I am just starting my weight loss journey, trying to figure out what my BMI is and what types of food makes me more fat. Any one here can make recommendations? I googled but so much info...

Revenue = Calories burned
Expenses = Calories incurred

Make sure your "revenue" is always greater than your "expenses".

Start off by going for walks in addition to other cardio, and eating healthy. Focus on fruits and vegetables. Since you are trying to lose weight, focus on what I mentioned above: weight loss occurs when you are in a caloric deficit.

No carbs, no snacks. Become a great cook to cook and grill your meals. Meal prep on Sundays for the week, so you won't have the urge to eat fast food. By doing this, you will also getting a good idea what healthy foods you gravitate to.

Finally, have the correct mental mindset. Make sure you are exercising and eating healthy, and don't cheat.

Hope this helps, and good luck! Keep the mindset!

Yes there is an overwhelming amount of info online - keto, vegan, fat is bad, fat is good, some fats are good, Mediterranean diet, eggs increase cholesterol, eggs are the perfect food, grains, gluten, legumes, whole 30, intermittent fasting, juice cleanses...omg.

The good news is it sounds like you’re just starting out and aren’t trying to optimize for performance or gains or whatever. So my advice (take with a grain of salt as it’s one opinion like all other opinions) is to tackle the low hanging fruit.

- don’t drink your calories. Cut out soda, alcohol, sugary drinks (no you do not need Gatorade to run a couple miles)

- cut added sugar as much as you can. That means obviously desserts and literally putting sugar in things, but also read labels. A lot of foods like yogurt, cereal and other “healthy” seeming foods have hidden sugars

- eat real foods as much as possible. It’s really hard to avoid everything packaged but if you start to shift from packaged goods to fresh goods

- don’t stress too much about calories and macros if it doesn’t suit your personality. I loved Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” and after trying every fad diet that comes out, I always go back to his simple line: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

- move. Find a workout you enjoy, that’s the only way you’ll stick with it. Personally I hate running. I’ve tried because everyone else does it as it’s supposed to be great for weight loss but I can’t stand it so I’ve found other things I like and will do several times a week

The adage “calories in, calories out” holds true, but generally speaking people consume far too few grams of protein and way too many of carbs and fats. Look into macros.

I tried a lot of things over the years. I ended up following blue zones and intermittent fasting. Lost 30 pounds and have kept it off over a year now.

I ordered a “smart” scale on amazon that has an app that tells me a ton about my body. Pretty neat. There are tons to chose from. Good luck!!!

When I was in a health journey my best things were
1) meal prepping- it reduced time thinking about food, it was just ready! Which also made me stop snacking when I was pre-lunch or dinner or while I made my meal. It’s super controllable and even if it can get a little boring, you know exactly what you’re eating for calories and macros
2) strength training and HIIT as someone mentioned above. The Peloton app has 90 days free right now and classes include Yoga, strength, cardio (does not always include running!!) and then the usual running/walking/spin. They have levels like beginner, intermediate, advanced and you can pick weights or body weight. You can also pick length of time, for strength and cardio the MAX is 30!
3) no snacks. I literally just stopped buying them. If they’re there, I eat them. If they’re not, I’m SOL :) get some strawberries or blueberries, or do some kale chips if you want something crunchy
4) I cut back, but not out, on carbs. I get whole wheat/grain if I need or want them. If I cut them out completely I found I binged more often on them.
5) I have one small sweet after dinner. I mean like a mini Reese’s cup. Just gives me that little taste :)

Good luck!

Would recommend getting a Rephno scale to monitor your health KPIs (BMI, water weight, muscle mass, body fat %, etc). It syncs with a phone app so makes tracking very easy.

As for what to do, here are a couple things I’ve learned:

Food
- Reduce, but do not eliminate, carb and fat intake
- Consume greater amounts of protein

Exercise
- Weight training is more effective at burning fat (body consumers oxygen / calories for 24 hrs in the process of repairing muscle)
- In general, the higher your muscle mass composition, the higher your resting metabolic calorie consumption
- HIIT is one the most effective cardio exercises (interval training)

At the end of the day, it’s calories in vs. calories out. There are dozens of ways to get there (keto, IF, basic calorie tracking, Whole30, etc.). The one that’s best is the one you can stick to without hating your life.

