huge weight loss needed

I have a lot to lose and it's alright. I have to get healthier, if I concentrate on it, weight loss will be inevitable and just a side effect.

Im the same struggling to lose 18lbs. I have gone to smaller portions, exercise at least 4times a week and active job.my problem is i pick and dont even realise.... HELP!!!!

There is a maxim which I love and live by. It is "you cannot manage what you cannot measure". In our case we need to weigh ourselves often and frequently. I weigh myself every day and always at the same time. I then check-in the weight reading into the MyFitnessPal. You can see a graph for the last week, month, 180 days and year.

My graph is a saw tooth graph. It is up and down but with a general trend going down. I notice my weight goes up at the weekend when I have indulged on the sauce and biscuits. Because I see that I know this is an area that needs more control.

The key in losing weight, and take this from someone who has lost over 192 pounds, is to make small, SUSTAINABLE changes. this is a long term effort. not a sprint. you will not lose weight fast. you will not lose weight every week. you will have weeks on end with NO weight loss. its normal. trust the process.

my main tips:

learn how to weigh (on a food scale) your food properly and find ACCURATE database entries now. I don't know what your starting weight is, but at first you may have a lot of room for error. but as you have less to lose, you don't. If you learn how to do things properly from the beginning, it means you don' have to RE-LEARN how to do it later.

Find an activity you ENJOY. You don't have to be a runner (ew). You don't have to work out at all to lose weight (weight loss happens in the kitchen). BUT... physical activity does have a LOT of benefits. Both mental and physical. It can be as simple as a leisurely stroll a few times a week. And as you lose weight, you may find (I did), that you WANT to do more. Simple, little things like parking a bit further out in parking lots. Taking stairs instead of elevators. walking to your mailbox instead of pulling up to it in your car as you are pulling in your driveway. Small things. Every bit counts.

Understand that you do not have to give up your favorite foods or any food groups to lose weight. You DO need to learn how MUCH you can eat. Portion control. This goes back to my first point. For the most part, I eat the same things I always have. Just less of them. I eat burgers and pizza and chips and cookies. Just ... not all in the same day well, I might could get away with it if I planned it out REALLY well. And stuck to the plan with NO deviation. Maybe. LOL

You will have 'bad' days. Whether its a holiday or just a ... bad day. Life happens. you will go over. It is NOT the end of the world. You will not ruin your deficit with one bad day. The problems come in when that one bad day becomes two, becomes 3, becomes a week, and goes on....

You've got this. Take it one day at a time, and each day, try to do a little bit better. Don't try to do everything all at once. Don't try to make 1000 changes all at once. Most people who burn out, do so because they try to do too much, too soon. start small. build from there. You did not gain the weight quickly. You will not lose it quickly. Better to lose it slowly, and KEEP IT OFF, then lose it quick, and gain it all back and more!

I've been at this a long time. It becomes a part of your life, and like any other habit, you don't think about it much, really. Your eating habits slowly change. You weigh and log your food. Your activity levels (usually) change, at least to some degree. You become more mindful of what you are putting in your shopping cart and body. My one (or two) words of caution is to make these changes slowly. Most people who go 'All in' head first and full steam, burn out quick. Your first couple of weeks, maybe even first month, most people will lose a fair amount fairly quickly, but most of it is water weight (usually from a reduction in carbs). It does slow down, as your body adjusts. It's normal, and is SUPPOSED to happen, so don't get discouraged. Also, don't set your calories too low. The fastest rate of loss (1200 for women and 1500 for men) is not the best rate of loss. Although very tempting to set it to lose faster, it will make it harder for you to maintain and stick to your calorie goals because you will be ... well, hungry. Be kind to yourself, give yourself a few more calories, and you will still lose weight and be less likely to deviate from your plan and therefore more likely to succeed.

Useful Links
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

and basically ... all of these

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest

ooji wrote: »

If i get down to below 15 stone, which I have done a couple of times, I am no longer 'officially' obese and in many ways that is a huge step and I know that and I can be proud of it but then I look in the mirror and there is still a fat overweight woman looking back at me and that's the point at which I generally give up and start eating.

well, of course there is still an overweight woman looking back at you. Just because you are out of the obese category, does not mean you are no longer in the overweight category. you still have to get through that one.

