[bienRad]

I have to lose weight ASAP and I don't know how..

This is really tough and discouraging.

[luckymommy]

I think it can be quite overwhelming at times. I would recommend you start slow and work your way from there. I would log everything you eat every day as is. Then, once the week is over, try to figure out how many calories you consume. Or, you could post your typical day and people can help you tweak things here and there to make a difference. You can also make changes such as cutting down on empty calories and eating more veggies and adding more water (cutting out sodas, juices and junk food). I personally like to keep track of calories. It may sound hard, but it's easy for me because I eat almost the same things every day and I keep track of it all on my iPhone app called LoseIt (there are other ways).

The key is not to give up. Keep trying different things and increase your physical activity. Every little bit counts and all the small changes can add up to big ones over the long term. Be kind to yourself and make it a challenge that you enjoy if at all possible.

[Candeka]

I have found that it gets easier. I used to "start" dieting like once a month and always gave up within a week. However, this time I promised I would do it for at least a month... It has now been close to 3 months and I am still going strong. It has actually just become routine for me. Yes, sometimes I will eat over my calories and I never deny myself the foods I love, but my brain now knows what a portion is and I eat ONE serving, not five.

Another good benefit is I've also started to get full a lot sooner. I have gone down a size and that is also motivation. Keep on going, even if sometimes you just want to scream and eat the whole bag of cookies (I've had many arguments with myself while holding a bag of cookies!). It is sooo worth it!

[PrincessE]

Join a online food journal site. The values are already in for most foods. Being able to see the value of the food you are eating makes you more aware of where your calories are coming from and makes you rethink some of your choices. I know of fitday and livestrong and I'm sure there's many more. Good luck on your weight loss!

[VaporChick]

I'm like you, just starting, need to lose a lot of weight. Last month I was mostly looking into things and how many calories stuff was and what was lower calorie substitutes that I liked, finding low calorie recipes online, etc. I also bought some walk away the pounds videos. Then I started counting calories and I didn't start real low because I was afraid I would just quit so at first I started at 2100 or less. Than 2000. Now 1900 calories or less. I will go down more as I get better at keeping my calories low. So perhaps like me you can start with some research, you can find a lot of info right on this forum. And the goal forums are great for inspiration. Good luck!!! (to us both)

[Sum38]

I approached it as a new healthier life style; not a diet.
I know this will be the way I eat for the rest of my life.

Try http://myfitnesspal.com for food tracking. It really has helped me to keep my calories in check and see that I am eating nutritionally balanced meals.

Originally Posted by bienRad

I have to lose weight ASAP and I don't know how..

This is really tough and discouraging.

why do you need to lose weight ASAP?

in my case, it's doctor-ordered: i have to drop 100lbs as fast as i can - if i don't, i am looking at an artificial hip, a vegetative state (from stroke), or a coffin before i'm 50.

if it's a matter of dropping 5 or 10lbs for an upcoming very important social event, that's something else entirely.

if you have a lot of weight to lose (30lbs+) and you need to lose it fast for health reasons, you need to consult your doctor and a dietitian. they will get you on the fast track safely.

if you have a moderate amount to lose (between 15 and 30), then your best bet is to consult a dietitian or look in here for someone who fits your profile and is succeeding - use them for inspiration and guidance.

if you have less than 15lbs to lose, you can do it by increasing your activity level to 1hr every other day - brisk activity: brisk walking, jogging, treadmill, dancercise, whatever floats your boat - and NOT eating more than you already are.

the rule is - and it's the same rule for everybody, bar none - it takes a 3500 calories deficit to lose 1lb of fat, a 3500 calories excess to gain a pound.

you can choose to cut back your calories by 500/day and lose a pound a week, or you can cut calories by 500, increase activity by 500 and lose 2lbs a week, or however you want to do it.

set yourself mini-goals, too - if i were to focus solely on the 100lb total, well, i'll be up to my eyebrows in haagen-daasz in no time. but right now, i'm not thinking about the weight at all. i focus on my schedule from meal to meal and aside from weighing in at the clinic every week, i don't think about my weight at all. the good thing about doing it from meal to meal - which i schedule in advance using sparkpeople - is that every meal is a success. if i screw up, well, it's one meal i screwed up. if i were to focus on 100lbs total only, then a screw up means i've blown the whole deal and that's when i tend to give up.

[sluggerbean]

One thing I did before I started my diet plan was to dramatically increase my water intake. Divide your body weight by 2. That is the number of ounces of water you should be drinking each day. "Water" includes plain water, unsweetened herbal teas, seltzer water, and unsweetened green or black tea and coffee.

When I did this I lost 10 lbs. It will help get you started and give you a little time to do some research about what plan you want to follow.

Good Luck on your journey!!

Peggy

[kaplods]

If your doctor wants you to lose on a specific time table, he or she should have suggestions (and provide supervision) on how to do it.

If you just WANT to lose weight on a specific time table, I don't think there is any easy or stress free way to do it.

However, I've discovered that weight loss doesn't have to be stressful and difficult, in fact it can be very easy and stress free if you MAKE IT THAT WAY...

...but you have to give up the timetable. When you stop worrying about losing QUICKLY, you also lose most of the stress and difficulty.

I've spent the last 40 years of my life (since I was 5) nearly constanly on a diet (I spent more time on diets than off, I just could gain a lot faster when I was "off" than I could lose when I was "on").

My attempts always failed, and I think mostly because I thought I needed the weight loss to be rapid. I refused to try to diet any other way (and I always ultimately failed, because when the weight loss slowed to a pace I couldn't accept, I quit).

"This time" has been the slowest weight loss, by far (I'm "succeeding" at a slower pace than I ever was losing when I QUIT in the past because the loss wasn't fast enough for me).

My average has been less than one pound per month (it was even slower when I first started, and now I'm averaging about 2 lbs a month). I've quit diets for losing less than 1 lb per week.

Now that I've taken the time table off the table, weight loss and exercise are a lot easier and a lot less stressful. In fact, I also took weight loss "mostly" off the table. My first goal isn't weight loss, it's "not gaining" (and while I'm at this "not gaining" I figure I might as well try to lose "just one more pound.")

The combination of celebrating "not gaining" and only looking at one pound at a time (and not setting a deadline for that one pound) has made my life much easier and less stressful.

An important component is also refusing to put my life "on hold" until the weight comes off. All the things I had been putting off until "when I get thin" I started doing NOW. That philosophy predated this weight loss attempt.

For years, I avoided dating "until after I lost the weight" and I even avoided going out with friends (I couldn't go out, I told myself because I couldn't afford the food and alcohol calories).

I got so sick of being alone that I decided to live my life NOW (and I met and married my wonderful husband at my highest weight). I also learned that I really could do (at least after practicing) a lot of things I thought I couldn't do until I got all the weight off.