230 lb Female, 40 yrs old, need advice

Options
getfitformeee
getfitformeee Posts: 65 Member
edited August 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
I had a baby in Oct 2020, and I'm in the headspace now to focus on my diet and weight loss. My short term, realistic goal is to initially lose 30 lbs (I weighed 230 today). I feel great around 180-190, and don't mind losing the rest slowly or maintaining there for a while. I'm not trying to do any quick fix, "gotta fit in this dress" type of diet. I need something sustainable. Maybe some new weekly meal prep ideas and workout routines. I've gained and lost large amounts of pregancy weight (50, 60 lbs) before, so I know I can do it. I guess I just want some tried and true methods from other people, so I can be reminded that this is doable! Please recommend some sustainable diets or macros, or calorie intake that can kickstart this for me!! Thank you!
«1

Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Options
    Go to goals, plug in your stats, choose "lose 1 lb a week", eat the calories provided in any combination you choose, profit.
  • getfitformeee
    getfitformeee Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    Go to goals, plug in your stats, choose "lose 1 lb a week", eat the calories provided in any combination you choose, profit.

    Thank you :) I'm currently not very active. Would you recommend that I just focus soley on calorie intake, or add in working out from the get-go? Also, should I turn exercise calories on or off? How much does that matter initially?
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    edited August 2022
    Options
    getfitformeee wrote: »
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    Go to goals, plug in your stats, choose "lose 1 lb a week", eat the calories provided in any combination you choose, profit.

    Thank you :) I'm currently not very active. Would you recommend that I just focus soley on calorie intake, or add in working out from the get-go? Also, should I turn exercise calories on or off? How much does that matter initially?

    What matters for weight loss happens in the kitchen... exercise is for health. Find an exercise you enjoy doing (I love bowling and tennis), some resistance training and it will be second nature. MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back, some find the burns high and only eat 1/2 back, you have to experiment with what works for you.

    Oh and a food scale early on will be helpful, knowing how much of a portion something is, is very helpful to me.

    ETA- Don't shortchange your activity level, you're probably more active than you think with an almost 2 year old running around. :smile:
  • mlrtri
    mlrtri Posts: 425 Member
    Options
    Start by logging. Honestly and everything. Try to stay under your calories but use the first few weeks to learn. Pay attention. What foods are higher in calories than you realized? Lower? What macros help you stay feeling full? Try to get a little movement in.

    Adjust as you go. You don’t have to have an ultimate plan right now. It is easy to make this more complicated than it needs to be. As I learn more about nutrition I adjust things. As I started feeling better I kept adding in movement/exercise.

    I think why my past attempts failed is because I had a big plan, jumped right in and couldn’t keep it up, then stopped. Getting into it slowly and changing habits has been key for me. This is something I can keep up long term. So hopefully done with the yo-yo stuff.

  • Hiawassee88
    Hiawassee88 Posts: 35,754 Member
    edited August 2022
    Options
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10823613/do-you-follow-any-eating-style-and-why-low-fat-low-calorie-volumetrics-atkins-lchf-paleo-etc

    More ideas.

    This is a terrific thread, too.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10807336/how-to-start-off-wrong-from-member-experiences/p1

    "Thinking I was "cured" of obesity behavior because I'd lost a bunch of weight. The opposite is the truth - I am an obese person by nature and if I weighed 140 pounds I'd still be one. Learning that was a huge epiphany for me. You don't suddenly get to some weight and then voila, you're a different person and don't need to log/count/self-monitor/exercise/eat carefully anymore. It's like an alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in a year thinking he isn't an alcoholic anymore so he can just go into a bar and just get a Diet Coke. All my best laid plans about counting calories, eating right, blah blah, can come unwound in 5 minutes if I forget that just having lost weight does not mean I am immune to obesity. Sit me down in an Italian restaurant, put a bottle of wine and an extra large pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni in front of me, and guess what, it's like I was never on a diet - I can revert to my true self in seconds. Constant vigilance is needed and will always be needed, forever."
    lgfrie --
    He's written some great things over the years.
  • matpsch
    matpsch Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    Like mlitri mentioned earlier, log all of your food/drinks every day. Be okay with continuing to check in stuff, even past your daily calorie goal. Starting out, simply getting used to seeing how many calories you consume on regular daily stuff will already help you find areas you can slim down a little bit. For me it’s starting out with a beer or two less or a handful of pretzels less.

