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Help!

rachelpower82
rachelpower82 Posts: 45 Member
edited November 2024 in Getting Started
Im sick and tired of going around in circles and want to get fit & healthy. Im done with ‘slimming clubs’ as i always end up back at square one :/. So, my question is do i just follow the mfp cal guideline allowance and i’ll lose weight? Or do i need to consider fat, sugar, carbs etc?
Im 35 and am 5ft 8 tall and weigh around 230lbs. I want to lose weight but being fit & healthy is my main focus. What would you recommend? Thanks :)

Replies

  • katsheare
    katsheare Posts: 1,025 Member
    In addition to the above, check out the stickies in the message boards. There are detailed explainations of how the MFP calculations are made, eating back exercise calories, etc. As someone who's yo-yo'd once and have now been maintaining for the better part of a year, sustainability is key. This is how you will be living your life, not how you'll be losing weight/becoming fit. RE: fat, sugar, carbs, etc, those are finer points you can pay attention to, but by no means necessary. They all impact your calories in/calories out (CICO), but you can take the broader view if it's easier for you. Again, it's about what you can live with.

    Also think about turning what you want to achieve into a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achieveable, Realistic, Time-Related). If it's fitness/health related, are there bio measures (cholesterol, BMI, whatever) you want to get to; or movement measures (run a mile, lift however much, so many squats, whatever), you know you're aiming for? 'Fit and healthy' is a good aspirational start, but how do you know when you're getting there? Again, the MFP community can be hugely helpful in setting these, as can professionals (doctor, trainer, dietician/nutritionist) you may already be working with.
  • rachelpower82
    rachelpower82 Posts: 45 Member
    edited November 2018
    Thankyou both for your replies :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,474 Member
    edited November 2018
    I started at 5'8" 220.

    I set my goals here to "Lose 2 pounds per week." I logged my food and exercise and ate a couple hundred/three hundred calories more on my exercise days. (one hour moderate exercise.)

    After a few months at that, I had to raise calories - I couldn't stick to 1200-1300 any more. I was at about 180 when I changed my goal to "Lose 1 pound per week." That gave me about 1500-1600 (plus exercise cals still) and I stuck to that for the rest of my weight loss. I lost pretty much right on schedule, but since we are all a bit different in our daily activity and our exercise intensity you'll have to collect your own data over time and adjust as you go. Your best friend is data. Knowledge is power.

  • Spadhnik
    Spadhnik Posts: 130 Member
    Hi, I have used MFP before but recently got confused with what I have set in my profile.
    I referred to following forum and it’s been very useful

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1399829/step-by-step-guide-to-losing-weight-with-myfitnesspal
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,650 Member
    Calories are what determine weight gain, loss, or maintenance.

    Macro and micronutrients (proteins, fats, carbs, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, etc.) become important if we want healthy eating, not just a desirable body weight. Close most days is good enough, for most nutritional goals.

    I used this plan to lose 50+ pounds in around a year, and improve my nutrition:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm

    I think you'll find it quite compatible with the guide linked in a post above. (3rd parties, please don't woo this until after you read the plan, then woo freely as you wish.)

    Exercise, ideally a combination of cardiovascular and strength exercise, is for fitness.

    Calorie management + balanced nutritious eating + exercise = bests odds of long-term good health and appearance.

    Best wishes!
  • MarvinsFitLife
    MarvinsFitLife Posts: 874 Member
    Hey @rachelpower82 I know it can be discouraging when the scale is not moving. The truth is there’s no secret of maintaining an healthy lifestyle. My suggestions to someone trying to drop body fat is to scale back on fast food/junk food or totally eliminate them. Resort to whole foods healthy fat and natural sugars. Join a gym get in classes such as Zumba, spinning and strength and conditioning. This you will have to stick to for the rest of your life I am the same age and height as you. Our metabolism and hormones is working against us. You can do it just believe and make the necessary changes!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Another good thread to read...

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    rachelpower82 wrote: »
    Im sick and tired of going around in circles and want to get fit & healthy. Im done with ‘slimming clubs’ as i always end up back at square one :/. So, my question is do i just follow the mfp cal guideline allowance and i’ll lose weight? Or do i need to consider fat, sugar, carbs etc?
    Im 35 and am 5ft 8 tall and weigh around 230lbs. I want to lose weight but being fit & healthy is my main focus. What would you recommend? Thanks :)

    For weight loss, calories are king. When I started MFP, that was all I paid attention to. No drastic lifestyle change; the one thing I decided to do was restrict homemade desserts to 200 calories or fewer per serving.

    I was also realistic about my tendency to gravitate to the food table in social settings, planning in advance what I meant to eat and making sure I had space for more than just the cut fruit and vegetable crudites. I found that if I budgeted for, say, one piece of cake and a cookie, I could stop there. And that's partly because in the past, I'd be too strict, I'd indulge, and then get caught in an 'I feel guilty because I went off plan, must eat more to numb the guilt—I ate even more, I hate myself, let's numb some more guilt—How could I do that? Well, today's shot; might as well keep going...' Whereas if I went in KNOWING that 1) I was going to have something higher in calories but 2) it was going to fit my plan, I got the treat minus the sides of guilt and self-loathing that always started the spiral.

    After I'd been at it for awhile, I started paying attention to hitting my protein and iron. I found that when I got more protein, I didn't feel as hungry. As for carbs and fat, I decided to let those fall where they fell. Over time, I find that I may be a little higher on carbs than the MFP 50% default and a little lower on fat than the MFP 30% default. A low-fat diet is usually around 10% fat; I'm more like 22-25%. This is what works for me. Some people find fat much more satiating than I do.

    I never bothered worrying about sugar. If you don't have a medical reason to restrict it, the main concern isn't the sugar; it's the calories in the sugar taking up space that could be occupied by more nutrient-rich foods. As long as you're eating an overall healthy diet, and you can control your portions, there's no reason to restrict it.

    There are foods I don't buy more than I plan to eat in a single serving because I know I won't be able to keep out of them. There are foods I used to eat that I don't anymore because they're just not worth the calorie hit. There are foods I seldom eat unless I have the nutritional breakdown handy, because the calories can be all over the map. (I'll make my own egg salad or have some commercially prepared with the calories on the label. I won't scoop it out at a buffet table or get from a deli takeout counter where they don't give the nutritional info because the mayo content can be all over the map.)

    But to lose weight, it's all about the calories. To stick with it, it's all about finding the foods/nutritional breakdown that works for you.
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