I Don't Know How To Lose Weight

MissVictoria007 · February 2021

Here I am 47 and on yet another weight loss journey!

The last time I did this I was 41 and not peri-menopause. I was also about 172lbs and got down to 140lbs just by working out in 3-4 months, 30 pounds down and feeling great. Now I'm 182lbs and tried working out but when I didn't see the scale move I got really scared and gave up. Truth be told I'm scared to try again but I have to do something....I'm the heaviest I've ever been and I so very sad about it.

My boyfriend has seen the weight slowly creeping on and although he hasn't done or said anything to make me feel bad (more out of concern) I know he would like to see me living my best live and that includes being happier as a size 10 again....instead of a 14. It's hasn't inhibited our love life but I just don't feel comfortable completely without cloths anymore.

I would really like to lose a min of 25 pounds and I do prefer working out from home so video recommendations or routine schedules would be awesome.

Any advice and support that come my way would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Victoria

Ddsb11 · February 2021

Hi there! The general page will be very helpful. This is one of my favorite posts from there and it will answer your question.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10191216/the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-lose-weight

B_Plus_Effort · February 2021

welcome, couple things to share off the top of my head

1. it's 90% diet (10% "working out") remember the easiest calories to burn are the ones you don't put in your mouth in the first place

1B. incorporate exercise into your regular life as much as possible, walk everywhere, why not walk to the store twice a week and buy two grocery bags of food and carry them back ie do the farmers carry rather than driving to COSTCO once a month, ha ha. Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator, park further away at Target and walk to the store

1C. doing two things worked for me, eating in a calorie deficit and eating one gram of protein per pound of my desired body weight (at 182 lbs you are currently consuming approximately 2,730 calories per day, so simply follow the basic average person 2,000 calorie diet that you find on every food container, they base that on a 2,000 calorie diet so they do the thinking for you, they show you exactly what a serving should be) I'm 6' tall and I eat 2,000 calories per day and it's plenty of food

2. there is no one way to loose weight

3. there is no shortage of opinions on this site, you will get many different perspectives, do what works for you

4. there are no bad foods, nothing is off limits, just make it fit into your calories for the day

5. you will have bad days, develop short term memory, ha ha, you had a bad day so what, the sun will rise tomorrow, and it's a new day, and a chance to eat healthy again

Fit_Happens_2021 · February 2021

Try giving this post a read, it really helped me understand how to get started and make it effective: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

snowflake954 · February 2021

Unfortunately working out alone won't insure that you lose weight. You need a calorie deficit. Get a digital food scale and start weighing and measuring everything you eat and drink. Get your daily calorie goal from MFP and try and stay within that everyday. Consistency and patience is a win. Exercise will give you more calories to eat so make sure you log it. Best of luck.

bitaniaisaac2900 · February 2021

Food

Something that really helped me is tracking my calories on MFP. No matter what happens , always write it down and track it. Try to maintain the streak. Trust me, there's been some days were I ate so much that I was ashamed to log it all down.. but no matter what, forgive yourself and write it down. It taught me how to be accountable. Also , think of it from an analytical point. That way , you can look back at your weekly summary to futher assess your progress. Plan ahead and calculate.

Plan your food for the next day and log it down to see how many calories it will amount to. That way when the day comes , you dont need to stress yourself out deciding on the spot.

Intermittent fasting is freaking AWESOME! If you train your body to wait until a certain amount of time to eat and feel hungy, you can have 2 large filling meals instead of 3 and a snack. I cant stand eating little by little throughout the day. It makes me feel empty and unsatiated. But if I just eat during a certain window, I can enjoy the calories without a sweat.

Stuff to avoid/limit if you want to eat as much as possible: Peanut butter, syrup, cooking oil. Cut down on some carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and oil too because the calories pile up too fast. I cant control myself around peanut butter. I eat spoonfuls without noticing ahah. Eating too many carbs leads to depression and bloating, and unnecesary water weight the next day.

Speaking of weight, the scale is sometimes a liar. Use measuring tapes all over you body and come back 3 months later to see the difference. (It's insane!! Just discovered this)

If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, always pair it with a protein source. It will slow down the processing, so your blood sugar levels will not rise super fast, but steadily.

