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Old 04-24-2012, 06:17 PM   #1  
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Hey everyone. So I started this healthier lifestyle at the beginning of this month. I haven't started calorie counting yet because I find that if I restrict myself too much, I'll quit. In the past when I've tried to lose weight, I counted calories, and it did work initially. Last year, I lost 18 lbs in 2 months. But the problem was that I felt like I was starving myself (I'm used to eating a lot), so I quit and gained all that back, plus 25 lbs. So now I'm definitely eating better (no processed foods, very little red meat, more fruits and veggies, etc) but allowing myself to "cheat" occasionally without getting too down on myself for it, and also not going hungry.

As far as exercise goes, I do about 30 min of cardio, using Wii Gold's Gym Dance Workout, 3-6 days a week depending on the week. The workouts are pretty intense and get my heart pumping. According to the game, I burn between 250 and 350 calories per workout, depending on the day.

The problem is that I have lost absolutely no weight so far. I really don't want to restrict my diet too much more than I already am, because I feel like that's just setting myself up for failure. I'm wondering if anyone has dealt with a similar situation and how they overcame it. Also, any words of encouragement to keep me motivated would be appreciated. My goal is to lose 139 lbs by May 2014, so I don't think I'm being too unrealistic; I just thought it would go a little quicker in the beginning.

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Old 04-24-2012, 06:23 PM   #2  
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I think you answered your own question.

If you're not accountable, you won't be successful. Losing weight isn't easy. Being obese isn't easy either. You're going to have to overhaul your life, in a big way. I know I did. You have to keep track of your calories in some way. Have to, have to. It's going to be hard at first, but it does get easier. You're going to have to train your body to take in less calories, no way around it. If you take in more than you burn, you gain weight. If you take in the same amount that you burn, you maintain. In deficit, you lose.

What are you currently eating on a normal day? Be honest with yourself. You can do this, but it's not going to be a walk in the park. Anything worth doing will take some serious work. Hang in there!
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Old 04-24-2012, 06:50 PM   #3  
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Thanks! I guess I was hoping to impliment smaller changes so I have more chance of success. I had heard stories of other women being successful by doing that, and I thought I could too. I guess I'll have to step up my game.
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Old 04-24-2012, 08:32 PM   #4  
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I know we all have to do this in our own ways, but I am very impatient and wanted to lose quickly. Not so quickly as to be unhealthy or unrealistic, but not a pound a week, either. I cut white carbs almost 100%. No potatoes, no rice, no pasta, very little bread, and I filled the gap with fruit and veggies. I cut out the junk and sugar and candy. I joined a gym and kept to about 1500 calories. It was hard sometimes, but lots of things are hard.

For me, that was the best way to lose - jump in with both feet. Change everything that was wrong as quickly as possible and make eating the healthy things my new habit. Whatever you end up doing, I wish you luck. Visit in here often and hold yourself accountable. Many members have done this with success - some quickly, some at a slower pace. It has to be right for you, but you have to burn more than you take in to show a loss. And we tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed, so be careful. I always figured my exercise calories were my margin for error in calculating what I ate. Some people "eat" them back.

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Old 04-24-2012, 09:17 PM   #5  
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I'd suggest the book "Secrets of a Former Fat Girl." I doesn't have any sort of real diet plan, its just a nice look at the thought process in changing over to living like a thin person rather than an "unfit" gal.

Her number one thing was to do just what you are doing. Care about eating things that are good for your body and learn to live with exercise. Once you have that down, you've got a taste for healthier food and a desire to move (hopefully you find something that you can increase and push yourself with), you can start to tackle the idea of there being less of you. And as everyone else has said, it means knowing whats going in and what your calorie burn out is...

And how you count them or what your plan is - there are loads of options. But be proud of feeding your body healthier foods and moving!!! Thats huge!
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Old 04-25-2012, 12:05 AM   #6  
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When you're overhauling your finances, financial planners recommend that you don't necessarily make any big changes but start noting what you are doing so you can see where your money is going and then make a plan to change the parts of that plan that aren't working. I see the same thing here!

