What is your secret?

Hello everyone!

My name is Kayleigh, I am 23 and weigh 260 at 5'11 and I would like to lose 100lbs. I'm just finding it really hard to get started, so I  had a couple of questions for people who have lost 50+ pounds or are in the process of losing weight

How did/do you motivate yourself?

How long did it take to achieve your goal weight or to start seeing results?

What is/was your weekly exercise routine?

What changes did you make to you diet?

Did/do you set weekly or monthly goals for yourself and what did you do when you achieved them?

Also if you have any suggestions for books, dvd's, websites, advice or ANYTHING regarding diet,  weight loss or healthy living  please let me know. it would be much appreciated

I just want to be the best I can be and go forward in my life healthy and happy

Thanks in advance for all your help!

KDeGraw

(me: male, 5'8", 44, thin build, was 250lb, currently 160lb)

My motivation should have come easy - my doctor said if I didn't get rid of the 90-100 extra pounds I was carrying around then I was looking at Type II diabetes in 5 to 10 years.  But even that didn't do it, I let two years go by sorta-trying to cut back on sugar and eat less junk food, only lost a maximum of about 10 to 15 pounds, and I'd cycle back and forth losing it and gaining it all back.  That was until about a year ago.

When I started (restarted, for the upteenth time) just about a year ago, I didn't have any motivational moments that really got me going.  Well, other than the usual post-pigout Thanksgiving holiday guilt.  It was just "hey, this calorie-counting thing, I'll try it for a while and see what happens".  I gave myself a daily calorie budget of 2000, gritted my teeth and got through the bad first week of getting the bod into burn mode, and at the end of 6 weeks I'd lost 7 pounds.  THAT'S what got me motivated, seeing it actually WORK, knowing I could actually DO it.  That's what keeps me going from day to day and month to month, knowing for a FACT (instead of just hoping, and weighed down with all the doubts accumulated from past failures) that if I stick to it I WILL reach my goals.

Other than the scale I didn't see any results for another month or two.  Then my clothes started getting too big and I found I could fit into jeans I hadn't been able to wear in like 10 years.  Maybe another month (about 20 pounds down from the start) before I got any "hey, have you lost weight?" remarks at work.

My goal was to get down to 160 before this Thanksgiving, and I just squeaked in under the deadline.  I'm finding that at 160 I still have more "spare tire" than I want to be carrying around, so I'm going to see what 155 looks like and if that doesn't deflate the tire I'll head for 150 where a BMI of 23 would put me.

Exercise: started out not doing any other than taking the dog out for a half-mile walk every night.  As the weather got warmer and there was more light after work in the evening (and as I dropped pounds) we worked up to a mile, then 1.5, then 2, then 3, and then on weekends in the summer we were doing 5.  The dog got a lot more fit too!  I also added some basic calisthenics every morning to fight off losing muscle mass, slowly adding more reps of the exercises as I lost pounds and got more fit.  And one great motivation for exercising more, what gets me out the door for a walk even when the weather's not nice: it means I get to eat more calories.

Diet changes: none to start with, just less of what I was eating already.  As I lost weight I lowered my daily calorie budget to maintain the loss rate I wanted, and I started having to find trade-outs to keep from being hungry.  High-fiber whole-grain bread in my brown-bag sandwich instead of the higher-cal stuff I had been using, low-fat turkey lunchmeat instead of pastrami. Then high-fiber snacks instead of lower-fiber ones, even at the same calories the higher-fiber ones are more filling.  It did get to the point where I had to give up some things - my several-times-a-week McDonald's sausage biscuit on the way into work gone, for example, replaced by a big bowl of cereal or some granola bars for breakfast.  But I've found that having to stick to a calorie budget every day, and NOT wanting to sabotage a plan I can see is actually WORKING, makes it easier than I thought it'd be to pass those things up.

I've got an average weekly loss-rate I want to keep up (1.5lb/week, which my doc says is safe and sustainable for somebody my age and gender and health) but I don't set weekly or monthly goals.  I try - and it's not always easy - not to obsess about numbers.  As long as I finish the month less than where I started, I figure I'll eventually get where I want to be.  I tell myself it's a whole LOT better to lose slower on a plan I can stick with than to try to lose faster and wind up chucking the whole losing-weight thing because I pushed myself too hard.  And I didn't start off with a goal of 1.5lb/week, I was aiming at first for just 1lb/week, I ramped it up as the months went by and I found it easier and easier to stick with my plan.

