Please help...desperate to lose 12-15lbs in next month and get my weight on track...

ab5382
ab5382 Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
This might be long winded but I am looking for help and support. I am 41, 5'7, no kids, work, and have a fiancé'. The last time I weighed myself was Dec 2022 and I was 280 and I was horrified at that. My doctor let me start Phentermine and this is my last month on it. At first I could barely eat, by month 3-4 it was no longer phasing me. In my own arrogance I was never weighing myself I just THOUGHT I was losing weight. Well last night I weighed myself and I am now 287. I am horrified but also not surprised. My clothes are fitting tighter, I never have energy, feel extremely lethargic and lazy most days. I do a lot of work from a desk so I sit probably 4-5 hours a day doing that. Sometimes more. I have some weeks where I eat healthy and then others where I say screw it and eat garbage all week. I have a major Coke zero and diet drink addiction that I KNOW I need to get rid of and drink all water.
What I am asking is this....my thoughts are setting my calories at 1400 a day....if I do this what is a good rate to set my carbs, fat and protein at?
What are some good low carb meal prepping ideas for breakfast and lunch, dinner?
I think I am also going to intermittent fast from 6pm-7/8am? Thoughts on this?
I have got to add in some walking as well each week as hard as it might be.
Does anyone do GLP-1 shots from weight loss clinics? Thinking of doing this as well!!

PLEASE if anyone has more advice to add please do for me!
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    Well, just set your Goals on myfitnesspal to "Lose 1 pound per week" (or you could use 2 pounds at your current weight)
    Set your Activity level to "Lightly Active."
    Learn to log food accurately. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    ...and, yeah, start stepping on that body weight scale at least weekly. Daily is even better so that you can see all the minor weight fluctuations and lose that "fear" of the scale.

    I would never take Phentermine or the GLP-1 shots. I lost my 80 pounds the good old fashioned way of nutritious foods prepared by me and a bit of exercise on most days. Walking is great! Start that today!
  • ab5382
    ab5382 Posts: 5 Member
    How do I put in to lose 1 pound per week on the app?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    edited September 2023
    ab5382 wrote: »
    How do I put in to lose 1 pound per week on the app?

    I don't use the app, and some changes have to be done from a browser...I don't know about this one. Hopefully someone else can answer that.

    It's found under My Home>Goals>View guided setup

    Here it is on the web version/browser: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change-goals-guided

  • Nikki_letsgo
    Nikki_letsgo Posts: 9 Member
    I recommend to start meal prepping. Easy, healthy, grab and go snacks work best for me. Start walking 10,000 steps a day. Water only. Calorie goal 1,800. Get yourself an accountability partner or an Apple Watch or something that has daily exercise challenges. Feel free to add me. I’ll work out with you from a distance. :-)
  • history_grrrl
    history_grrrl Posts: 216 Member
    edited September 2023
    You have gotten good advice already. Read the various pages on getting started, and poke around elsewhere in the discussion boards for great info. And if you don’t have a food scale, get one and start weighing and tracking your food religiously. It’s the only way to really know your food intake, and boy, is it illuminating. Good luck!
  • Rumski21
    Rumski21 Posts: 1 Member
    Get a step tracker, start off with a short walk, and then build from there, adding steps each time you go for a walk. It's a great way to get exercise that's not difficult and also costs nothing. I also did (and am still doing) a carnivor diet which really helped when my weight loss plateaued.
  • gigi0084
    gigi0084 Posts: 1 Member
    What are some good low carb meal prepping ideas for breakfast and lunch, dinner?
    I think I am also going to intermittent fast from 6pm-7/8am? Thoughts on this?
    I have got to add in some walking as well each week as hard as it might be.

