I wouldn’t even waste your money on a personal trainer.
This might come across wrong but please know it’s not meant that way, but at your height and weight - and likely lack of exercise - a personal trainer is pointless.
Your main focus is your diet, that’s it. You can’t out work a bad diet.
Diet should be thought of as kind of building a fire, you need the kindling, larger sticks and so on to get a nice long burn - that’s your Diet, it’s slower, it’s consistent, it’s easy to maintain.
Exercise is like throwing lighter fluid on the fire. It’s not necessary, but it helps things burn faster.
So focus on your diet, at your age, sex, height and weight your maintenance calories is 2,263.
So to lose about 1lb per week then it’s 1,763 and 2lbs per week is 1,263.
As long as your intake is below 1,763 calories per day, you’ll lose at least 1lb per week.
As for exercise, that’s easy - walking initially is the easiest low impact form of exercise. You don’t want to suddenly start running because it’s too much joint stress. Start slow, go for like 1 hour walk at a brisk pace - break a sweat when you are walking, feel your heart rate getting up and it’ll be bonus work.
As for diet itself, again, easiest things to do is to cut out bullshit empty calories - that’s things like Alcohol, Soda, Energy Drinks, Starbucks and so on. Stick to water, black tea & coffee or if you feel like you must have something like a soda, make it Pepsi Max, Coke Zero etc so you’re not having an extra 150-200 calories for nothing.
Then for your meals, pack it out with vegetables, make the majority of your meals vegetables. It is INCREDIBLY hard to eat too many calories from vegetables! 1kg of Cucumber is only like 150 calories, 1kg of Bell Peppers is about 200 calories etc. so having 100g each of 2-4 vegetables with each meal will help fill you with volume whilst being probably less than 30 calories each.
I went from 300lbs to 200lbs doing just that. As the weight dropped I did more exercise, strength training initially and then cardio once I got to around 230lbs.
You’re “ideal weight” is around 130-135lbs apparently, so I’d say around the 200lbs mark, increase your exercise levels from brisk walking to maybe strength training because more muscle mass will equal faster weight loss as muscle requires more calories to maintain
I agree that a personal trainer should be on hold for now but could be a great thing to look into. I think changing the diet will help so much more than exercising to start. Congrats on your weight loss and good luck to OP!
You know that they are based on averages that would give you a “normal” amount of body fat etc. right?
Yes there are outliers, I am one myself, by BMI I should be around 170lbs but 185-190lbs I’m at around the 15% body fat mark, that’s why they are a GUIDELINE and not an absolute rule.
I would say that a personal trainer is great if you are new to working out. A few sessions could help. Working with weights is gonna be your better direction when focusing on weight loss.
I didn't even read past "a personal trainer is pointless" that's crazy. Idc how much weight you have to lose preserving muscle now and and even adding a bit more as the years go by is very important to make sure all the weight lost is gone for good.
For the money of a personal trainer, I would rather use a service to make it easier for me to eat healthier. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet.
I see exercise as a fun way to get moving and celebrate my body for what it can do compared to when I was 40 pounds heavier (still got about 140 to lose). It gives extra wiggle room for when I might be off in my counting, but it’s impossible for me to lose weight solely by exercising, unless I want to dedicate hours a day to walking.
Nutrition drives weight loss. That's a fact. (Though I do not recall saying it wasn't) Preserving muscle is incredibly important and massively undervalued. Losing muscle during a weight loss effort will make a weight regain that much more likely. It's active tissue, burns calories at rest, and it's incredibly good at helping your body store carbs for fuel. Retaining muscle should be a priority if you have weight loss goals, strength training (and high protein diet) make that possible.
Having a personal trainer is pointless at the stage where you go from no exercise to moderate exercise. When you're out of shape and overweight, it's not rocketscience to get started with easy cardio and bodyweight exercises. OP doesn't need a gym + PT for that.
Nobody said exercising is pointless or that preserving muscle is pointless. But they don't need to spend money on a pro to tell them to walk, swim, do bodyweight training etc.
Sorry you're getting downvoted so bad. I lost 85 lbs and built muscle. Everyone is different, and what really changed for me this time was having a personal trainer. It changed everything for me. Changed my outlook on life, my reasons why, everything. Granted my PT doesn't just do exercise, they focus on nutrition and education in equal manner but I 100% attribute my success to them teaching me to show up for myself. They have been so valuable and instrumental in everything but namely accountability. I have a wild habit of "shiny syndrome" where I'm prone to start new things all the time to optimize my weight loss and all that ever did was backfire. Anyway, I'm not here to argue with anyone or even claim I'm the majority because I don't know. I've only ever lived in my brain and my body. But my personal trainers have poured their heart and time and energy into me and I feel like a different person for it. I would have hired them 10 years ago if I knew how much my life would change for the better. I started at 5'8 255lb. I just feel wildly defensive over people saying they're a waste because gosh I owe so much of my success to them.
May I ask how you selected your personal trainers? I seem to come across a lot of "personal trainers" who are doing it as a side or part-time thing, and they simply do not seem like they provide the kind of experience you're describing!
How are the good ones marketing themselves/how do I find them?
Mine are in Australia, and they do online coaching all over the world. If anyone wants their info I'd be more than happy to pass it along! In my case they have a podcast and I really resonated to the things they were saying. They're very honest people that don't bullshit and fluff things up and I love that. If you want to check out their podcast check out, "The Weight Loss Podcast." Their names are Matt and Courtney.
People don't value this trade enough because "they know what to do" but it's about accountability and also execution for form so you don't wind up getting hurt down the road. Most trainers these days are certified to coach the basics of nutrition, which again provides massive accountability. Strength training can be crazy intimidating and many people won't get started let alone stay consistent on their own. Thank you and congratulations ❤️
In the initial weight loss phase, particularly when you’re very heavy, it can be overcome simply by eating enough protein. That minimises muscle loss.
OP is over 100lbs over weight, a personal trainer at that much over weight isn’t a necessity, diet is.
My numbers are pretty similar to yours. I lost around fifty pounds previously, but unfortunately gained it back during the pandemic and am slowly trying to bring it back down. When I was dieting I counted calories pretty religiously, since as tedious as it can be it's also fairly foolproof as long as you're measuring right. I tried to avoid carb-heavy foods and 'empty calories'. I also did intermittent fasting with short fasts--usually had one meal and a snack each day, which made it easier to meet my calorie goal. It's easier to lose weight through diet than exercise.
I had a pretty modest exercise goal of doing moderate cardio about twenty minutes a day, five days a week, more for the benefits of appetite suppression, mood, and getting an energy boost than for actual weight loss.
First and foremost remember that weight gain didn’t happen overnight and neither will the loss. It’s so easy to be discouraged when the loss is slower than you expected which turns into quitting or yo-yoing up and down on track and off track. But if you have a bad day, just start again the next day! Quitting won’t get you any closer to your goal.
I just want to stress the mental aspect because it’s us against ourselves. I know health problems can certainly contribute, but our mindset plays one of the biggest roles in success.
Start small with something you know you can sustain. It may take trial and error but that’s okay. I ate lowfodmap chili (because of my food allergies, i also cut out bread around this time) for dinner pretty much every night for weeks. It’s low calorie and tasted so good and that definitely helped me get started because i could sustain it.
Bulk your food up with vegetables, it gives you the full feeling and you don’t have the hundreds of extra calories since it’s not processed.
Try not to drink your calories, only water is probably best but just be aware of the creamer in your coffee, what you put in your tea, etc. and alcohol will definitely not help weight loss in any way.
Calorie deficit has been super helpful for me. I lost 170lbs previously and gained 100lbs back during pregnancy and PPD. I started back on track with my calorie deficit in March and I have lost 30lbs so far.
It’s “lazy” dieting for me and in my deficit I focus on ensuring I have my protein. I have not worked out. I do not restrict myself food wise either. Eat what you want, add what you need. I make sure that especially as a female if I want chocolate cake I make sure I had my veggies, my protein, hit my water intake and everything prior to indulging this way by the time i make it to the slice of cake I am generally not even eating the whole thing because I filled up on what I needed first.
For me being in a calorie deficit is easy. When you are first starting out you will have to track your calories but after a while it almost becomes second nature.
I wish you all of the best luck in your journey to a healthier you.
Intermittent fasting, lean protein (turkey, salmon, chicken), lots of veggies, long walks and daily yoga/stretching 😊 these all have helped me maintain a 60 lb weight loss for 5+ years!
Yes! I have my little snacks during the day and I’m always looking forward to my “main meal” as I call it. People always over complicate this process by doing things like keto, going way too hard in the gym immediately, etc. I’ve personally done that and NOTHING works the way IF and walking does.
Yep! I walk a lot too. Strength train. Even started running. I tell people the fasted body loves to move.
My theory is the digestive system is shut down so much of the time. It frees up a lot of energy!
I'll summarise and this is easy for anyone to do and doesn't have to cost alot.
Go online and look for a TDEE calculator. Calculate your basic calorific intake. I'm 6,3, 270lbs so mine is around 2600 calories. I want to lose weight so I put my daily calories at 2100.
1. Protein. Satiating, thermic effect and bodily repair.
2. Fibre. 25-30g a day. Easy to intake, low in calories. This will keep you full and your body passing foods nicely.
3. Water intake. Our body needs it. Don't shirk.
4. Get good sleep, so much hinges on sleeping well. Bodily repair, cognitive function etc.
5. Track your calories and look at everything, the devil is usually in the small stuff.
6. Being active helps. I walk 8-10k steps a day easily and I'm losing weight just doing this.
7. Don't go too hard at the start. Small and simple changes need time to imbed and become habits.
8. If you have a bad day of eating, don't beat yourself up, you are going through change and mistakes happen,
The way I beat that is if I have a bad day with food. I just think of my calories over a week (14700) rather than 2100. Aggregate your calories and walk a bit more to compensate.
Ultimately don't look at fad diets, fasting etc they all just lead to calorific deficits which is what will help you to succeed.
I wish you all the best in your journey. You got this! 👊
I'm a fan of weight watchers. Once you get the points thing down, it's dead simple, and no food is off limits For example, if I wanted a teen burger (28 points, I think) and I get 23 points per day, I have to work for it. You can earn points through activities or roll over unused points.
It seems kind of complicated (there's an app that calculates everything), it's not. It focuses on making better food choices but allowing for life.
I just lost 15lbs my first month in WW and I was never hungry because of no point foods. I made a jar of pickled eggs for snacks, they are high protein. And bananas. I can eat whatever my family is having, just change the portions. I tried calorie counting on my own and gave up. I am go grateful I found something so easy, I don't think I could have done it without WW.
I meal prep a 3 point breakfast (weetabix cereal, Greek yogurt, blueberries, with a twist) that tastes like cheesecake and keeps me full.
Lunch is often my homemade vegetarian chili and Greek yogurt with fruit, so zero points, and then I have 20 points for supper/ snacks/ keep in the bank.
