I'm frustrated with myself. I'm about 120lbs overweight and don't know where to start. I finally decided to get serious about this losing weight thing and I'm kind of stuck. I have a bit of a motivation problem. I started exercising (walking 45-60 min every other day), but can't seem to make up my mind on a diet. I've tried a few that have given me results, but I can't seem to get myself to get started. In the past I've tried a low carb diet, with which I was able to lose thirty pounds. I've also been on a veggie diet, I was eating lots and lots o fruits and veggies and not much of anything else. I was losing about five pounds a week on it, which was great. BUT, it's quite hard to stick to for a carnivore like me. (lol)
Anyway, I feel like I'm close to the end of my rope. It feels like no matter how hard I try, I can't stick to anything, or make anything work for me (even if I'm seeing results). I guess I'm losing patience. I need direction and help, and I don't know where to start.
Well, I have been doing Weight Watchers. I am actually kinda winging it by myself, but I do keep track of my points with an online food journal and this website calculates my points when I know the nutritional facts .. http://www.webmilhouse.com/pointcalc.php
and this one for general points http://quiddity.cc/rachel/diet/wwfoods.htm
Alot of people like to calculate their calories. Here is a website that I recently found that is pretty cool and can keep track of your calories you eat each day. http://caloriecount.about.com
Personally, keeping track of what I eat and how much I eat has really helped me stay on track...not that the scale is being kinds to me. Exercise has really helped also. I am definately losing inches. I think you just getting out and moving is a big plus. Now its time to move into taking control of what you eat.
I LOVE calorie counting. Love it. I love being able to chose WHAT good healthy foods that I can eat. I love not being restricted. It's a good sustainable plan that I personally feel I can do for life
After trying lots of different kinds of diets, i have learned a few things:
*eat less, move more!
*more protein, less carbs (not no carbs)
*eat lots of fiber (whole grains, vegges)
*drink water
*while exercise is important, watching what you eat is the key, (it is so easy to eat 1000 calories, but hard to burn that off)
*calorie counting comes easy after you have done it for a while
*switch up the calorie goals regularly to keep your metabolism going
*crash diets make you lose weight fast, but gain it back faster
So, my weight loss plan is sort of a conglomeration of these rules.
Most important for me is counting calories, going for 1200-1600 daily and not eating empty carbs.
Good luck and keep checking out the 3FC site, there is endless support here.
Maybe, since you have such a large amount to lose, it would help you to break it into something a little less drastic than "go on a diet and lose a whole bunch of weight".
I would start with two things.
For one week don't change anything, just write down everything you eat. Everything. If you lick the spoon while you're cooking, write it down. If you eat the crusts off of your kids pbj sandwiches, write it down. If you take a bite of your s/o's lunch, write it down. If you nibble a cookie at work, write it down.
At the end of a week you'll see very clearly what is causing you to gain and keep on weight. For some people it's junk food. For some people it's portion sizes that are too large. For some people it's emotional eating, rather than eating when they're hungry.
Then ... next thing you can do is make a few small changes based on that. Add in more veggies. Try cutting out junk food. Whatever you see from your food journal that would make a difference. Just a few baby steps. When you get past those, move on to the next ones. And the next ones.
I think you'll find it's much less frustrating and overwhelming if you take it a little at a time, instead of facing such an enormous task.
Finally, my personal advice would be this: don't think of this as a diet. A diet is something that you start and stop. Think of this as changing your life. You are going to learn a whole new way to eat that is healthy and fun and yummy ... you're not going to diet. You're going to be healthier for life.
Cfmama - I feel like you and I are kindred spirits.
I've tried a lot of different stuff (Atkins for example) but I could not sustain it. Here's what's happened over the last month and so far it really feels like something I can stick with.
1. I taught myself to only eat when hungry. Took about 2 weeks of asking myself why I was eating every single time I ate. I am much more attuned to my body now and know better when I can wait to eat, when I should eat now, and when I've waited too long to eat.
2. I got a handle on reasonable portion sizes by eating about a cup's worth of food at one sitting and no more.
3. I then moved to counting calories but I took my caloric goal out of my hands. I use DailyPlate and plug my height, weight, etc in and it tells me how much I get to consume that day and then I stick to it.
4. I began eliminating as many processed foods from my diet as possible. An apple has a lot more satisfying bulk than 1.5 crackers that share the same calories.
5. I am consciously trying to add fiber to my diet - more whole fruits, cereals high in fiber, etc.
6. I cut way back on eating out.
7. I'm trying to get more water in every day.
8. I started walking to school a couple days a week. I hate exercising for the sake of exercising but walking to school has a purpose and saves gas money.