Excercise

If you workout, you can post on it on MFP but please dont take the `calories earned` at face value. Most of the time it's exaggerated. For example , walking 10,000 steps burns at best 150 calories. But myfitnesspal overestimates it by a bit because it's not personalized to you as an individual. It's just a guesstimation and it's easy to go overboard if you start using it to compensate.

As someone who started working out from home ever since the lockdown, I recommend following Chloe Ting's workouts. She has alot of free workout plans based on your goals and her videos are all on youtube. https://www.chloeting.com/program/
I have been doing 2020 2week shred program and it works!! Saw a difference on day 4. I've always been doubtful of the effect of home workouts, but as long as youre consistent, it will work. Lost inches all over and even toned up on my belly. It's quite popular and there's alot of motivation in watching people's transformations on youtube.

If you'd rather not workout for now ( like me rn lol) what you do is find out what your BMR is (Basal metabolic rate: The amount of calories you burn in a day just by simply existing) and eat below it. My bmr is 1500 cals and I've been eating 1,100 -1,200 everyday. Naturally losing weight without lifting a finger. That being said , on some days I decide to eat more, and so the next day I eat a bit less to balance it out. All that matters is your alloted calories for the whole week.

Take your time also. It's going to take so much patience.. and sometimes you'll feel like you see no progress. But that's because you're forwarding little by little. I like to think of myself as toilet paper 😂. You don't notice the roll getting smaller and smaller until it's approaching the end:)

Let your goal be good health rather than good measurements or nice appearance. You will find you kill two birds with one stone.

Best of success!

snowflake954 · February 2021

bitaniaisaac2900 wrote: »

Food

Something that really helped me is tracking my calories on MFP. No matter what happens , always write it down and track it. Try to maintain the streak. Trust me, there's been some days were I ate so much that I was ashamed to log it all down.. but no matter what, forgive yourself and write it down. It taught me how to be accountable. Also , think of it from an analytical point. That way , you can look back at your weekly summary to futher assess your progress. Plan ahead and calculate.

Plan your food for the next day and log it down to see how many calories it will amount to. That way when the day comes , you dont need to stress yourself out deciding on the spot.

Intermittent fasting is freaking AWESOME! If you train your body to wait until a certain amount of time to eat and feel hungy, you can have 2 large filling meals instead of 3 and a snack. I cant stand eating little by little throughout the day. It makes me feel empty and unsatiated. But if I just eat during a certain window, I can enjoy the calories without a sweat.

Stuff to avoid/limit if you want to eat as much as possible: Peanut butter, syrup, cooking oil. Cut down on some carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and oil too because the calories pile up too fast. I cant control myself around peanut butter. I eat spoonfuls without noticing ahah. Eating too many carbs leads to depression and bloating, and unnecesary water weight the next day.

Speaking of weight, the scale is sometimes a liar. Use measuring tapes all over you body and come back 3 months later to see the difference. (It's insane!! Just discovered this)

If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, always pair it with a protein source. It will slow down the processing, so your blood sugar levels will not rise super fast, but steadily.

Excercise

If you workout, you can post on it on MFP but please dont take the `calories earned` at face value. Most of the time it's exaggerated. For example , walking 10,000 steps burns at best 150 calories. But myfitnesspal overestimates it by a bit because it's not personalized to you as an individual. It's just a guesstimation and it's easy to go overboard if you start using it to compensate.

As someone who started working out from home ever since the lockdown, I recommend following Chloe Ting's workouts. She has alot of free workout plans based on your goals and her videos are all on youtube. https://www.chloeting.com/program/
I have been doing 2020 2week shred program and it works!! Saw a difference on day 4. I've always been doubtful of the effect of home workouts, but as long as youre consistent, it will work. Lost inches all over and even toned up on my belly. It's quite popular and there's alot of motivation in watching people's transformations on youtube.

If you'd rather not workout for now ( like me rn lol) what you do is find out what your BMR is (Basal metabolic rate: The amount of calories you burn in a day just by simply existing) and eat below it. My bmr is 1500 cals and I've been eating 1,100 -1,200 everyday. Naturally losing weight without lifting a finger. That being said , on some days I decide to eat more, and so the next day I eat a bit less to balance it out. All that matters is your alloted calories for the whole week.