    Aiming for a daily calorie goal but not being ashamed when you exceed it will help to not get discouraged and stay involved. Staying the course, staying committed is the way to be a champion.

    (Now take my own advice haha)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    "I'm currently not very active."
    You can change that - it's a healthy habit for life. With a young child I would think you are fairly active anyway but more movement built into your day doesn't hurt.

    "Would you recommend that I just focus soley on calorie intake, or add in working out from the get-go? Also, should I turn exercise calories on or off? How much does that matter initially?"
    As exercise is a good thing to do for health why would you wait? Again a habit to adopt for life not just for weight loss.
    Turning off exercise calories when your target calorie goal doesn't take them into account is the kind of thing that people doing a "gotta fit in this dress type of diet" do!

  • skellyc74
    skellyc74 Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    Buy a scales, weigh and measure your food. Don't cut your calories ridiculously low. Don't cut out all of your favourite foods either find a way to work them in. Walking is a great way to start adding activity into your day. You can walk with your baby buggy. Running after a toddler in the park is a great way to burn some calories. If you have time when baby naps a quick 30 min workout dvd /YouTube video is also a great way to start exercising. Just start and tweak as you go, if you hit any bumps people here will be able to help you out.
    Good luck
  • skellyc74
    skellyc74 Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    Please recommend some sustainable diets or macros, or calorie intake that can kickstart this for me!! Thank you![/quote]

    The only sustainable diet is one you can stick to. Work out your maintenance calories, reduce by 500 and there you have it. It really is that simple. There is no need to over complicate it. Calorie deficit wins out every time.
    Just start simple.

  • getfitformeee
    getfitformeee Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    mlrtri wrote: »
    Start by logging. Honestly and everything. Try to stay under your calories but use the first few weeks to learn. Pay attention. What foods are higher in calories than you realized? Lower? What macros help you stay feeling full? Try to get a little movement in.

    Adjust as you go. You don’t have to have an ultimate plan right now. It is easy to make this more complicated than it needs to be. As I learn more about nutrition I adjust things. As I started feeling better I kept adding in movement/exercise.

    I think why my past attempts failed is because I had a big plan, jumped right in and couldn’t keep it up, then stopped. Getting into it slowly and changing habits has been key for me. This is something I can keep up long term. So hopefully done with the yo-yo stuff.

    I really appreciate this advice & plan to save it so I can refer back to it :) Thank you!!
  • getfitformeee
    getfitformeee Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    matpsch wrote: »
    Aiming for a daily calorie goal but not being ashamed when you exceed it will help to not get discouraged and stay involved. Staying the course, staying committed is the way to be a champion.

    (Now take my own advice haha)

    Thanks for this!! Such a better mindset than the all or nothing attitude I sometimes get. Stay the course, stay the course, stay the course....
  • getfitformeee
    getfitformeee Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    Hiawassee88 wrote: »
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10823613/do-you-follow-any-eating-style-and-why-low-fat-low-calorie-volumetrics-atkins-lchf-paleo-etc

    More ideas.

    This is a terrific thread, too.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10807336/how-to-start-off-wrong-from-member-experiences/p1

    "Thinking I was "cured" of obesity behavior because I'd lost a bunch of weight. The opposite is the truth - I am an obese person by nature and if I weighed 140 pounds I'd still be one. Learning that was a huge epiphany for me. You don't suddenly get to some weight and then voila, you're a different person and don't need to log/count/self-monitor/exercise/eat carefully anymore. It's like an alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in a year thinking he isn't an alcoholic anymore so he can just go into a bar and just get a Diet Coke. All my best laid plans about counting calories, eating right, blah blah, can come unwound in 5 minutes if I forget that just having lost weight does not mean I am immune to obesity. Sit me down in an Italian restaurant, put a bottle of wine and an extra large pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni in front of me, and guess what, it's like I was never on a diet - I can revert to my true self in seconds. Constant vigilance is needed and will always be needed, forever."
    lgfrie --
    He's written some great things over the years.

