Hi I am about to be up front and honest...

I'm going to go along with the PP who said that a good portion of it is mental!

I have finally found my motivation...I don't like seeing 200 on the scale! I need to be healthy for my 2 kids and husband and it's something I have to be mentally and physically into. I've been doing Zumba for 2.5 years and still haven't lost weight...but I'm pretty sure the calories in were still more than calories out.

You need to find your motivation and do it for you! And start slow. Start with upping your water intake. And try 6 smaller meals instead of 3 large ones (I have found this really cuts down on my cravings). Remember portion control and measure, measure, measure.

If you want to add me, we can share food ideas and motivate!

Martha

I agree there is so good info here, but it's bad form to suggest all other suggestions be thrown out as irrelevant. There have been jewels in hear about things that can be done to succeed. We all can attest to these successes, just like in this post you agree so much in. Each of us has a different key to our weight loss lock, and we need to find that key ... or key combination.

Bottom line, I like the post ... accept the part that suggests all other posts are wrong.

I never said they were wrong. I am PURELY stating that if you do not get the right Mental state, you will not have success.

You can lead a horse to water...

Set yourself up for success by having the proper goals and expectations.
Know that youll have to eat better and sleep better first and foremost!
Then worry about working out.

You asked for brutal honesty, so I will give it to you with no sugar coating. You will HAVE to give up many of the things you love to lose the weight You will HAVE to exercise on a regular basis. You may allow a cheat day once a week or every other week, but you can't eat junk every day and expect to lose. Won't happen, dear. You'll being wearing that same outfit forever. UNLESS you get disciplined Decide what plan you want to follow and just DO IT. Crying and whining won't do it for you. MFP friends won't do it for you. Only YOU can do it. And I know you can. .

Great advice, and the only thing that has worked for me so far! A support system is awesome, but you have to develop a can-do attitude and get right back up. We all stumble now and again, but don't stay on the ground.

Ok, if you want honesty...here it comes. You need to stop making excuses for yourself. You need to figure out what you want to do and stick to it. If calorie counting is what you want to do....then do it. I made excuses for years and all it did was make me eat more because I was so frustrated with myself. If you go over your calories before dinner, then you need to exercise harder. Do you exercise? It can be done you just have to sacrifice. You can't eat what you, don't exercise and wonder why you don't lose wieght. So tonight write down your plan. Read it every morning and stick to it. Start tomorrow and stop making excuses.

You can add me as a friend. I would be happy to give you some honesty if that motivates you.

do descending carbs.... carbs for breakfast. aka cereal, oatmeal, etc. GOOD carbs... multi grain stuff!

slight carbs for lunch. Half a sandwich on whole wheat bread and a salad, or fresh fruit

NO CARBS for dinner! Lean protein such as fish, turkey or chicken. and some steamed veggies!

Carbs are great for burning NOW... so unless you plan on working out after dinner... I would not have any carbs with Dinner.

This was recommended by my doctor... I DID NOT make this up.

I truly believe you are on to something. You have the lost lbs to back it up, which might I add ( you are truly inspirational). I can't stand people who say do it clean. Say that to a person who is an emotional eater, if you believe that you can no longer enjoy what you eat this will not be a lifestyle change it will be jail. Some people need carbs especially if you don't want to lose alot of muscle quickly and have a ton of skin.

Things changed for me when I got fed up being whipped around by the food.

Hi, last year in Jan, I decided I had to do something to feel better and lose weight. So, I started out small, I still eat the same foods that I love, just in smaller portions. I started exercising, walk around the block, do the elliptical. First week, I just went around 1 block, next week 2 blocks, etc etc. I kept my calories around 1200 a day, just mentally in my mind. Here it is so much easier. Well, last year I lost 28 pounds in 5 months. then I kinda went off the wagon, we took a cruise and I ate like a pig, my Dad went into the hospital so many 2 hour drives to see him and eating just fast food, but I still exercised the easy way and kept the weight off! I was just told about this site a week and a half ago and I love that it keeps track for me. Easy to do. I know in my hear you can do it too. Just don't give up! It is easy to give up when we have a "slip", but just get right back on the right way. Add me as a friend if you like and we can encourage each other.

I can't tell you how many mind games I play with myself. I need to loose 50+ lbs. If you want to be friends, feel free to add me.