Take your time also. It's going to take so much patience.. and sometimes you'll feel like you see no progress. But that's because you're forwarding little by little. I like to think of myself as toilet paper 😂. You don't notice the roll getting smaller and smaller until it's approaching the end:)

Let your goal be good health rather than good measurements or nice appearance. You will find you kill two birds with one stone.

Best of success!

Excuse me. Could I ask where you got the information for: "If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, pair it with a protein to slow down processing". I've never heard that before. Source?

callsitlikeiseeit · February 2021

snowflake954 wrote: »

bitaniaisaac2900 wrote: »

Food

Something that really helped me is tracking my calories on MFP. No matter what happens , always write it down and track it. Try to maintain the streak. Trust me, there's been some days were I ate so much that I was ashamed to log it all down.. but no matter what, forgive yourself and write it down. It taught me how to be accountable. Also , think of it from an analytical point. That way , you can look back at your weekly summary to futher assess your progress. Plan ahead and calculate.

Plan your food for the next day and log it down to see how many calories it will amount to. That way when the day comes , you dont need to stress yourself out deciding on the spot.

Intermittent fasting is freaking AWESOME! If you train your body to wait until a certain amount of time to eat and feel hungy, you can have 2 large filling meals instead of 3 and a snack. I cant stand eating little by little throughout the day. It makes me feel empty and unsatiated. But if I just eat during a certain window, I can enjoy the calories without a sweat.

Stuff to avoid/limit if you want to eat as much as possible: Peanut butter, syrup, cooking oil. Cut down on some carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and oil too because the calories pile up too fast. I cant control myself around peanut butter. I eat spoonfuls without noticing ahah. Eating too many carbs leads to depression and bloating, and unnecesary water weight the next day.

Speaking of weight, the scale is sometimes a liar. Use measuring tapes all over you body and come back 3 months later to see the difference. (It's insane!! Just discovered this)

If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, always pair it with a protein source. It will slow down the processing, so your blood sugar levels will not rise super fast, but steadily.

Excercise

If you workout, you can post on it on MFP but please dont take the `calories earned` at face value. Most of the time it's exaggerated. For example , walking 10,000 steps burns at best 150 calories. But myfitnesspal overestimates it by a bit because it's not personalized to you as an individual. It's just a guesstimation and it's easy to go overboard if you start using it to compensate.

As someone who started working out from home ever since the lockdown, I recommend following Chloe Ting's workouts. She has alot of free workout plans based on your goals and her videos are all on youtube. https://www.chloeting.com/program/
I have been doing 2020 2week shred program and it works!! Saw a difference on day 4. I've always been doubtful of the effect of home workouts, but as long as youre consistent, it will work. Lost inches all over and even toned up on my belly. It's quite popular and there's alot of motivation in watching people's transformations on youtube.

If you'd rather not workout for now ( like me rn lol) what you do is find out what your BMR is (Basal metabolic rate: The amount of calories you burn in a day just by simply existing) and eat below it. My bmr is 1500 cals and I've been eating 1,100 -1,200 everyday. Naturally losing weight without lifting a finger. That being said , on some days I decide to eat more, and so the next day I eat a bit less to balance it out. All that matters is your alloted calories for the whole week.

Take your time also. It's going to take so much patience.. and sometimes you'll feel like you see no progress. But that's because you're forwarding little by little. I like to think of myself as toilet paper 😂. You don't notice the roll getting smaller and smaller until it's approaching the end:)

Let your goal be good health rather than good measurements or nice appearance. You will find you kill two birds with one stone.

Best of success!

Excuse me. Could I ask where you got the information for: "If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, pair it with a protein to slow down processing". I've never heard that before. Source?

several things in that post I'd like a source for.

What works for one person does not make it solid science.

