50lbs to lose - where do I start?

[Bumblebees12]

I know what works for me - lower carbs and intermittent fasting.

But I am so overwhelmed with the amount of weight I need to lose. I weigh more now than I did heavily pregnant. It’s the most I’ve ever weighed, and I feel so utterly shit about it that it’s making me feel demotivated and like I might aswell not bother.

I need to kick this negative attitude and outlook, does anyone have any tips on staying committed to losing weight? I was thinking about planning nice things to do (not food related!) for every 10lbs I lose.

Thanks in advance!

One day at a time & little by little.

I logged everything I was eating and drinking on My Fitness Pal. In the early days just sticking to the 1400 calories a day was worthy of a celebration, I was ecstatic when I realised I’d lost my first stone.
I eventually lost, and have kept off, 3 stone.

You really do need to change your thinking, don’t feel shit about being the most you’ve ever weighed, feel positive that you have recognised you weigh more than ideal and want to take steps to become healthier!
You can do it!

This guy is quite motivating, he used to be overweight himself
instagram.com/cartergood?utm_medium=copy_link

I agree that reminding yourself that it is a marathon and not a sprint. There are no quick fixes, and it may take 6 - 12 months to lose the weight.
But if you start some good habits, and keep them up you could be in a really good place in 6 months....or you could be still where you are now, lamenting how hard it is.

Things that worked for me after years of low carbing on and off.

Recognising if you are a moderator (can have one and leave the rest) or an abstainer (will eat it if it's in the house) I'm the latter and it means i know no to have things in the house or to 'just have a little taste'

Weighing daily and charting progress.

Joining a group or forum to stay accountable and motivated.

Delay not deny. It's one day at a time and I have found that by saying 'I will do this for x number of weeks' or until Christmas makes it a lot easier as it has a finite end. It's really an attempt to get through the hard first few weeks and i often find by the end of the x weeks I'm fine to carry on.

Make it as convenient as possible. Batch cook soup and freeze, boil eggs. Have a fridge of quick options, cheese, cucumber etc.

Have a back up plan for when you feel weak. Mine is raspberries and cream :).

Have the occasional big indulgent meal to feel full and satisfied. Mine is my 'everything but the bun' burger. Thick fatty burger with cheese. Relish. Coleslaw, fried mushrooms etc etc.

The key is starting and restarting when it goes wrong. Life gets in the way inevitably - your monthly cycle impacting scales, holidays (always tricky) celebration (both the chocolate and the event), but letting go a little and accepting that helps. It is a marathon and needs to be sustainable as going back to old habits will just mean you put it on again. Don’t tell yourself you’re going to have a salad every night on holiday - you won’t and shouldn’t, have a steak and some wine ( I usually put on 2kg) and start again(normally takes a couple of weeks to lose again but so worth it). I’ve been losing for a year and a half and nearly 4 stone down -nearly at a healthy BMI.

Walk a lot and eat lots of vegetables.

If lower carbs and intermittent fasting work for you, how come you are 50lb overweight?

That is the pertinent question.

Read Why we Eat Too Much. There are threads here on it too.

Break it down into smaller goals.

I had goals linked to 7lb increment losses, %body weight lost, jeans sizes, BMI. Anything I could work towards I consider my next goal.

I also love spreadsheets so have a tracker I update weekly, i weight most days though.

MyFitnessPal is great for tracking what you eat and making it very visible to you when you have overindulged and what the high calorie foods are that can be reduced or cut out.

Literally one day at a time, set small goals to start with; 10lbs is a long way to go to celebrate I'd start a bit smaller. I'm back on intermittent fasting and exercising, I have a lot to lose as well so my targets have been smaller. I first set out to get from my stone mark to half a stone then to the next stone etc etc. So say 15 stone to start aim to get to goal of 14 and a half then 14 etc etc. Putting on weight is easy taking it off .... not so much 😏. Meal planning is key, factor in anything that may throw you off plan and account for it. Any birthdays/days out etc so you can plan as much as possible. Good luck 🤞🏻

My top tip would be to break your goal up into smaller goals. Whatever you choose as your first goal, make sure it’s something that feels achievable in a reasonably short time. Losing 50 lbs in a year would sound daunting to most people, but losing for example 10 lbs in two months sounds much more manageable. If you do that 5 times, you will have lost the weight!

I’d also take some pictures and measurements of yourself when you start and then repeat that every few months. If you have any favourite items of clothing that no longer fit, try them on every few weeks. I can guarantee you that when those items fit again, it will give you a massive boost!

Finally, I’ve found focussing on health in general, not just weight loss to be much better for staying motivated in the long term. In weeks where I don’t lose much, I can still reassure myself that all the changes I’ve made to my diet and exercise regime will have had a positive effect on my health 😊

Some great advice on this thread!

@Chicchicchicchiclana

If lower carbs and intermittent fasting work for you, how come you are 50lb overweight?

That is the pertinent question.

Because I have been eating carbs and not intermittent fasting.

Thanks eveyrone for all your advice, sitting down with a coffee to read it all now. Completely true that patience is important - the time will pass anyway; so why not put it to good use! I’m doing a big healthy food shop today, meal planning and going to make a start.