One thing I've learned: it seemed silly to me, but I found it really DOES help me to drink a lot of water.  It keeps down water retention (not something I have to worry about a lot as a guy, and it seems counter-intuitive, but I've tried it and it actually does work) and it keeps my metabolism higher - I've got the numbers to prove it.  At one point in the diet I was dropping in my weekly loss rate, tried cutting calories some more and didn't help, tried cutting again and it didn't help, set a goal of drinking at least 64oz of water a day and my rate shot back up almost immediately.

Wow, this is a long post.    I guess my only other advice is not push too hard at the beginning.  Start with a modest plan you can stick with - and it'll be hard for the first week or two - you can always ramp it up later if it starts to get too easy.  And good luck!

I'll tell you, but it's no secret

How did/do you motivate yourself?  Being told by my doctor that I was going to die if I didn't lose weight. I stay motivated by keeping a daily CC journal and have been lucky enough to gather a group of supportive friends who help each other every day.  I watch my weight log and pay attention to the green trend line because it tells me if I'm on the right long range track.

How long did it take to achieve your goal weight or to start seeing results? 
I have not yet reached my final goal but I have lost 50 pounds and have kept it off for over a year.  It has taken me over 3 years to get to this point.  I am in this for life, not just for now.

What is/was your weekly exercise routine?  I am unable to exercise due to medical problems.  I got this far with diet alone.  Don't do this unless you are prepared for very slow weight loss - half a pound a week or less.

What changes did you make to you diet?  At the end of this I'll give you links to the resources that helped me make changes.  #1 was portion control, weighing and measuring everything I ate and logging it.  Next I learned all about balanced diet and nutrition and put those principles into action.  I now eat much less fat, sugar and salt.  I am now able to stop eating when I have had my appropriate portion size no matter what the food.

Did/do you set weekly or monthly goals for yourself and what did you do when you achieved them? I did at first, but soon learned that this doesn't work for me.  Instead I made my first goal to reach a BMI of under 30 no matter how long it took and I have achieved this.  My next goal is to have a BMI of under 25.  I have no idea how long that will take.

Also if you have any suggestions for books, dvd's, websites, advice or ANYTHING regarding diet,  weight loss or healthy living  please let me know. it would be much appreciated

Here are my favorite resources and how I used them:

List of the World's Healthiest Foods - this became my grocery list

Using a Food Pyramid  (Mayo Clinic) This told me how much of each food group was good

The Mediterannean Diet  (Mayo Clinic) This style of eating agrees with me

The Nutrition Source (Harvard School of Public Health)  More on food pyramids

Healthy Diet (Mayo Clinic) More on proper nutrition

A Simple Diet Plan (Mary Hartley, Calorie Count Nutritionist) easy to follow and adaptable to every calorie level.

The National Weight Control Registry I joined this study which tracks people who have lost more than 30 pounds and kept it off for a year or more.  This keeps me focused on long term goals and prevents backsliding.

I hope this helps you.   

How did/do you motivate yourself?  i was 218 & my doc had been telling me for years to lose weight.  he kept saying that i had to change my lifestyle.  me & hubby always had a great laugh about that one.  LOL  change our lifestyles...  that would be the day...  my motivation was when hubby came home one day from HIS doc visit.  he wasn't laughing.  :(  he looked AWFUL!  i have never seen him so worried.  the doc told him the same thing he had always said, but it had hit him hard this time.  you know...  high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, back problems, dying early, etc.  he looked like he was gonna die!  right then & there!  i just said, 'let's start today.'  and we did!  :D

How long did it take to achieve your goal weight or to start seeing results?  i saw results almost immediately!  LOL  i lost 22 pounds my 1st month & the next, i think was 12.  i lost almost 100 pounds & it didn't take that long at all.  i would have lost 100, but that would have made me too skinny.

i started on 9/4/07 & reached my goal on 8/17/08.  meanwhile, hubby had quit & gone back to his old ways...  i could have reached my goal sooner, but i had family problems.  LOL  they started telling me to quit losing weight when i reached the 170's!  my goal was 134.  ;)  i purposely lost real, real slow near the end.