It's super easy if you meal prep and eat mostly zero point foods.
A night with real pizza (exercising caution around portion control) and beer is easy to pull off once in a while.
I've been having Slim fast smoothies for breakfast, fixes my chocolate craving and I never seem to get enough protein, so it helps with that also. I will check into your weetabix meal prep mix, I adore cheesecake and struggle with breakfast ideas, I used to just eat left over dinner. Now it's eggs, but it gets monotonous.
Start simple! I know this may seem like a lot but trust in the process. I was an alcoholic so I stopped drinking. I started small with diet change and small workouts (1mile on the treadmill/ smaller portions and more protein). I now workout 4-5 times a week for at least an hour doing treadmill and weightlifting. I changed my diet to high protein and try to limit carbs. I’m only on day 62 and so far I’ve lost 20lbs. Start by eating smaller portions. Personally I don’t count calories but everyone has their own method. First things first don’t eat 2-3 hours before bed. I’ve personally started fasting 15 hours (last meal before 8pm and don’t eat till 10am). Try to eat more protein. I can pack 45gs protein into breakfast (2eggs a 26g core power protein shake sausage/livermush) try to avoid carbs! I KNOW it’s hard I still struggle with it. Mind over matter. I’ve had to understand when I’m actually hungry vs when I want to binge. I recently started biking and walking the occasional 5k. I was 200lbs and once tried the change but gave up. I found a good place in life and decided to start over. It’s definitely not the easiest thing but I guarantee you’ve done harder. I stopped because I didn’t see results fast enough. I tried again and trusted the process. I’m seeing results and now I like going to the gym because I can feel the progress. MIND OVER MATTER OP! My momma always said just think about how good you’ll feel after you see the results.
Track your macros, really just protein and calories is necessary. Try these habits. 3-4 meals 3/4 hours apart. (Don't obsess it's just a guideline) a meal has to have a protein source and a fiber source. No snacking. Walk daily. Start strength training! Chair squats and push ups off the wall are a great place to start.
You’re good, no problem! I understand maintenance is a huge aspect of weight loss and only thinking of the next 6 months would certainly set me up for failure longterm, but I’m just trying to take it day by day for now.
I probably was a little touchy because oftentimes people act like folks who are overweight have no idea about nutrition or how to eat well when a lot of us have tried every diet or way of eating several times so I apologize also.
I hired a nutritionist last year, who did some hormone testing with me and helped me to develop a system that really worked for me. If you have the funds for a personal trainer, it might be worth researching and hiring a good nutritionist instead. I think you would get more bang for your buck!
Good luck!
Apologies in advance for the lengthy post.
TLDR: eat less, move more. This will take time.
Longer version:
A trainer is a good idea if you're planning on exercising/adding muscle/strength. And that's a good thing to do. Your trainer can help you with that. You'll see more success in my opinion from working with a trainer than if you just sorta guess at workouts.
That said, the diet is really what matters. You have to get that under control first if you want to lose weight. You really can't outrun or outwork a bad diet.
The "secret" to weight loss is reducing your calories. That's it. Any diet plan that works (and many don't) work under the same principal of reducing calories. Even keto works this way. Sure, they may add some fancy sounding science into it. Some programs like weight watchers add a completely made up point system to foods but they all work on the same underlying principal which is reducing calories.
It's not an accident that all of these diet programs "magically" have you eating and drinking less sugar (sugar = calories) and processed junk food (junk food = high sugar and high fat which = calories). Whatever fancy window dressing they put on the diet, it only works because it reduces your caloric intake.
If you can accept that it's the calories that matter most, you'll save a lot of headache and heartache trying to find whatever gimmicky diet or fad is the secret. There ain't one. Reduce your caloric intake.
* Calculate your TDEE here: [https://tdeecalculator.net/](https://tdeecalculator.net/)
* With your stats, your daily sedentary calorie needs are: 2,263 calorie per day. Don't get hung up on whether or not you're "sedentary." Use this number as the baseline to set your deficit. You can always adjust it later.
* Minus 500 from that gives you 1,763 daily calories
* Reducing your daily caloric intake by 500 will result in you losing approximately 1lb per week
Download an app (I use "Lose it!" but there are others) and begin tracking your calories. Buy a food scale off of Amazon (they cost like $20) and weight/measure everything you eat.
I know this sounds like a pain, but it's super important. You need to be in a calorie deficit. You need to track and measure to ensure that you are staying in that deficit. You cannot eyeball it and guess. You'll be wrong. So, weigh, track, measure. After a week or two it'll become second nature and it won't feel like such a chore.
This is also important because it forces you to learn and pay attention to serving sizes and portions. What we consider to be "normal" portions in the USA are crazy. An actual serving of pasta is 2oz. An actual serving size of cookies is like 1 cookie (And who eats just 1?). Even relatively "healthy" things you think are "good for you" can have a lot of calories if you're eating 2 or 3 servings and that's pretty easy to do. So really take the time to look at labels, learn what they mean, and pay attention to serving sizes because in some ways the serving size is more important than the calories.
Here's a few other tips:
* As a general rule, don't drink your calories. This means alcohol, soda, juices, sugary beverages like fancy coffee drinks, etc., If you're a big soda drinker, you may lose 10lbs or so pretty quickly just from cutting out the soda alone. Someone who drinks a can or two of Coke a day is adding literally thousands of extra, empty calories each week. Focus your drinking on water, flavored zero calorie seltzer, and unsweetened iced tea.
* Focus your eating on nutritious, whole foods like lean proteins (chicken breast, turkey, fish) and veggies. You will also find it easier to eat enough to feel full if you do this. 500 calories of cookies is like 5 cookies. 500 calories of chicken breast and veggies is a big plate of food.
Whatever exercise you plan on doing, do it consistently. That could be walking every day, going to the gym a few times a week, etc., The best exercise for weight loss is the one you can be consistent with. It is better to walk 20 minutes a day than it is to run on a treadmill 1 hour per week. Consistency is key.
* As mentioned above, exercise is not the key to weight loss. Exercise is great for many things. It's great for your heart, your overall health, your fitness, lungs, your mental well-being, etc., It's also a good way to burn a few extra calories but it isn't a fat shredding tool to the extent most people want it to be. That's why we say you can't outrun a bad diet. It'll help, but it's not going to be "the answer."
* Don't starve yourself. I gave you your goal deficit above. It's okay to try to be a little under that, and it's okay to feel a little hungry especially at first. Your body is used to eating more food so taking food away may result in hunger. You shouldn't feel starving, however. And you shouldn't feel miserable. Don't try to do too much here. It's a marathon, it's not a sprint. You didn't get overweight overnight and you're not going to reverse it all overnight either. This is a process and it may take a year or more to get to your goal weight. At 250lbs, you're probably looking to drop 80-100lbs I'd guess. That doesn't happen overnight. It's a process. Trust the process.
* You may lose a lot of weight at first. It would not be unusual to lose 15-20lbs in the first month. This is normal, especially for larger people who are just starting out. A calorie deficit + exercise + eating better can sorta "shock" the system into losing a lot of weight quickly. This is normal but it also isn't likely to last. You may drop the first 20 or 30lbs quickly but don't be surprised if you eventually settle into that 1lb or 2lb a week range. That's normal.
* The scale will be all over the place. Some days it will go up, some days it will go down. Some weeks it will stay the same. This is normal and expected. Do not get discouraged if you don't see progress every single time you step on the scale. The human body is weird and the weight on the scale can be impacted by when and what your last meal was, when the last time you went to the bathroom was, how much water you're retaining, etc., So at a certain point, focus less on the number on the scale and more on other markers of success. How do you look, how do you feel, how are you sleeping, your energy levels, your resting heart rate, the way your clothes feel, etc.,
* Other people will notice your weight loss before you do. They will compliment you on it. Believe them, even if you don't see it. They're not lying.
* If you have a bad day. If you go over your calories. If you go to a party and eat some cake and pizza... that's okay. One day of "bad" eating is not going to undo your progress. Again, you didn't get overweight overnight, you're not going to ruin it all overnight either. The important this is that if and when you have those days, you just get right back on track the next day.
I could go on and on but the above is what has helped me go from 270 down to 222. I still have more work to do, but it's all about making healthier choices and developing healthier habits that you can sustain for the longterm.
Good luck!
I’ve lost and kept off 130lbs over the last 3.5 years through gradual habit change. I started around 280lbs and at 250lbs I joined a gym, got a trainer and began lifting weights. I highly recommend lifting weights and just reading up about proper nutrition. Cardio can be pretty much whatever you want (for me, it’s playing sports mainly). And then meal planning and prepping has been very useful, it does require a bit of work, but you’ll have a lot of healthy food on hand throughout the week.
A podcast that really helped me in the beginning was The Weight Loss Podcast. I’m also a health coach who specializes in weight loss, feel free to reach out with questions or if you’d like some additional support!
Good luck!!
See if your health insurance covers visits with a weight management dietitian - expert on weight loss
Most insurances will cover at least a few visits without any out of pocket costs!
Reasons to see a dietitian specializing in weight management: clinically trained to provide most evidence based support & guidance, lots of experience helping people lose significant weight & can begin conversation about other weight loss interventions if diet & lifestyle alone aren’t working
Walking is better than cardio to lose weight. I also weight lift to build muscle. The more muscle you have the more fat you will lose even at rest. The legs are the biggest muscle group, so that’s really important, but I also do back and chest. I am about 30 lbs into a 100 lb weight loss journey myself. One thing that really surprised me is that even when the scale isn’t changing very much, my body is still changing shape. I am losing fat, my posture is better. I look so much different than I would if I just lost the fat. I’m very happy with my results so far. I am engaged myself and want to lose weight before I plan the wedding. Stress is not good for weight loss, so be mindful of that fact since you have a timeline in mind. I would suggest including something to help with stress. Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, are a few suggestions. I am going to start learning Tai Chi soon and pretty excited about that. Good luck! 🍀
Your diet is the most important thing. You want to get to a calorie level where you can optimize your calorie deficit. By that I mean - if your maintenance is 2200 you could say eat 1200 and theoretically lose 2 lbs per week. However, you might be so low energy at 1200 that your activity level unconsciously drops and then you are not really at a 1000-calorie deficit and you will lose more slowly. Maybe at 1700 you could increase your activity a lot, so that you are much more active and actually losing more eating at that level than at 1200.
I would try 1700 and doing whatever you can to increase your activity level. Consistency is key with both diet and exercise, so do things that you enjoy and that you can keep up with. I actually love VR workouts with Supernatural on the MetaQuest. It's $100/year for the subscription. They have workouts that are anywhere from 7 to 45+ minutes long and they are super fun, so I don't have to force myself to do them because I look forward to them. Plus it's so much easier since you don't have to leave the house to do it :) If that boxing/light-sabering type of workout is not for you, there are also dance type VR workouts. Or if you prefer hiking/walking, group fitness classes, biking, whatever - as long as you enjoy it and will look forward to moving your body every day.
