Just weighed myself = depressed

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That's awesome! She's also on Youtube if you even want to check her out, but apps are great as well!

View Quoted Comment I live on YouTube so that will definitely be something I use too

Hi Celina, I'm in the same boat as you!

I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds by September when I have to start dress shopping!

I would definitely recommend going to tdeecalculator.net it is a calculator that will tell you how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. This is where I started.

I also do Intermittent Fasting, so I fast from 8 PM- Noon and only eat 8 hours a day, but those 8 hours I make sure I'm eating at least my calories from the TDEE calculator (not eating enough calories can actually result in slower weight loss)

My last suggestion is finding a workout you enjoy! I love the HIIT videos from Emkayfit on youtube! She's got a bunch of them, all different genres of music. I don't even feel like I'm working out cause they're so fun and I pick ones where I enjoy the music!

also water water water!!

View Quoted Comment Thank you! That’s awesome

First thing I need to address: do not use Hydroxycut if you have any issue getting at least 80 ounces of pure water per day. You mentioned in your post and also in a response to someone that you have a problem getting enough water. Hydroxycut specifically has been implicated in liver injuries directly related to people taking it without proper water intake as indicated on the label (ten 8-oz glasses per day). Don't mess around with this.

Extreme caloric restrictions and extreme diets that arbitrarily cut out dozens of foods will not help you long-term. They are "quick fixes" that may work for a little while, but inevitably you will either get tired of the restrictions or your body will adjust to the caloric content and you'll plateau (or gain back.)

The best way to calculate what you need to lose weight is as follows:

Find your active metabolic rate. There are calculators that will do this - just Google "calculate active metabolic rate." This is how many calories your body requires to sustain all of its systems properly (including your hormones and metabolism) and accounting for your activity level. A crucial part of this is not overestimating your activity level. If you have a sedentary job, even if you work out, you are probably not as active as you think you are. *This number will be approximate, so don't stress too much about which calculator to use. Any one will give you a close enough number to work with - this isn't an exact science.

From there, deduct 15-30% of those calories. I generally recommend starting with 15% and increasing if you aren't seeing results fast enough. 30% is considered "aggressive".

Using myself as an example, my AMR is 2110 calories. (I am a competitive bodybuilder, so I work out very intensely 12-14 hours per week.) If I am trying to lose weight, I will multiply that by 0.85, for a total of 1795 calories (15% deficit, rounded up for simplicity.) I can increase this to as much as 30% deficit, by multiplying 2110 by 0.70, which would be 1480 calories (again rounded up for simplicity.)

Calories are what matter for weight loss. A nutrition professor once lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks eating Twinkies and Doritos because he strictly controlled his calories. I'm not saying eat Twinkies - I'm saying focus your energy on your calorie intake. People get caught up in stressing out over whether they can still eat rice and potatoes, and that isn't what matters when it comes to weight loss. Calories in < calories out.

Now, you should try to consume those calories in whole foods. They are more nutritious, and you also get more bulk for the calories. 100 calories of fruit or vegetables is much more food than 100 calories of a candy bar. If you again look at "calories in < calories out" and evaluate your food choices that way - I can only have 1/3 of this candy bar, or I can have this full cup of strawberries for the same amount of calories - you will find yourself making the better choices naturally most of the time, because you know that 1/3 of a candy bar won't make you feel satiated, but 1 cup of strawberries probably will.

And I say most of the time, because there will be times where you will pick the 1/3 candy bar. And that's okay. Again, calories in < calories out. As long as you make the good choices most of the time, and you keep those calories down even when you make the less-ideal choices, you will still lose weight. And you will be able to maintain this for longer, because you aren't depriving yourself of foods you enjoy or starving all the time.

The other big tips:
1. Use other measurements than the scale. Tape measures are a better judge of how you are doing. I've been 125 pounds with a 26-inch waist, and I've been 125 pounds with a 22-inch waist. The scale is only part of it.
2. Don't categorize things as "good" and "bad". That's why I used the very specific language I did above about the candy bar - it isn't a bad choice, it is less ideal. When you use the word bad, you are setting yourself up to feel guilty, and that is a sneaky spiral into "well, I shouldn't eat lunch because I made a bad choice."
3. In the same vein, DO NOT PUNISH YOURSELF. This includes skipping meals, adding in an extra half-hour of cardio, whatever.
4. Focus on your successes. Instead of "I ate a brownie at lunch time", say "I ate healthfully 80% of the day." Instead of "I only drank two glasses of water yesterday," say "I drank one more glass of water than I did the day before."

You will get there. Be kind to yourself, first and foremost.

View Quoted Comment This is a lot to digest but I will definitely keep all this in mind.

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Yes to this!! My fiance and I have done whole 30 three different times over the last year and a half, not just for weight loss but to see what foods are causing gut inflammation and cystic acne for myself - I've found that diary and sugars (also alcohol) causes massive inflammation in my body and was also hindering my weight loss. We stick as close to Paleo as possible 80/20 of the time and work out / move 6 days a week (combo of heavy lifting, hit, running, and fasted morning walks). I've recently combined intermittent fasting (16:8) along with matcha tea (5 days a week, coffee the other two) and its worked wonders for losing weight in my stomach and toning.

View Quoted Comment Yes! I started my diet to try to deal with inflammation and a chronic condition, and losing weight was a happy side effect. All your suggestions are spot on. I didn't find dairy was bad for me except for milk, but I did learn that raw vegetables just do not work for me.