OP- you lose weight in the kitchen, not in the gym. no matter what you eat, it could be ALL peanut butter, if you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight. I had chicken parm and apple pie yesterday. Have oreos all the time. lose weight consistently.

brenn24179 · February 2021

take in less calories than your body burns. That is it. Go with whatever MFP allows you for your calories. I know easier said than done but this is it.

tuckerrj · February 2021

Accurate, super accurate, BRUTALLY HONEST recording of EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth that has calories, was the beginning of weight loss for many of us. Using a food scale, not measuring cups or spoons (which can be over loaded quite easily) is a necessity. After a week of getting the hang of it, you'll have a baseline for how much you actually eat by looking up the calories here in MFP (My Fitness Pal). Put your numbers into the MFP calculator with the desired setting for weight loss (might I suggest just one pound per week to start). If you're not keen on working out, you can start with a 30 minute walk each day, or an exercise video on DVD or YouTube. These are good starting places. Try it for a month. Yes, a MONTH before you decide whether you're having success or not.

Ddsb11 · February 2021

bitaniaisaac2900 wrote: »

Food

Something that really helped me is tracking my calories on MFP. No matter what happens , always write it down and track it. Try to maintain the streak. Trust me, there's been some days were I ate so much that I was ashamed to log it all down.. but no matter what, forgive yourself and write it down. It taught me how to be accountable. Also , think of it from an analytical point. That way , you can look back at your weekly summary to futher assess your progress. Plan ahead and calculate.

Plan your food for the next day and log it down to see how many calories it will amount to. That way when the day comes , you dont need to stress yourself out deciding on the spot.

Intermittent fasting is freaking AWESOME! If you train your body to wait until a certain amount of time to eat and feel hungy, you can have 2 large filling meals instead of 3 and a snack. I cant stand eating little by little throughout the day. It makes me feel empty and unsatiated. But if I just eat during a certain window, I can enjoy the calories without a sweat.

Stuff to avoid/limit if you want to eat as much as possible: Peanut butter, syrup, cooking oil. Cut down on some carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and oil too because the calories pile up too fast. I cant control myself around peanut butter. I eat spoonfuls without noticing ahah. Eating too many carbs leads to depression and bloating, and unnecesary water weight the next day.

Speaking of weight, the scale is sometimes a liar. Use measuring tapes all over you body and come back 3 months later to see the difference. (It's insane!! Just discovered this)

If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, always pair it with a protein source. It will slow down the processing, so your blood sugar levels will not rise super fast, but steadily.

Excercise

If you workout, you can post on it on MFP but please dont take the `calories earned` at face value. Most of the time it's exaggerated. For example , walking 10,000 steps burns at best 150 calories. But myfitnesspal overestimates it by a bit because it's not personalized to you as an individual. It's just a guesstimation and it's easy to go overboard if you start using it to compensate.

As someone who started working out from home ever since the lockdown, I recommend following Chloe Ting's workouts. She has alot of free workout plans based on your goals and her videos are all on youtube. https://www.chloeting.com/program/
I have been doing 2020 2week shred program and it works!! Saw a difference on day 4. I've always been doubtful of the effect of home workouts, but as long as youre consistent, it will work. Lost inches all over and even toned up on my belly. It's quite popular and there's alot of motivation in watching people's transformations on youtube.

If you'd rather not workout for now ( like me rn lol) what you do is find out what your BMR is (Basal metabolic rate: The amount of calories you burn in a day just by simply existing) and eat below it. My bmr is 1500 cals and I've been eating 1,100 -1,200 everyday. Naturally losing weight without lifting a finger. That being said , on some days I decide to eat more, and so the next day I eat a bit less to balance it out. All that matters is your alloted calories for the whole week.

Take your time also. It's going to take so much patience.. and sometimes you'll feel like you see no progress. But that's because you're forwarding little by little. I like to think of myself as toilet paper 😂. You don't notice the roll getting smaller and smaller until it's approaching the end:)

Let your goal be good health rather than good measurements or nice appearance. You will find you kill two birds with one stone.

Best of success!