EDIT: And like photochick said I did this all gradually - adding one thing at a time. I also choose to have no time frame by which I want to reach my first major goal (199lbs) so things can go slow and it's ok.
Marine Snipers say "Fast is smooth, smooth is slow, slow is fast." I think that goes for weight loss as well.
I agree with what photochick said about writing down what you eat. That's how i learned to count calories.
I find that writing down what i eat gives me a bit of accountability, now i right down what i eat on my blog along with calories and portions. But in the past i have kept track in a personal journal and i have also tried it with online diet tracker type journals.
I think I'll try the calorie counting. I, at one point, had a food journal and was keeping track of how many calories everything (EVERYTHING) I ate or drank had. I liked it because I could see what I was eating in numbers. I have a thing for numbers. But like everything else I've tried, it didn't last very long. I think I'll give it another shot though. I think I have an extra notebook around here somewhere. Thanks all!
Counting calories is the only thing that has worked for me long term. But basically, the formula is eat less and move more. Even if you just cut back in small steps, it will help you make progress.
What Lyn said. And I honestly believe that you can make progress and still be gaining weight.
If you are gaining at a slower rate today than yesterday - that is progress.
If you are maintaining today but were gaining a little yesterday - that is progress.
If you are losing 1/2 a pound a week today and maintaining yesterday - that is progress.
If you are doing any more than that you are rocking!
This is my 3rd time doing Weight Watchers It's just that this time it's totally different than me just trying to lose weight....you have to decide you want to change your lifestyle then either jump in or ease yourself into it.
I'm almost at 70 pounds gone and while I do have a way to go in the end I will lose 136 pounds so if I can do it I know you can do it too!
Today, the first 3rd is gone, gone, gone, and I am well down the road toward having the second one done.
How do you start - if you are like most of us, you KNOW how to eat. If you're like me, diet obsessively for a few weeks to get a few of the good habits in place, then start looking at what you are doing, and decide what works in your life style, and what doesn't. Remove the things that don't work, and try something else.
I now track food and exercise on fitday, walk at lunch every day at work, and work out several times a week.
Just keep trying, and one day, you will throw away a pair of pants that are ridiculously large, and not worth giving away, like I did today.
Try fit day instead of a journal! FitDay.com is AMAZING!!!!
I tried fitday awhile back and didn't care for it, so I had given up on online calorie tracking. Then I found DailyPlate at livewell.com and that clicked for me.
My point isn't to put down Fitday or say one is better than the other, but to say if you try one and don't like it keep looking. Calorieking is also useful but I don't know if you can record stuff there.
Looks like you have already gotten more fabulous advice than you probably know what to do with, LOL, but I just wanted to pop in and agree with something that PhotoChick said (I always agree with her; she's extremely wise!!). If it's at all possible, I think you would really really benefit from giving an adjustment to the way you mentally approach the amount of weight you have to lose. What I mean is, if you think to yourself, "OMG I HAVE TO LOSE 120 LBS," there's no wonder that it'll seem extremely daunting and almost impossible to do... Because, yeah, that is certainly a significant amount of weight, and it's not going to happen quickly, or be easy (or fun!). But remember that you're not looking to lose all 120 of those pounds ALL AT ONCE, you'll be losing them one at a time. You can lose one pound, can't you? How about 5? 10? If you break up your weight into smaller pieces and just look towards reaching each individual goal, it might help you to feel better about the amount... I totally recommend using "mini-goals," which works really well for me. It gives you something to look forward to and celebrate. If you lose 20 lbs, that might not put you at goal, but you still lost 20 lbs and you deserve the right to celebrate that in its own right (in my opinion, at least, hehe). Then before you know it, 20 lbs will become 30, 40, 50, 60 (the halfway point!!) and so on... There are so many small steps to celebrate along the way that I promise you, it won't feel like you haven't accomplished anything until you reach your ultimate goal. Every one of those moment is a reward and a reminder of all of the hard work you've put in (and will continue to do!!). Plus, you're lucky enough to have all of the support of the women on here, who are AWESOME and will let you lean on them through all of the ups and downs.
Ps. I hope this doesn't make me come across as one of those smug "I did it; so can you!" kind of people (because I hate those people! haha), but I just want to clarify that we have very close starting weights, and I am making pretty solid progress... And I DO know that you can, too!
Frustrated
It's just that this time it's totally different than me just trying to lose weight....you have to decide you want to change your lifestyle then either jump in or ease yourself into it.