    Low carb breakfast = eggs, bacon, cheese, and I make my own juice with NO SUGAR.
    Eat from the perimeter of the store, do not go down the aisles; veggies, fruit, fresh fish & meat, dairy, deli. Water is great, but it is boring! I drink sparking flavored tonic (zero calories) flavored with a splash of POM or Kombucha or Cranberry, something that makes it interesting, but doesn't add too many calories and may be good for you.
    Intermittent fasting = for me the easiest thing to do is wait to eat rather than stop eating, so wait until I am hungry, usually takes me to about noon as long as I have black coffee before that.
    Walk around the block, start with 15 minutes a couple times a day, then add more time. Just stand up, walk out the door. No need for special shoes, shorts, tops, etc. That will come in time. If you have to prep for something, it won't get done. Yard work is another good outdoor option. Set the timer and rake for 15 minutes, then 20, then 30. Hope this helps!
  • alcf
    alcf Posts: 1 Member
    I have found that 1600 calories a day work for me staring out..4 meals 400 calories each every 3 hours starting at 9AM ending at 6PM. I only eat 3 oz of meat per meal and pile on the veggies(zuchinni, squash, green beans, zuchinni eyc)..no potatoes and 1 oz of fruit(berries only) and yes water..drink half your body weight in ounces, it will keep you full and you got to do the walking..meal prep will help you woth sticking with the things you are suppose to eat..BUT you need to tailor this so it works for you and it is attainable for you to stay on track..if you dont, you will continue to fail. Its alright to have a cheat meal once a week and the scale is definitely your friend 😊
  • missmamselle
    missmamselle Posts: 25 Member
    Yes, ditch the diet pop and all artificial sweeteners, for me even stevia wasn’t helping reduce cravings either. I probably consumed diet drinks everyday since 1970s, starting with TAB, lol. I’d wake up looking forward to my Diet Coke everyday and couldn’t image life without it. I stopped all artificial sweeteners in June and my appetite is under control and make healthier choices in general. If we’re out, I might order a regular Coke, but I don’t need more after that and don’t crave it, ugh it’s so sweet and syrupy to me now. Once I gave up the diet stuff it seemed much easier to put other bad habits behind me. I feel a lot better.
    I’ve also broken the need to drink coffee everyday, just one cup on a day going out to the coffee shop with a friend (I do drink matcha), and my husband and stopped having the nearly daily glass of wine. Couldn’t image doing that either. Zero alcohol for over a month now, so many benefits to that decision.
    Good success to you on your goals!
  • Winning4EJ
    Winning4EJ Posts: 47 Member
    Hi I'm familiar with phentermine. Have tried it a couple times.. First time was a success; second not so much. My advice regarding its use is to be prepared to feel some withdrawal from it but to avoid that try tapering off rather than stopping suddenly. Hopefully you won't experience any withdrawal depression.

    Best of wishes in reaching your goals.
  • Livin_At_The_Gym
    Livin_At_The_Gym Posts: 39 Member
    HI,

    I would agree about ditching anything with artificial sweeteners. I fasted a few years back for three days and was drinking diet soda and lost not one ounce. I didn't figure out the cause until much later when I was dieting again years later and losing weight. I added diet cola and within days I couldn't lose a pound even when I was running daily and my calories were on point. I would go a step further and suggest trying a whole unprocessed food diet. I lost 98 pounds doing that with IF and eating 75%+ of calories from carbs, 15% protein (I should say that I eat a vegan diet so protein is from plants, nuts, etc) and 10% fat (also from nuts and plants). With that being said, all of our bodies are sooo different so what worked for me or other posters may not work for you. Try to listen to your body. Keep a journal of how your meals make you feel and how you feel each day. You can look back and see what helps and what hurts and even identify trigger foods, etc. The biggest thing and best advice I can give is to work on training your mind. Where the mind goes the body will follow. I see people fail all the time because they have cheat days that lead to cheat weeks...or try to reward themselves " I lost 20 pounds so ill allow myself to skip my workout or eat more calories today" ignoring the fact that their reward was losing 20 pounds and being in a good mindset to allow good habits to emerge. I hope this helps (or at least some of it anyways).

    Take care, be well, and hit your stride
    -J-
  • Winning4EJ
    Winning4EJ Posts: 47 Member
    Btw polar heart rate monitors I have found to be motivating. It's very accurate at tracking your calories burned (you have to enter your height, age, and weight) which can be very motivating. At least it has been for me. You can start and stop it as you please. May be able to find one cheap on ebay.

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