people on here will say go ahead and drink that soda, eat that pizza and go to fast food, you have the calories. However, this early in the process with the compulsive overeating that we deal with, this is not helpful and I have found leads to failure quick! Until you can manage those food from a reasonable mindset, they are going to be detrimental to your success
- Set goals and deadlines for yourself. When I just have a pounds goal, I never really make it that far but when I say I am going to lose 20lbs by this date, then I push myself more to hit that goal.
- Start exercising NOW. Do whatever is a little extra for you. If you can walk for 2 miles then do that. If you can only make it down the block and back, then do that. If you can only make it to the mailbox, then do that. Just whatever you are currently able to do then build up from there
- This is a big one, THERAPY!! This is coming from someone who thought therapy was useless and for crazy people. I decided to try it and had a therapist that I didnt connect with for about 7 months. I finally switched and got an amazing therapist who has done so much work with me on how to control emotions, positive self talk, being in wise mind and really dealing with WHY i eat.
- Celebrate every victory and do not beat yourself up. You will have good days and bad days. If you have a bad day or a bad meal, don't let it break you. Dont start again tomorrow, start again NOW. Your breakfast was bad? That is fine, start again at lunch with a balanced meal.
- I eat 4 times a day. Find what works for you. 3 meals no snacking, 3 meals 1 snack, 3 meals 2 snacks. Do what works for you to make this as comfortable as possible. There is no 1 size fits all for dieting. you will try and you may fail a few times but when you find what works for you, you will be golden.

I think that is it for now. Good luck.