H...hey. New Here. New to all this.

[Almyar]

Hey, Well, i guess i'll start this off the average way.

I'm 18. Almost 19. I'm gay. And i'm actually really proud of it.

However. I'm 265lbs. And 5' 4". I'm heavy, I have been since i was 6. I want to thin up. I cry over how much i truly want it.

I'm having some issues.

1. Nighttime cravings, They KILL me. I never used to eat in the day, never before 3pm. EVER. Now, all i do, i eat six SMALL meals a day totaling less then 1,500 Cal. a day. I get home, earliest 10pm from work, And the second i get out. It's not a craving for one thing, I could eat ANYTHING. I'm SO hungry, it kills me, haunts me, and tortures me. I sometimes can lightly snack, and get over it, but now, 12:09am. I must have just eaten, maybe 1300 calories. I broke. I couldn't take it any longer. It kills me. I want to stop them, i want to end them. I want to lose some decent weight before the summer is over, so i can at least have some good looking times at the end of summer, so i can enjoy it. I don't know how to eat, i don't know how to do this. I never had the motivation to try.

2. What happens when this is gone? Months or years down the road? How do i keep it off? What happens to all this extra skin? My mom says that i'm stuck with this flab forever. I want to have it snap back, so i can shape myself years down the road.

3. How do i eat? I'm not sure how to eat. When i think about it, i kind of get this mental block, I can't process it. I don't know what to buy, i don't know how or what to cook. I mean, i'm gay, but it doesn't mean i get this stuff.

Please, all input is appreciated. I really want this. It's now something i think about constantly. Please. Help me.

 

[amy1985]

Hi, and welcome

First of all, where are you getting your 1500 calorie figure from? For a lot of people that's on the low end (and if you're male- sorry, you don't say, and while "gay" is usually male it isn't always- it's definitely too low, you need at least 1800) of what they need. I'd recommend calculating your BMR (BMR Calculator - Basal Metabolic Rate - Lean Body Mass - Caoloric Needs - -) and daily calorific needs (it doesn't do it on that site, but one way of doing it is the Harris Benedict formula (this is what I've done). Taken from another site:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

This will give you an estimate of how many calories you need a day to maintain your current weight. As a rough guide, reduce that number by 500 calories a week for a loss of 1lb a week, or 1000 calories for 2lb/ week (never reduce that number below 1200 if you're female or 1800 if you're male). Don't reduce the number further than 1000 without medical advice or you'll risk slowing your metabolism and doing more harm than good in the long run.

Once you have that number, you need to work out what you want to do with it (either have a general awareness of the "cost" of food, or calorie count). If you calorie count, do you estimate, measure, or weigh? Weighing is the best way to get accurate measurements (along with a calorie calculating program- I use one called cron-o-meter, others recommend fitday. Both are free).

In terms of "what to eat" and problems with night cravings, my mantra is "you need to do what works for you". The first thing to consider is that it's very important to get the nutrients you need (use the nutritional guidelines/ food pyramid etc from your country, or if you can't find it, try this very simple guide from the supermarket Sainsbury's in the UK, which explains the UK nutritional guidelines succinctly (ignore the commercial stuff- and warning it's a PDF file): http://www2.sainsburys.co.uk/NR/rdo...A14-A14D-30043AEA5A81/0/Healthyweight2010.pdf or have a browse around the NHS' "Healthy Eating" section: Healthy eating - Live Well - NHS Choices

Once you've got the nutrition right, and if you've got it in your calorie range, you can pretty much do what you like. 6 meals not working for you? Ditch them- eat however many meals suits you. Want to eat late at night? Knock yourself out- just make it healthy. The science to weight loss, apparently (unless you've got other medical conditions) is eating less calories than you burn. And an important aspect of the psychology of weight loss (I think) is doing something you can commit to in the long term. In my own diet (I've lost the safe healthy maximum every week for the past four weeks) I eat so that I'm not hungry, and so I'm satisfied with my food (both in the sense of I find it filling and I enjoy it). You also need to make sure it fits in your lifestyle.

For more information and ideas, I'd recommend looking at the stickied posts, which have a lot of very valuable information on diet and exercise. I'd then recommend looking in the diary section to see how others are losing or have lost weight (in my diary I list my food in detail) and try some of them if you don't know what to do for yourself (although check the nutrition content on what you buy, rather than assuming it's healthy because it's in someone else's weight loss diary- if nothing else, we come from all over the world and different products are available in different places).

Hope this helps

 

[dwwise83]

One of the most important things you can do during weight loss is "Listen to your Body." If you are hungry all the time, having terrible cravings, etc... then you are more than likely not eating enough. Given your current weight and calorie intake, I would say that is a fair statement. You could easily increase your cals to 1800-2200 / day and still lose weight (of course you will have to adjust this number as you lose weight and as you incorporate exercise).

Starving yourself will not get you to your goal. The diet will be to hard to maintain and one day you will break / binge / cheat / start the cycle all over again. Take it slow and easy and lose weight the healthy way (1-3 pounds per week).

If you have horrible cravings at night - then EAT something! With that said, make a smart and healthy decision about what you chose to consume. Plan ahead. Also, don't let yourself get so hungry, you will be more likely to lose control and eat something 'bad.'

As far as the skin issue - don't worry about it yet. You are very young and if you lose weight at a healthy pace you will probably have very few skin issues. Drink lots of fluids and be sure to train with weights, all of this will help you along the way. Focus on getting HEALTHY - the rest will follow.

Good Luck!