Struggling

[MissMo]

About five years ago I gained 80+ pounds in 2 years. Ever since I have been struggling to get it off, with little to no success. 

Having gone from a mental image of a 110 pound person now to close to 200 has been extremely hard on my mental health.

I am hoping to loose 30lbs by this fall. I am looking for all the help, suggestions, and encourgement that I can get.

[A_Lurker · Accepted solution]

@MissMo- hello, and welcome.

Step on a scale if you haven't.  This is the starting point.  Weigh daily or weekly, whichever you choose.  I've done both and it really doesn't matter.  Sign up for trendweight.com - it's free and it will give you an overall feel for how your weight is going (not just focusing on the last weigh in).

Join one of the weigh-in threads here.  There's a challenge thread running from now until April or the general weekly weigh-in.  Make yourself a promise that you're going to post at least once a week, up or down.  Most people who stop posting (and come back) report a gain.  Those who post a gain one week often post a loss the next week.  Some post for long periods of time before seeing a loss, but, they do eventually lose.

Make a plan on how you are going to change your eating and/or exercise habits.  I'm not suggesting that you jump into whatever the current fad diet is.  I'm not even saying you have to count calories.  You need to look at how you're eating now and decide what you're going to change.  You say that you gained the weight over 2 years so maybe it will take 2 years to lose.  Some people will say that's too slow, but you know something, better to lose it over 2 years than to be still talking about losing weight 2 years from now.

Most people find calorie counting helpful.  I've done it myself for most of my (so far) 100 pound loss, but it's not for everyone.  However, what can be helpful is to keep a food journal for a number of weeks, being brutally honest about what you're eating.

Think: 12oz coffee, 2 heaping tsp sugar, 2Tb milk

Not: coffee with milk and sugar

The details are important.  If you're making lunch for your kid(s) and you snack while you do it, log it.  Once you've done that you might be able to consider making small changes that could make the weight loss easier.  Look for hidden calories and then decide to make some changes.

On the exercise front, what do you do now?  Walking is a good start.  How many steps today, how many yesterday, etc.  If your steps are lower than 10,000 a day start working on getting them up.  Slowly is okay, just do a few more today than you did yesterday.  Look at your average for the last 28 days and just do a few more today than it was.  10,000 isn't a magic number, just somewhere to start.  I went from doing way under to way over and now I've settled back into somewhere just over.  Of course now that includes some rowing, an elliptical and lifting weights.

Well, I typed more than I meant to so I'll end with just a simple welcome again.

[MissMo]

One thing I had never considered is the snacking while cooking/making lunches/others plates. 

I cook dinner 5 nights a week. I dramatically changed portion sizes ( to be honest I was highly skeptical of the magic of switching to a smaller plate but it does work). I've also changed a good bit on what I cook, however like I said I never took into account the amount of snacking I do while cooking.

[Dave001]

I've done the food diary thing in the past. 

It's really helped. 

But it as soon as I stop, I fall back in to bad habits. 

So this year, I bought a diary and started keeping a note on 1 Jan of everything I eat and all exercise taken. I write food and exercise in different colours. 

It's working! So far this year, I've lost 10kg. Another 40 to go, but progress is steady. 

But having learned from experience, I'll now keep a food diary forever. 

Good luck!

[A_Lurker]

@MissMoI'm lucky in the fact that I cook for myself only.  If I maked a mixed vegetable salad and I divide it into 4 portions it's not super important that I worry about specific portions of if I pick out some beans and such as I'm going.  Again, I wouldn't worry if you're eating a piece of celery, but if you're squaring off the cheese, having half a spoon of peanut butter, a few nuts, well they can add up quickly.  Logging everything is just a step to take just to see where you're starting from.

[Roboharrogate]

HI

I can empathise with you. I hit 19st this Xmas and knew that it would only go up and so I decided to take some action. To kick start I went on a 10-day boot camp (20th Feb), which was hard for someone who has not done much exercise in years, entertained clients in London and drank too much. It was for a mixed bunch and many there had much more to lose than I. My target weight is 14.5 stone. 

In those 10 days I lost 16.5 lbs and my fitness went through the roof. More important my body started to change shape, 3 cm off my neck 8 cm off my butt ! 

Since I came back I have lost another 10lb. The key to all of this is diet. I eat really well, smaller portions and I have cut out processed food, alcohol, bread, pasta, rice and white potatoes.  Replaced it with quinoa, lentils, beans, cauliflower rice (which is delicious) and many more high protein foods. CUT OUT STARCHY FOOD AND HIGH CARBS.

