Need to lose 100 pounds

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

- choose a reasonable deficit that's manageable for you
- get a food scale if you don't already have one
- track accurately
- get adequate protein
- identify which macro helps keep you satisfied longer. For some it's protein, for others it's fat, for others it's carbs. Doing this will help with appetite
- realize that foods are just foods, there are no 'good' or 'bad' foods unless of course you have a medical condition or serious allergies
- eat in a way that is both a variety and a way that you can sustain long-term. Don't do something like keto or vegan if that's not something you can do literally the rest of your life
- learn to make things like treats fit into your day. Some save a number of calories for an end-of-day treat, some people bank calories, some just accept that they'll end up eating at maintenance for the day
- one mistake doesn't ruin the whole effort, don't think you've failed or just throw in the towel because of an off day. Log it, learn from it, move on. We've all been there
- stay hydrated

Ok. I’ve lost 100+lbs and have been maintaining for years. I agree with everything in the above post. But don’t know if I’d start out counting macros at first. It might be too much too soon.

I’d add that it may help to do some sort of exercise. Although exercise is vastly overrated as a weight loss tool, it’s good for our brains. Start slow. Walking is a good way to start. Avoid the temptation to make every day tougher than the last. Don’t do things that are painful. If walking hurts your feet, find a mat routine on YouTube. Don’t concern yourself with burning calories or counting them for exercise.

The best way to avoid stopping and starting is to make your food diary the center of your effort. That means always recording everything you eat or drink that has calories, good, bad, or ugly. Over your number? Log it. Wildly over? Log that too? Don’t know how many calories are in that meal or dish? Make a good faith estimate and keep going.
Perfect is the enemy of the good. You are never “off” plan or the track or the rails when you are logging everything in your diary and trying to make your plan more effective.

As @MichelleSilverleaf points out, mistakes, lapses of concentration, fatigue, inadequate planning- those things aren’t failure, they’re just mistakes or lapses. They are problems to be solved. If you find you are constantly logging extra calories for donuts at work, that’s a problem to be solved. Identify and solve enough problems, and you will succeed. The only way to fail is quit.

To succeed you need a downward trend on the scale over time and the ability to live with it. The best plan is one you will actually follow. Avoid trying to make your effort about how much suffering you can endure. It takes a lot of staying power to lose 100lbs. Try to find small changes you can live with over time. It’s just a search for a way to live with some reasonable limits.

Beware your own brain. Your brain will wreck you if you let it. If I tell you I’d start by calculating a calorie deficit to lose 1 lb per week, your brain is likely already screaming that 2 years is too long to get to goal weight. But read this board and you’ll quickly see that most folks wreck themselves over the time issue. Monitor your thinking, don’t let your brain turn every bump in the process into a disaster.

You can do this. I can tell you for a fact. I didn’t find any secret eating plan or super food. I didn’t find endless motivation or discipline or super will power. Though I think I may be more stubborn than some people. When you struggle, keep trying. There’s nothing wrong with struggling. Good luck.