Having to lose half my body weight to be healthy

nurabh94
nurabh94 Posts: 38 Member
in Getting Started
It’s a struggle and quite upsetting when you think about the sheer enormity of what you have to shed to be “healthy”. Would love if other people with high BMI have any advice?
Be safe everyone ✨

Replies

  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    Welcome to MFP. I don’t have a high BMI, but still wanted to congratulate you for taking your first steps toward a healthier you.
    You have a lot to lose but so much more to gain.
    Start by reading some of the inspiration stories in the blog. You’ll find a theme there starting with:
    - make a small sustainable change eg., if you like to drink pop, then switch that out for water to sparkling water with lemon or lime in it.
    - Once you’ve adjusted to that change then make another small sustainable change eg., if you like to eat rice, switch that out for brown rice
    - Track what you eat
    - Monitor your macros
    - Monitor your metrics (weight and measurements)
    - Then adjust as needed
    - As you lose weight, your body is going to change, not only in appearance, but also in how it reacts to different foods.

    I wish you all the best.
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    Check out the podcast “We Only Look Thin” It’s hosted by a couple who have each lost over 100 lbs and kept it off. They have SO much great advice for how to lose weight in a sustainable way.
  • nurabh94
    nurabh94 Posts: 38 Member
    Thank you all! Sorry I don’t know how to reply individually. All of your advice is very practical and helpful which is what I really needed!

    @quemalosuerte thank you for this. That’s so practical as I do feel like I can’t control myself sometimes in certain situations! I used to be healthy, but then I had a traumatic event occur and I just began to biiiinge until I doubled in weight. I’m at a place now where I want my life back!! Amazing that you are doing couch to 5k!! I hope it’s going well!!

    @rockconner thank you, this is so handy that I’ve screenshot your reply to always be able to refer back to! I’ve always had high carb low protein so I’ve been trying to change that up, finding it a bit tough as I’m vegetarian but I’m finding natural protein in lots of other nice good foods (I’m still under the limit MFP sets every day but I have increased it!). Also well done on your own success! You’ve done so well! Thanks so much for your help :)
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    I, too, needed to lose half my weight -- now only about 85% ;)

    MFP is here for us long haul folks. It is not about magic diets that lose 10 pounds in a week (all of which is gained back in the subsequent weeks) or about shaming folks. It's for anyone who wants to control their weight. There's a success story today about a many who went from 405 to 175 pounds. It can be done.

    Only you can determine what will work for you to lose weight beyond the concept of calories in/calories out. No one specific diet or eating pattern works long term for weight loss except controlling how many calories you consume. Feel free to try different ones or develop your own. Maintain a reasonable calorie deficit over the long haul and you will lose weight.
  • harper16
    harper16 Posts: 2,564 Member
    rockconner wrote: »
    I'm a guy, started in January at 372# with a BMI of 50. Now I'm at 306# & my BMI is 42. My advice is not to diet, but to change the way you eat. Find how many calories you burn, find a safe, sustainable calorie intake & make it your own. Don't eat less than 1000 calories per day if you're a woman, & 1200 calories per day if you're a man. Research how much protein you need & get it daily. The MFP calculator will recommend a daily calorie intake. I think they recommend too many daily calories, but determine that for yourself.

    Log everything you eat or drink that has calories. I log ALL foods, but not calorie-free drinks like water, Crystal Light, or zero sugar Cokes (I'm from the South where every non-alcoholic fizzy drink is a "Coke."). Find the nutritional values of everything you eat, learning which foods best serve your weight loss & which don't. Pay attention to portion size. I make trade-offs all day long. Tonight I wanted 3 cheese slices with my scrambled eggs but I had a daily calorie limit to stay under so I only had 2. I wanted some high protein cereal in my low-cal flavored Greek yogurt for my nightly snack, but I had already met my protein goal for the day so I'll just have some fruit.

    And be nice to yourself. Discipline doesn't mean you must hit your goals precisely every day. Have a calorie goal but don't make yourself crazy with staying under it every single day. Know how much protein you need but don't obsess about every gram over or under. If you're most always eating the right things, the weight will come off.