OP- please do not listen to this poster. They don’t have an actual understanding of biology. You never want to eat under your BMR! You can use the neat method MFP finds for you or you can find your TDEE and eat at a reasonable deficit (250-500 calories) off that. And nothing is off limits! Just eat your calorie goal in whatever timing you want, and whatever food combination you want. What one person finds as satiating another binges off of it. Eat food that makes sense for you! Again read the stickies at the top of the general board, they’re invaluable.

swiftyl · February 2021

Hi Victoria - I'm with you, I'm 46 and peri menopausal too. It does seem harder this time round, I'm not sure if that's hormones, stress or lockdown, but it does 'feel' harder despite the naysayers who say menopause has no affect on ability to burn calories. You say you're scared? Of what? If you're scared of not losing weight and the scales just staying the same, you could try re focussing your goal to one of health and fitness and stay away from the scale perhaps? When I restarted my first goal was to just eat more veggies. I'd been diagnosed with high blood pressure and was suffering from stress and anxiety, so I knew I need to weigh less but my main concern was just getting healthier. So I took baby steps. First I added more veggies. Then I started just going for a walk every day. Gradually I transitioned to a vegetarian diet (as for me, that helped with lower calories and cholesterol) and continued with the walking. I tried to introduce a new food to my diet every month just to try new things. I am still very much a work in progress as I'm 2 years in and still very much go up and down on this journey. That said I feel like I generally make better lifestyle choices, so it may be slow but I'm find something that will consistently stay with me. I've been more dedicated that last 6 months with what I eat and I log every day. Certainly for me the exercise is more of a bonus, to help tone everything, and honestly doesn't seem to have a huge affect on my weight loss. I've also accepted that my weight loss timeframe has changed as the last 6 months has shown me that I average a pound a week (but sometimes I put on 4!) it's definitely not linear and plateaus are a pain in the posterior, but I look back and think even if it's only a couple of pounds a month, over a year it all adds up and is creating sustainable lifelong habits. I wish you all the best of luck.

MarieBuch10 · February 2021

snowflake954 wrote: »

bitaniaisaac2900 wrote: »

Food

Something that really helped me is tracking my calories on MFP. No matter what happens , always write it down and track it. Try to maintain the streak. Trust me, there's been some days were I ate so much that I was ashamed to log it all down.. but no matter what, forgive yourself and write it down. It taught me how to be accountable. Also , think of it from an analytical point. That way , you can look back at your weekly summary to futher assess your progress. Plan ahead and calculate.

Plan your food for the next day and log it down to see how many calories it will amount to. That way when the day comes , you dont need to stress yourself out deciding on the spot.

Intermittent fasting is freaking AWESOME! If you train your body to wait until a certain amount of time to eat and feel hungy, you can have 2 large filling meals instead of 3 and a snack. I cant stand eating little by little throughout the day. It makes me feel empty and unsatiated. But if I just eat during a certain window, I can enjoy the calories without a sweat.

Stuff to avoid/limit if you want to eat as much as possible: Peanut butter, syrup, cooking oil. Cut down on some carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and oil too because the calories pile up too fast. I cant control myself around peanut butter. I eat spoonfuls without noticing ahah. Eating too many carbs leads to depression and bloating, and unnecesary water weight the next day.

Speaking of weight, the scale is sometimes a liar. Use measuring tapes all over you body and come back 3 months later to see the difference. (It's insane!! Just discovered this)

If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, always pair it with a protein source. It will slow down the processing, so your blood sugar levels will not rise super fast, but steadily.

Excercise

If you workout, you can post on it on MFP but please dont take the `calories earned` at face value. Most of the time it's exaggerated. For example , walking 10,000 steps burns at best 150 calories. But myfitnesspal overestimates it by a bit because it's not personalized to you as an individual. It's just a guesstimation and it's easy to go overboard if you start using it to compensate.

As someone who started working out from home ever since the lockdown, I recommend following Chloe Ting's workouts. She has alot of free workout plans based on your goals and her videos are all on youtube. https://www.chloeting.com/program/
I have been doing 2020 2week shred program and it works!! Saw a difference on day 4. I've always been doubtful of the effect of home workouts, but as long as youre consistent, it will work. Lost inches all over and even toned up on my belly. It's quite popular and there's alot of motivation in watching people's transformations on youtube.