I lost over 60lbs on WW several years ago. For me, it was a sustainable way to cut back calories without losing all enjoyment of food or restricting entire food groups.

Another vote for macros. Have kept 40 pounds off for over a year because when you track all your food (another rec for myfitness pal) and pay attention to fat, protein and carbs you actually learn A TON about food. Like I enjoy bananas but they're a ton of carbs and I'd prefer some rice with dinner instead. Alternatively, if I want to eat volume, I mix my regular rice with cauliflower rice for a bigger meal. Even simple things like how much fat is in an egg and if I only get 40 grams a day, maybe I'd prefer some butter on my toast or avocado so I go with egg whites in the morning. I've used the nutritionists at Stronger U to help with the accountability (highly highly recommend them) but IIFYM has a decent calculator to get started. Good luck!

Ignore all the bullshit. There are no foods that are worse for you than others, it's all relative. Losing weight is simple math - if you are in Calorie deficit you will lose weight over time. How long depends on how much your excess is.

As someone who lost 150 lbs, I would strongly advise focusing on making small incremental changes and not focusing on an overall goal, particularly right now when you are stuck in quarantine.

On BMI - it is an easy calc but are you able to consult with a nutritionist? Probably your best bet. Without understanding your health, fitness and nutrition history, no one can provide you with adequate advise for your case. Also fyi - there is no magic. It’s a journey.

There are usually some low hanging fruits, such as replacing sugary drinks (e.g., sodas, fruit juices, sweet tea) with water or zero sugar alternatives and fried side dishes with baked or steamed veggies.

Gotta watch out for Zero Sugar drinks though, because sweeteners typically make you crave actual sugar and can lead to you eating more sweet snacks. Keep a dark chocolate bar with you and eat a square whenever you feel like you need sweets. Limit it to one a week.

I’ve tried everything. Every type of diet, every program, you name it.

I’m now just sticking with math (tracking calories from food and workouts) and aiming for a 1000 calorie deficit a day, aka two pounds down a week. Also going with common sense when it comes to nutrition (no fake sugars, smaller mini meals instead of three big ones so I’m not hungry, real foods like fruit and veggies over processed ones wherever I can).

Agree with everyone about buying a smart scale. One thing my scale measures is basal metabolic rate, or how many calories my body burns on its own. I found out my BMR is 700 calories below the average person my weight, aka I have a slow metabolism. It finally made me realize why it’s so much harder for me to lose weight, and helped me adjust my plan so I don’t feel so defeated and give up.

Another thing that helps me — accountability. Tell your loved ones you’re working on your health. Have someone to check in with. I’ve fallen off the wagon more times than I can count, and you’re less likely to do so when there’s someone there alongside you.

Good luck OP!

Carbs and sugar are your enemies and they can hide almost anywhere. It will take you some time to get yourself educated and make new habits So take it slow and don’t get discouraged if every day isn’t perfect.

You can do it!

👆this. It’s all about calories, the rest is either BS or just roundabout ways of getting you to consume fewer calories.

Download the MyFitnessPal app (it’s free) and start logging everything you eat. It helped me identify the foods that were sabotaging me and reminded me when I could or couldn’t have a late snack after dinner. GOOD LUCK!

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

something i thought was cool is when i learned that by weight training or working out to build more muscle it helps your body need more calories because your gaining muscle which well help in the long run. Which is better than just going cardio intensive workout which will just help short term with being in a calorie deficit whenever you do cardio.

Breakfast: 3-4 eggs, cheese, espresso with heavy cream. Bacon, sausage, or ham if it’s on hand.

Lunch: whole fat plain yogurt, whey protein (low sugar brand), frozen blueberries.

Snack: cheese, apple, nuts

Dinner: meat and veggies as the basis. Potatoes once a week. Rice once a week. Bread once a week.

I got my dad a scale from amazon that connects to an app and measures quite a few things when he started his weight loss journey. There’s a satisfaction in seeing progress week to week so I would start with that and then controlling portion sizes instead of worrying about the types of food. (Obviously the healthier the better- veggies and a protein with little or no carbs). Hope this helps and good luck 😊

I do a macro diet...it’s been working wonders...20 fat/50 protein 30 carb

The biggest thing I stay away from is cheese