A typical day - omelet for breakfast with ham/onions peppers or homemade muesli, mid-morning a piece of fruit and nuts. Lunch, stir fry or tuna salad, mid afternoon snack (homemade flapjack), dinner is fish, chicken, and vegetables followed by a dessert (homemade brownies, with a little chocolate but made from black beans, with some full-fat creme fresh)

Lots online about this but it is simple. calories burned minus calories consumed. I typically burn on a bad day 3500 calories but keep my eating to around 1500 (women should be 1200) that means I have burned 2000 calories more than I have eaten. every 3500 calories looses you 1lb in weight so the mathematics is easy. Not sure why it has taken me so long to learn that!

Three things to remember when eating out or feeling hungry Bad, Better or Best. Bad would be the sausage roll from Gregs, better would be the ham and egg salad wrap best would be the ham and egg salad

It's hard, I understand but if I can do it any one can. Good luck

[RachelShrinks]

I'll... third, I guess? the food diary suggestion. I gained 70 pounds over a number of years and then knuckled down and logged everything I ate (literally, I've written "1/2 tsp chocolate frosting" before when I was tasting a cake frosting I was making). I managed to lose the weight in a year and a half, but then I got complancent and stopped logging and had kids and now I'm starting to shed the 50+ pounds I gained back. And the first thing I did was start logging again. I found out I was drinking 1000+ calories of soda a day!

Find some activity you like to do and do it. Enjoy it. Dancing with the kids is one of my favorites.

One thing that helped me: concentrate on changing how you think about putting things in your mouth. I'm not one of those people who's ever denied herself any food (except soda—I look at soda the way I look at cigarettes, as something I can't ever even have once, because I'll fall right back off the wagon), but I make sure I really want to spend the calories on a hamburger or an order of onion rings (yum, onion rings!).

Good luck and come join us! It's a really supportive crew here!

[SunsetRunner]

Have you had a physical to rule out medical causes for the weight gain?  

[MaryTheWriter]

@MissMo, A few years ago I found myself struggling to get in shape and loss weight by all the means that used to easily work for me. At some point I realized that in order to make a significant change in myself I was going to have to make significant changes in my habits. The first step was acknowledgement.

I joined a gym for the first time in 20 years. I used to work out at home. I diligently went at night from 7:30-9:30 with a daughter, even on nights when she wanted company and I wanted to sit on the couch. On those low-energy nights I made myself get on the cross trainer or eliptical. If I allowed myself to get on the treadmill, it would be too easy to just stroll. I made myself learn to stretch in yoga class and use equipment I never saw before. I tried the pool and spinning. I watched what the trainers were doing with other people. I noticed that some people did a hard workout and then stretched in yoga.

The habit of working out at night was a big change for me, as I usually love to get up before sunrise. Because I chose that hour I also thought more about what I was eating for dinner and how much. I also wasn't home during the period when I normally snack.

Initially, I tried to focus on improving eating habits and how I felt, rather than my weight loss. The first noticeable changes included feeling better and sleeping well.

Here is another tactic I still use. I subscribe to Health magazine. Each month I try the new exercises they suggest in the trainer's column. If I feel they'll work for me, I rip the page out and make old-school flashcards. This way I can take them to the gym, the park or my basement.

Like many folks, I'm struggling to keep that weight off. For me it comes down to this question: Have I done enough to take care of my mind, my body and my soul today? 

Your goal of 30 pounds is very doable. Keep your head up. Keep moving. Your decision to change is the first big step.

[JennyRebecca]

I understand how you feel.  I was thin growing up and into my 20's.  Then over the years the weight came on.  My 30's and 40's haven't been great - health wise.

I think logging your food is so important.  Sometimes we think we aren't eating all that much but portion sizes and BLTs (bites, licks, tastes and sips) can really add up.

I use the app "My Net Diary" to track my food.  It's super easy to use.  You enter your information and tell it how much you want to lose a week.  For me that was 1.5lbs a week so 1500 calories a day is my goal. I've finished my 7th week and have average 2 lbs a week since I started. 

I hope you find a plan that works for you.  Don't be hard on yourself if everyday isn't perfect.  Just forgive, reset and start fresh. 

Good luck!

[MissMo]

I have had one every year. My doctor didn't seem too concerned. Something to do with my age, and just getting out of highschool at the time. And the weight gain since has been more gradual (5-10lbs a year).

She has checked my cholosteral and it is borderline high, however everyone in my family has high cholostral even the skinny minis  so she was concerend about it but did belive it to be a more genetic issue.