overwhelmed by all the conflicting information out there

Keep doing what you're doing, if it is working. The amount of conflicting advice is staggering. I mostly ignore it in favor of a general calories in/calories out philosophy. It is hard to argue physics. Don't let the conflicting advice discourage you--that used to happen to me, and it makes it harder to stick with things that are working, even when you know they are working.

First of all if you like to run who the hell cares if it won't help you lose weight, do it cause you like to do it. And second of all I don't believe for one minute that it doesn't help you lose weight, your moving which ='s burning calories.
You have to find what works for you and stick to it. Don't worry about what others say or do, that's on them. When it stops working for you then you need to figure it out again. Mix it up, lower calorie intake, higher calorie intake, mix up your exercise routine add something or take away something.
You need to ignore most of what you read especially if they are trying to sell you something. It's their job to lie to you to get you to do what they want or purchase what they want you to purchase from them.

Don't try to read everything out there. It can get really confusing and just make you give up. If giving up isn't an option for you then do what works for you. Even asking questions on here wil get you the same results as the web, different answers based on what each on of us does that works for us. Just stick to what's working and I know you can do it.

Don't freak out. Some things work for some people and not for others. Unfortunately, a lot of it is trial and error to find what is right for you. Of course, people who have found what is right for them will shout it from the housetops that it is the ONLY way to do it and that all other ways are wrong...examples that I have seen: paleo diet, vegetarian/vegan, clean eating, low carb, meal replacement shakes, weight training only, cardio only, eat more, eat less, eat nearly nothing, HCG, etc.

Personally, I do a lot of cardio, including C25K, and count my calories. I try to keep my diet mostly clean...lots of vegetables and lean meat, though I do use some processed foods as well. I like weight training, but I don't get a very high calorie burn from it (and I have not seen a significant afterburn, even though I REALLY hoped I would). I do, however, want to keep my muscles, so I will be doing more weight training...but I don't go to a gym and I get very good results from using either bands or free weights. Actually, when I did go to the gym, the machines didn't help me much.

Try out what feels right to you, use some intuition. It may take some time, but you will find what is right for you if you keep trying.

Sorry you are feeling so frustrated. I agree with what another said, if you enjoy running, run. If you like to walk, walk. I feel like there is a lot of confusing info out there too and i think some very well meaning people give some of us who are just trying to be healthy too much info lol. I love to run and won't stop regardless of what anyone says

Just based on my experience, drinking lots of water, getting moderate amounts of cardio and weights (even if it is just body weight at first), and trying to cut my portions and eat more natural and lessed processed foods have worked.

Make small changes you can live with and soon you will find what keeps you lean and healthy. Good luck to you and don't give up. You will find what works for you!

What are some things you have done to get past allll the conflicting information? How do you make sense of it all and actually lose weight?

I ignore anything that doesn't work for me and only apply those things that do as long as they are healthy.

Well, there's a lot of popular things out there about weight loss. there is a lot of bro-science that runs around your friends mouths. There are so-called experts, and often they don't help the situation. Then, there are actual people doing science and looking to understand how fat is actually burned on our bodies. Those guys, the scientists, the ones conducting the studies in a controlled environment, are the ones to listen to. They know what they are talking about.

What you might be hearing about running, is that it's really not good for fat burning. First of all, I've never seen a fat runner - you know, one that runs 5 miles everyday. Never seen it. So, screw all those people.

But, I do know what they are talking about. From a fat burning perspective, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is where it's at. At least, that's what the science says. What is it? Look it up. But, if you were running, you'd run really fast for 1/4 mile or something, then slow and jog for 1/4 mile, then run really really fast for 1/4 mile, then slow jog for a 1/4 mile......you get the idea. That is HIIT training. For fat burning, it is superior. So, when people say running is great for weight loss, iot's because there are better alternatives - FOR FAT LOSS. That doesn't mean though, that you wont lose weight.

For strength training, you do need weights. But, just do your best. The Insanity program doesn't use weights. So, maybe try something like that and see how you like it.