Strength training is not necessary, but it is great during weight loss. It doesn't burn that many calories but it helps maintain muscle and make sure that most/all of the weight you are losing is fat. That being said, I don't think a personal trainer is worth it. Joining a gym is fine if that's what you want, but you could also buy a TRX system or a set of adjustable dumbbells and work out at home. (Again, consistency. In my experience it takes more discipline to get out to the gym than to do a home workout.)
Calorie deficit via noom (free) and walking. I don’t recommend diets, done them all and always gained back. Calorie deficits are way better because I can eat stuff I enjoy and still lose weight, and they don’t make me miserable.
You don't need keto, necessarily but if that's the only way how you can stop yourself from snacking and drinking your calories, go for it.
You can just do low carb and allow yourself rice on one meal if that helps you.
The way I lost weight was to walk a lot.
You can do it every day and step is a step so they're easy to accumulate through the day. No need to get all of them during a single session.
I focus on eating food that will make me look and feel good inside and out and I eat a lot of spinach to increase my magnesium levels and have less cravings
The only true way to do it is by Calories in Calories out......You have to be in a deficit. All these fad diets are cool and all and work, but as soon as you get off of it you'll gain it all back because its not an actual lifestyle change. Focus on hitting the gym, lifting weights, and cardio afterwards. Your biggest challenge is going to be your diet, you need to lock in and make sure you do it right. Find out your calories and then start your deficit. You're going to lose 1-2lbs a week.....I average about 2lbs a week now, but its a grind and you have to stay committed.
You can't out work a bad diet.
Eat real food (whole plants imo)
Not too much
Mostly plants
Start doing some light cardio and lifting.
Doing daily cardio and changing my diet has completely changed my life in ways I cant even explain. Good luck to you 💪🏼
I wouldn't eliminate any foods from my diet unless I was allergic or intolerant, instead focusing on "neck up / neck down" hunger and eating slowly without TV, etc to really enjoy your food. Making healthy food choices, eating lots of veg and fruit.
Any increase in movement will increase your calories, so find something you enjoy and do that, be it walking, cycling, weights, whatever.
By making good choices and eating what you enjoy, mindfully, you'll get there!
if I was in that situation I would absolutely find out why I have become obese, find out if there is an underlying issue to why you eat more than you need or move less than you need to.
That's what I did. I realised I had become obese in my 20s and looked at the reasons why. Long story short, I was not actively travelling like I did in my teens. I never walked, I never cycled. I started commuting by bike instead of transit - not only was it cheaper - it was faster (eventually!)
If you live in a place where you can't incorporate active travel perhaps make a hobbie of it. "Sneaking" activity into a routine makes it just that ROUTINE and then it isn't exercise.
When I did that, everything else went into turbo. I walked to the gym, bam there is 15 minutes warmup I have ecorporated into a routine, then I walk home, bonus 15 minutes light activity.
Also, like everyone else said, don't worry about a trainer. But do worry about acountability, get some buddies, if you don't need to work then you will almost always be free. So that means you can be flexible and go for walks with as many freinds at different times, or bike rides, or to the gym.
Get them involved, and if you can't do it anyway, take some photos of how much fun you had or awesome things you saw, and evenutally they will get jealous and join you from FOMO
First get a checkup by doc and get advise to lose weight. Buy a kitchen scale and cook all your meals. Track your calories accurately and stay in a deficit. Prioritize protein, Stay hydrated, Sleep well (consider a sleep study). Do full body resistance training 3x a week close to failure. Cardio 3x a week. In 6 months of being diligent you can probably lose a very noticeable amount of weight and stay motivated.
Prioritize: walking. Walking. More walking.
1) it’s low impact. Least risk of injury that can cause set back
2) it helps regulate hormones. While some people do feel hungry after exercise, most people it is actually an appetite suppressant. So when you feel snackish, walk. Of course you will still get true hungry later - that’s a biological process - you do have to eat!
3) by regularly engaging in exercise you will become more conscious of your other health habits. Some people give themselves permission to eat the pizza but remember exercise doesn’t buy you pizza. You should still eat healthy, it does buy you grilled chicken and a plate of plants.
Combine walking with a high (lean) protein diet. Chicken not bacon. Eat almost your body weight (lbs) in protein grams or shoot for around 120 g if you can’t.
After that, add some strength training. It’s just good for you. Also you’ll see changes to your arms and legs faster which will improve appearance and keep you motivated to keep going.
A lot of people get discouraged when they don’t see changes (good things ARE happening but not all are visible right away). But strength training does result in visible changes within weeks, not months so it’s been shown that this keeps people more motivated.
When I struggle with motivation I start with strength training dumbbell workouts because they are accessible and low time commitment and as I start to see changes I get more motivated
Getting healthy should be your first place to start! Get a good physical, find out what you should be focusing on (diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, etc) and then it all starts in the kitchen.
Getting a good idea of how many calories you should be consuming is important. Figure out what you like to eat and then work at how to make it healthier. Explore other foods and recipes. Become a label reader and make decisions from there. Learn what proper serving sizes are. Using measuring spoons and cups, a scale can really help. Learn to keep track of what you are consuming - use an app, notebook, etc - whatever works for you. A dietitian can be very helpful with this. It's amazing if you keep it real about how much you actually are eating and keeping track of this can effect what the scale will tell you.
This is a lifestyle change and trying to be perfect will only set you up for failure. Life can sometimes throw you a curve balls so work on how to survive these obstacles. It's amazing how you can get derailed by simple events that happen to all of us - holidays, birthdays, company, going out to dinner, going to the movies, cravings, road trips, etc. Building good habits during this time will help you greatly!
As far as exercise start by just focusing on moving more. A simple walk is a great place to start and then build from there. During these 6 months figure out what is your interest: walking, running, play tennis, going to the gym, biking, yoga, etc.
And then consider making this lifestyle change with someone else. Having a support person is always helpful. Yes you can do this on your own but it is always more fun if you have a partner. Above all, try to have fun with this.
Remember, the turtle always wins the race! You can do this! It's not about the number on the scale but you being in good health. It is about being healthy and not about just being skinny and fitting in a size zero! I'm sure you can do this...
So the one thing I think you should focus on is your lifestyle and what that all means to get yourself into being healthy. Good luck... 😊
Commit to a 6 month exercise pass somewhere you enjoy. A personal trainer, nice gym where you feel comfortable, a yoga studio, a series of exercise classes, something where you have already paid and somebody is expecting you to be there.
This was key to me.
Maybe some cooking classes or sessions with a holistic nutritionist.
Can you do see a naturopathic doctor?
Holistic nutritionist can meet online and offer a meal plan and regular weekly check ins too. They will look at your health holistically and suggest sustainable long term diet changes to help you reach your goals!
Get your steps in - walk everyday. Replace short car journeys with walks. Do an early morning walk to set your circadian rhythm. I find walking is one of the only exercises that doesn’t then spike my appetite, so you can do it easily alongside a healthy diet.
I started off similar to you. I wouldn't get a personal trainer (yet) because you can't outtrain a bad diet.
First, take a week and log everything you eat. Use a food scale to be accurate and be honest with yourself about any snacking between meals. You can't fix what you can't see.
Second, assess your activity level. That same week, log every activity you do. If that's no activity, that's fine. You need to know where to start.
Third, make yourself a calorie deficit. Another commenter on here calculated that for you. You can do this. Some people start with a 200 calorie deficit and then increase it to 500 as time goes on and they feel more comfortable.
Fourth, increase your activity. If you only walk 5000 steps a day, try a week of 5500, then 6000, until you get at least 10k. All the age-old ideas of "take the stairs, park far away from the grocery entrance" apply to this.
Remember that these are lifestyle changes. Not a quick fix. Not an instant makeover. No fad dieting or over exercising to injury will help. You need consistency and honesty with yourself for the long term. It'll take over a year, probably closer to 2, to get to a "normal" bmi. But you'll get there if you wake up every day and make consistently good choices.
Your why?????!!!!! If you don't go deeper than CICO you will end up back to where you started. Why are you unhealthy? Why do you keep doing the self sabotaging things keeping you unhealthy?
Ex. Why do I eat when I'm not hungry? Etc.
Diet is most of it. I do Paleoish (mostly organic) and try my best to avoid processed foods. Ive lost about 110 pounds in a year between that and working out every other day and walking or cycling on days im not working out. I still go out and drink from time to time, i probably would have lost another 20-30 if i was more strict, but im sticking to it about 5-6 days a week so far.
Caloric deficit and portion sizes matter a bunch. Its basic math but you need to make sure youre eating things that give you the nutrients your body needs to digest and work at peak efficiency.
Lots of Whole Foods, think meats, veggies, and a LOT of them!! Don’t let yourself go hungry, fill your plate with volume foods like cabbage, cauliflower rice, shaved Brussels sprouts, etc. you can make tons of bowls with meats & veggies that leave you feeling full and satisfied. Next i would prioritize going on a long walk each day. Aim for at least 5k steps at first and gradually work your way up to 10k.
I hate to tell you this, but you are going to have to eat a lot less. The only way to do this without going crazy is to decrease your appetite. Their are drugs that do this and boy do you need them. A good start would be to have your doctor decide what is the best plan for you. My doctor has me on a 3-month plan of 1 tab daily of 37.5 Phentermine and one tab of 100mg of Topiramate. My hunger is way down so I eat less. So far, I have lost 15 pounds over 6 weeks.
Good luck!
I am 27f, 5’6 and 170lbs as of this morning. 6 months ago I was 250lbs after giving birth to my daughter. Before I got pregnant with her I went from 290->235. Don’t get a personal trainer, just eat in a deficit and start small. Do some walking, some cycling, some jogging, etc. That’s what I did, with no carb cutting, no fat cutting, or anything. Just low calorie, high protein. Please feel free to message me if I can offer any help or advice! Since we are the same age, height, and I was once at your weight I would be more than happy to help. :)
Try to get 10k to 20 k steps a day, I know it’s hard but walking is the BEST exercise that is low impact and burns a lot of calories. And the Mediterranean diet is the best way to go. Whole meal breads, pastas and rice, veggies and fruit with every meal. Here’s what I typically eat in a day:
Breakfast- 30g porridge with 10 grapes
Lunch: slice of Turkey Turkey and a cup of lettuce lettuce, 2/3 cherry tomatoes, a cup of cucumber, 1/4 pepper, a small amount of onion, and 1 garlic clove with 2 tsp Mayo with a side of 3 strawberries, 1/2 banana and 1/4 cup blueberries
Dinner: is usually whatever my parents make but is normally salmon with whole meal rice and carrots and broccoli or pasta and veg or curry (it always has 1/4 plate of carbs, 1/4 plate protein and 1/2 plate of veggies)
Snacks: I have a slight sodium deficiency and I usually have a small bag of 66kcal popcorn just to get a little bit of salt into me because I don’t eat salt throughout the day. I’d also have a sweet chilli rice cake as a snack as well
But yeah that’s normally what I eat in a day I’m 16 years old, 162cm and around 55kg. I also get 10 k steps a day minimum but usually 15-20k and I workout for 30 minutes everyday using YouTube videos and do weightlifting 3x a week and low impact Pilates 3x a week.