    Thanks!!
  • getfitformeee
    getfitformeee Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    sijomial wrote: »
    "I'm currently not very active."
    You can change that - it's a healthy habit for life. With a young child I would think you are fairly active anyway but more movement built into your day doesn't hurt.

    "Would you recommend that I just focus soley on calorie intake, or add in working out from the get-go? Also, should I turn exercise calories on or off? How much does that matter initially?"
    As exercise is a good thing to do for health why would you wait? Again a habit to adopt for life not just for weight loss.
    Turning off exercise calories when your target calorie goal doesn't take them into account is the kind of thing that people doing a "gotta fit in this dress type of diet" do!

    I'm not completely inactive, but I just meant that I don't currently have a regimented exercise routine. I have 4 bio kids, my husband has 3, and I babysit for 3, so there is plenty of "children chasing" going on. I have times in my life that I can give myself over to my spin bike, going to classes at my gym, and swimming. Then there are times (usually within the year or 2 after I have had a baby) that my focus is on my family and their routines, school, sports.... That's what I meant when I said that I'm in the headspace now to focus on my weight loss {myself}. I do like exercise, but I'm out of shape, just starting back up with nutrition/consistently tracking, and I didn't know if I should go all in and risk burning myself out by doing both. Plus, exercise makes you hungry, and if I'm trying to initially get these first 30 lbs off, I didn't know if that'd be counterproductive. Walking isn't a bad idea though, and I enjoy it, so as soon as these torrential downpours stop, I plan to add that back in. I hope that sheds some light on where I'm coming from. Thanks for your questions and help!
  • getfitformeee
    getfitformeee Posts: 65 Member
    edited August 2022
    Options
    skellyc74 wrote: »
    Buy a scales, weigh and measure your food. Don't cut your calories ridiculously low. Don't cut out all of your favourite foods either find a way to work them in. Walking is a great way to start adding activity into your day. You can walk with your baby buggy. Running after a toddler in the park is a great way to burn some calories. If you have time when baby naps a quick 30 min workout dvd /YouTube video is also a great way to start exercising. Just start and tweak as you go, if you hit any bumps people here will be able to help you out.
    Good luck
    The only sustainable diet is one you can stick to. Work out your maintenance calories, reduce by 500 and there you have it. It really is that simple. There is no need to over complicate it. Calorie deficit wins out every time.
    Just start simple.

    Great advice!! Thank you for these reminders! 😊
  • avatiach
    avatiach Posts: 291 Member
    Options
    I’d say, 80% of loss is in the kitchen. Walking is good though!

  • llindy06
    llindy06 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    I have always wanted exercise to be the key to weight loss! But honestly weight is controlled by calories. That is one of the things I like about MyFitnessPal is the calorie tracking. Healthy eating and food choices are so important but it is simply a numbers game and knowing that and tracking what goes in makes a huge impact. Exercise makes us strong and healthy but weight loss is about the food.
  • Seasonal_One
    Seasonal_One Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    llindy06 wrote: »
    I have always wanted exercise to be the key to weight loss! But honestly weight is controlled by calories. That is one of the things I like about MyFitnessPal is the calorie tracking. Healthy eating and food choices are so important but it is simply a numbers game and knowing that and tracking what goes in makes a huge impact. Exercise makes us strong and healthy but weight loss is about the food.

    Great comment.

    Daily you read here comments like "I just stated a diet and plan to work out three hours a day". Comments like these always bring me to, just start in the kitchen for a few weeks. Awesome if you want to exercise but don't try to solve every problem in a single day. Once the kitchen issues are on track, you are feeling great about the weight loss, maybe then ramp up the exercise. Exercise is not necessary for weight loss.