What is/was your weekly exercise routine?  i mostly walked.  walked & walked & walked.  i could hardly walk when i started, but now, i can walk forever!  LOL  if i want to...  hehe

What changes did you make to you diet?  i started off with 2 promises to myself. 

#1 was & still is, 'i will never eat an entire large bag of lays BBQ chips all at once again.' 

#2 was & still is, 'i will never eat an entire giant size toffee symphony bar all at once again.'

i didn't want to make it too hard.  those rules were easy enough to live by.

Did/do you set weekly or monthly goals for yourself and what did you do when you achieved them?  i started in september, so my 1st big goal was 11/13, my anniversary.  then, my 50th birthday, 1/24.  then hubby's birthday, 3/30.

wow!  looking back at it, that was every 2 months!  i never realized that.  i always had smaller goals, though.  you know...  like the next pound!  LOL  the next 5 pounds...

i didn't read any books or use any special dvds or anything.  i mostly just read the boards, journals & stuff right here on CC.

goals are awesome!  just keep it achievable, yet hard.  also, congratulations for finding CC.  if i can do this, ANYONE CAN!!!  Woot!  Woot!  me?!  LOL  believe me...  i still love food AND i never dieted!!!  i just started eating healthier & i got up & got moving!!!  i used to be sedentary & never ate good foods.  only junk.  now, it's hard to sit still to watch a movie.  it just seems like a waste to sit.  hehe  AND i always eat my newfound fruits & veggies & get plenty of fiber.  i still eat my junk, too.  just not as much  ;)

good luck!!!

Hi Kayleigh, first of all...congratulations...this is just how you get started...joining Calorie Count...this will make you realize the amount and type of food you eat on a daily basis and the calories each one of those meals is providing to your body.

What gets you motivated...this: that you will achieve not only a more healthy style but a great body and an incredible desire to keep moving at whatever cost. :D

This means, the hardest part is to start in whatever program you want to follow. I would say, cut on your week, the number of times you eat a certain meal that really adds pounds on you. If you went 4 times to Killing-McDonalds...sorry, but that is what that is. Cut it to 2 times or 1 time, then, increase that goal week after week. The idea is to learn how to eat healthy.

In my case, I have never been really overweight, however, believe it or not, I have been over my goal weigh about 10-12 pounds for over the last 2 years and I have no kids. Recently, after successfully completing a hard treatment, last year, I was, just on September, diagnosed with Lyme Disease, and the pain of my muscles was really unbearable!!! Ouch!. I was shaky and could hardly walk, this, considering that  I was (about 2 years ago) running 5K and 10K races, shocked me... How this could had happened? I was healthy, now I am not...even when I fought and came victorious after last year's treatment. On top, I felt unhappy with my weight and thought I was not going to be able to lose it. At first, the hardest part was getting on the proper treatment, this is a very controversial disease...so, I am paying everything out of pocket...but this another's place story, the fact is: one day, once I started regaining some strength with the long term antibiotic and supplements treatment, although my muscles, especially my upper body, were still hurting so bad... I woke up from bed and said: "if this is going to hurt, I will give it a very good reason to hurt!!!" So I started doing something I never liked to do, push-ups with variation (knees on the floor). I could barely push my self up, but I did until I could not hold anymore... After a couple of weeks...amazingly, the pain was completely gone...the exercise actually strengthened my weakest muscles and the bacteria is not as strong as it was there (in my arms and back) anymore. I won't give it permission whatsoever.

So my motivation was..."today you (we) are blessed with the health you (we) have...but you (we) have no idea about tomorrow," even being able to walk is a miracle...that we tent to not appreciate until we are not able to do it anymore. So I decided to use every good day to do something good for my body, for my recovery... to enjoy the blessings God provides me with, for example being able to walk when I can, and exercise, even when is hard...because I am not sure about how tomorrow would be like.

Interestingly, I started for the first time in 2 years (when before loosing weight was a joke...easy, and effortless!) to lose fat, actual fat. Before those 2 years, I would loose weight just with depriving myself dinner or skipping any meal...and that was easy, but I was not building my body and my muscles, that is why the Lyme bacteria (Borellia Bugdorfori) attacked really hard the muscles I never worried about, and the pain is a killer!

