I need "me" back

Joint the Just give me 10 days challenge, it's a great group for accountability and support

Hi,
I'm reposting this response from @Millicent3015 to a new member:

For me, concrete reasons why I'm doing this work better than motivation. Your reason for wanting to lose weight and eat consistently is dancing. That's marvellous. And you have a ready made exercise that you love doing, so you're halfway there! What would it feel like if you could never dance again because your weight took away your stamina and your freedom to move?

You don't have to overhaul everything you eat, but you do have to eat less calories than you use over a long period of time. Whatever you eat, weighing (whenever possible) and logging everything you eat will help you to make adjustments to your overall diet. You don't have to cut out or restrict food, but you have to eat a bit less and adjust your portions. You can gradually replace calorie dense or less nutritious foods with more nutritious food if you want to.

You'll get a lot of advice on these forums, so make use of them, and don't make your weight loss journey harder than it has to be. As you start dropping the pounds, don't be disappointed with what seem like small losses. They're actually small victories. Stay in that "loss is loss" mindset instead of being tempted to give up because you "only" dropped a couple of ounces or a centimetre off your waist. You dropped it, and that's the main thing.

Aim to lose a maximum of 2lbs a week. Our weight fluctuates daily, so don't get obsessed about getting on the scales then feeling discouraged when it doesn't show a loss, or shows a gain. More than likely it will be temporary. Exercise causes water weight, for example, so even if it looks like you've gained, if you're eating at a consistent calorie deficit, your weight will eventually shift downwards. Keep going forward, be patient, and you'll reach your goal.