HELP! I really need to hear from people who have actually lost weight!

I am new to dieting. I am about to complete my first week. For me this is big. I am only eating 1,300 calories a day as many professionals have suggested for me because of my height and weight and the fact that I am not currently very active. I am 22 years old 5'4" and weigh 145 pounds. I want to lose 20 to 25 pounds.

I am struggling A LOT already. I really need motivation. For me the best way to get that is to look ahead and talk to people who have been dieting for awhile and have actually lost weight doing it.

I guess I'm scared of dieting and restricting myself like this and not seeing any results. I'm not naive enough to think that these results will happen over night, but about how long does it take? How long did it take all of you to make your goal or even get close to your goal?

I never thought that I would look at my son's baby food and wish I was him, actually eating. I never thought that I would think about food all the time and feel sorry for myself non stop because I feel like a part of me is missing. I never thought that now that I can't eat anything but certain foods that I'd be this bored and feel like I just want to be in bed all the time.

I know I sound pathetic. Well I feel pathetic. I have tried to gain a positive attitude about this whole thing but I am just not there yet. Food was a bigger part of my life than I realized and I'm sorry to say I feel justified to complain.

I'm losing a huge part of who I was.  There are people out there who will never have to worry about what they put in their mouths and they will be stick thin forever. And then there's me who now can't even chew a piece of gum without worrying about her calorie limit.

And it doesn't help that my friends and family keep telling me I look great and that I shouldn't be on a diet. That is bull! I am over weight and I want to lose weight for me not for them.  I guess I just need support. Please help!

Hi, I started my weight loss and fitness journey five weeks ago but just joined here this week.  I was restricting my calories quite a lot, but also got really active, and I've lost more than 25 lbs in 5 weeks!  A lot of that was in the first few weeks.  If you can get at all active, you can increase the amount of calories you eat in a day, maybe to 1500.  I still consume 1300-1500 calories a day, but because of my food and snack distribution, I never feel like I am missing the food.  The trick is to balance what you're eating, and to like what you're eating.  Explore the expansive world of healthy, delicious low calorie foods out there.  You'd be surprised what you can still have!  I eat a 70 calorie oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with a green apple for my morning snack, and it's a nice treat!  

And honestly, my motivation comes from telling myself that I deserve a better life than I've been choosing for myself lately.  It took me a long time to love myself enough to make this commitment.  I failed a lot for a long time.  Then, I chose to make this commitment, and its amazing how fast I've seen results!  Keep trying, and get active wherever you can!

Hi there :) It's funny, we're almost "twins"! I'm 23, 5'4", 146 lbs :) But when I first found this website, I was 168 lbs. It's really doable! It took me a while, 'cause I found it really hard to resist all the temptations (very often I would simply give in to them), but I got there. Like you, I'm determined to lose at least 20 more.

Now about restricting and depriving yourself of favourite foods. Well, there's planty of people in here who will be able to give you better advice as far as all the data and numbers go, I just want to offer support. You know, the best thing about counting calories - as opposed to being on some ridiculous all-grapefruit diet - is that you don't really have to deprive yourself of anything :) You just have to make sure it fits into your calorie allowance for the day. You can significantly increase that allowance by adding exercise, but I'm guessing you don't have much time for it with your baby son around :) You know what I've been doing, especially at the beginning, when it was so hard? When I craved a burger, I had the damned burger - but on a whole wheat bun and with a huge salad on the side. Now I won't even eat my dinner without two or three different veggies on my plate - they fill you up and are very low in calories. Also, "diet" food doesn't have to be boring! There are so many low-cal things we can eat, and so many different ways to cook them :) I cook two sets of meals at home - one for me, one for my hubby, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

You know, once you start seeing results, it will get much easier. The hardest part is to stay motivated. Do whatever it takes for you. Set yourself some mini-goals. Set a deadline. Put your most horrible picture (or your best one ever) on the fridge door - just stay with the program. It's really really worth it! And don't worry about your family and friends - they would never tell you you should lose some weight, would they? :D Although technically they are right - your BMI is 24.9, so you are not overweight :)

Damn, it's getting too long :D Just one last thing: if you can, exercise! I never did and now I wish I had. I only started seriously working out two weeks ago, and it's been nothing but a blessing. All I do is the Turbo Jam and Turbo Sculpt videos, and in the two short weeks they have worked wonders. Besides a nicer body, a good workout gives you this incredible feeling of euphoria, the pride of accomplishment - and it sounds like you could use a healthy dose of both right now :)

Good luck on your journey. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

congratulations on making a choice that's for you and you alone...others may benefit but truly when we are doing something that's good for us of our own volition it is so much easier!

