New Fitbit User looking for partners in weight loss journey:)

[Mina38]

Hi there!
I've been using Fitbit for a month now would love to find friends to encourage and support!
Ive gained weight in the past 6-7 years (about 35 lb) and have been losing and gaining back most of it:)
Tried many diets. Only one worked: low cal low carb AND exercise. Hello Fitbit!
Anyone who is determined to work hard to get fit, willing to share encouragement and support, add me!

[JohnRi · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the forum Mina.

Here are a few things about weight loss.  Exercise is only 20% of any weight loss plan.  What you eat, how much you eat, when you eat are 80% of a weight loss plan.  Great that you have a fitbit now, keep moving!

Here the thing fad diets don't work.  Even if you get initial weight losses, you gain them back when you go back to old eating habits.

For weight loss to happen, and to stay that way you have to change what you eat forever.  There is no going back.

I was a junk food idiot eating 3000-4000 calories a day.  I was almost 100 lbs overweight, bad blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and had stage 1/mild damage to my heart.  Doctor's told me in September change my diet, lose weight, or be dead in 10 years...

So I changed my diet.  Little things.  Double cheese burgers became singles.  Fries became baked pototoes.  My foot long sub, became a six inch sub.  The chips at subway became apple slices..  At home I still eat meat but in the 4 once range.  I eat a lot more chicken and pork, and lot less beef.  I'll eat buffalo or elk burgers as they are lower in fat and cholesterol...  I replaced the meats with vegetables.  Now most of meals vegetables are half to 2/3, when before they were less than 10%....

I started walking, 15 minutes, 1/2 mile the first day..  Slowly I lost weight, and increased the distances..  1 mile, 1.25 miles. 1.5 miles. ...  2 miles....  3  miles...  4 miles...  5 miles..  And yesterday I hit 6 miles.

Today I'm switching from walking every other day to every day. 

After 4 months I was off my blood pressure meds.  And had lost 22 lbs.  Today I've lost 35 lbs.  62 to go.

I started out slow, with slow changes to my diet.  Added exercise, and slowly increased that.  I the last 4 weeks I lost 13 lbs.  

You look 6-7 years to gain 35 lbs.  I gained about 60 in the last 7 years.  It's taken me months to lose 35 lbs, and it will be another 4-6 months before I lose the next 62.

But with my permanent diet changes, I will never go back.  I will never gain it all back. 

Log everything you eat into the fitbit app.  Slowly scale back the calories you eat.  A little at a time.  Replace bad food choices with better choices.  Add exercise.

They weight will fall off, and more importantly, it won't come back!

[Tave · Accepted solution]

Hi @Mina38, as JohnRi said, don't "diet."  Don't deprive yourself in anyway that would lead to a rebound.  I think if you just follow the basics: increase your physical activity and challenge your body, eat nutritious foods, and maintain a reasonable caloric deficit (meaning don't starve yourself), your body will respond.  Be honest with your food log as well.  I used to think that low carb would produce the best results, but now I see that it does not matter.  I consume a fair number of carbs (and protein and fats too) and am seeing good changes in my body and weight.  The key is making sure I move more and being sure the food I eat is good for my body.  I also thought the bigger the caloric deficit the faster the weight lost.  But you can gain as fast as you lose if you binge from starving yourself.  Again keep the deficit reasonable.  You may lose at a slower rate, but it is more likely to stay off.  

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@Mina38 wrote:
Hi there!
I've been using Fitbit for a month now would love to find friends to encourage and support!
Ive gained weight in the past 6-7 years (about 35 lb) and have been losing and gaining back most of it:)
Tried many diets. Only one worked: low cal low carb AND exercise. Hello Fitbit!
Anyone who is determined to work hard to get fit, willing to share encouragement and support, add me!

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