WHAT THE HELL DO I NO IM FAT AS HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!! I just spit water on my laptop when I read this post above! This website is a GREAT place to start so you found the first greatest place to begin with your weight loss. Obviously there's a lot of people with a great sense of humor. You have to plan your day, hold yourself accountable for what you eat, how to exercise, and by using this awesome site you CAN accomplish what you feel may be unthinkable! Even going for a walk around your neighborhood is a start. I have a dog so I HAVE to take her for walks or she drives me batty!! You can have the foods you love, but you HAVE to use portion control. I have a handy food scale that cost me $5 at Wal-Mart and it was a great purchase. I can measure out the ounces of chicken, or veggies, etc.

It's been a bit easier for me because I have over 50 food allergies. I cannot eat beef, pork, glutens, dairy, and SO many more food items that I find it difficult at times to feed myself properly. You can do this... you want it pretty bad so put the work into yourself. Don't you deserve to be happy? If this weight is making you miserable than YOU hold the key to your happiness so stop putting of what you can do today. Stop the craziness of deciding throughout the week what your weight loss plan is going to be because it will be whatever you have near you to eat. Several people have stressed the importance of drinking water. THIS IS A MUST or you will feel hungry and reach for those beloved Cheetos! I know what I am going to eat the day before I eat it and this website is awesome because you can input the food items, the portion, and see what calories, fat, sodium, etc you've choose for each meal of the day. If you're not active, start a little at a time. If you go, excuse my French, "Balls to the Wall" you're going to be sore, miserable, and will swear off exercise. I've been there done that my husband can attest to my ability to overdo it in the beginning.

My heart rate monitor motivates me because it's pretty awesome to see the calories just burning throughout the day. Also, seeing muscle develop wear "jiggly" stuff used to reside is pretty awesome!! My other HUGE motivator is losing some of my extra weight that I've put on since having 5, going on 6 surgeries since January 2011. Being diagnosed with breast cancer was a huge eye opener for me and I prefer to choose healthier options to put in my body. Maybe I feel as if I have control over what is taking place in my body again. I am trying to lose more weight before my final surgery this April. If I do... AWESOME! If I don't, I'll have to wait for all my restrictions to be lifted before exercising, but I CAN watch what I decide to eat on a daily basis.

Please add me as a friend if you need support. I have a wonderful group of women that have been amazing on short journey through My Fitness Pal.


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I feel that counting calories is the best way to go...if you cut things out that you love you are only
going to feel deprived and binge eat..and not be able to stick with it. It's not about being on a "diet"
it's about making a lifestyle change, and finding a healthy way of eating that you can life with and be
happy with the rest of your life!!
Please feel free to add me as a friend..I would love to have another friend to encourage
and help encourage me!!
God Bless!!

So correct...A long term goal can be 50 lbs but you have to start with short term goals. Mine is 10lbs per month. For every 10lbs I lose I am gonna treat myself to something(not food). But something I would like to have like new workout shoes or something. But you can't set you short term goal so high. Very well stated.

If I was to tell myself I wasn't allowed a particular item that would be setting myself up for failure. I don't like being told what I can and can't have, even if the one telling me I can't have these things is me.

I'm a calorie counter. What works for me is taking each decision one at a time and deciding if a particular item is worth counting, if it's not, I move on to something that IS worth counting, if it is, then I have to decide how much is worth counting. More often than not I'm satisfied with a small piece and I don't feel like I've been denied anything. I have a few real life friends that are completely envious of this but I explain to them if I start denying myself something then I will surely give up on myself, which is something I'm not prepared to do. Some of these people are on "diets". I am not. I am making a lifestyle change. To me, a diet implies it's a temporary way of eating until you can start eating normally again. I am super obese because I had horrible eating habits, which means in order to be healthy, I need to eat well. Forever. If I ever go back to eating the way I did I would end up just as fat as I was before.

It is not realistic to expect you can change your eating habits overnight. It is realistic to make small dietary changes and keep those changes, as you become more comfortable with new habits, you'll add more of them and you may find you no longer like your old habits (that is happening to me and a friend of mine) and gladly give them up realizing you are missing out on nothing.

Good luck to you and I hope you find something that works for you.