that said..i totally understand your dilemna!  this lifestyle change will take some time getting used to so don't get discouraged if you don't see what you want to see right away....huge losses at the beginning are not typical...we are all unique and so are our journeys

i come from a background of not eating enough, waiting waaaaaaaaay too long to eat and snacking on crap.....let me tell u my journey seems excruciatingly slow....my metabolism sucked and basically everything i ate was stored cos my body never knew when it would get food again!

last year i started with LA weightloss (which i don't recommend btw...too much money for just plain old common sense!  but at least being accountable got me started on the road to health...) at 248lbs....currently i am at 205....i, also, tend to be more inactive than active...i have the equivalent to an office job...not much activity there....i go to the gym now, and can see the benefits...but the real area to concentrate on is caloric intake....is 1300 cal what cc says is your proper level?  try to stick to it as close as you can, but don't beat yourself up if you g oover from time to time...in sticking with 1300cal try to have as much 'guilt-free food' as possible...lots of vegetables!  vegetables are high in fibre so they keep you full longer...which i found is the key....if you don't feel hungry you won't be as prone to go look at what's in the fridge.......but on top of this you need to make a concentrated effort also...tell yourself you're full after a meal...step away from the table...find something t odo to occupy yourself....once your body becomes used to its new schedule you'll find you're not craving as much or as often....at least i did.....

try to find the high fibre foods that work best for you.....whether it be with grains, vegetables, fruit....try to get a little protein in with each meal...use all the tools and ppl here on cc...there's a vast amount of knowledge here!  just be sure to make sure the tips make sense....unfortunately, there are some not so sensible tips that can come your way......

anyways..as i said...i've been on LA's program for about a year...i only started with cc at the end of january and it got me out of the three month long rut/plateau i was in sticking to the LA thing....i love the control cc allows you...i can have whatever i want as long as i'm honest in logging it....i always try to keep my calorie recommendations and i always try to get my recommended percentages (ie. for calcium) ...i've done quite well with balancing my fruits, veg, protein, dairy, and fats....as long as you're getting your recommended amounts you're golden.....and you can still have all the 'good stuff'!  just in moderation....

good luck!

Thanks you three! Your words are really helping! The thing I need the most right now is encouragement. I just need to know that others have done it so I can too.

just give yourself time and be patient with yourself....i can't tell u how many times i've been so frustrated..."i've only lost 35lbs?!  it's been almost a year!!"

then i think about it....yay me!  i've lost 35lbs!

but....that said the lbs dont't matter as much as the measurements do...meaure yourself at the beginning...waist, hips, bust, thigh, arm...then don't measure again for about two months...u want to see some loss!  if you decide to go to the gym or walk or whatever exercise-wise....you would gain some measure of muscle...you don't want to disappoint yourself by thinking you haven't lost anything because the scale says so.......since i started my journey i believe i've lost about 20 inches overall....you will be able to see that everywhere....in your face as well as those areas i said to measure....and that, to me, makes more of a difference than the 43lbs the scale says i lost.......now if only the loss was more where i'd like it to be!  unfortunately for me...everything is looser and i've gone down in sizes....but my 'stress belly' remains!  even tho it's smaller...it's still, to me, disproportionate to the rest of my body 

so now i'm changing my routine and trying to incorporate more core exercises in an attempt to budge more of that visceral stress belly...wish me luck!

I've lost 23lbs in 5 onths. Ok its not particularly fast but I'm feeling better for it!

A big step was when I noticed I would happily pay £4 for cake in a coffee shop but would make a fuss over spending £3 on 2 punnets strawberries because they were expensive. But I like strawberries better! And theyre good for me!

You need to get out of the mindset that these are treats! Spoil yourself, get your favourite healthy food requardless of price! Youre worth it!

i am 5'1 and started out weighing 210 lbs. i have had four kids sence then and still managed to get down to 123lbs with the help of calorie count. com. i noticed you said you wish you could eat more. i know you are limiting your calories but that does not mean limiting your food. i eat more now than i ever have before, i just make sure to eat low calorie. i munch all day on fruit, veggies, boca burgers, cereal with fat free milk, and lots of other things. my calorie goal is 1200 and i still find room to eat alot. frozen grapes are so yummy and extremely low cal. have you tried them yet? good luck.

Welcome to CC!  I've been here almost a year and as of yesterday, have lost 84 lbs.  Most of that I lost in the first 6-8 months.  My weight loss has slowed down a bit as I've gotten closer to my goal - I only have 2 more lbs. to lose to reach my goal weight of 131!