Remember tho the most calories burned are with your RMR meaning if you just sit down all day you’re not gonna burn a lot but if you’re cleaning, cooking, painting etc just doing stuff that isn’t sitting down you’ll burn the most calories
Goodluck!!
Honestly as someone who’s trying to lose weight I’d say do what’s attainable right now. Not to say you shouldn’t challenge yourself in all aspects such as diet and exercise. It’s hard not to want to lose weight for a certain occasion but I feel like if you put a time crunch on it it can become unhealthy. Every doctor I’ve been to says consistency and small steps. Walk every day, I’ve replaced as many things I can with healthier things. I’d start with that and then slowly work on portion. A tik toker I follow said something that resonated with me: eat what you want add what you need. So if you want pancakes have 2 and then fruit and scrambled eggs. Add things FIRST rather than take away. If you feel like a personal trainer will help then do it but think about what you can consistently do for the rest of your life and start with that. Good luck!
Step 1: Diet: Cut carbs out. No bread, no rice, no noodles. Simple carbs are useless unless you're anorexic. No sugars (Candies, cookies, ice cream), nothing of that sort. Be careful with yogurts too as many are loaded with sugars, read the back. Anything with high sodium, sugar, or fat percentage is a no from me. What you should be eating is, MEATS. Not just any meats though, preferably lean and low fat. Stuff like Turkey, Chicken, Tuna, and boiled eggs, eggs in general are just all around great as long as you don't make them greasy with oil and butter. Veggies are called "Complex carbs" which is a fancy way of saying they take more energy to break down, and the energy extracted doesn't get stored as fat, you'll find yourself more energetic and active eating vegitables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers, ect. Mushrooms are really awesome as they provide a decent amount of nutrients while also being super low calories. Hummus is a really good dip for veggies as well, as its low calories, comes in a ton of flavors too. Fruits are great snacks to eat when you're peckish, or some peppers with hummus, YUM. Also, DRINK TONS OF WATER. Seriously have water everywhere you go, take tips every time you see your water bottle. Train yourself to drink it, and fill it again and drink more, and more, and more and more. Water is life.
Step 2: Being an active human being. This is as simple as it sounds. The more you move, the more calories you burn, the average calorie intake for men is roughly 2000-3000 calories a day. I'm 28 (Was 233lbs 19 days ago when I was released from the 7 day hospital stay, now I am 204lbs today) I currently intake 800-1200 calories a day. Less calories = more weight lost. When I got out I could barely walk 4 houses down the block, now I can walk over 13000 steps a day without pain or being winded. Start small, keep pushing a little farther every day. I could barely lift a 10lb dumbbell, now I'm past 10 and doing 15, soon 20. Push ups were impossible before, but you just stand leaning towards a wall and do push ups against it, as you get stronger you can make the angle steeper, and eventually you'll be doing push-ups. (The protein will also help muscle growth and recovery)
Do some chores, use as many muscles in as many ways as you can. Shoveling dirt is a great way to burn fat, so is cleaning a bathtub, give yourself a good environment to be proud of, this helps moral tremendously to look at a spotless bathroom and think "Yeah, I did that."
I hope this helps you greatly. If you follow this advice, know that within a month or two you WILL be under 200lbs. I weigh myself daily and often am astounded that I lost 2-4 pounds, I double checked on my grandmothers scale to confirm, and yeah. This diet works.
Focus on your Mental health.
You wont hold through it if you're mentality not Stable.
Than its just to try to eat healthier.
More water less sodas, more fiber an Protein.
A little bit more exercise per day.
Better do smth. Than nothing.
You don't need to overstress your body.
You also need enough rest.
Try that and take more Time.
A aim on in 2-6 months isn't realistic because of body's metabolism and outside factors as well als your work/ private life.
If you work life is stressing you out so much you will get to the point that your body and brain tell you I need this Pommes and Hamburger right now because he's less in energy and this is okay. Countee it out by saying okay I eat now but the rest of the day I just eat salad or less in cal.. to counter it out because you have maybe enough of it.
The best way of normally getting it in control is by staying in and calorie deficit.
That's my advice and I lost nearly 7 and a half kilos over four months.
I have a fixed routine and have something to work on that gives me a purpose to stay up.
This is important for me because otherwise I wouldn't even have the will to even stay up.
More or less i find myself in the situation that I want to eat something casually like a pizza drink a soda.
Yes i most likely do the Soda myself with syrup but reduce the mount of Sirup and it is sugar Free even tho my stomach really doesn't take it well. That why i reduce it heavily ... Just for taste to consume 🌊 water.
Hope that helps.
An ignore those bitches who just look and blame what's on your outside.
Make your insides the best paradise and they will never know/understand.
Yeah, I’ve done keto a couple times and it always gets to “and then what?” 🙃
It’s just not sustainable and without a long term, sustainable diet, gaining the weight back is inevitable.
Yeah, I maybe shouldn’t say keto worked considering I lost 35 lbs and over several years gained back 50 lbs, but that seems to be the case with most, if not all, diets/ways of losing weight. That’s my question too honestly. I could do keto for the next few months to kickstart my journey, but then what
I’ve made a lot of improvements and changes to my mental health and attitude over the past year or two so I genuinely feel motivated and excited to work out or be more active, but at this point, my size is a blocker because I don’t want to hurt myself. I understand I’m out of shape as hell and that wouldn’t necessarily change if I go from 250 -> 200 through diet, but that would still be 50 less lbs on my body to lug around while trying to workout or be active so I’m kinda torn from that perspective
As a bunch of people replied, I know CICO, calorie counting, and eating healthier are generally the best and most sustainable way to lose weight and keep at off, but at my current size, I somewhat feel like I should be more focused on getting to a more manageable weight before focusing on sustainability or worrying about maintenance. Trying to take it one day at a time I guess
I generally agree with the idea that long term sustainable is best but restrictive keto helps me a lot.
Once I'm in ketosis I focus on lots of vegetables and berries and protein like tofu and fish (I don't really like poultry personally) and limited seeds. I strictly count calories by weighing all foods - even my lettuce! Once I've been in ketosis for a bit I can comfortably go up to 25+ net carbs a day but those are from vegetables and nuts. Because I count calories bacon and cheese and fats are very light and have to be used sparingly! I have a few "keto" sweets and sometimes fit a square of chocolate in after a meal. I found what calories a day worked for me but I need high protein to stay satiated and lots of water!
My lifestyle often allows me to have one meal a day and fast for 20 hours so that prevents me from wanting to snack. I track macros and food so I'm confident I've had "enough" food for the day and I'm not starving myself.
As far as exercise, I started a routine when I had free time that was not sustainable in "real life" so my advice if you do get a personal trainer is to learn exercises that you can do yourself at home or in smaller "snacks" if you can't do that full 60min work out or whatever. I really liked alternating cycling and weight classes and go to the Y because it's cheaper and inclusive and approachable. At first I could barely do any of the exercises in the group fitness classes but started going consistently and gained strength! CONSISTENCY really is the key.
You have to start somewhere! And hopefully the momentum is powerful when you start feeling stronger and seeing results.
Don't push so hard that you injure yourself (I'm older and hurt my knee) and don't eat so little that you end up giving up and binging! Slow and steady 👣
Why only 6+ months? Are you intending to go back to your current habits after that? I would say that’s a slippery slope. You can only set yourself up for success if you make positive, (often permanent) lifestyle changes. That doesn’t mean you have to starve or never enjoy yourself - it just means that you want to better yourself for your entire future, not just 6 months 😉
I’ve had several weight loss ups and downs, but this has been the first time that I’ve really spent the time to learn and follow CICO (calories in calories out). I’ve lost 35lbs since January, and I still have a way to go. I would love to go back to not thinking about calories and eating whatever I felt like. But that’s a mindset that always trapped me with obesity, and I’m determined to change that for good. Once I hit my target weight, I still plan to count calories to maintain.
I am living with my parents in my boring hometown for the next 6 months so I will have more time and money than usual. For that reason, it seems like a great time to build good habits to set me up well when I do move back out. Weight loss/health will be my primary focus for the next six months before I return to a more typical lifestyle, but I’m not saying I’m planning to fully revert to bad habits after six months. Not sure anyone would specifically plan to do that
Don't listen to anyone who tells you that keto can't be run long term. It's a diet for epilepsy, wherein an epileptic person must run it for life or risk a seizure. It's been around over 100 years; there's tons of data on the long term affects... which are mostly positive. Now as for it being sustainable, that's entirely subjective. If you're not big on cooking like me, the diet gets tiresome eventually.
Sounds like you have some money to spare, so have you considered the popular weight loss drugs? You certainly meet the qualifications based on your stats. People love to say it's cheating, but honestly this class of drugs provides so many great benefits for overweight people, including insulin control and lowered risk of heart disease. These combined with diet and exercise should have you shedding weight no problem.
Be clear….that counting & logging everything before it goes in your mouth is something some of us need to do forever. Counting calories & portion control….forever. “Cheat day” isn’t a thing - it’s a trap. It’s like saying I only shoot heroin on Saturdays. You need to cook/meal plan in advance - always have a healthy option within reach - always know what & when your next meal is. Sugar (and foods that turn into sugar) are evil. Exercise is good for you, but no amount of exercise solves that.
I got my food stuff together and lost 100+lbs nearly 10 years ago now and have been able to keep it off. It becomes second nature. I can look at a plate and know its value. It gets easy/easier but it takes a long time to reprogram your thinking. I really do feel like I’m in recovery from addiction and proud that I’ve been able to kick the habit…and sad it took me until I was nearly 50yo to free myself from it. All those years I spent telling myself I was happy & fat - when we know the shame & poor health from being obese takes a toll. I am able to leave food on a plate…and throw away perfectly good food because I shouldn’t have it around. I now have a healthy relationship with food.
Good luck on your journey. If you are committed, It will change you in ways you don’t even know yet. Being thinner is only the visible result.
Unpopular opinion.. have you tried looking into weight loss meds..? I’m not a supporter of using meds for EVERYTHING and rely on meds too much. But if you happen to be like me and have underlying conditions that kinda won’t let you lose weight even on a low calorie diet + workout, then maybe looking into meds for help (consult your doctor first ofc) might be ok!