Now my pain, whenever I get it, is more manageable, and my energy levels are much higher. Seeing on top of everything, that I am loosing weight, motivated me to watch closely what I eat, because the bacteria hid in my gold bladder once I started on long term antibiotics treatment, therefore, I also started developing fatty liver and the pain with the gold bladder, which now has to be removed, is really acute when I eat any fat...so there it was what I was missing, correcting my diet, and voila! once more, my health got me forced to do what we are all supposed to don in first place...watch what we eat!

Now I use CC to watch everything I eat, and just yesterday, I bought a set of dumbbell weights and a very cheap Jillian Michaels' (Biggest Loser's female trainer) "No More Trouble Zones" DVD...it is a killer, but it truly motivates me when I remember all these contestants who have lost so much weight, and after being really overweight they not only lose their fat, but they sculpt and incredible figure.... that is my motivation!... I have much less to lose and it would be easier for me to build muscle...now, I beat my Lyme and my weight at the same time.

Please enjoy the health you have and use it for good: to invest in more health; we never know what we have until we lose it completely...then, it could be too late!

Best luck in your process...believe me it is a transforming and rewarding one...after all, your self-esteem will be up like never before! :D You are the best reason to be motivated...just a you that when you get to meet (a healthy you) you won't regret the countless efforts and the "keep kicking-m-butt" attitude. You will discover a real you, healthier, happier, leaner and stronger! What else?

Best to you!

How did/do you motivate yourself? I noticed that it was hard for me to do some simple things like walk up stairs. Medically, I was motivated by my arthritis and how everything I read said the pain would be improved with weight loss. Also, decided that it was important to live long and prosper to see what happens in the lives of my 20 something kids. I motivate myself now by filling every meal the most beautifully presented and tasty stuff imaginable - I only eat what I love and I am searching for new foods to love all the time. I also only do the forms of exercise that I love. I motivate myself by looking for a way to live that I will enjoy so much that I will want to keep doing forever.

How long did it take to achieve your goal weight or to start seeing results? Had the usual water weight loss the first week, then it just sort of slowly fell away. I am not rushing anything so don't have to worry about all the restriction/binge stuff that seems far too common. My trend line is a nice steady graceful slightly downward slope at all times.

What is/was your weekly exercise routine? I like to do yoga and meditation in the morning. A couple times a week I like to do slow steady reps with the hand weights that I keep at the office or use the exercise band at home. M-F I walk 2 miles at a very quick pace at lunch. Weekend exercise is a very vigorous approach to household chores and some unnecessary stair climbing LOL!

What changes did you make to you diet? I do not restrict anything from my diet. I deliberately add things to my diet, mainly fruits, veges, whole grains, legumes, thus crowding out the room I have for the other. If I love it I eat it, my quantities of the higher calorie food has shifted as my taste buds have joined in the new food party. I constantly search out the most tasty lower calorie items and especially love trying foods I have never had or recipes that provide a new experience.  Have found appreciation for foods that are Thai, Indian, Japanese etc. Also, I have slowed the pace of my way too fast eating and find that I am able then to enjoy what I eat more and feel satisfied more quickly.

Did/do you set weekly or monthly goals for yourself and what did you do when you achieved them? No. I don't set goals. I just allow it to happen, observe, and take pleasure in all the changes I see - weight, fit of clothes, strength, energy, etc. I do not like the stress response that not meeting a weight loss goal creates.

Also if you have any suggestions for books, dvd's, websites, advice or ANYTHING regarding diet,  weight loss or healthy living  please let me know. it would be much appreciated. Like Claire, I love World's Healthiest Foods. Also love a recipe website called epicurious. I very much liked the first book by Dr. Shapiro called Picture Perfect Weight Loss (his follow up books were not any good so don't buy them). Through that book I learned to judge calories and servings by what I see on the plate or read in the menu description. A good thing for someone that eats out as often as I do! Finally, there's the Groups, Friends, and Journals at CC. Even when I am at a weight that seems final to me, I'll still use them. Have made so many friends, it's unbelievable!

Enjoy your journey.

Just keep telling your self it is a life long journey and drop the weight slowly. I lost 23 pounds in 4 months i gave up a lot and started again. Drink a lot of water and get a measuring tape because the scale will get you discourged. Just keep the faith you have a beautiful body waiting to reveil itself. It will not be easy but it is worth all the things you will recieve. We are here to motivate each other and we will make it. Also pray when you get the urge to eat that helps also. Thanks.

Jackie