Everyone here is giving you some really great advice.  I also can't emphasize enough the need to get active and stay active.  Make it a part of your life.  Even if it's walking at a park or the mall while pushing a stroller.  Or make time during the day for an exercise video.  Find a way to fit it in.  It will help you burn calories and allow you to eat more (which I love to do).  Also, the exercise will help you feel much better about yourself.

I workout 6 days a week and I push myself pretty hard with my workouts - running on the treadmill, running outside (I'm running my first half marathon in June), strength training, elliptical, circuit training, etc.  But all this working out allows me to eat more during the day.  Lately, I've been eating 1800-2000 cals/day and am still losing weight.  I rarely feel deprived.  I eat a healthy breakfast of Uncle Sam Cereal (high fiber/low fat/low sugar cereal), blueberries, and a banana on most mornings.  Have a delicious protein bar after my morning workout (Luna bars, South Beach Diet High Protein Cereal Bars, Special K bars, etc. - I love them all).  I have a salad or sandwich for lunch.  Afternoon snack of 1/2 grapefruit and either a rice cake or a bowl of cheerios - or sometimes I'll have nonfat greek yogurt with strawberry preserves and fruit mixed in.  I eat a regular dinner with my family and have a skinny cow ice cream sandwich for dessert.  We go out for dinner at least 1-2 times/week and I order whatever entree I'd like, sometimes healthy, sometimes not.  But I always, always, always log my food to keep myself honest about what I am eating.  I am in control of what I eat.  Some days I eat better than others and I just make sure I have more good days than bad.

I also have some good motivational quotes that keep my moving forward:

- "Never give up what you want most for what you want at the moment."

- "Far too often, our progress is limited by our minds, not by our bodies."

- "Never let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

Good luck with your journey - you can do it!!!

If your worried about not eating enough food try and fill up on veggies and fruits. Their low cal and they can fill you up greatly. Try and get your whole pyramid worth of food. Its all about moderation. I started on here over a yr ago but I only lost 10 lbs because I got lazy and stopped working out. I was doing really well when I was going to the gym 3-4 times a week. My stats are 5'2 142 lbs I also have a large frame so Im only going to lose another 10 so losing anymore than that is just going to make me look too skinny.

If your worried about your meals look at them as a challenge. Look in the recipe section of the site and pick one to make. Make that your challenge for the day. I found when I was dieting that I got bored of just semi seasoned chicken and a veggie. So I started making things like stir fry or turkey tacos (ground turkey meat was used). Fruit is another thing that can spicy up your taste buds. I love eating green apples for my snacks and/or gogurts (only 80 cals per tube). Strawberries are my fave spring snack. If you like fish, Marinated salmon is a wonderful thing with brown rice and veggies or homemade pasta salad.

Good Luck to you, also dont look at this as a diet, look at it as a healthy life style change that you can pass out to your child so they can live long and healthy.

You can do it!!  I'm 5'10", 144 lbs, and I started out this summer at 163.  I wasn't able to work out until recently because of a bad car accident, and I packed on the pounds, but I am back at the gym, counting my calories, and losing weight!  My goal is to be down to 130 (roughly where I was before the accident) for my wedding at the end of May.  I totally sympathize with your feeling hungry and pissed off-- two things seem to help me: my goal is only 1200 calories a day, so it is REALLY important to get a bang for my buck.  I realize now that I can have oatmeal, fruit, milk, honey, coffee, cereal, etc. for breakfast and still have plenty of cals left for the rest of the day.  I buy low-cal bread so I can have a whole sandwich instead of half a piece.  I buy 1% milk so I can have a whole glass without worrying.  Steamed veggies, rice, boca burgers, etc. are great ways to fill up for less.  One meal that is almost NO calories that I can have for dinner if I've eaten too much all day: a plate of raw veggies (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrot sticks, etc) with a nice lump of hummus and a salty rice cracker on the side.

And snacks are clutch!!  My favorite is the 100 calorie packs of salty sweet kettle corn.  Throw in some diet coke, even a few candies like swedish fish or twizzlers if you are out to a film or something and feeling really naughty, and you can snack while watching a film and still meet your calorie goals, even at 1200. I used to love the 100 calorie packs of chocolate covered pretzels too, but have lately given up all sweets for lent (which forces me to stay on track!) and have lost even more.

Another thing that has helped me is to stay so busy that I don't have time to worry about food.  I have been burning the candle at both ends lately, and consequently eating a lot less.
Finally, going to the gym is CRUCIAL for me.  It reminds me that my body is a thing I care about, makes me feel good, happy and motivated, and makes me want to eat healthy so I can get even hotter!! 