Mostly, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL WORKOUT ROUTINE IS THE ONE YOU ENJOY AND WILL DO CONSISTENTLY. So, don't worry about it so much.

Education is powerful and important. I think you should always be looking to better yourself in every way. So, reading and learning is a good thing. Maybe right now though, just focus on something small, and work your way into it. I just kind of take what makes sense and what seems to work for me, and do that. When I get bored with that, I look for something new, or for a slight modification to what I am doing to add a new dimension.

It's funny when you work out for a while, and you think you're all badass, then a friend say, Hey, why don't you come and try out my yoga class, and you laugh and think it's lame, then you get there and it kicks your butt, and then suddenly you're all into yoga for a while. It just kind of ebbs and flows. Don't get to mired in the details.

I'm so overwhelmed and confused, and I'm starting to lose motivation a little bit. :-/

Why is it when it comes to weight loss everything one does is wrong or incorrect? It's so aggravating. I like to run, so I run. I was doing a little surfing to find a hill repeat schedule only to find running is a waste of time, and you won't lose any weight. Great. Don't even get me started about diet because it's the same thing. It also seems that strength training MUST be done in a gym, or at the very least with weights. Anything else is sub par and a waste of time.

Running isnt a waste of time as long as you have proper nutrition to back it up.
People have the misconception that you cut calories then run for an hour every day to lose weight.
It doesnt work that way.
If you decide to run daily just make sure you have the proper nutrition to fuel the workout.
Dieting causes stress.
Running causes stress.
Stress raises cortisol.
Cortisol is catabolic meaning you have a hard time growing/maintaining lean mass.

If you want to run then do HIIT sprint intervals.
This has shown to have better HGH output at the end of the day and is known to help build/maintain muscle.

If you are obese, dont run.

After a while it's like, "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do to lose weight?!" That leads to sitting on the couch trying to figure out what to do, also know as analysis paralysis.

What are some things you have done to get past allll the conflicting information? How do you make sense of it all and actually lose weight?

I have been losing, but, of course, that's supposed to stop and stall out any day now. Arghh!!

for me and my crew?
We figure out our TDEE and cut 20% from that.
If we work out like crazy we eat above TDEE to fuel the workout.
We also only workout 3-4 days at most a week.
REcovery is better for you while you cut calories.
Stress and all that......

Do what has been working for you and screw the rest! Can I be honest here? I have lost over 100 pounds without counting calories or points or anything. I know counting those things works for a lot of people, but I just didn't feel up to it. I had other ways to get the weight off. So, I did what worked for me. I listened to my body. You should do the same thing. If it's been working, stick with it!

It reminds me of when I had my first child. Everyone was telling me to do do this and do that - to the point that I wanted to scream! After awhile I figured out what worked for HER, and parenting got a lot easier. I still take parenting advice in stride, but I don't feel the need to follow all of it.
Same goes with fitness advice. Some people enjoy living on 500 calories of lettuce and carrots, others are convinced that they can lose weight by eating at McDonald's everyday - me - at aim for the middle. Just try to workout, eat the best I can, and take advice into consideration when it's sound.
Just ignore the rest of the noise.

A few years ago, my DH read a book called The Wisdom of Crowds (by James Surowiecki.) The basic premise of this book was that crowds are smarter than individuals when it comes down to figuring out the answers to questions or problems. The example that my husband quoted was that if you go to a county fair and they have a contest wherein everyone guesses the weight of a bull; no one individual is going to get it right; but if you take an average of all the responses, the resulting answer will prove to be very close to being correct. The theory has had its practical apllications in real life problems like when the military was looking for a missing sub. The experts weighed in and than everyone else in the room was also invited to guess. The sub was found within a close proximity of the aggreate co-ordinates!

Anyway, I bring this up in context of the MFP community. Whenever a question is posed on one of the forums, a number of advocates for a particular way of doing things will pop up and insist that their way is the only way! Some of it is well-intentioned and some of it is mean; but in reality none of it should be disrgarded per se; but each opinion taken in consideration of what will work for you!

