Quote from: blossom on March 22, 2016, 05:21:19 PM
I tried smaller portions, but was still gaining weight. That why I think drastically cutting back my food is my only option 
This is a bad way to go. It works for a minute, and then your metabolism falls off a cliff and your body does this ->
Quote from: Peep on March 22, 2016, 05:54:34 PM
Sometimes drastically reducing the amount of calories you eat can make you put on weight, as your body enters 'starvation mode', which is a response to famine conditions that makes you start to store calories instead of burn them. It's better to just avoid the kinds of fat that your body will store - if you change what you're eating your portion sizes don't have to shrink so much.
In order to continue losing weight after your body enters starvation mode you have to stop eating anything at all, because your body will store the majority of calories you consume. And once you stop eating anything at all you start sustaining organ damage. And then there's a fun little mental illness aspect involved with eating disorders that causes them to be a self-perpetuating rabbit hole, but I won't get into that here. Suffice it to say, don't use them to lose weight. You don't need to, it's just dumb to do it that way.
What you should do if you need to lose weight is two things: Control your calorie intake with your mind, not your mouth or stomach. And exercise to keep your metabolism up. That's the tldr. The long version is -
Don't bother making drastic changes to your diet like replacing everything with carrots and celery. You'll never stick to it because that stuff is gross. If you're consuming more than your recommended calorie needs for your height, there are a few things you can do: Limit yourself to one serving per dish. If you eat fast food don't get multiples of the same item, don't supersize your order, etc. You should generally try to balance your meals as one main dish, one or two sides, and a drink. Careful about calories from drinks, they add up quick. Once you've got portion control down you can start trading things out for healthier options, start playing around with when your meal times are to optimize your metabolism, and just generally fine-tuning your intake and output for optimum results. But this is all a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet. Make slow, gradual changes that you can live with. And pay attention to the signals your body is giving.
Willpower is a finite resource that renews at a set rate. If you have a dish of candy staring you in the face all day it's going to use up your willpower before you ever sit down to eat dinner that night, at which point you've got no power left to push the plate away after one serving. So keep that in mind and don't allow one mistake to throw off your whole game. Just because you caved on something, which you WILL do, it doesn't make it okay to continue making poor choices. Enjoy your cheat, and then move onward and upward. Dwelling on it and feeling guilty won't do any good. Just be honest with yourself and try not to cheat all the time.
So diet is by far the most important thing regarding weight loss, however exercise is also important, though take care to understand the purpose of exercise in a weightloss program. You're not really going to burn enough calories to make a difference just from extra physical activity, unless you're an athlete (and you can get yourself to that point if you really want to, no joke). What exercise does for we sedentary folk is to keep the metabolism from bottoming out. So while a half hour brisk walk may only directly burn off 1/10 of that meal you just ate, it will cause your body to continue burning at a higher rate even while you're sedentary. You will have more energy and find it easier to have the motivation to start and complete tasks. The more you move the bigger the effect. Doesn't really matter what it is, do anything that gets you moving. Try to be mindful of stress on joints and bones, but GET MOVING.
If you start getting sluggish, and you've gotten adequate rest (and assuming you don't have a thyroid or other problem), then you need to adjust your calorie intake upwards and force yourself to put some physical activity in. Also drink lots of water; many people are in a perpetual state of mild dehydration, which causes a bunch of problems. If you're only peeing every 6+ hours then you're not drinking nearly enough water.
If you're overweight and you do this you will lose weight. It won't get you rail-skinny, but it gets you headed in the right direction, and there's always room for improvement later. You will hit plateaus from time to time. If you really want to continue shaping up beyond that you'll need to put more work into a healthy diet, and more work into exercise. DO NOT JUST CUT CALORIES.
Your weight will change day to day and hour to hour. If you weigh yourself, do it at the same time every check-in. If you weigh yourself every day it can be extremely frustrating, you're better off to do it every week and mark the general trend in your weight. But more important than your weight is your waistline. As you exercise more you will gain muscle, which makes you weigh more, but you will look better. Weighing 170 and having 50% bodyfat is very, very different from weighing 170 and having 25% bodyfat.
General rule is that it takes 4 weeks for you to notice changes in yourself: muscles developing tone and definition, fat deposits shrinking, clothes getting looser, etc. 8 weeks for those close to you to see it. And 12 weeks for the rest of the world to see you differently. You're playing the long game here; don't try to rush it, and don't allow frustrating setbacks to cause you to give up. You CAN do this in a healthy way. Or you can have a really light casket. Your call.