I know you can do it!! Good luck!

welcome aboard! i started here in mid June '08 at 195 and am now down to 163.4, with just another 13.4 to go! yes it is possible, even with out exercise. that is how i lost most of my weight, but since it's been going a bit slower lately i've started getting up off my but and doing things.

hang in there is it worth it!

I am also 5'4".  I started last year at 153.5, my heaviest ever (except for when i was pregnant).  My motivation was this:

Instead of aiming for my "end" goal of 125, I aimed for the next 10 pound increment.  My first goal was just to get in to the 140's, and when I got there, it was like WOW, I weight 14_!  Then as I continued to get down I would aim for the 130's, and for me, just getting down into that next 10 pound range was awesome and didn't feel quite so overwhelming as saying, I have 20+ pounds to go!

Every 5 I lost i just kept telling myself, "you were 5 pounds heavier, 10 pounds heavier, etc."

Also, my other big motivator was I had my husband take my "starting wight" pictures in a bikini, front-side-back views, and then every 2 weeks he would take more.  I printed them out and posted them in my closet so i could see my progress, and it has made NEVER want to get back to where I was.  I also have them saved on my computer/phone so if i am feeling the need to overeat I can look at my "fat" pictures and then unhealthy choices don't seem quite so appealing!

I still have some more to lose, but I keep focused on how much i have lost already!  Good luck! 

P.S. - It's also nice to see other 5'4" women on this site, it motivates me to know that there are lots of us in the exact same boat!

Original Post by bigfatarmsbegone:

I am new to dieting. I am about to complete my first week. For me this is big. I am only eating 1,300 calories a day as many professionals have suggested for me because of my height and weight and the fact that I am not currently very active.

honestly, adding a little more activity so that you can eat more will make your life so much easier and more enjoyable.  you don't have to give up all the foods that you love; you really don't.

a brisk, one-hour walk pushing a stroller can easily burn 200-250 calories, and it's an hour that you're out of the house and not thinking about food.  you and your son will enjoy it, i promise, and if you can drag a friend along, so much the better.  i mean - 200 calories is a serving of ice cream! 

1300 calories is low, and if you're feeling deprived, it's going to be hard to maintain.  1500 - well, that might be do-able, you know?  believe me, you'll feel better for it.

Thanks again to everyone who is commenting. I seriously thrive on motivational articles and comments right now. Since my friends and most of my family aren't very supportive I always come to check the site and see if there are any new articles or posts. It REALLY helps to know I am not alone. It also really helps to know that the majority of everyone on here lost weight naturally without pills or any special diet, just by watching their calories and exercising. I'm lucky to have a supportive husband but even he is having a hard time believing I can do this. Thanks for telling me I can do it! it really helps!

First, I like your userID.  I think we've all got some part of ourselves we feel that way about (sumo-wrestler calves, in my case!)!

Next -- I know you know it works, but sometimes it helps to hear that it's really working for actual people.  CC is great for that.  I've lost 10+ lbs since January, and most of the people I talk to here are down that much or more in the same time.  The first couple weeks, I didn't feel like anything was happening, either -- but, as you know, it comes with time (and exercise, LOL!).

Now for the advice bit.  You might want to try being a little less restrictive with what you can eat -- I go crazy if I try to limit myself to specific foods. 

Apparently, I am unable to survive for more than a week or two without pizza -- so instead of cutting out the pizza, I've worked it into my plan (admittedly, I'm boring, and only eat cheese pizza, light on the cheese, so it's not too hard to fit a few slices in here and there).  I probably eat pizza less than I used to, but I still do eat it.  If I feel a need to have something "with" my pizza, I'll throw back some raw veggies or an apple (I have no qualms about eating bizarre combinations of food).

Likewise, I love ice cream -- so now I eat Skinny Cows instead of going to an ice cream shop or grabbing a pint of Ben & Jerry's: not because they're a 'diet' food, but because the portion size is pre-set.  It's easier to grab one Skinny Cow sandwich than to put one scoop of even the best ice cream in a bowl and pretend it doesn't look lonely, LOL!  (Plus they have 3 grams of fiber each.)

Basically, rather than restricting foods into 'good' and 'bad' groups, I work to moderate my portion sizes (which got a little out of control back when I used to bike 30 miles a day and could afford it, LOL).  For those foods that are hard to moderate (like ice cream) I rely on pre-portioned items (like Skinny Cows).

The most important part, though, is not to think of it as being on a 'diet.'  You have to play a few tricks on yourself.  I think 'lifestyle change,' while completely true, sounds hokey and forced, so I simply think of it as 'eating better,' or, better yet, 'part of my training regimen.'

