The need to lose weight but how?

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At 119 kgs(262 lbs) when I'm 5-11.5 I most definitely need to lose weight . The thing is how? I know the traditional way is to count calories , but I find that difficult. I get obsessed about having precisely the right calorie amount for each item of food and drink I have.

Then there is the issue of clothing if I lose weight . Like I've got it into my head that I'll be having to buy lots of pairs of trousers and underwear etc if I was to go from my current weight down to 76kgs(168lbs approx) which is in the ideal weight range. I'd have to keep on buying new clothes as I lose weight?!

I get quite anxious thinking about it.


I had my depot nurse do a blood test today and mini health check. Blood sugar and blood pressure was ok , but my waist circumference was 126 cMs(roughly 49.5 inches) !

My go-to method is to drop bread, pasta, potatoes and rice from my diet, and replace them with cruciferous greens, usually broccoli. Couple it with meats and avoid processed meat-products like sausages and burgers. Don't eat candy or drink soda. Nevermind counting calories unless you have some sort of time-constraint; maintaining the decrease in weight is more important than how steep the drop is.

Also, drink lot's of water. It actually helps you lose weight.

When I get home I divide up meat into individual servings with a scale and put them in plastic bags for freezing or plastic containers for refrigeration.

I also make meatballs with an ice cream scoop so they are the same size. If I have a dozen meatballs for three meals, that means I get to eat four meatballs as one serving.

I can't count calories either. For food I stick to a few rules of thumb: at least half the plate is veggies for lunch and dinner, meat portion is at max the size of a pack of cards, grains are whole grains only.

I do most of my weight loss through exercise to shift my metabolism. If exercise is an option for you, here are my thoughts on it. The key is to find something you'll actually do, preferably every day or every two days. Alternating days of cardio (swimming, cycling, or jogging) and muscle building (weight machines or body weight exercises) works for me. Take one day off per week to let yourself recover.

I have to be very particular about what body weight exercises I do because most of them feel so awkward and bad I get really upset and discouraged trying to do them. I do a very specific set now that I know how to do properly and that I don't hate the feel of. I prefer weight machines at the gym that make sure I use the correct form, but it took me a while and some guidance from a real person before I could be comfortable going into a gym without too much anxiety.

For cardio, I love the "Couch to 5K" framework. It was written by a guy trying to get his elderly mother into running and it starts out with very gentle alternating between walking and running. Now there are a lot of apps built around the program that will just say, "start walking. Start running. Start walking." Running is not a good type of cardio to start with, though, because it's so easy to injure yourself. But you can apply the program to cycling or swimming too, by alternating taking it easy and putting effort into it.

Another tip I would recommend is do not track your weight loss progress. Don't weigh or measure yourself if you can avoid it for at least three months, preferably six, after you find a routine you'll actually do regularly. The stress of trying to figure out whether you're getting results will actually hold you back. When you do finally check your progress, take any loss at all as a victory. Lost one pound in three months? Awesome! Keep doing what you have been doing! Weight loss can be really really slow, and focusing on maintaining a healthy routine and improving your lifestyle instead of traking your weight is like the secret, counterintuitive magic trick to succeeding.

I understand the clothes thing, I HATE shopping. If you're worried about the cost, shopping at thrift stores can help. If it's having to leave the house that sucks, Amazon can be useful - prepare in advance the process you'll use to send back the things that don't fit you or that you don't like when you see it in person. I like to find a reliable source for particular clothing items so that I can buy a replacement that is the exact same thing when the one I own wears out or doesn't fit any more. For example, I buy the same brand and "model" of jeans over and over again, and the same boots, and then mostly wear tshirts. If I lose or gain weight, I just go up or down a size on that item. This does cost a bit more than shopping at a thrift store, though.

Of course many of the things that work for me won't work for you, but maybe something in all that will provide you a helpful idea or two.

I'm a very picky eater who loves fast food & junk food. I don't think I could ever get into counting calories. I lost weight in the past by exercising more & pigging out less. I didn't eat snacks as often & tried to eat alittle less for my meals. I also tried to go walking more often for the sake of walking & to lift light weights occasionally(just 5lb dumbbells). I gained a bunch of weight since then thou due to exercising less & binge-eating. Meds I'm on may be somewhat responsible for the binging & might cause weight gain without it. I really need to cut down/really reduce my snacking & to start exercising again. The weather this time of year makes it hard for me to want to go walking much; too cold, &/or the sidewalks are too icy &/or the sidewalks are too wet from the snow & ice melting. I also need to go back to lifting the weights but I keep forgetting.

I also struggle with loosing weight because if I get to diet, I get too radical with that and I can't maintain it for long time. I just get scared of eating and limit calories too much... I couldn't still find a way of doing it in a balanced way. I think there is therapists specialized in eating disorders that could help with that, but I don't have money now.

I lost a considerable amount of weight while swimming, it's an activity I really enjoy and it made me control a bit my eating habits because I had to eat before swimming, but not immediately before and not something heavy. But was too expensive for me, so I stopped.

With clothes, I don't think you will need to buy them several times while losing weight, you can adjust them a bit in the process with belts. Maybe buy a piece or two.

Just posted this in another thread:

Also, in case no one else has mentioned it, there's no need to run.. being a tortoise wins the fat burning race one the hare.

If you've ever used a treadmill at a gym that measures your heart rate, you'll notice that the higher the heart rate (when running) the better it is for building cardio health (heart/lungs) but that the lower the heart rate, the better it is for burning fat. The best pace for burning fat is a Very Fast walking pace.. annoyingly fast, like on the cusp of a slow jog. If you can maintain a sort of speed-walking pace for a long distance/time interval, you'll burn a LOT more fat than if you cover the same distance jogging or running. When fat burning is the goal, walk it off.. literally. Walk for as long as you can every day or two and it won't be long until you see lbs shedding off.

Also: Drink organic apple cider vinegar w/ the mother in water - it aids in burning fat.

As for clothing.. just cinch your belt up for as long as you can, then buy a couple of pairs of pants from a thrift store for very cheap once you've lost several inches. Rinse and repeat. It's not expensive and very well worth it.. plus it's a bit of a reward to have new/different clothing for achieving your weight loss goals.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Eat less and exercise more.

I find I can exercise on the couch in front of the TV. I do stretching exercises. Best of all, I have no excuse not to whenever I'm in front of the TV set!