    And ask questions here. Right now everybody's been doing MFP longer than you, but we all started knowing very little & learned along the way. Soon you'll know more than others here & you'll be able to help them.

    Don't eat less than 1200 calories a day for a sendetary female, and less than 1500 calories a day, for a sendetary male.
  • nurabh94
    nurabh94 Posts: 38 Member
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    I, too, needed to lose half my weight -- now only about 85% ;)

    MFP is here for us long haul folks. It is not about magic diets that lose 10 pounds in a week (all of which is gained back in the subsequent weeks) or about shaming folks. It's for anyone who wants to control their weight. There's a success story today about a many who went from 405 to 175 pounds. It can be done.

    Only you can determine what will work for you to lose weight beyond the concept of calories in/calories out. No one specific diet or eating pattern works long term for weight loss except controlling how many calories you consume. Feel free to try different ones or develop your own. Maintain a reasonable calorie deficit over the long haul and you will lose weight.

    Thank you!!! I’ve never done well following a diet as I find they’re sometimes a bit restrictive so I’ve been trucking along on my own trying to eat healthy and maintain a safe deficit! External factors have made his a bit difficult as I started a new dose of medication which suppressed appetite as an unfortunate side effect and I can see that this is leading me to undereat (as a poised to overeating!) but I’m adjusting etc etc. Thank you for your words and taking the time to reply to me with such positivity!
    NovusDies wrote: »
    I have lost more than half my original body weight.

    Here are my first and second year anniversary threads:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10731694/after-a-year-over-150lbs-lost-learned-a-few-things/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10791606/2-years-over-200-pounds-lost-lessons-learned-and-life-changed#latest

    Here is a group I started here at MFP for people that have or had 75 or more pounds to lose that wish to lose their weight in a sensible and sustainable fashion:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers

    Thank you!! I joined the group! And well done for your amazing work and thank you for all the lovely posts you have put in the group- it’s been great reading through them all week!
    mmapags wrote: »
    How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

    If you view the enormity of having to lose half your body weight, it can be overwhelming. Focus on the first 10 lbs. Then the next. Then the next. And work on developing the right dietary habits to stay at a more healthy weight. And in this sense, it is better to go slowly and sustainable while learning new habits and breaking old non-productive ones.

    The learning new habits part is the part that most people skip. This the many, many threads here about, "I lost xlbs over a year but then gained it all back". Why go through all that work just to end up back at the starting gate??

    All the best for a leaner, healthier you!

    Thank you!!! Definitely like the elephant saying 😂 I’m going to write it out all nice and pun it up in my room as you can use it all for all aspects of life! Thank you!
    harper16 wrote: »
    rockconner wrote: »
    I'm a guy, started in January at 372# with a BMI of 50. Now I'm at 306# & my BMI is 42. My advice is not to diet, but to change the way you eat. Find how many calories you burn, find a safe, sustainable calorie intake & make it your own. Don't eat less than 1000 calories per day if you're a woman, & 1200 calories per day if you're a man. Research how much protein you need & get it daily. The MFP calculator will recommend a daily calorie intake. I think they recommend too many daily calories, but determine that for yourself.

    Log everything you eat or drink that has calories. I log ALL foods, but not calorie-free drinks like water, Crystal Light, or zero sugar Cokes (I'm from the South where every non-alcoholic fizzy drink is a "Coke."). Find the nutritional values of everything you eat, learning which foods best serve your weight loss & which don't. Pay attention to portion size. I make trade-offs all day long. Tonight I wanted 3 cheese slices with my scrambled eggs but I had a daily calorie limit to stay under so I only had 2. I wanted some high protein cereal in my low-cal flavored Greek yogurt for my nightly snack, but I had already met my protein goal for the day so I'll just have some fruit.

    And be nice to yourself. Discipline doesn't mean you must hit your goals precisely every day. Have a calorie goal but don't make yourself crazy with staying under it every single day. Know how much protein you need but don't obsess about every gram over or under. If you're most always eating the right things, the weight will come off.

    And ask questions here. Right now everybody's been doing MFP longer than you, but we all started knowing very little & learned along the way. Soon you'll know more than others here & you'll be able to help them.

    Don't eat less than 1200 calories a day for a sendetary female, and less than 1500 calories a day, for a sendetary male.