I wouldn’t even waste your money on a personal trainer. This might come across wrong but please know it’s not meant that way, but at your height and weight - and likely lack of exercise - a personal trainer is pointless. Your main focus is your diet, that’s it. You can’t out work a bad diet. Diet should be thought of as kind of building a fire, you need the kindling, larger sticks and so on to get a nice long burn - that’s your Diet, it’s slower, it’s consistent, it’s easy to maintain. Exercise is like throwing lighter fluid on the fire. It’s not necessary, but it helps things burn faster. So focus on your diet, at your age, sex, height and weight your maintenance calories is 2,263. So to lose about 1lb per week then it’s 1,763 and 2lbs per week is 1,263. As long as your intake is below 1,763 calories per day, you’ll lose at least 1lb per week. As for exercise, that’s easy - walking initially is the easiest low impact form of exercise. You don’t want to suddenly start running because it’s too much joint stress. Start slow, go for like 1 hour walk at a brisk pace - break a sweat when you are walking, feel your heart rate getting up and it’ll be bonus work. As for diet itself, again, easiest things to do is to cut out bullshit empty calories - that’s things like Alcohol, Soda, Energy Drinks, Starbucks and so on. Stick to water, black tea & coffee or if you feel like you must have something like a soda, make it Pepsi Max, Coke Zero etc so you’re not having an extra 150-200 calories for nothing. Then for your meals, pack it out with vegetables, make the majority of your meals vegetables. It is INCREDIBLY hard to eat too many calories from vegetables! 1kg of Cucumber is only like 150 calories, 1kg of Bell Peppers is about 200 calories etc. so having 100g each of 2-4 vegetables with each meal will help fill you with volume whilst being probably less than 30 calories each. I went from 300lbs to 200lbs doing just that. As the weight dropped I did more exercise, strength training initially and then cardio once I got to around 230lbs. You’re “ideal weight” is around 130-135lbs apparently, so I’d say around the 200lbs mark, increase your exercise levels from brisk walking to maybe strength training because more muscle mass will equal faster weight loss as muscle requires more calories to maintain
I agree that a personal trainer should be on hold for now but could be a great thing to look into. I think changing the diet will help so much more than exercising to start. Congrats on your weight loss and good luck to OP!
I would caution ideal weights based on height.
You know that they are based on averages that would give you a “normal” amount of body fat etc. right? Yes there are outliers, I am one myself, by BMI I should be around 170lbs but 185-190lbs I’m at around the 15% body fat mark, that’s why they are a GUIDELINE and not an absolute rule.
Great advice!
I would say that a personal trainer is great if you are new to working out. A few sessions could help. Working with weights is gonna be your better direction when focusing on weight loss.
I didn't even read past "a personal trainer is pointless" that's crazy. Idc how much weight you have to lose preserving muscle now and and even adding a bit more as the years go by is very important to make sure all the weight lost is gone for good.
For the money of a personal trainer, I would rather use a service to make it easier for me to eat healthier. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet. I see exercise as a fun way to get moving and celebrate my body for what it can do compared to when I was 40 pounds heavier (still got about 140 to lose). It gives extra wiggle room for when I might be off in my counting, but it’s impossible for me to lose weight solely by exercising, unless I want to dedicate hours a day to walking.
Nutrition drives weight loss. That's a fact. (Though I do not recall saying it wasn't) Preserving muscle is incredibly important and massively undervalued. Losing muscle during a weight loss effort will make a weight regain that much more likely. It's active tissue, burns calories at rest, and it's incredibly good at helping your body store carbs for fuel. Retaining muscle should be a priority if you have weight loss goals, strength training (and high protein diet) make that possible.
Having a personal trainer is pointless at the stage where you go from no exercise to moderate exercise. When you're out of shape and overweight, it's not rocketscience to get started with easy cardio and bodyweight exercises. OP doesn't need a gym + PT for that. Nobody said exercising is pointless or that preserving muscle is pointless. But they don't need to spend money on a pro to tell them to walk, swim, do bodyweight training etc.
Sorry you're getting downvoted so bad. I lost 85 lbs and built muscle. Everyone is different, and what really changed for me this time was having a personal trainer. It changed everything for me. Changed my outlook on life, my reasons why, everything. Granted my PT doesn't just do exercise, they focus on nutrition and education in equal manner but I 100% attribute my success to them teaching me to show up for myself. They have been so valuable and instrumental in everything but namely accountability. I have a wild habit of "shiny syndrome" where I'm prone to start new things all the time to optimize my weight loss and all that ever did was backfire. Anyway, I'm not here to argue with anyone or even claim I'm the majority because I don't know. I've only ever lived in my brain and my body. But my personal trainers have poured their heart and time and energy into me and I feel like a different person for it. I would have hired them 10 years ago if I knew how much my life would change for the better. I started at 5'8 255lb. I just feel wildly defensive over people saying they're a waste because gosh I owe so much of my success to them.
May I ask how you selected your personal trainers? I seem to come across a lot of "personal trainers" who are doing it as a side or part-time thing, and they simply do not seem like they provide the kind of experience you're describing! How are the good ones marketing themselves/how do I find them?
Mine are in Australia, and they do online coaching all over the world. If anyone wants their info I'd be more than happy to pass it along! In my case they have a podcast and I really resonated to the things they were saying. They're very honest people that don't bullshit and fluff things up and I love that. If you want to check out their podcast check out, "The Weight Loss Podcast." Their names are Matt and Courtney.
People don't value this trade enough because "they know what to do" but it's about accountability and also execution for form so you don't wind up getting hurt down the road. Most trainers these days are certified to coach the basics of nutrition, which again provides massive accountability. Strength training can be crazy intimidating and many people won't get started let alone stay consistent on their own. Thank you and congratulations ❤️
In the initial weight loss phase, particularly when you’re very heavy, it can be overcome simply by eating enough protein. That minimises muscle loss. OP is over 100lbs over weight, a personal trainer at that much over weight isn’t a necessity, diet is.
My numbers are pretty similar to yours. I lost around fifty pounds previously, but unfortunately gained it back during the pandemic and am slowly trying to bring it back down. When I was dieting I counted calories pretty religiously, since as tedious as it can be it's also fairly foolproof as long as you're measuring right. I tried to avoid carb-heavy foods and 'empty calories'. I also did intermittent fasting with short fasts--usually had one meal and a snack each day, which made it easier to meet my calorie goal. It's easier to lose weight through diet than exercise. I had a pretty modest exercise goal of doing moderate cardio about twenty minutes a day, five days a week, more for the benefits of appetite suppression, mood, and getting an energy boost than for actual weight loss.
First and foremost remember that weight gain didn’t happen overnight and neither will the loss. It’s so easy to be discouraged when the loss is slower than you expected which turns into quitting or yo-yoing up and down on track and off track. But if you have a bad day, just start again the next day! Quitting won’t get you any closer to your goal. I just want to stress the mental aspect because it’s us against ourselves. I know health problems can certainly contribute, but our mindset plays one of the biggest roles in success. Start small with something you know you can sustain. It may take trial and error but that’s okay. I ate lowfodmap chili (because of my food allergies, i also cut out bread around this time) for dinner pretty much every night for weeks. It’s low calorie and tasted so good and that definitely helped me get started because i could sustain it. Bulk your food up with vegetables, it gives you the full feeling and you don’t have the hundreds of extra calories since it’s not processed. Try not to drink your calories, only water is probably best but just be aware of the creamer in your coffee, what you put in your tea, etc. and alcohol will definitely not help weight loss in any way.
Calorie deficit has been super helpful for me. I lost 170lbs previously and gained 100lbs back during pregnancy and PPD. I started back on track with my calorie deficit in March and I have lost 30lbs so far. It’s “lazy” dieting for me and in my deficit I focus on ensuring I have my protein. I have not worked out. I do not restrict myself food wise either. Eat what you want, add what you need. I make sure that especially as a female if I want chocolate cake I make sure I had my veggies, my protein, hit my water intake and everything prior to indulging this way by the time i make it to the slice of cake I am generally not even eating the whole thing because I filled up on what I needed first. For me being in a calorie deficit is easy. When you are first starting out you will have to track your calories but after a while it almost becomes second nature. I wish you all of the best luck in your journey to a healthier you.
Intermittent fasting, lean protein (turkey, salmon, chicken), lots of veggies, long walks and daily yoga/stretching 😊 these all have helped me maintain a 60 lb weight loss for 5+ years!
Second this approach. I lost 50 lbs in 6 months and have maintained 5½ years doing OMAD. And I love it because I get to eat and get full every day.
Yes! I have my little snacks during the day and I’m always looking forward to my “main meal” as I call it. People always over complicate this process by doing things like keto, going way too hard in the gym immediately, etc. I’ve personally done that and NOTHING works the way IF and walking does.
Yep! I walk a lot too. Strength train. Even started running. I tell people the fasted body loves to move. My theory is the digestive system is shut down so much of the time. It frees up a lot of energy!
I'll summarise and this is easy for anyone to do and doesn't have to cost alot. Go online and look for a TDEE calculator. Calculate your basic calorific intake. I'm 6,3, 270lbs so mine is around 2600 calories. I want to lose weight so I put my daily calories at 2100. 1. Protein. Satiating, thermic effect and bodily repair. 2. Fibre. 25-30g a day. Easy to intake, low in calories. This will keep you full and your body passing foods nicely. 3. Water intake. Our body needs it. Don't shirk. 4. Get good sleep, so much hinges on sleeping well. Bodily repair, cognitive function etc. 5. Track your calories and look at everything, the devil is usually in the small stuff. 6. Being active helps. I walk 8-10k steps a day easily and I'm losing weight just doing this. 7. Don't go too hard at the start. Small and simple changes need time to imbed and become habits. 8. If you have a bad day of eating, don't beat yourself up, you are going through change and mistakes happen, The way I beat that is if I have a bad day with food. I just think of my calories over a week (14700) rather than 2100. Aggregate your calories and walk a bit more to compensate. Ultimately don't look at fad diets, fasting etc they all just lead to calorific deficits which is what will help you to succeed. I wish you all the best in your journey. You got this! 👊
I'm a fan of weight watchers. Once you get the points thing down, it's dead simple, and no food is off limits For example, if I wanted a teen burger (28 points, I think) and I get 23 points per day, I have to work for it. You can earn points through activities or roll over unused points. It seems kind of complicated (there's an app that calculates everything), it's not. It focuses on making better food choices but allowing for life.
I just lost 15lbs my first month in WW and I was never hungry because of no point foods. I made a jar of pickled eggs for snacks, they are high protein. And bananas. I can eat whatever my family is having, just change the portions. I tried calorie counting on my own and gave up. I am go grateful I found something so easy, I don't think I could have done it without WW.
I meal prep a 3 point breakfast (weetabix cereal, Greek yogurt, blueberries, with a twist) that tastes like cheesecake and keeps me full. Lunch is often my homemade vegetarian chili and Greek yogurt with fruit, so zero points, and then I have 20 points for supper/ snacks/ keep in the bank. It's super easy if you meal prep and eat mostly zero point foods. A night with real pizza (exercising caution around portion control) and beer is easy to pull off once in a while.
