I'm looking to lose 20 pounds - Weight Loss Support

Weight Loss Support

115,084 members61,312 posts

I'm looking to lose 20 pounds

Elliott_Woods profile image
24 Replies

My body is all wonky looking. I need to start eating right. I have a chunky tummy and a pair of huge thighs. Sheesh! Hope you all have kind words of encouragement 🖤 thank you! 🙂

My name is Elliott, I'm 31. Looking to shed some of this baby weight that my kids left me. Hope you all are doing well! ✌️

Written by
Elliott_Woods profile image
Elliott_Woods
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
24 Replies
BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone

Hello and welcome, InTheWoods_Elliott :)

This is a great place for information and encouragement. You'll find everything you need in healthunlocked.com/weight-l... I recommend joining a weekly weigh in on the day of your choice and using the Daily Diary, where members share their meal plans.

Do you have a plan for your "eating right"? This is a straightforward approach, no gimmicks, just real food, home cooked phcuk.org/wp-content/upload...

Do some exploring, read posts, chat, ask questions and encourage others - it will all pay off for you :)

PS. For your privacy and security, I recommend that you lock your posts if you're giving identifiable information and using a photo. This will help healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

Elliott_Woods profile image
Elliott_Woods in reply toBridgeGirl

Thank you so much for the info! I need to figure out a good plan for my diet. Then I'll go from there. Thanks so much for commenting! We'll appreciated.

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply toElliott_Woods

You're welcome :)

PedallingMinstrel profile image
PedallingMinstrelRestart April 2024

Hi In the woods I have managed to lose nearly three and a half stone and I am 66 I thought I would never be able to get it off at my age so you have age on your side you’ve come to the right place here

Elliott_Woods profile image
Elliott_Woods in reply toPedallingMinstrel

Wow! That is great! I hope to accomplish my goal. It would make me feel less insecure. Thank you for your response my friend 🖤

VDC1 profile image
VDC1Visitor

I can walk you through it if you want. I’m very knowledgeable in this department. If you’re interested and want my help just send me a message.

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply toVDC1

Hello, on this forum we encourage any sharing of ideas and support to be open, rather than in a private message.

Are you wanting to lose weight and join this forum?

VDC1 profile image
VDC1Visitor in reply toBridgeGirl

I hear you. I just like to share what I’ve learned with people when someone posts they’re looking to lose weight. Several times I’ve taken the time to type out very long, detailed responses and the person then disappears with no response. That’s why I say that

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply toVDC1

This is a peer to peer support forum so we're all sharing our weight loss experiences all the time. I've found that a two way exchange is often more productive than a long post about how I have lost weight.

Greendream123 profile image
Greendream123

Good luck. Low carbs healthy fats is a popular weight loss option on this site, often recommended, and works well for a lot of people. It could be done on a vegan lifestyle but may end up being extremely restrictive, therefore it's something I wouldn't do. If you are just getting back into veganism, you may wish to try a different method first. Personally, I follow my own version of vegan healthy eating without being on a particular plan. :)

Elliott_Woods profile image
Elliott_Woods in reply toGreendream123

I'm a vegetarian, but I'm sure I can go low carbs and such. I fortunately it will take time. This is my biggest downfall. I want to lose this weight in an instant, but that is not realistic. Thank you for responding! I appreciate it.

VDC1 profile image
VDC1Visitor in reply toElliott_Woods

Highly recommend you look up intermittent fasting. I sometimes fast for 24, occasionally 48 hours at a time. It is safe to do and the easiest way to lose weight for me. You’d be surprised that hunger has more to do with your eating habits and blood sugar, hormones , than it is an indicator that you need food. You’ll be surprised that you get hungry less often if you cut down your meals.

Of course it’s also vital to know your TDEE and how to count calories.

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply toVDC1

You really don't need to know your TDEE in order to lose weight well and, if you're following a lchf plan, which has a natural link with eating less frequently, you don't need to count calories, or anything else

VDC1 profile image
VDC1Visitor in reply toBridgeGirl

I think learning your TDEE is the number one most important piece of information for anyone wanting to lose weight. A lot of people could eat two, three, four times the volume of food than they usually do by switching certain items in their diet, making it easier because they’ll be less hungry. Someone may not know how many calories are in peanut butter. They may not know that one large soda accounts for more than half their daily intake of calories. Without counting you’re going in blind. Whether we count or not, a pound is always 3500 calories and your TDEE is what it is. So you count and the more accurate you are, the more you can be certain of what you’re doing. Personally I fast and don’t count ( but that’s only because ive counted before and have a good understanding of what I eat). I would still be lost without learning calories

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply toVDC1

I don't know any of those counts and I've been able to reach a healthy weight from an obese start. Everything you're saying is based on calories and calorie counting as the way to lose weight. That suggests that a calorie is just a calorie, and a calorie from one source is the same as from another, which is very misleading.