Just like you have to complete each year in college (or high school) before you graduate. You dont finish the first year and are suddenly done with all of it. nope. 3 more years to go. Maybe more.

Motivation comes from within. No one on MFP, or your friends, or family, or anyone, anywhere, can MAKE you want to do the things you need to do to lose weight. We can cheer you on. Give you tips. If you are struggling, hold your hand and cry with you or help troubleshoot if there is an actual issue and not just normal weight loss fluctuations. but...we can't make you do anything.

There are some people who are 'externally' motivated. But I think even with them, it comes from within. They just respond well to external forces as well, be it through challenges (think fit bit step challenges) or group classes, or a personal trainer, or a workout buddy, or something else that may help keep them 'accountable' (or guilt them into) doing what they should do. If you've never tried something like that, maybe try it and see if it helps.

Truly though, losing the weight, is only the first step, because once you DO, you have to KEEP it off, and that's a WHOLE other ballgame. In some ways, harder, because there is no 'end point'. Which is why many develop other fitness goals to pursue and work on at that point.

Figure out how you got to where you are. Address those things.

I got to wear I am because of mental health(bipolar 1) and eating for comfort.

I had to address and medicate my bipolar and find other coping mechanisms before I could make any sort of serious headway with my weightloss.

I agree it’s a victory when you lose. I don’t pay much attention to BMI. But about the time I went from obese to overweight was when I started shopping for regular clothes instead of women’s sizes. You know, all colors, instead of black with a splash of red. Fitted waists and Belts! Real dresses, not muumuu type dresses. It was about the same time I looked in the mirror and knew I could have a good figure again. Celebrate what you’re gaining! Save some $$ now to shop when you hit overweight!

Oh, Why I eat...I love sweets. I'm addicted. And I need to detox sugar.

mytempleisloved wrote: »

Oh, Why I eat...I love sweets. I'm addicted. And I need to detox sugar.

Temple, I feel ya. I know people here disagree with the idea of an “addiction” to sugar, but if mine wasn’t addiction, it was certainly a compulsion. My extended family have addictive personalities- alcoholism, drug addiction. I didn’t do either, so why not sugar? It gave me an immediate high, and a follow up low when the “buzz” had worn off.

By the time I came on MFP, I calculated what I was eating in a “normal” day, and it was 10-12,000 calories, and 80% of that was sugar- candy, cookies, pie, cake, Little Debbies, etc etc.

The day I “had enough” I cleared out pantry and freezer, called a neighbor with kids and told her “I’m bringing you some groceries I can’t eat any more”.

I stocked the fridge with fruits I liked- watermelon, strawberries, oranges. I kept things like jerky, popcorn (hot air) in the pantry.

Somehow or other, I stumbled onto a smoothie recipe that I was able to convince myself was a healthier version of a Wendy’s Frosty. I had it for breakfast, and sometimes a snack, for a year, thrilled that I was having something I enjoyed that much. It made it feel less like “work”.

That simple smoothie made it possible for me to wean myself off sugar.

Once off sugar, other foods began tasting better. I realized sugar masks the flavors of other foods. Oranges became SO sweet, they were almost painful to eat. I developed an affection for frozen blueberries. I’d still rather eat them froze than not.

I can now add sweets back in small, co grilled amounts, but honestly, I’d rather eat a bowl of fruit or a smoothie these days.

If you were to hand me a bowl of the finest ice cream and a bowl of frozen blueberries with sliced strawberries, cottage cheese, sweet balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of grape nuts, there’s no question which one I’d take. I’d be salivating over the fruit bowl. I’m not ashamed to say, I lick my bowls. Hell, I’ve counted those calories-might as well enjoy them!!!

You’ve got to reprogram your head about how you think of sweets, and what you consider to be a treat. It’s not hard, it just takes patience and focus.

I still fall off the wagon. A couple of nights ago I had a whole huge bar or dark chocolate. (Old me would have had three or four, and they’d have been milk with flavors). And even this far into the game, when I got done, I told myself,”that was dumb. You didn’t even enjoy it. What was the point?”. And the next day, I I climbed back on the wagon and started all over again counting.