I would recommend starting an inventory of what you're eating and when/how much you're exercising. Then you can sit down and see where you can make small changes that will make the biggest difference.

Some people can go with the all-or-nothing plan. I'm not one of those people. I'm a behaviorist at heart and my past behavior told me that if I felt like I had to do it all or quit, I would quit. So I made changes but they weren't overnight.

But I also haven't see drastic results. I've lost weight. More than 80 pounds from my highest. But it wasn't all at once. And it worked for me.
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Old 04-25-2012, 08:28 AM   #7  
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How many calories were you eating when you lost the 18lbs in 2 months?
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Old 04-25-2012, 08:34 AM   #8  
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Thanks so much for all the wonderful advice! You are a great group of ladies. I've decided that I need to go ahead and go all in. I just need to remember that it's okay to be hungry, and that doesn't mean I'm starving.

Not sure what happened, but I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 2.2 lbs since yesterday!

A friend of mine posted this on facebook, and I thought it was a great inspiration, so I wanted to share it with everyone. Have a box of tissues ready if you're a crybaby like me.

www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=-UMdKSvwpaQ&sns=fb

** Sorry, I don't have enough posts to post the actual link.
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Old 04-25-2012, 08:35 AM   #9  
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Quote:
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How many calories were you eating when you lost the 18lbs in 2 months?
I was eating 1200 - 1500 calories a day.
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Old 04-25-2012, 10:04 AM   #10  
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I'm a big believer in the philosophy that the best plan for you is the one that you'll stick to. That being said, my mom is one of the healthiest eaters I know. For as long as I can remember she doesn't eat junk food, rarely eats red meat. Mostly eats fish, nuts, veggies, whole grains, basically a whole foods, unprocessed diet. I grew up eating this way whilst I lived at home and was never less than obese. My mom is 5'6 and maybe 330lbs. On the So what's the lesson here, we both had/have excellent bloodwork, but our "great quality" diet had no impact on our weight. So what I know is, there has to be some element of portion control even if not calorie counting to be successful.

I don't think there's anything wrong with making better food choices as a first step in your journey. All the better, your body will thank you for it. But unless your portions are right, it may not be enough to get you to lose the weight you need to. As good as those whole foods are for you, they are still food and fuel and they still pack a punch if you're not watching how much you're eating. Go about your weightloss journey in a way you think you'll be able to stick to. If you don't want to calorie count, maybe you can identify what portion sizes look like: a cup of your favourite cooked grain, a serving of chicken or fish, a portion of youghurt etc.

And by the way yay! on the weightloss. Nothing like waking up and being rewarded by the scale!!! Keep going! Don't give up on yourself, you're worth it! Even the days you don't feel like it, know that in a year's time, you won't regret not quitting! You can totally do this!!!!
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Old 04-25-2012, 10:13 AM   #11  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 0ojoyo0 View Post
I was eating 1200 - 1500 calories a day.
You know, it may not be the calorie counting that was restrictive, but the amount you choose! That's the bare minimum to lose and while you will lose weight with that amount you don't necessarily have to go that low ever.

You can probably lose weight on 2000 calories a day. It'll be slower than if you immediately dropped down to 1200, but it will probably be easier to stick to.

You're already doing a great job in forming healthy habits! Portion size is the tricky part! For me, after 7 years of SLOWWWLYYY going down after changing habits (but not watching portion sizes) it was as soon as I watched my portions that the rest of the weight came right off.

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Old 04-25-2012, 12:45 PM   #12  
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Another big factor to consider is water intake. For the plan that I am on now, I am required to drink quite a bit of water; for instance I weigh around 240, I will drink 120 ounces of water per day. That is how it is calculated: divide your weight by 2 and that is the number of ounces of water per day needed. When I first started this plan back in January, I took about two-to-three weeks first to make sure I could drink that much water (I weighed 295 then that was 148 ounces of water!) When I did that I - without changing anything else - I lost like 10-12 pounds.

Long story short, drink plenty of water!! If you feel hungry between meals, drink some water - you may actually be thirsty not hungry!

Good luck!!
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