There is some useful reading and viewing here that questions the calorie counting approach to weight loss. The last article is particularly useful on the "one pound of fat is 3500 calories" claim healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

VDC1 profile image
VDC1Visitor in reply toBridgeGirl

That’s great that you lost the weight. I also don’t count. But for people struggling with weight loss , they’re going to be ignorant about calories. As a unit of energy, one calorie in lettuce is the same as one calorie in cake or one calorie in beer or whatever. The 3500 calories as one pound is debated, but it’s not so far off the mark that it’s not worth trying to follow as a rule or reference. If you eat 500 calories a day you’ll eventually be underweight , if you eat 4000 per day you’ll be obese. The best you can do is try to count based on the calorie/gram and weigh your food as much as possible. You may get lucky and eat the right by accident if you’re not counting , but for someone struggling, It makes sense to be able to eat as much as possible to reduce hunger, while also still being in a healthy caloric deficit, above your resting metabolic rate, most of the time. Eating too little will also increase the likelihood of binge eating

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply toVDC1

Yes of course one calorie of lettuce is the same as one calorie of cake is the same as one calorie of beer: that's why it's nonsense as a focus for weight loss. The calories are the same but the way the body uses them is absolutely not.

I do hope you'll check out the articles in that post and that they help you have a rethink. If your approach worked for you, that's fine, but it certainly isn't the only way and there are so many flaws in it that.

You may also find this interesting, on the flaws in that old "eat less, move more" message healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

Elliott_Woods profile image
Elliott_Woods in reply toVDC1

Thank you for the advice! Much appreciated

Aginghippy profile image
Aginghippy1st 7lbs

LCHF is the first diet I have tried where the weight comes of your belly first so I am happy with it. It is easy too and I've cut back rather than given up all together so the loss is slower. Good luck with whatever way you choose.

Elliott_Woods profile image
Elliott_Woods in reply toAginghippy

This is good to know. I have a problem with binge eating, so taking out foods is hard for me. Cutting back from foods would be better than giving up on them. Thank you for the response! ✌️🖤

zinza profile image
zinza

Welcome to the club! Let's work this out together.

Elliott_Woods profile image
Elliott_Woods in reply tozinza

Thank you! Looking forward to it! Time to be my better self 🤍

walkinthewoods profile image
walkinthewoods7lbs in reply toElliott_Woods

The forum has been helpful to me, sharing ideas and views. I have spent over 40 years losing weight and I must admit that the only success I have has been Low carb. I lost over five stone on a very low carb diet with lighter life and maintained for a few years but eventually poor eating habits including binge eating crept back. My view is that weight loss is a combination of psychology and eating habits. I learned to care more about myself and understood some of the reasons why I over ate, much related to early years and using food to comfort myself. Now I concentrate on healthy eating, cooking from scratch, eating mainly low carb foods and including at least two portions of low carb vegetables with all my meals. I feel more energised and better but weight loss is slow compared to quick weight loss that I am used to with a very low carb diet such as lighter life using packs. I am happy for a slower, healthier weight loss this time. I am sure you will find a way to lose weight and eat healthier that will work for you. I do use a food diary to write down what I eat as it easy for me to conveniently `forget` when I have stood up eating half a biscuit or similar but I dont beat myself up if I dont do it one day. So much experience within the forum.

BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone in reply towalkinthewoods

Hi, good to hear things are going well :) Just to clarify, isn't LighterLife very low calorie rather than low carb?

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Always 10 pounds overweight turned to 20 :(

I'm 35 years old and I'm struggling with weight from high school. But the older I get the harder...
maruska profile image

18 pounds to lose

Hi everyone. I have not been following any particular diet, but I have been eating healthily and...
Tracey19 profile image

Looking to lose 20 kilos by next summer

Hi all, I'm looking to lose about 200 kilos by next summer for a few reasons. Background being, I...
ybism profile image

The last 20 pounds

So.. I'm down 51.6 pounds... which I'm very pleased about. I started on January 6th, 2016. The...
PotterBook profile image

Mission to loose 22 pounds

Hi All, So I am new here and in the beginnings of starting my weight loss journey. In one week I...
Lighter125 profile image

Moderation team

See all
moreless profile image
morelessAdministrator
TheTabbyCat profile image
TheTabbyCatAdministrator
TeamAdmin profile image
TeamAdminAdministrator

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.