[BreawnaxRenee]

Hello there my name is Breawna.
My mother and I used to have an account on here, at that time I was about 220lbs. Since then, I went through some rough patches with my best friend (of which I have lost) and gained 60lbs. [please note that this weight gain was gained over a year and a half]
When I was about 260lbs, I became a vegetarian. I only lost about 10lbs and gained it back within 2 month. Earlier this year, during prom season, I weighed 280. My dress wasn't fitting right, so I put myself on weight watchers and lost about 20lbs and after prom the weight came back. I can't figure out stuff to do that is fun but helps.
My current weight is 280. My overall goal is to lose 80lbs, but my first goal is to lose 30lbs
Do any of you have ideas on stuff to start doing that isn't too overwhelming?
Thank you in advanced,
-Breawna

[Lori259]

I count calories go to www.freedieting.com There is calculators & meals ideas & info about it on that site.if interested in doing so....It's free & it works. I have lost 107.1 pounds in a little over 19 months. It makes it easy to maintain too.Plus no expenses. Just eating your food in smaller portions basically~ Keep me posted & GOODLUCK!!!!

[Lori259]

Here is some life saving info I read right before I started counting calories~

Principles
Weight management may be difficult to achieve, but it certainly is not difficult to understand. When you consume food or drink, you consume calories. Your body burns calories to function, burning significantly more calories when you exercise. If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.
Because your body requires energy simply to stay alive, you burn calories even when you are not exercising. In fact, you burn calories directly in proportion to your body weight. On average, a male burns 11 calories per day per pound of body weight. The average female burns 10 calories per day per pound of body weight. These figures are just averages. Some people will be higher or lower, since everyone's metabolism is a little different. Fitness Record allows you to specify the value which is appropriate for you. If you don't know, it is suggested that you start by using the average value for your gender.
For example, if John weighs 150 pounds, he burns approximately 150 x 11 = 1,650 calories per day. If he exercises, he will burn additional calories on top of that, depending on the exercise activity. However, if he does not exercise, he must eat 1,650 calories per day, just to maintain his body weight. If he eats more, he will gain weight. If he eats less, he'll lose weight.
For the purpose of calculating expected weight gain/loss, one pound is 3,500 calories. Each time you consume an extra 3,500 calories more than you burn, you will gain a pound. For example, Jane weighs 130 pounds, never exercises, and eats exactly 1,400 calories every day. Her metabolism is burning 1,300 calories per day, so she are consuming an extra 100 calories each day. If she does this indefinitely, she will gain a pound in 35 days, since 35 * 100 = 3,500.
Fitness Record uses another term, called Behavioral Weight. The idea is that over the long term, your weight is determined by your behaviors, and is best illustrated by example. Consider Jane above, who eats 1,400 calories per day. After 35 days of this behavior, she will weigh 131, instead of 130. This means her metabolism will burn slightly more calories than before. If she continues to eat 1,400 calories every day, she will continue to gain weight, but at a slightly slower pace. Eventually, she will weigh 140, at which time her metabolism will be burning 1,400 calories every day. At this point, she will stop gaining weight, since she is consuming the same number of calories that she burns. Therefore, by eating 1,400 calories in a day, Jane is behaving like a 140 pound person. Her "behavioral weight" is 140.
Exercise contributes to your calories burned. If Jane were to exercise, burning an additional 100 calories each day, then her calories burned would be in balance with her calories consumed. She could eat 1,400 calories per day, exercise 100 calories per day, and continue to way 130 indefinitely.
You may now be asking, "Why can't I just eat low fat foods?" You can eat whatever you want. But, non-fat foods can still have calories. Check the food label to find out if eating the non-fat version of a food is really saving you any calories -- sometimes it's not. Many programs recommend moderating your dietary fat intake, and that is obviously good advice. Eating low-fat foods happens to be an excellent guideline for keeping your calorie intake low. In addition, moderating your dietary fat intake may contribute to your health in other ways. However, it will not alter the mathematics of weight management -- you still have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight.
The problem with the way the human body works is that calories counting is tedious and difficult. Most weight-loss programs, as well as the so-called "fad diets", focus on other guidelines which are simpler to follow than calorie counting. However, none of these guidelines alter the underlying principles of weight management.

[Onederchic]

I too am a calorie counter. I track my calories and even my exercise for FREE at sparkpeople.com . You can find out more on calorie counting and other eating plans at our Diet Central here - http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/#diet-central .

Good luck with your goals

[Lori259]

OH & not to keep typing you but I saw a friend back when I was 259.9 & she had lost a noticeable amont of weight & she told me she was counting calories Plus minor/minimal exercise~Anyways I looked it up Asked my doctor & all the stuff & he agreed it was the best way to go then I read that info above! Plus I started walking indoors ~Just pacing more or less from room to room for a few mintues daily until I built myself up to 45 mintues 2x's a day about 6 days a week.Also I started in Nov 2008 & Found 3fatchicks On dec 2008 And the inspiration on here helps alot!~Ok I will leave ya alone ~if ya need anything just click on my profile & Send me a message I would be glad to help.

added note: Onederchic Is one of my heros & Inspirations on here!!

[fourleaf]

Hello Breawna! Welcome to the forum!
As to ideas, there are millions of them. Ideas can work like a dream for some people and do absolutely nothing for others. I can tell you what's working for me, but if it's not for you, don't worry about it. Nothing works for everyone.

I'm doing a low-carb diet and one exercise session six days a week; my goal is to get back into competitive dance, so building muscle is very important. My diet is a pretty radical low-carb (my doctor is supervising), so I don't think this particular one is for you. However, when I was a Junior in High School, my Mom put us all on South Beach and it worked very well. South Beach is a less radical low-carb diet, so I would suggest trying that, if low-carb is something that you want to try. It, in combination with some exercise, has worked very well for my Mom and I.

If you want to take little steps, I think that the first one is keeping a food journal. Yes, it's annoying, but you'll be surprised. If you write down everything that you eat and calculate the nutrition and calories for it, you'll know exactly what's going in to your body. I hated it in the beginning, but I've found it very important.

Also, try drinking lots of water and increasing your activity level. I'd try doing something every other day, even if it's walking around the block. Some exercise is important so that you make sure that your body doesn't burn muscle instead of fat when there's a calorie deficit.


^_^ Good luck on your journey!
~Fourleaf

[DhaniCauldwell]

Welcome! I am not a calorie counter because I know that I wouldn't keep up with it. I tend to focus on eating small portions of fruits and vegetables throughout the day and going for walks daily. I weigh myself everyday (as soon as I wake up) and keep track of my weight by entering it into a medline tracker so I can observe the trends in my weight and make adjustments to my diet as necessary.

Dhani