Personally, I've been relying on my own experiences of what has worked (or not) in the past and duly noting the different opinions that are posted in response to questions similar to mine. Ultimately, in listening to my own body and keeping it all real, I've managed to reach a number of weight-loss milestones. With that in mind, when I post a response to someone's post, I only mention what has worked for me. I don't tell other people what to do :-)

But when it comes to weight loss, this is my first "baby".

Love this! You'll get there!

Keep doing what you're doing, if it is working.

This!

I know what you mean. In some ways there's too much information available to us now and it complicates things if you let it! I'm guilty of the same thing. I think the key point is that you're losing weight so you're obviously doing something right!

The only time I would look to change things up is if your current routine stops working or if you want to try out some new form of exercise or whatever. Otherwise, it's interesting to read what works for others but it may not necessarily work for you.

I feel the same way at times. Sometimes it really bugs me when people don't know what they're talking about.

It really is about eating fewer calories and exercising more.

I lost 115 pounds in 1 year. I'm 51 years old and I have hypothyroidism. People say it's hard because you're "older" , or "Oh I have a thyroid problem". Yeah. Ok. Maybe. I don't know. I also had bad knees. I had to use my arms to lower myself into a seat and the pain going up and down steps was not fun. I do know that when I finally decided I was going to lose the weight it came off.

You have to get it in your head that YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT. It takes dedication. I did start with walking months before I started adding jogging. The walking was making me stronger but the weight wasn't coming off as fast as I wanted it to. I added slow jogs... from this driveway to that... that telephone pole to that mailbox, etc. and for you runners out there I'm going to call it "jogging" because I wasn't going faster than walking just bouncing around more : Þ

Eventually I was running. The more active I got the more I found I could eat. I eat a lot. I still eat a lot of junk and I'm working on it. One thing I've done from early on was start eating oranges, apples and bananas. Oranges I crave. I drink a lot of water. I can go through 48 ounces if I run 6 miles. But that's me... I drink a ton of water.

The more I ran the better I felt. Sure there were times I didn't want to run. I usually went anyway. I felt best if I was out there an hour a day. I didn't care at first that it was walking/jogging. The energy and good feeling that last all day is so worth it! Eventually I didn't care so much about the weight loss. I started caring more about how my body was feeling and how fast can I get... Wow my body hasn't felt like this in years! Woaaa I feel good!!!!!!! What would happen if I tried pushing a little harder. Oh, that's cool! Then I found I could win races. Ohhhh but there's some ladies still faster than me. Wow, she runs a 21-22 5K and she's 52 years old! How does she do that? Hmmmmmm... .wonder what would happen if I try this... Wow I did a half marathon and lived! That was so cooooooool. Why did I try to run the day after a half marathon? My poor ankle. Man I gotta runnnnnnn. Next day... I'm running. Slow running but I'll live. It feels better to get out there and do something then not to. Cool, new PR! oh yeah. I can get faster! Another half marathon.... geez... why do people run full marathons???? They're crazy. Wow! I lived through it! A week later. Wonder if I can train for a full marathon...

Not ready for a full marathon. I feel great! What can I do? I've got too much energy. Time to go swimming! Hey, if I use the bike I can train for a triathlon. That would be cooooooooooooooooooooool. Wonder how far I can swim..... what if I push harder. Hey I've got sore muscles. I haven't had sore muscles for awhile. I must be doing something right. Wow I can swim a mile. Gotta dig out the bike.

The more active I got the better I felt. I can eat a ton of calories now, but if I eat junk my body can tell the difference. I'm working on carbs before a run, carbs and protein after a run. For some reason dark red kidney beans, corn and brown rice give me energy for running so I like to eat that the days before a race.

It really does come down to fewer calories and more exercise. You don't have to exercise as much as I do. I just found that I love working out and I love being able to eat whatever I want.

The reason I love working out? Not so much about the weight loss anymore. (It's still cool when I run into people that don't recognize me). I love how I feel. I've been feeling really really really good. Yesterday morning I woke up and didn't know what to think. This 51 year old body felt like I did back when I was kid and swimming everyday and not caring about anything but having fun. That so much makes it worth it.