    Noted, thank you!!!
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    I have lost a 3rd of me, since August last year, at around 2 pound a week.

    My starting goal was simply not to be obese, and that is now just 6 pounds away but getting here has just been another day... another day... another day.

    I mentally set "goals" - generally dropping down another 10kg - but I think that is just being human, and a way of marking progress, as it doesn't actually change my progress.

    But that said, making progress just makes me know I can make further progress. If that makes sense.

    And the hardest step of all is starting - I can promise you that.
  • emalethmoon
    emalethmoon Posts: 178 Member
    Just focus on mini-goals. I started at 275 and am heading for at least 150. I focus on each 5 lbs and make my next big goal something smaller than the ultimate goal. For example, I started counting again in March at 230lbs and my next big goal was getting under 200 by my birthday (July 22).
  • mc62412
    mc62412 Posts: 195 Member
    edited June 2020
    I’m in the same boat. Needing to lose a person in weight basically. It’s not always easy. But when I see the progress I’ve made, it makes me happy.
    I weigh in daily. For me it works. If I see the scale creeping in the direction I don’t want, then I tweak my eating. I only record my weight on here though once a week. On sundays.
    I log my food. Use a scale. Measure it all out.
    Since corona has locked down a lot of life the last few months, I make 95 % of my meals at home. I’ve been really good at taking lunch to work rather then buy it somewhere. If I do have to hit the drive though, it’s either Boston markets chicken or turkey. Taco Bell’s chicken power bowl. Subways 6 inch tuna on wheat. Or a salad from somewhere.
    Learning portion control was difficult. But seeing the progress on the scale as well as non scale victories pushed me to learn how to deal with portion control.
    Sometimes I struggle with still feeling hungry. But that could be an hour after I just finished a decent sized dinner. I just tell myself it’s my brain trying to trick me. And I try drinking more water.
    I’ve also looked at some non scale victories as well. I always used to have a hard time finding shirts that fit me properly. So I’ve work t shirts my entire “fat life” ... But the last few weeks I found some that fit that weren’t t shirts ! And that felt amazing. For the first time the other day I was able to fit into a tank top I had bought with some shorts. Again, felt good. So it motivates me to keep on keepin on 🙂
    This past week was a hard one for me. The scale just barley went up and down all week. But today was a successful weigh in. ( I’m chalking it up to that time of the month ) and even though I expressed my frustrations and wanted to says f it, let’s eat what ever we want. I didn’t and I stuck it out. And I feel good knowing I stuck with it.
    As of today I’m down 26 pounds since starting in April. I still have a lot more to go but I’m going. My first weight loss goal was 7% of my body weight. Which was 20 pounds. Once I hit that, I set my current mini goal. Lose another 12 pounds. I’m going to set mini goals along the way so I don’t get bummed out by the ultimate goal I’m trying to reach.
    When the scale doesn’t say what you want it to try to look at your tend as a whole. Is it going down, even with little bumps in the road ? Then your doing just fine !
    It’s not easy. But at least we’re all here for motivation, support and encouragement.

    We can do it ! 👏🏼
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,473 Member
    I’ve lost over 40% of me. I’m still in sticker shock.

    Don’t set unrealistic goals. Make the first goal attainable, and the second, and the third. Give yourself time. It’s not a race, nor should you throw up your hands at the end, shout “winner!” and then go back to your old ways.

    By the time I hit my “dream weight” of 160, changes had become habit and I knew I’d continue losing if I held steady.

    I’ve lost another 32 since then, and am tiptoeing around the Ma(intenance) word. I feel like if I say it out loud the weight will sneak back up on me.

    If you put the thought, consistency, and effort, weight loss will happen. Having been there done that, I know it feels insurmountable and like eons from your point of view, but from mine, having come out the other side, it now feels like “holy cow! That was fast!”
  • margaretlunan2
    margaretlunan2 Posts: 864 Member
    need to lose around 200 pounds so over half my body weight. i also have a bad knee so limited exercise
  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
    Don’t be discouraged bc it seems like so much.
    A good friend of mine lost half of her body weight.
    She went from 285 to 140. It has been life changing for her. Everyone has a starting point. Don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone’s chapter 15.

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