Hi Celina!

As a mom I know how easy it is to put yourself on the back burner. I used to actually feel guilty for taking ANY amount of time away from my children to exercise. I felt SELFISH! Fast forward to me weighing 230 lbs with high BP, asthma, high cholesterol and also depression! One day I saw a pic of myself and it was a wake up call for me. I realized that taking care of me is NOT selfish. It is self love and what better example to show our kids than to show them that mom is important too? Mom's health is also important and it also shows them that being physically active, in this lazy and technological age is OK to do! I not only lost all the weight and am back down to a solid 130 lbs at 5'5", I found a love and passion for fitness. So much so that I certified to become a personal trainer and train all my clients online virtually. It is my other love! You can do this. it does take time and hard work. Just remember that if you slip up, it is NOT a failure, it is just a bump in the road on the way to your success.

The best advice I can give to not look for a quick fix because they are not sustainable and often result in gaining back the weight. Find a healthier, calorie deficit meal plan that works with your likes. If you like chocolate, don't cut it out, go for a smaller portion or sugar free version.

Also, definitely use an app to track your meals. You would be surprised how much you actually eat calorie wise when you start tracking it. Plus it keeps you accountable. My favorite is MyFitnessPal but there are tons out there you can use.

best of luck! You got this!

Hello! I understand where you are. I am also very short 5’0, with a lot of thighs and a big butt, at my smallest I was too 110 but kept my weight around 120 until I was 23 and I gained a lot of weight. My highest was 167 and the weight on such a small frame was hurting my joints everything would crack and ache. Last March I was 167 right now I am 146. Last July I promised myself I would lose 20 pounds before going dress shopping in September. I refused to feel anything but beautiful when trying on dresses, especially since my last dressing room experience ended in my crying at my reflection. I made a vow to get 10,000 steps everyday for 30 days and I was in a caloric deficit. I crunched the numbers on a website that helps you find out exactly how much you should be eating going off of your age, weight, gender height and activity level. I did an hour of walking (in place) a day and after about 40 minutes after each meal I would do 20 minutes of walking to jumpstart the calorie burning and to keep me moving throughout the day. I also did intermittent fasting which honestly worked wonders for me. I stopped eating red meat, switched to turkey bacon, turkey burgers, ground turkey etc. basically found better alternatives for the foods I like to eat instead of cutting everything out. From July 12 to September 4 I lost 15 pounds. Since then I hit a plateau but I am maintaining the weight loss and relying on a deficit which makes the weight loss process slower but I can still see it. I’m one pound away from being 20 pounds down all together. The goal is another 15 by June. But you can do it. And it doesn’t have to be a crazy workout plan. It can be something as simple as walking and I was only walking in place to a really upbeat playlist I made. My fiancé jogs in place to family feud and is also slimming down. We’ve also gone sugar free, so sugar free syrup, drinks, sweets etc. and we have found alternatives that still taste great to us so it doesn’t feel like we are taking away foods we enjoy, just finding a better alternative. I think it’s the only way it can be sustainable. Start with a step count goal, get a step tracking watch. You can start with 5,000 a day and increase it slowly. Getting to 10,000 in quarantine wasn’t easy, I think for the first couple of days I could only get 7000. I would walk in place while brushing my teeth or waiting for the microwave to finish. Even while doing the dishes, though that was a bit messy.

View Quoted Comment I’m totally going through the feeling guilty. I’m always on the go for everyone else and I’d rather just not do anything.

View Quoted Comment That is amazing! I did a full body tone and lean work out this morning tonight I’m going to do a small flexibility work out just to work on my flexibility. I feel like because I’m on the shorter side the weight just sits and it’s just uncomfortable knowing how small I was. I know I’ll never be under 120 again but I want to get close to it

Hi! My fiancé and MOH lost 25 pounds in a month by going keto! They said it’s tough the first week but very doable!

I've tried a million things and what helped me finally make progress was joining an accountability group. It's a crew of other women and we text each other each night about whether we met our daily goals. It helps me stay motivated since I know if I cheat I'll have to tell the whole group (healthy dose of shame/motivation ). There's also a moderator that will follow up with you if you don't check in - so I definitely feel like I've got to check-in each day. I found it at yourgroupcoach.com and love it (lost 15 lbs in the first 2 months).

Late to the party, but I felt this post! We have very similar stats. Over the past few years I have slowly put on the pounds...then the quarantine 15. I started tracking my eating and working out, and I have been pretty steadily losing weight. However, I kept hitting these plateaus. This is where I usually get frustrated, and binge out on junk. But with the big day coming in August, I was determined! My friend has been going to a infrared sauna spa, and has been dropping a TON of weight and she has said it has made her skin much clearer. The spa isn't in a location convenient to me, so I went to Amazon. They have a home version that is around $120, I purchased. It claims in the manual you burn 2000 calories per session-I am not buying that its that much- but it does make me SWEAT. Like more than I have ever sweat in my life! I can also feel my heart rate spike up while using it. I have had it for about a week and have used it 3 times, and have lost 4 pounds from a weight I have been stuck at for over a month. It's not a magic fix, but it has really helped me stay motivated and break plateaus.

I struggle with my weight too. Right now I'm my absolute heaviest due to the inability to move much because of an ankle injury. I was pretty much laid up in bed for 9 months, and the weight is slowly taking it's time leaving lol. I've had some success with intermittent fasting, it's the only diet I know I can truly stick to.