I just want to be part of a community to stay motivated :)

Hi Mkla! I'm Tony (64, 5'8", 165 lbs.). Your post was very candid and I can see that you're thoughtful in your approach to lose weight. You did not mention if you're single, have a family, busy job, etc.; all of which can affect your dieting effectiveness. I'm a RN and should never have let my weight creep up to 180 lbs. over the years, but being single and having a stressful, busy job took its toll. I have lost weight by cutting out sugar (candy in particular) and breads (God, I love bread). Also, I just started to do more short distance walking. The iPhone app I have tracks my steps--you'd be surprised how steps can add up quickly to miles! Anyway, I enjoyed your post and hope that you're doing well.

Hello!

Where you started and where you want to be are exactly where I began and am now aspiring to go even further. So there's hope in your goals and they are very reasonable and doable!

I started this journey without myfitnesspal, but after including it in my daily life, my success has been more enjoyable and manageable. My starting size/weight was 309lbs and I was a size 24 or 3x. I am now down to 268lbs and am fitting into size 22 or 2x clothing. My original goal was to be a size 20, and 220lbs and stop there, but the success so far and the way I feel has motivated me to set my goal to 200lbs and achieve a size 18 or a 1x. It sounds silly but that's a pretty big goal for me!

Point is, you can do it! It's not always easy and sometimes we mess it up, but it's doable and you can achieve your goals! But just beware that everyone's body and diet preferences are different, and sometimes people can be a little pushy with their styles. So just be mindful of the overload of opinions and advice that tends to come in the world of social media and weight loss platforms.

For me personally, what has worked is cutting out flours and sugars to almost none, and limiting my calories to 1900-2000/day. That doesn't sound like too much of a limit calorie-wise, but compared to the truckloads of garbage I was eating before it has helped to to lose a total of over 40lbs. (Some pre MFP.)

And as for exercise, I am partially disabled with spinal issues, so my cardio is limited. However, when I can I like to walk 1-2 miles either on the treadmill or outside (weather dependant) or do as much time on the elliptical as I can tolerate. TBH the elliptical is where the weight fell off for me, when I used it 2-3xs a week at 30-45 minutes each time.

Please feel free to add me as a friend on here, and I wish you all the best success in your weight loss journey! You can do this!

-Liz