I'm wanting to lose around 50 pounds and one of my goals right now is to lose 12 pounds. I used to be a huge sugar addict, but I gave it up for a month and didn't ever cheat once. I don't eat alot during the day, just what I need to eat. I stopped eating sugar for a month and I expected to lose about 10 pounds or more, I only lost about 5 at the max. I'm getting really discouraged about losing weight, it seems like I lose it then gain it back. It's so hard for me to lose weight, and I have always been thin, then I started gaining as I got older, and now it's harder than ever to lose it! Sometimes I think I'll never lose the weight. I tried counting calories but it just makes me think about food, and I lose more if i'm just watch what I eat instead of count the calories. I thought about joining a gym, but along with them being incredibly boring, time is also a issue. Plus, I always hear that 80% is food and 20% workouts. So I'd rather just lose weight buy consuming less food. Is this possible? I need to know I can do this!

If you are a sugar addict, you are probably a carb addict. When you cut out sugar, did you also cut out white bread, white pasta, white rice, and white potatoes? Those things will raise blood sugar levels the same as sugar for someone who is carb-sensitive. Also, you said you've always been thin. The smaller you are, the harder it is to reach your goal quickly. You wanted to lose 10 lbs in a month but only lost 5. Is it possible that you lost weight more slowly than expected because you aren't that big to begin with? Anyway, you really can do this. You might have to be more patient and make a few tweaks, but you can do it!

If I had to restrict my food intake drastically and knew I couldn't have certain things, I would fail miserably. That's why WW worked for me, just knowing nothing was out of bounds kept panic and starvation at bay. I too gave up most sweet things when I started back on WW, but only because I couldn't go forward without cutting out that binge trigger. I've slowly reintroduced sweets and made changes to what I choose in that regard, because I know can't succeed long term if I'm just going to constantly crave those things and only end up bingeing if I deprive myself of them. You need to find what will work for you long term, maybe consider looking into WW or other diet plans until you find one you feel comfortable with. Good luck, of course you can do it!

What works? Restricting your caloric intake below the energy needs of your body. That is the only way to lose fat. No matter what anyone tells you works ... if you're not ingesting fewer calories than your body burns in a day than you are not going to lose fat.

How you chose to restrict your intake of calories is up to you but if you don't like counting calories than you will likely find a rules based diet is your best bet. There are many rules based diets and most are simple to follow. The bad news is that they are not always easy to follow because you are giving up certain foods.

Personally my favorite rules based diet is Paleo. Goodluck not losing weight following strict paleo.

Depending on your age and what is going on with your hormones (man might not be too concern in this regards), the type of food we eat is very important as well.

Decline in estrogen in woman may create insulin sensitivity, meaning carbs must go in order to stabilize blood sugar. Insulin aka "fat hormone" is triggered by carbs.

I think you can give low carb diet a try and see how you feel. I was big believer in calorie counting and very successfully lost weight this way before. After complete elimination of estrogen due to surgery, calorie counting is no longer working for me. I lose 2 lb in a week on 1,200 cal (being hungry all the time).

On low carb I lose 2-3 lb in a week eating steak, fish, cheese, avocado and coconut oil (tons of calories) and never have to count anything or be hungry.

The moment I stop counting calories I gain all the weight back. With low carb I was maintaining my weight great for almost 2 years(with few cheats’ days here and there) until I start have carbs on regular basis. So this time , I am not on the diet, this is my way of eating from now!

Good luck!

In your case, I would try a food journal. Sometimes we think we are doing so great but results aren't showing... turns out, we aren't really doing so great at all. Food journaling will help you find culprits!!! You can journal for a week and let us read eat so we could advise you.

Any "normal" weight loss plan will probably work for you as long as you follow it! As John says above, the key to losing weight is taking in less calories than you burn each day. If you follow that rule, you will lose weight. There might come a time you need to fine tune things, but if you stick to it you'll lose weight.

I think paleo and low carb are great diets that should work great, especially if you have trouble w carbs.

I'm wondering, though, why you thought you'd lose ten pounds giving up sugar for a month. I would lose ten pounds in a month when I was being extremely restrictive and weighing everything I ate and eating once a day and weighed at or close to 200 pounds. If I took out sugar but otherwise ate normally and lost five I think I'd see that as a win!

I have been thinking about your post since I've read it. It seems like we may be on a similar diet, but we just look at it differently. I count calories, but I pretty much stick to unprocessed foods and very little carbs because it keeps me satisfied. While I no longer religiously "count/tally," I know that I have been able to eat this way for over 5 years without any real variation in weight.

Congratulations on losing 5 pounds in a month! That's a nice accomplishment, especially for making one change to your diet. Is there anything else going on with your diet that needs tweaking?

Regarding exercise, have you considered working out at home instead of joining a gym? When time is a factor, the transportation to and from the gym can really dig into your schedule. There are a lot of good workout videos that can offer a lot of bang for a small chunk of time. I have a treadmill at home, which helps. A lot of our members walk around their neighborhoods each morning or evening.

I don't have any advice to add, I'm just a newbie myself doing my own thing over here in the corner. But congrats on the 5 pounds! It may seem like a small thing, but it's still an accomplishment and a step in the right direction.

Dear GoodByeFifty,

I understand that it can be very discouraging to put lots of effort and not get the expected results. However, one thing you must understand is any changes you make to your diet should be permanent! As soon as you go back to "old ways" you will gain all the weight back! You should focus on being healthy and loving yourself instead of losing weight! I am sure you have some sort of health issues with being 50 pounds overweight (poor night sleep, allergies, dry skin... anything), why don't you focus on fixing those issues with the nutrition instead of trying to lose weight. Focus on eating lost of fresh vegetables and fruits, raw nuts and seeds, drink herbal teas... nourish your body!

If you love your body and try to take care of it instead of hating it and trying to "abuse" it with diets, the body will respond back with higher levels of energy, better mood and slimmer waist. Loving and accepting yourself is the first step that you need to take - everything will follow! If you truly love your body you won't be putting processed junk into it, will you?

I hope that advice helps...

And about cutting out sugar, I am going through the same right now - I'm doing a Candida Diet to ensure my body is at its best Check out my story if you are interested - nadyapeche dot com

Let me know what you think

I am 51 and in may got started eating clean. No process, no white flours no white sugars. I eat carbs but only 1-2 per day in the form of bread or rice ect. I do eat unlimited veggies and 2-3 fruits a day. Carbs are usually around 100g day. I do exercise about 60-90 min a day at least 3-4 days a week . I in the course of 4.5 months have lost 50 lbs. There is no easy way. You have to track your food and you have to move. Everyone is different and loses differently but it can be done.

In all honesty! This is a journey of self discovery.

All of us are different, and different things work for different people.

The KEY! Is in tracking and keeping, in whatever form you wish, an ole fashion diary, and learning! Take some time to track, blog, write, observe, learn, what works for you and what does not.

Be kind to yourself, and be patient.

There is NO failure, only the opportunity to learn, and be more successful the next time around!