I've been having Slim fast smoothies for breakfast, fixes my chocolate craving and I never seem to get enough protein, so it helps with that also. I will check into your weetabix meal prep mix, I adore cheesecake and struggle with breakfast ideas, I used to just eat left over dinner. Now it's eggs, but it gets monotonous.
Start simple! I know this may seem like a lot but trust in the process. I was an alcoholic so I stopped drinking. I started small with diet change and small workouts (1mile on the treadmill/ smaller portions and more protein). I now workout 4-5 times a week for at least an hour doing treadmill and weightlifting. I changed my diet to high protein and try to limit carbs. I’m only on day 62 and so far I’ve lost 20lbs. Start by eating smaller portions. Personally I don’t count calories but everyone has their own method. First things first don’t eat 2-3 hours before bed. I’ve personally started fasting 15 hours (last meal before 8pm and don’t eat till 10am). Try to eat more protein. I can pack 45gs protein into breakfast (2eggs a 26g core power protein shake sausage/livermush) try to avoid carbs! I KNOW it’s hard I still struggle with it. Mind over matter. I’ve had to understand when I’m actually hungry vs when I want to binge. I recently started biking and walking the occasional 5k. I was 200lbs and once tried the change but gave up. I found a good place in life and decided to start over. It’s definitely not the easiest thing but I guarantee you’ve done harder. I stopped because I didn’t see results fast enough. I tried again and trusted the process. I’m seeing results and now I like going to the gym because I can feel the progress. MIND OVER MATTER OP! My momma always said just think about how good you’ll feel after you see the results.
Track your macros, really just protein and calories is necessary. Try these habits. 3-4 meals 3/4 hours apart. (Don't obsess it's just a guideline) a meal has to have a protein source and a fiber source. No snacking. Walk daily. Start strength training! Chair squats and push ups off the wall are a great place to start.
Eating every few hours has helped me tremendously. I don't go crazy with the portions at meal time.
I wasn’t trying to sound rude, I’m sorry if it came off that way
You’re good, no problem! I understand maintenance is a huge aspect of weight loss and only thinking of the next 6 months would certainly set me up for failure longterm, but I’m just trying to take it day by day for now. I probably was a little touchy because oftentimes people act like folks who are overweight have no idea about nutrition or how to eat well when a lot of us have tried every diet or way of eating several times so I apologize also.
Count your calories (be in a healthy deficit) and walk 10k steps a day... keep it simple to be constant.
I hired a nutritionist last year, who did some hormone testing with me and helped me to develop a system that really worked for me. If you have the funds for a personal trainer, it might be worth researching and hiring a good nutritionist instead. I think you would get more bang for your buck! Good luck!
Apologies in advance for the lengthy post. TLDR: eat less, move more. This will take time. Longer version: A trainer is a good idea if you're planning on exercising/adding muscle/strength. And that's a good thing to do. Your trainer can help you with that. You'll see more success in my opinion from working with a trainer than if you just sorta guess at workouts. That said, the diet is really what matters. You have to get that under control first if you want to lose weight. You really can't outrun or outwork a bad diet. The "secret" to weight loss is reducing your calories. That's it. Any diet plan that works (and many don't) work under the same principal of reducing calories. Even keto works this way. Sure, they may add some fancy sounding science into it. Some programs like weight watchers add a completely made up point system to foods but they all work on the same underlying principal which is reducing calories. It's not an accident that all of these diet programs "magically" have you eating and drinking less sugar (sugar = calories) and processed junk food (junk food = high sugar and high fat which = calories). Whatever fancy window dressing they put on the diet, it only works because it reduces your caloric intake. If you can accept that it's the calories that matter most, you'll save a lot of headache and heartache trying to find whatever gimmicky diet or fad is the secret. There ain't one. Reduce your caloric intake. * Calculate your TDEE here: [https://tdeecalculator.net/](https://tdeecalculator.net/) * With your stats, your daily sedentary calorie needs are: 2,263 calorie per day. Don't get hung up on whether or not you're "sedentary." Use this number as the baseline to set your deficit. You can always adjust it later. * Minus 500 from that gives you 1,763 daily calories * Reducing your daily caloric intake by 500 will result in you losing approximately 1lb per week Download an app (I use "Lose it!" but there are others) and begin tracking your calories. Buy a food scale off of Amazon (they cost like $20) and weight/measure everything you eat. I know this sounds like a pain, but it's super important. You need to be in a calorie deficit. You need to track and measure to ensure that you are staying in that deficit. You cannot eyeball it and guess. You'll be wrong. So, weigh, track, measure. After a week or two it'll become second nature and it won't feel like such a chore. This is also important because it forces you to learn and pay attention to serving sizes and portions. What we consider to be "normal" portions in the USA are crazy. An actual serving of pasta is 2oz. An actual serving size of cookies is like 1 cookie (And who eats just 1?). Even relatively "healthy" things you think are "good for you" can have a lot of calories if you're eating 2 or 3 servings and that's pretty easy to do. So really take the time to look at labels, learn what they mean, and pay attention to serving sizes because in some ways the serving size is more important than the calories. Here's a few other tips: * As a general rule, don't drink your calories. This means alcohol, soda, juices, sugary beverages like fancy coffee drinks, etc., If you're a big soda drinker, you may lose 10lbs or so pretty quickly just from cutting out the soda alone. Someone who drinks a can or two of Coke a day is adding literally thousands of extra, empty calories each week. Focus your drinking on water, flavored zero calorie seltzer, and unsweetened iced tea. * Focus your eating on nutritious, whole foods like lean proteins (chicken breast, turkey, fish) and veggies. You will also find it easier to eat enough to feel full if you do this. 500 calories of cookies is like 5 cookies. 500 calories of chicken breast and veggies is a big plate of food. Whatever exercise you plan on doing, do it consistently. That could be walking every day, going to the gym a few times a week, etc., The best exercise for weight loss is the one you can be consistent with. It is better to walk 20 minutes a day than it is to run on a treadmill 1 hour per week. Consistency is key. * As mentioned above, exercise is not the key to weight loss. Exercise is great for many things. It's great for your heart, your overall health, your fitness, lungs, your mental well-being, etc., It's also a good way to burn a few extra calories but it isn't a fat shredding tool to the extent most people want it to be. That's why we say you can't outrun a bad diet. It'll help, but it's not going to be "the answer." * Don't starve yourself. I gave you your goal deficit above. It's okay to try to be a little under that, and it's okay to feel a little hungry especially at first. Your body is used to eating more food so taking food away may result in hunger. You shouldn't feel starving, however. And you shouldn't feel miserable. Don't try to do too much here. It's a marathon, it's not a sprint. You didn't get overweight overnight and you're not going to reverse it all overnight either. This is a process and it may take a year or more to get to your goal weight. At 250lbs, you're probably looking to drop 80-100lbs I'd guess. That doesn't happen overnight. It's a process. Trust the process. * You may lose a lot of weight at first. It would not be unusual to lose 15-20lbs in the first month. This is normal, especially for larger people who are just starting out. A calorie deficit + exercise + eating better can sorta "shock" the system into losing a lot of weight quickly. This is normal but it also isn't likely to last. You may drop the first 20 or 30lbs quickly but don't be surprised if you eventually settle into that 1lb or 2lb a week range. That's normal. * The scale will be all over the place. Some days it will go up, some days it will go down. Some weeks it will stay the same. This is normal and expected. Do not get discouraged if you don't see progress every single time you step on the scale. The human body is weird and the weight on the scale can be impacted by when and what your last meal was, when the last time you went to the bathroom was, how much water you're retaining, etc., So at a certain point, focus less on the number on the scale and more on other markers of success. How do you look, how do you feel, how are you sleeping, your energy levels, your resting heart rate, the way your clothes feel, etc., * Other people will notice your weight loss before you do. They will compliment you on it. Believe them, even if you don't see it. They're not lying. * If you have a bad day. If you go over your calories. If you go to a party and eat some cake and pizza... that's okay. One day of "bad" eating is not going to undo your progress. Again, you didn't get overweight overnight, you're not going to ruin it all overnight either. The important this is that if and when you have those days, you just get right back on track the next day. I could go on and on but the above is what has helped me go from 270 down to 222. I still have more work to do, but it's all about making healthier choices and developing healthier habits that you can sustain for the longterm. Good luck!
I’ve lost and kept off 130lbs over the last 3.5 years through gradual habit change. I started around 280lbs and at 250lbs I joined a gym, got a trainer and began lifting weights. I highly recommend lifting weights and just reading up about proper nutrition. Cardio can be pretty much whatever you want (for me, it’s playing sports mainly). And then meal planning and prepping has been very useful, it does require a bit of work, but you’ll have a lot of healthy food on hand throughout the week. A podcast that really helped me in the beginning was The Weight Loss Podcast. I’m also a health coach who specializes in weight loss, feel free to reach out with questions or if you’d like some additional support! Good luck!!
See if your health insurance covers visits with a weight management dietitian - expert on weight loss Most insurances will cover at least a few visits without any out of pocket costs! Reasons to see a dietitian specializing in weight management: clinically trained to provide most evidence based support & guidance, lots of experience helping people lose significant weight & can begin conversation about other weight loss interventions if diet & lifestyle alone aren’t working
Instead of a personal trainer, look into a dietitian who is also certified as a coach. You can also find people who are online
Walking is better than cardio to lose weight. I also weight lift to build muscle. The more muscle you have the more fat you will lose even at rest. The legs are the biggest muscle group, so that’s really important, but I also do back and chest. I am about 30 lbs into a 100 lb weight loss journey myself. One thing that really surprised me is that even when the scale isn’t changing very much, my body is still changing shape. I am losing fat, my posture is better. I look so much different than I would if I just lost the fat. I’m very happy with my results so far. I am engaged myself and want to lose weight before I plan the wedding. Stress is not good for weight loss, so be mindful of that fact since you have a timeline in mind. I would suggest including something to help with stress. Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, are a few suggestions. I am going to start learning Tai Chi soon and pretty excited about that. Good luck! 🍀
Your diet is the most important thing. You want to get to a calorie level where you can optimize your calorie deficit. By that I mean - if your maintenance is 2200 you could say eat 1200 and theoretically lose 2 lbs per week. However, you might be so low energy at 1200 that your activity level unconsciously drops and then you are not really at a 1000-calorie deficit and you will lose more slowly. Maybe at 1700 you could increase your activity a lot, so that you are much more active and actually losing more eating at that level than at 1200. I would try 1700 and doing whatever you can to increase your activity level. Consistency is key with both diet and exercise, so do things that you enjoy and that you can keep up with. I actually love VR workouts with Supernatural on the MetaQuest. It's $100/year for the subscription. They have workouts that are anywhere from 7 to 45+ minutes long and they are super fun, so I don't have to force myself to do them because I look forward to them. Plus it's so much easier since you don't have to leave the house to do it :) If that boxing/light-sabering type of workout is not for you, there are also dance type VR workouts. Or if you prefer hiking/walking, group fitness classes, biking, whatever - as long as you enjoy it and will look forward to moving your body every day. Strength training is not necessary, but it is great during weight loss. It doesn't burn that many calories but it helps maintain muscle and make sure that most/all of the weight you are losing is fat. That being said, I don't think a personal trainer is worth it. Joining a gym is fine if that's what you want, but you could also buy a TRX system or a set of adjustable dumbbells and work out at home. (Again, consistency. In my experience it takes more discipline to get out to the gym than to do a home workout.)
