Trying again. This time I need to lose 90lbs

The key in losing weight, and take this from someone who has lost 230 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, though I do do it, now. some. a little as possible. lol). 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

and basically ... all of these :)

you are welcome to add me if you want. i dont post much about diet and weight loss (ive lost 230+ pounds) though sometimes i will. i post a lot about my life, usually with a humorous spin. a lot about my dogs and farm and the theater when I am actively involved in a production. im not the friend for everyone and i know that (and thats okay) but the friends i have are an AWESOME bunch of people, many ive had for years. So, you are welcome to board the crazy train and if you do, and nose around and decide I am not your cup of tea, no harm no foul if you decide to disembark ;) hmmmm what else... I swear a lot. Am pretty far left (but tend to avoid politics). i dont click like on automatic posts (I have most of mine disabled so mine dont post anyway) but if you actually WRITE something, as long as i see it, i usually have a comment about most things, pretty much guaranteed ill never look at your food diary unless you say you're having a problem or have a question, then ill look and try to help.

Okay- glad i noticed this with the changes in the forum in time to edit this... you USED to be able to get to the persons profile page and add them from the forum but it doesnt look like you can now? so, glad I caught that (or maybe I haven't had enough coffee and am just not seeing it) in any case, if you do want to add me, here's the link to my profile page)

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/callsitlikeiseeit