'Part of my training regimen' is a great psychological tool -- even if all you're training for is a 5K walk, when your friends and family try to get you to eat another cookie, you can say, "Nope, that's not part of my training regimen!" 

It really helps to pick some kind of athletic goal -- no matter how minor it seems to you -- and train for it.  (Caveat: At least, it helps me.  Different strokes for different folks, of course -- I don't want to come across as one of those egomaniacal "MY WAY FOR EVERYONE!" guys :D)

It gives you something to reach for, when you don't really want to do those last five crunches or you really want that second cookie.  It also helps with the thing that rasmom said about getting active and making it a part of your life (which will mean that you, like rasmom, will be able to eat more, as time goes by!).

If you do try the' training' idea, you'll probably feel a little silly about it at first -- but after a week or two, it really takes hold, and you start thinking more like an athlete, and you find yourself thinking things like, "Is this going to help my training?"

However: definitely work in some room for treats.  It sounds like you've set down a regimen that's a little too strict and a little too un-loving.  The goal is to be healthy, right?

Well, you can't be healthy if you're also making yourself unhappy.

I agree with not trying to be so restrictive...after setting goal after goal for myself, and "failing" at all of them because they were unrealistic for me at this point in my life, I decided "What's the rush?"  Am I trying to lose weight so I can look good for one day?  For one vacation?  For one season?  NO!  I'm doing this so that I can be healthier and look good ALL the time, EVERY day, EVERY vacation, EVERY season.  And so if it takes me a whole month to lose a couple pounds, then it takes me a whole month.

I started 2 months ago and I've lost 8.5 lbs.  At one point in my life I would have been SO upset that I'd ONLY lost 4.25lbs a month.  But wait...isn't that a pound a week?  Isn't that a good goal?  YES!  I'm in no rush...yeah, I wanted to be about 9lbs less than I am now but that wasn't realistic.  Besides, I already look GOOD 8.5lbs lighter.  YOU WILL TOO!

For those of us who don't have a HUGE amount to lose, it'll go slower, and that's ok.  If you stick with it, if you focus on and celebrate every single pound, if you remember that you are WORTH exercising hard, you are WORTH eating healthy, then you'll be successful. Also, as I said in another post, when someone was feeling unmotivate and asked..."What's the point?"

Well...what's the alternative?  You have a choice - next year, do you want to be 20lbs lighter?  Or do you want to be right where you are, or worse, 10lbs heavier?  If all of us regular, normal folks can do it...so can you!

YOU wont notice you' ve been loosing weight really, but others who haven't seen you in a few weeks (thats right, THREE weeks if you do well) they WILL notice changes! I didn't notice until when one day I was in the shower shaving my armpits (yeah, I said it) and I noticed that the nook in my arm was more hollow and it got harder to shave, and there was no more fat underneath there! WOO HOO!

I did the isolation thing, the complete fridge makeover , didn't go out with friends at all, had no boyfriend to tempt me with icecream, lived 20 feet away from the gym at my dorm room so I cant really give you much advice on how to do it since our lifestyles are different but please just DO it.  Its worth it, you have to SAY it every day!

Original Post by jennellelewis:

YOU wont notice you' ve been loosing weight really, but others who haven't seen you in a few weeks (thats right, THREE weeks if you do well) they WILL notice changes! I didn't notice until when one day I was in the shower shaving my armpits (yeah, I said it) and I noticed that the nook in my arm was more hollow and it got harder to shave, and there was no more fat underneath there! WOO HOO!

That's so funny!  I noticed the same thing when I lost weight.  Now, it's a real challenge to shave under my arms without leaving a patch here or there.

Thanks so much everyone. I am glad there are many people rooting for me even if I don't know all of you in person. Feel free to add me as a friend any of you. :)

Today my hubby and I went out and bought a whole bunch of heathly snacks our cart looked the total opposite of the way it did a couple of weeks ago because a couple of weeks ago we never paid attention to what was in anything we'd just throw in anything that looked good. Now everyone at the store was glaring at us because we were standing there reading the backs of everything we touched. Haha!

Original Post by rasmom:

Original Post by jennellelewis:

YOU wont notice you' ve been loosing weight really, but others who haven't seen you in a few weeks (thats right, THREE weeks if you do well) they WILL notice changes! I didn't notice until when one day I was in the shower shaving my armpits (yeah, I said it) and I noticed that the nook in my arm was more hollow and it got harder to shave, and there was no more fat underneath there! WOO HOO!

That's so funny!  I noticed the same thing when I lost weight.  Now, it's a real challenge to shave under my arms without leaving a patch here or there.

 Thats awesome girl! See it can be kinda funny the ways  we are loosing weight^_^