    I'm so tired of the "weight loss plateau" threads. Participants that have drastically changed lifestyles by changing what they eat, the quantity, started lifting weights, running six miles a day, eating protein shakes, and then can't understand why the scale doesn't move. Changing the kitchen variable first seems like the best first move. After that issue is resolved, and the scale is moving, move on to other variables that you feel are important. If you start in the kitchen and the scale is not moving, you will know exactly where the issue is, you have not resolved your food calories issue.
  • hilaryhill
    hilaryhill Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    I would recommend looking into intermittent fasting. I wish I would have long ago! Over time "only" counting calories will slow your metabolism, forcing you to eat less and less until it's just too low to be sustainable. I fast about 18 hrs a day (only drinking plain sparkling water) and eat 6 hrs, I don't count calories. I've lost over 10lbs in a month and it has been mostly effortless. I highly recommend reading Gin Stephen's book, "Fast Feast Repeat," it's been extremely helpful!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,154 Member
    edited August 2022
    Options
    hilaryhill wrote: »
    I would recommend looking into intermittent fasting. I wish I would have long ago! Over time "only" counting calories will slow your metabolism, forcing you to eat less and less until it's just too low to be sustainable. I fast about 18 hrs a day (only drinking plain sparkling water) and eat 6 hrs, I don't count calories. I've lost over 10lbs in a month and it has been mostly effortless. I highly recommend reading Gin Stephen's book, "Fast Feast Repeat," it's been extremely helpful!

    What the Barbell said. Plus:

    Losing ten pounds is good, even if 10 in a month would be on the iffy-fast side unless substantially obese. The first month pretty much always includes a water retention drop that will account for some of that, so probably the rate is less health-risky than it might look on the surface.

    I'm really happy for you, sincerely.

    But . . . one month?

    I hope IF continues to be successful for you in all respects, again sincerely.

    But losing any meaningfully substantial amount of weight is a long-haul proposition, months to years. After that, there's maintaining that healthy weight long term, to avoid - or at least defer - being one of the many, many people posting "Restarting" "Back Again" "Regained" etc. kind of threads in the Getting Started topic area.

    That puts a premium on sustainable habits, habits that can continue almost on autopilot when life gets complicated, as it eventually will. For some people, those sustainable habits will be IF. For some people, they'll be calorie counting. For other people, it'll be something else entirely. Any healthy path is a good path, IMO.

    Me, I count calories. I eat from soon after I wake up, until shortly before bedtime. I've been doing it for over 7 years now, which may seem onerous to some, but to me it's the best investment of a bare few minutes daily that I've ever made, in terms of quality of life benefits.

    I was overweight/obese for around 3 decades. I lost weight for just under a year, obese to healthy weight. I've been at a healthy weight for 6+ years since then, still calorie counting, with all my blood lipid/blood pressure numbers - formerly high - all solidly in the normal range. FWIW, during loss, I needed to increase calories gradually to slow my weight loss to sensibly moderate rates - the exact opposite of being forced to eat less and less!

    If my metabolism has been so horribly slowed by calorie counting, please explain to me why my calorie needs - confirmed by 7 years of logging experience, mind - are 25-30% higher before exercise than the so-called calculators estimate for a 66 y/o, 5'5", 127 pound female? I suspect your book's author has bought into things like the study of Biggest Loser participants, whose extreme behavior has unsurprisingly led to extreme consequences.

    Most of the folks on this thread recommending calorie counting to the OP are urging moderation and sustainability. Some adaptive thermogenesis can happen from any long-term calorie restriction - including one created without counting, by fasting - but as long as tactics aren't extreme, it will tend to be a small effect, and will reverse itself once at true maintenance calories.

    I wish you and the OP excellent long-term results, on any healthy path that you personally find easy. Your representations about calorie counting aren't accurate, though - no matter what that book or others advocating fasting (or other non-counting tactics) may say.

Categories