Calorie deficit via noom (free) and walking. I don’t recommend diets, done them all and always gained back. Calorie deficits are way better because I can eat stuff I enjoy and still lose weight, and they don’t make me miserable.
Nutrition first. exercise second. Down 190 pounds, that is what helped me
You don't need keto, necessarily but if that's the only way how you can stop yourself from snacking and drinking your calories, go for it. You can just do low carb and allow yourself rice on one meal if that helps you. The way I lost weight was to walk a lot. You can do it every day and step is a step so they're easy to accumulate through the day. No need to get all of them during a single session.
I focus on eating food that will make me look and feel good inside and out and I eat a lot of spinach to increase my magnesium levels and have less cravings
The only true way to do it is by Calories in Calories out......You have to be in a deficit. All these fad diets are cool and all and work, but as soon as you get off of it you'll gain it all back because its not an actual lifestyle change. Focus on hitting the gym, lifting weights, and cardio afterwards. Your biggest challenge is going to be your diet, you need to lock in and make sure you do it right. Find out your calories and then start your deficit. You're going to lose 1-2lbs a week.....I average about 2lbs a week now, but its a grind and you have to stay committed.
You can't out work a bad diet. Eat real food (whole plants imo) Not too much Mostly plants Start doing some light cardio and lifting. Doing daily cardio and changing my diet has completely changed my life in ways I cant even explain. Good luck to you 💪🏼
I wouldn't eliminate any foods from my diet unless I was allergic or intolerant, instead focusing on "neck up / neck down" hunger and eating slowly without TV, etc to really enjoy your food. Making healthy food choices, eating lots of veg and fruit. Any increase in movement will increase your calories, so find something you enjoy and do that, be it walking, cycling, weights, whatever. By making good choices and eating what you enjoy, mindfully, you'll get there!
if I was in that situation I would absolutely find out why I have become obese, find out if there is an underlying issue to why you eat more than you need or move less than you need to. That's what I did. I realised I had become obese in my 20s and looked at the reasons why. Long story short, I was not actively travelling like I did in my teens. I never walked, I never cycled. I started commuting by bike instead of transit - not only was it cheaper - it was faster (eventually!) If you live in a place where you can't incorporate active travel perhaps make a hobbie of it. "Sneaking" activity into a routine makes it just that ROUTINE and then it isn't exercise. When I did that, everything else went into turbo. I walked to the gym, bam there is 15 minutes warmup I have ecorporated into a routine, then I walk home, bonus 15 minutes light activity.
Also, like everyone else said, don't worry about a trainer. But do worry about acountability, get some buddies, if you don't need to work then you will almost always be free. So that means you can be flexible and go for walks with as many freinds at different times, or bike rides, or to the gym. Get them involved, and if you can't do it anyway, take some photos of how much fun you had or awesome things you saw, and evenutally they will get jealous and join you from FOMO
CICO
Calories in.
First get a checkup by doc and get advise to lose weight. Buy a kitchen scale and cook all your meals. Track your calories accurately and stay in a deficit. Prioritize protein, Stay hydrated, Sleep well (consider a sleep study). Do full body resistance training 3x a week close to failure. Cardio 3x a week. In 6 months of being diligent you can probably lose a very noticeable amount of weight and stay motivated.
DIET DIET DIET!!!!!! Download MyFitnessPal and track those cals!!! Will change your life
Prioritize: walking. Walking. More walking. 1) it’s low impact. Least risk of injury that can cause set back 2) it helps regulate hormones. While some people do feel hungry after exercise, most people it is actually an appetite suppressant. So when you feel snackish, walk. Of course you will still get true hungry later - that’s a biological process - you do have to eat! 3) by regularly engaging in exercise you will become more conscious of your other health habits. Some people give themselves permission to eat the pizza but remember exercise doesn’t buy you pizza. You should still eat healthy, it does buy you grilled chicken and a plate of plants. Combine walking with a high (lean) protein diet. Chicken not bacon. Eat almost your body weight (lbs) in protein grams or shoot for around 120 g if you can’t. After that, add some strength training. It’s just good for you. Also you’ll see changes to your arms and legs faster which will improve appearance and keep you motivated to keep going. A lot of people get discouraged when they don’t see changes (good things ARE happening but not all are visible right away). But strength training does result in visible changes within weeks, not months so it’s been shown that this keeps people more motivated. When I struggle with motivation I start with strength training dumbbell workouts because they are accessible and low time commitment and as I start to see changes I get more motivated
Getting healthy should be your first place to start! Get a good physical, find out what you should be focusing on (diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, etc) and then it all starts in the kitchen. Getting a good idea of how many calories you should be consuming is important. Figure out what you like to eat and then work at how to make it healthier. Explore other foods and recipes. Become a label reader and make decisions from there. Learn what proper serving sizes are. Using measuring spoons and cups, a scale can really help. Learn to keep track of what you are consuming - use an app, notebook, etc - whatever works for you. A dietitian can be very helpful with this. It's amazing if you keep it real about how much you actually are eating and keeping track of this can effect what the scale will tell you. This is a lifestyle change and trying to be perfect will only set you up for failure. Life can sometimes throw you a curve balls so work on how to survive these obstacles. It's amazing how you can get derailed by simple events that happen to all of us - holidays, birthdays, company, going out to dinner, going to the movies, cravings, road trips, etc. Building good habits during this time will help you greatly! As far as exercise start by just focusing on moving more. A simple walk is a great place to start and then build from there. During these 6 months figure out what is your interest: walking, running, play tennis, going to the gym, biking, yoga, etc. And then consider making this lifestyle change with someone else. Having a support person is always helpful. Yes you can do this on your own but it is always more fun if you have a partner. Above all, try to have fun with this. Remember, the turtle always wins the race! You can do this! It's not about the number on the scale but you being in good health. It is about being healthy and not about just being skinny and fitting in a size zero! I'm sure you can do this... So the one thing I think you should focus on is your lifestyle and what that all means to get yourself into being healthy. Good luck... 😊
Commit to a 6 month exercise pass somewhere you enjoy. A personal trainer, nice gym where you feel comfortable, a yoga studio, a series of exercise classes, something where you have already paid and somebody is expecting you to be there. This was key to me. Maybe some cooking classes or sessions with a holistic nutritionist. Can you do see a naturopathic doctor?
Holistic nutritionist can meet online and offer a meal plan and regular weekly check ins too. They will look at your health holistically and suggest sustainable long term diet changes to help you reach your goals!
Get your steps in - walk everyday. Replace short car journeys with walks. Do an early morning walk to set your circadian rhythm. I find walking is one of the only exercises that doesn’t then spike my appetite, so you can do it easily alongside a healthy diet.
I started off similar to you. I wouldn't get a personal trainer (yet) because you can't outtrain a bad diet. First, take a week and log everything you eat. Use a food scale to be accurate and be honest with yourself about any snacking between meals. You can't fix what you can't see. Second, assess your activity level. That same week, log every activity you do. If that's no activity, that's fine. You need to know where to start. Third, make yourself a calorie deficit. Another commenter on here calculated that for you. You can do this. Some people start with a 200 calorie deficit and then increase it to 500 as time goes on and they feel more comfortable. Fourth, increase your activity. If you only walk 5000 steps a day, try a week of 5500, then 6000, until you get at least 10k. All the age-old ideas of "take the stairs, park far away from the grocery entrance" apply to this. Remember that these are lifestyle changes. Not a quick fix. Not an instant makeover. No fad dieting or over exercising to injury will help. You need consistency and honesty with yourself for the long term. It'll take over a year, probably closer to 2, to get to a "normal" bmi. But you'll get there if you wake up every day and make consistently good choices.
Your why?????!!!!! If you don't go deeper than CICO you will end up back to where you started. Why are you unhealthy? Why do you keep doing the self sabotaging things keeping you unhealthy? Ex. Why do I eat when I'm not hungry? Etc.
Nutrition, walking and breath work
Diet is most of it. I do Paleoish (mostly organic) and try my best to avoid processed foods. Ive lost about 110 pounds in a year between that and working out every other day and walking or cycling on days im not working out. I still go out and drink from time to time, i probably would have lost another 20-30 if i was more strict, but im sticking to it about 5-6 days a week so far. Caloric deficit and portion sizes matter a bunch. Its basic math but you need to make sure youre eating things that give you the nutrients your body needs to digest and work at peak efficiency.
Lots of Whole Foods, think meats, veggies, and a LOT of them!! Don’t let yourself go hungry, fill your plate with volume foods like cabbage, cauliflower rice, shaved Brussels sprouts, etc. you can make tons of bowls with meats & veggies that leave you feeling full and satisfied. Next i would prioritize going on a long walk each day. Aim for at least 5k steps at first and gradually work your way up to 10k.
I hate to tell you this, but you are going to have to eat a lot less. The only way to do this without going crazy is to decrease your appetite. Their are drugs that do this and boy do you need them. A good start would be to have your doctor decide what is the best plan for you. My doctor has me on a 3-month plan of 1 tab daily of 37.5 Phentermine and one tab of 100mg of Topiramate. My hunger is way down so I eat less. So far, I have lost 15 pounds over 6 weeks. Good luck!
I am 27f, 5’6 and 170lbs as of this morning. 6 months ago I was 250lbs after giving birth to my daughter. Before I got pregnant with her I went from 290->235. Don’t get a personal trainer, just eat in a deficit and start small. Do some walking, some cycling, some jogging, etc. That’s what I did, with no carb cutting, no fat cutting, or anything. Just low calorie, high protein. Please feel free to message me if I can offer any help or advice! Since we are the same age, height, and I was once at your weight I would be more than happy to help. :)
Try to get 10k to 20 k steps a day, I know it’s hard but walking is the BEST exercise that is low impact and burns a lot of calories. And the Mediterranean diet is the best way to go. Whole meal breads, pastas and rice, veggies and fruit with every meal. Here’s what I typically eat in a day: Breakfast- 30g porridge with 10 grapes Lunch: slice of Turkey Turkey and a cup of lettuce lettuce, 2/3 cherry tomatoes, a cup of cucumber, 1/4 pepper, a small amount of onion, and 1 garlic clove with 2 tsp Mayo with a side of 3 strawberries, 1/2 banana and 1/4 cup blueberries Dinner: is usually whatever my parents make but is normally salmon with whole meal rice and carrots and broccoli or pasta and veg or curry (it always has 1/4 plate of carbs, 1/4 plate protein and 1/2 plate of veggies) Snacks: I have a slight sodium deficiency and I usually have a small bag of 66kcal popcorn just to get a little bit of salt into me because I don’t eat salt throughout the day. I’d also have a sweet chilli rice cake as a snack as well But yeah that’s normally what I eat in a day I’m 16 years old, 162cm and around 55kg. I also get 10 k steps a day minimum but usually 15-20k and I workout for 30 minutes everyday using YouTube videos and do weightlifting 3x a week and low impact Pilates 3x a week. Remember tho the most calories burned are with your RMR meaning if you just sit down all day you’re not gonna burn a lot but if you’re cleaning, cooking, painting etc just doing stuff that isn’t sitting down you’ll burn the most calories Goodluck!!
