Simple weight loss

Hi Everyone,

I'm having such a hard time losing weight.  I have tried everything and I have actually wound up gaining weight.  For the past few years I have tried a diet that is higher in protein and vegetables and low in bad carbs.  I and most of my friends trying to stick to this have had success at first and then binge and get fatter than ever! I am heavier than my weight at full term pregnancy.  I'm so upset.  I tried weight watchers but it is really hard and I hate the whole points thing because I start rationalizing bad foods into my points because they are allowed.  For instance I figure I like chips so I will have chips and diet coke for lunch and that isn't that hight in points.  It's just dumb, but I do it.  I'm looking for simple!  I need to see something quick just to get jump started.  I'm trying to stick to whole grains and low saturated fat... good fats and good carbs.  I need a qucik boost and something simple because I'm tired of points and obsessing over everything.  Help!

TY,

Michele

eat the way our bodies were designed to eat...don't cut out macronutrients...you need carbs and whole grains. eat the things you like in moderation and don't be too restrictive. calculate your calorie requirements and base your meals on that try to eat as few refined and processed items as possible and make sure you're eating healthy fats. it's that simple.there is no quick way to lose weight that will be healthy and good for life. so, slow and steady is the key!

the simple but not so easy way to lose weight is to first of all calculate how much you burn everyday, (then figure out using the tools here) how much you need to eat to lose weight and stick to it.

It takes discipline and accountability, if you do a crash diet and lose weight, it will all come back plus more something that you are well aware of. So go easy on yourself, you didn't gain the weight overnight and it won't meltoff overnight.

l suspect that you have an idea of what to do, goodluck.

Michele, it took a long time for very simple concepts to  sink through my thick skull - You need to eat a balanced diet with appropriate calories for your age and height and activity level.  You need to eat it on a consistant basis for the rest of your life.  You have to be committed to changing the way you eat to the right way.

Since I've been following this Simple Diet Plan, by Mary Hartley, our CC nutritionist, I've consistantly lost 1/2 to 1 pound a week.  Yes, it's taking a long time, but it is working.  Weight chart is in my profile. 

Also, you might want to google the news for articles about a new study that shows, positively, that it's calories that matter, not carbs or fat, or protein.  Igor has blogged about it for us here at CC.  Please read what he wrote.

Maybe if you are like me, the best way for you to lose weight is to change as litle as possible the way you live.  Instead of drasticaly changing what you're used to eat, eat the same things but start counting the calories in everything you eat.  Eating healthier food by itself is not going to help you lose weight.  No one can escape the simple fact that a caloric deficit is the ONLY thing that makes you lose weight.

I had no idea that you could really "lose too fast" by being too restrictive, which ALWAYS means you will regain the weight when  you eat normally again. It was really frustrating; I'd drop 10 or more quickly, have a week of "normal" eating and be GAINING again; WTF?? So learning here about keeping the "calorie deficit" (the difference between what you burn and what you take in) below 1000 has been a HUGE benefit for me. I've lost and kept off about 15 for most of a year, and am figuring out (really slowly, obviously) how to do it during my school year (i'm a teacher).

SO, don't give up. Remember to take in less than you burn WHILE eating enough. Use the burn meter to figure out what you burn, then count the cals in your food to make sure you are eating 500 to 1000 cals LESS than that number. It really is this "simple."

Having said that, I can think of two other things to add that may be really important to a beginner: first, be careful, be honest with yourself, and BE PATIENT. Figuring out how much of a deficit your body can handle may take time, so aim for the 500 range first and then tinker to see if you can lose more quickly without disrupting your loss.

And yes, you can eat less healthy foods but you need to keep them to a small percentage of your overall intake; you'll get too hungry if you eat too much junk as a part of your allowed cals, and then you'll overeat to compensate. So plan your treats (I aim for about 80-90% of my daily cals as healthy) and you'll do ok.

Best of luck!

Eat less, move more.  It doesn't get any simpler than that.  Make some healthier choices.  I know that some folks think it's a simple matter of calories eaten vs calories burned, But after logging for 6 months I noticed something.  The healthier I ate, the more I lost during the week.  That doesn't mean I don't have treats, I do, but the less crap I ate, and the more whole foods I ate, despite having the same calorie and exercise ranges daily, I lost more weight.  Keep in mind that the tools here are estimates.  The activity tool, for example, is making a guess at how much you specifically are burning.  My theory is that the more our bodies get what they need to be healthy, the more efficiently they burn.  That's just my own personal theory, of course.  But I needed something to explain to myself why I was losing more weight on the weeks I ate healthier.

i'm with plaidpooka; it really is that simple.  first, be honest about what you've been eating (logging for a few days will help with this, if it's not too onerous); then cut that back by 20 - 30% (that's not a rigid number, just an estimate on my part).  one really easy way to do this is just to use a smaller plate. 

add a little activity, even if it's just parking a little further away from work or going for a walk in the evening.

as for your rationalizations - only you can change that.  regardless of the system you use, chips and diet coke for lunch is a bad idea, and you know it.  it's going to make you feel like crap, and if you feel like crap, you're not going to make good choices. 

one last thing: cook as many of your own meals as possible, and take leftovers for lunch.  eating out--especially early in the process when you're learning portion control--is a killer.

One thing that has worked for me (and of course, your mileage may vary), is to stop thinking in terms of "good" foods and "bad" foods. There is healthy and unhealthy, and I want to be healthy. That means I usually eat healthy foods.

BUT, I think that it's important, especially at first, to be gentle with yourself. Allow yourself treats. Don't cut out your favorite foods entirely. It's so easy to spend three or four months just eating "good" foods...then the first time you get around your favorite "bad" food, you go crazy with it. Or eventually you go right back to just eating "bad." And if you think of it in terms of good and bad, you start to guilt yourself about it. Which, in my experience, just leads to worse eating, and giving up in frustration.

Losing weight isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Make small adjustments. Gradual changes tend to stick with you much longer.

A lot of people may disagree with me. That's okay. :) What's important is that you find a way that will work for you.

I thought we were not supposed to advertise stuff to sell..... Perhaps its me but finding this post by Zits here and the other one in the topic "Why cant i lose weight?"as the following posts.....

Quoted text can't be displayed as it has previously been moderated.

 

Just seems weird....... maybe im wrong....

While it is "calories that matter" in terms of gaining and losing weight, you simply cannot feel full all day and satisfied on 2,000 calories of chips and soda, for example. In order to feel FULL and stop the binging and snacking, you need to eat whole grains, lots of fiber, and protein. Protein and fiberous foods take longer to digest, and therefore make you feel full longer. So it really is the type of food you eat that matters. If I could eat 1500 calories of skittles all day and feel satisfied and not hungry and not crave any other foods, then I would do it, but obviously I can't do that... and you probably can't either. 

So focus on having a more balanced diet, if you know you have a problem with eating too much snack foods or eating because you're bored, try to up the protein and healthy fats to make you feel full and hopefully stop that snacking!

Sorry for the rant in the first paragrpah, it just gets on my nerves when people say it doesn't matter WHAT you eat, as long as your calories are in check! You can't keep your calories in check if what you're eating isn't healthy and balanced!

Good luck!

Thanks for all your comments and advice.  I have such a carb phobia now that is hard to break.  I'm trying to stick to 1200 calories and exercise and just make better choices.  I appreciate everyones comments.

Thanks,

Michele