If you'd rather not workout for now ( like me rn lol) what you do is find out what your BMR is (Basal metabolic rate: The amount of calories you burn in a day just by simply existing) and eat below it. My bmr is 1500 cals and I've been eating 1,100 -1,200 everyday. Naturally losing weight without lifting a finger. That being said , on some days I decide to eat more, and so the next day I eat a bit less to balance it out. All that matters is your alloted calories for the whole week.

Take your time also. It's going to take so much patience.. and sometimes you'll feel like you see no progress. But that's because you're forwarding little by little. I like to think of myself as toilet paper 😂. You don't notice the roll getting smaller and smaller until it's approaching the end:)

Let your goal be good health rather than good measurements or nice appearance. You will find you kill two birds with one stone.

Best of success!

Excuse me. Could I ask where you got the information for: "If you're planning on eating something sweet and sugary, pair it with a protein to slow down processing". I've never heard that before. Source?

I am not the poster of this nor do I have a source lol but I was advised by a dietician that if you are eating a carbohydrate (a banana for example, which is sweet and sugary) that adding something like peanut butter (protein, fat) will be more satiating than eating just a banana since carbs are used by the body for energy immediately whereas fat and protein break down more slowly.

gcibsthom · February 2021

I have found that people who lose and regain weight do so because they went on a "diet". Once they hit their goal weight, or come close to it, they end the "diet" and go back to their previous ways. Only when you realize that it is not a diet (which we tend to look at as temporary), you have to change your lifestyle. I yo-yo'd for decades, losing 40 lbs and gaining it back, 30lbs and gaining it back....on and on so many times. Part of it was also motivation. It was only when I saw a photo of myself and realized 1) that I was NEVER going to continue to be that way (300 lbs) and 2) that the ONLY way I could do it was to change how / what I eat, and becoming more active for the rest of my life. In order words, my goal became living a healthy lifestyle...
I've been here on mfp since 2015, and it is awesome because it provides me the accountability and peer pressure that I needed. Now, I enjoy my lifestyle. I eat well (not the processed and fast foods that I ate before) and enjoy riding my bike and walking. There have been bumps in my road, but none that couldn't be overcome. I reached my goal weight over 2 years ago, and tbh was worried about maintaining my weight, but I simply continue my lifestyle, because it has become a big part of me. I'm 69 years old and weight 175 lbs. I have a new me and still look at that old pic from time to time just to keep myself motivated.
If I can do it (I LOVE FOOD and HATED EXERCISING) anyone can do it...

3greyhorses · February 2021

I could work out for 8 hours a day and not lose a single pound. It's all about the calories for me. I've finally learned that I have to track everything or else I eat back all of those earned calories without noticing. I really wish it weren't true.

nexangelus · February 2021

tuckerrj wrote: »

Accurate, super accurate, BRUTALLY HONEST recording of EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth that has calories, was the beginning of weight loss for many of us. Using a food scale, not measuring cups or spoons (which can be over loaded quite easily) is a necessity. After a week of getting the hang of it, you'll have a baseline for how much you actually eat by looking up the calories here in MFP (My Fitness Pal). Put your numbers into the MFP calculator with the desired setting for weight loss (might I suggest just one pound per week to start). If you're not keen on working out, you can start with a 30 minute walk each day, or an exercise video on DVD or YouTube. These are good starting places. Try it for a month. Yes, a MONTH before you decide whether you're having success or not.

^^^^^ This and also I am post menopausal coming onto 8 years (premature menopause at 38)...I will be 47 this year, I have lost weight using the TDEE method and MFP to track my calorie intake accurately...am down to sub 20 % bodyfat...lean mass is steady and I weight train...never been so lean or as strong (strongwoman athlete)

I would highly recommend resistance training to all women...calisthenics (push ups, pullups, military style fitness) and dumbbells/kettlebells (or if you can get a mini gym set up together), banded work as well (resistance bands)....for retaining and building lean mass while losing fat....

springlering62 · February 2021

To echo others, honestly weigh and log every bite that goes in your mouth. It’s as simple as that.

Your ‘pause status doesn’t really have a whole lot to do with it.

I lost over 90, starting well after menopause.

You either use it as an excuse, or get with it. I was tired of excuses.

I Don't Know How To Lose Weight

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