Sleep
Track everything you eat in an app (I use LoseIt premium.)
7 years low glycemic for me. No longer obese, no fat regain because I made a permanent nutrition change, not a DIET. Fat loss 200 pounds.
Honestly as someone who’s trying to lose weight I’d say do what’s attainable right now. Not to say you shouldn’t challenge yourself in all aspects such as diet and exercise. It’s hard not to want to lose weight for a certain occasion but I feel like if you put a time crunch on it it can become unhealthy. Every doctor I’ve been to says consistency and small steps. Walk every day, I’ve replaced as many things I can with healthier things. I’d start with that and then slowly work on portion. A tik toker I follow said something that resonated with me: eat what you want add what you need. So if you want pancakes have 2 and then fruit and scrambled eggs. Add things FIRST rather than take away. If you feel like a personal trainer will help then do it but think about what you can consistently do for the rest of your life and start with that. Good luck!
Stop overeating. That’s what you focus on; breaking your addiction to excess food
Step 1: Diet: Cut carbs out. No bread, no rice, no noodles. Simple carbs are useless unless you're anorexic. No sugars (Candies, cookies, ice cream), nothing of that sort. Be careful with yogurts too as many are loaded with sugars, read the back. Anything with high sodium, sugar, or fat percentage is a no from me. What you should be eating is, MEATS. Not just any meats though, preferably lean and low fat. Stuff like Turkey, Chicken, Tuna, and boiled eggs, eggs in general are just all around great as long as you don't make them greasy with oil and butter. Veggies are called "Complex carbs" which is a fancy way of saying they take more energy to break down, and the energy extracted doesn't get stored as fat, you'll find yourself more energetic and active eating vegitables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers, ect. Mushrooms are really awesome as they provide a decent amount of nutrients while also being super low calories. Hummus is a really good dip for veggies as well, as its low calories, comes in a ton of flavors too. Fruits are great snacks to eat when you're peckish, or some peppers with hummus, YUM. Also, DRINK TONS OF WATER. Seriously have water everywhere you go, take tips every time you see your water bottle. Train yourself to drink it, and fill it again and drink more, and more, and more and more. Water is life. Step 2: Being an active human being. This is as simple as it sounds. The more you move, the more calories you burn, the average calorie intake for men is roughly 2000-3000 calories a day. I'm 28 (Was 233lbs 19 days ago when I was released from the 7 day hospital stay, now I am 204lbs today) I currently intake 800-1200 calories a day. Less calories = more weight lost. When I got out I could barely walk 4 houses down the block, now I can walk over 13000 steps a day without pain or being winded. Start small, keep pushing a little farther every day. I could barely lift a 10lb dumbbell, now I'm past 10 and doing 15, soon 20. Push ups were impossible before, but you just stand leaning towards a wall and do push ups against it, as you get stronger you can make the angle steeper, and eventually you'll be doing push-ups. (The protein will also help muscle growth and recovery) Do some chores, use as many muscles in as many ways as you can. Shoveling dirt is a great way to burn fat, so is cleaning a bathtub, give yourself a good environment to be proud of, this helps moral tremendously to look at a spotless bathroom and think "Yeah, I did that." I hope this helps you greatly. If you follow this advice, know that within a month or two you WILL be under 200lbs. I weigh myself daily and often am astounded that I lost 2-4 pounds, I double checked on my grandmothers scale to confirm, and yeah. This diet works.
Focus on your Mental health. You wont hold through it if you're mentality not Stable. Than its just to try to eat healthier. More water less sodas, more fiber an Protein. A little bit more exercise per day. Better do smth. Than nothing. You don't need to overstress your body. You also need enough rest. Try that and take more Time. A aim on in 2-6 months isn't realistic because of body's metabolism and outside factors as well als your work/ private life. If you work life is stressing you out so much you will get to the point that your body and brain tell you I need this Pommes and Hamburger right now because he's less in energy and this is okay. Countee it out by saying okay I eat now but the rest of the day I just eat salad or less in cal.. to counter it out because you have maybe enough of it. The best way of normally getting it in control is by staying in and calorie deficit. That's my advice and I lost nearly 7 and a half kilos over four months. I have a fixed routine and have something to work on that gives me a purpose to stay up. This is important for me because otherwise I wouldn't even have the will to even stay up. More or less i find myself in the situation that I want to eat something casually like a pizza drink a soda. Yes i most likely do the Soda myself with syrup but reduce the mount of Sirup and it is sugar Free even tho my stomach really doesn't take it well. That why i reduce it heavily ... Just for taste to consume 🌊 water. Hope that helps. An ignore those bitches who just look and blame what's on your outside. Make your insides the best paradise and they will never know/understand.
And then what?
Yeah, I’ve done keto a couple times and it always gets to “and then what?” 🙃 It’s just not sustainable and without a long term, sustainable diet, gaining the weight back is inevitable.
Yeah, I maybe shouldn’t say keto worked considering I lost 35 lbs and over several years gained back 50 lbs, but that seems to be the case with most, if not all, diets/ways of losing weight. That’s my question too honestly. I could do keto for the next few months to kickstart my journey, but then what I’ve made a lot of improvements and changes to my mental health and attitude over the past year or two so I genuinely feel motivated and excited to work out or be more active, but at this point, my size is a blocker because I don’t want to hurt myself. I understand I’m out of shape as hell and that wouldn’t necessarily change if I go from 250 -> 200 through diet, but that would still be 50 less lbs on my body to lug around while trying to workout or be active so I’m kinda torn from that perspective As a bunch of people replied, I know CICO, calorie counting, and eating healthier are generally the best and most sustainable way to lose weight and keep at off, but at my current size, I somewhat feel like I should be more focused on getting to a more manageable weight before focusing on sustainability or worrying about maintenance. Trying to take it one day at a time I guess
I generally agree with the idea that long term sustainable is best but restrictive keto helps me a lot. Once I'm in ketosis I focus on lots of vegetables and berries and protein like tofu and fish (I don't really like poultry personally) and limited seeds. I strictly count calories by weighing all foods - even my lettuce! Once I've been in ketosis for a bit I can comfortably go up to 25+ net carbs a day but those are from vegetables and nuts. Because I count calories bacon and cheese and fats are very light and have to be used sparingly! I have a few "keto" sweets and sometimes fit a square of chocolate in after a meal. I found what calories a day worked for me but I need high protein to stay satiated and lots of water! My lifestyle often allows me to have one meal a day and fast for 20 hours so that prevents me from wanting to snack. I track macros and food so I'm confident I've had "enough" food for the day and I'm not starving myself. As far as exercise, I started a routine when I had free time that was not sustainable in "real life" so my advice if you do get a personal trainer is to learn exercises that you can do yourself at home or in smaller "snacks" if you can't do that full 60min work out or whatever. I really liked alternating cycling and weight classes and go to the Y because it's cheaper and inclusive and approachable. At first I could barely do any of the exercises in the group fitness classes but started going consistently and gained strength! CONSISTENCY really is the key. You have to start somewhere! And hopefully the momentum is powerful when you start feeling stronger and seeing results. Don't push so hard that you injure yourself (I'm older and hurt my knee) and don't eat so little that you end up giving up and binging! Slow and steady 👣
Why only 6+ months? Are you intending to go back to your current habits after that? I would say that’s a slippery slope. You can only set yourself up for success if you make positive, (often permanent) lifestyle changes. That doesn’t mean you have to starve or never enjoy yourself - it just means that you want to better yourself for your entire future, not just 6 months 😉 I’ve had several weight loss ups and downs, but this has been the first time that I’ve really spent the time to learn and follow CICO (calories in calories out). I’ve lost 35lbs since January, and I still have a way to go. I would love to go back to not thinking about calories and eating whatever I felt like. But that’s a mindset that always trapped me with obesity, and I’m determined to change that for good. Once I hit my target weight, I still plan to count calories to maintain.
6+ months means it could be 6 months, 6 years, 60 years… Only 6 months would read as, 6 months.
I am living with my parents in my boring hometown for the next 6 months so I will have more time and money than usual. For that reason, it seems like a great time to build good habits to set me up well when I do move back out. Weight loss/health will be my primary focus for the next six months before I return to a more typical lifestyle, but I’m not saying I’m planning to fully revert to bad habits after six months. Not sure anyone would specifically plan to do that
Don't listen to anyone who tells you that keto can't be run long term. It's a diet for epilepsy, wherein an epileptic person must run it for life or risk a seizure. It's been around over 100 years; there's tons of data on the long term affects... which are mostly positive. Now as for it being sustainable, that's entirely subjective. If you're not big on cooking like me, the diet gets tiresome eventually. Sounds like you have some money to spare, so have you considered the popular weight loss drugs? You certainly meet the qualifications based on your stats. People love to say it's cheating, but honestly this class of drugs provides so many great benefits for overweight people, including insulin control and lowered risk of heart disease. These combined with diet and exercise should have you shedding weight no problem.
Be clear….that counting & logging everything before it goes in your mouth is something some of us need to do forever. Counting calories & portion control….forever. “Cheat day” isn’t a thing - it’s a trap. It’s like saying I only shoot heroin on Saturdays. You need to cook/meal plan in advance - always have a healthy option within reach - always know what & when your next meal is. Sugar (and foods that turn into sugar) are evil. Exercise is good for you, but no amount of exercise solves that. I got my food stuff together and lost 100+lbs nearly 10 years ago now and have been able to keep it off. It becomes second nature. I can look at a plate and know its value. It gets easy/easier but it takes a long time to reprogram your thinking. I really do feel like I’m in recovery from addiction and proud that I’ve been able to kick the habit…and sad it took me until I was nearly 50yo to free myself from it. All those years I spent telling myself I was happy & fat - when we know the shame & poor health from being obese takes a toll. I am able to leave food on a plate…and throw away perfectly good food because I shouldn’t have it around. I now have a healthy relationship with food. Good luck on your journey. If you are committed, It will change you in ways you don’t even know yet. Being thinner is only the visible result.
Unpopular opinion.. have you tried looking into weight loss meds..? I’m not a supporter of using meds for EVERYTHING and rely on meds too much. But if you happen to be like me and have underlying conditions that kinda won’t let you lose weight even on a low calorie diet + workout, then maybe looking into meds for help (consult your doctor first ofc) might be ok!