Once I lose the first 10lbs I’ll feel loads better, by that point hopefully I’m used to the new lifestyle.

@Morningstar66 I am definitely an abstainer too - junk food sets off horrible cravings for me. I also have insulin resistance so my body just doesn’t agree with having too many carbs or sugar anyway, so I know this needs to be for the rest of my life, not just for my weight but my general health too.

@Mulletsaremisunderstood

I agree that reminding yourself that it is a marathon and not a sprint. There are no quick fixes, and it may take 6 - 12 months to lose the weight. But if you start some good habits, and keep them up you could be in a really good place in 6 months....or you could be still where you are now, lamenting how hard it is.

You’re completely right - if I start now and lose around 2lbs a week I can be back into a healthy BMI range by Christmas. The last 10lbs are more vanity lbs so not as stressed about those

@jewel1968

Read Why we Eat Too Much. There are threads here on it too.

I will order this today. I have also read the Obesity code, and why we get fat, both really informative and helpful

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

Break it down into smaller goals.

I had goals linked to 7lb increment losses, %body weight lost, jeans sizes, BMI. Anything I could work towards I consider my next goal.

I also love spreadsheets so have a tracker I update weekly, i weight most days though.

MyFitnessPal is great for tracking what you eat and making it very visible to you when you have overindulged and what the high calorie foods are that can be reduced or cut out.

That’s a brilliant idea. Can I ask where you got the spreadsheet from, or did you make it yourself?

I’ll be using my fitness pal religiously at first, hopefully once I get used to the new way of eating it won’t be as essential but I’ll take it one day at a time until then!

@Bumblebees12 I made it. I've put a link below to a blank version you can download if you want. You just need to put in your height, then any goals, then log your s first weigh in and it will sort the rest out for you. Then whenever you want to update your weight log just add the date and your weight in lbs to the list.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mjaVTijjOxYjXruqLq14A113BVyhDBph/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115203243050422472278&rtpof=true&sd=true

Well done for getting started, that's the hardest step. Small sustainable changes that you can build on. It's consistency over time that makes the difference I think. So even if you have a crap day/ week, just get back on the horse, don't give up.

I would also recommend keeping a diary, or note of your weight changes. I weigh in weekly, and make a note of it, that way I track how I'm doing and see changes in the scale even before I notice them in my shape etc. I'm also on a thread on here which keeps me accountable.
Especially after the first month or so, when it becomes a bit boring or you have lost the initial excitement, it's helpful to look back and see where you started, it has kept me motivated to keep going (however slowly). I don't want to go back to where I started.

Looking back at the list of weigh ins also allows me to see patterns in the weight loss I might not have noticed, like I usually gain the week of my period. It's also shown how up and down it can be in general. A few times I have gained, even if I have been doing the rights things, but then lost again the next week so sometimes the scale is just weird.

[quote HalfShrunkMoreToGo]@Bumblebees12 I made it. I've put a link below to a blank version you can download if you want. You just need to put in your height, then any goals, then log your s first weigh in and it will sort the rest out for you. Then whenever you want to update your weight log just add the date and your weight in lbs to the list.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mjaVTijjOxYjXruqLq14A113BVyhDBph/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115203243050422472278&rtpof=true&sd=true
[/quote]
This is brilliant, thank you for sharing. I’m going to fill in my details/goals etc today, and going to start having a weekly weigh in each Friday

Had a big clear out of the kitchen this morning, much more organised, and doing a healthy shop today.

Thanks @Mulletsaremisunderstood, great advice. I think it’s good to become familiar with the normal weight fluctuations - I always retain water with PMS, so it will be good to get used to this and not feel discouraged! As long as the overall pattern is my weight going down slowly

Also signed up for a gym today, to start this week. Feel quite apprehensive about exercising at my current size, but I’m sure I’ll get over that after going a few times one of my friends is a regular gym goer and I’ve joined her gym, so it will be nice to go together and have a bit of support too.

My first piece of advice would be to bould changes into your routine.
Don't try and do too much in one go, as that is unstustainable.
One thing I have noticed, is that when I start and try to lose weight, it actually takes at least 2 weeks for the weight to drop.
I personally believe this is why many people (including myself) give up.
So my advice would be to persevere for a couple of weeks.

OP, if you want to break your goal down into smaller steps, there is an app called "happy scale" that breaks down your weight loss into small achievable chunks. You record your weight in a log and it shows you visually how much you have to go.

I've broken mine down into 50 smaller goals. It's good because you feel like you're getting somewhere, rather than just thinking of how much there is to go.

I used the TDEE calculator to work out the calorie limit I need to adhere to in order to lose weight. Put your measurements into the calculator and it’ll tell you your maintenance calories. That is the amount you need to consume to stay the size you are. Then aim for less. Remember 1lb fat = 3500 calories so you need to consume 500 calories per day less than your TDEE number in order to lose 1lb a week. I found that quite sobering. Log everything that passes your lips into MFP or similar to ensure you are being honest with yourself. My downfall is wine so I avoid situations where I’m likely to want a glass and try and do something else instead. Good luck!