Stop dieting and instead focus on eating healthy and getting active. If you're willing to count calories forever go ahead, but odds are you aren't going to do that. If you only needed to lose 11 pounds that isn't too bad in the first place. Don't beat yourself up when you eat bad. That can lead to a vicious cycle itself where you eat healthy for a while, mess up, beat yourself up, binge, eat healthy for a while, etc....



Set some physical goals such as running a 5K and then you can stop focusing on eating and focus on getting in shape. You'll naturally start to eat healthier. Working out in the morning helps too because you won't want to overeat the night before or you'll feel bloated in the morning. I've got a thousand tips, but it all can be boiled down to get active, eat healthy, set physical goals. and don't do anything you can't continue doing for a lifetime.



You can do it!

I think that is very typical. If you continue to carry a large calorie deficit you will eventually feel the affects and end up binging. Small calorie deficits over a long period of time are more sustainable for healthy weight loss. Sure some people can starve themselves and lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, but very few can do that and those that succeed end up losing a lot of muscle in addition to the fat. I wouldn't recommend it.

Sounds like you cut too much too fast. Who knows why you feel so sluggish. It could be physical, emotional or psychological. Last year about this time I was right where you are at 6'3" and 220 lbs. After about a year I am now in the low 190's. Here are a few things that worked for me:



1) Find a goal beyond just losing weight and getting healthy. That isn't always enough. For me it was triathlons. Last year I just wanted to survive. This year I'm looking to be competitive. Next year I'm shooting for the podium.



2) Get active. It sounds like you are doing this already. Until you start feeling good I would not add any more exercise besides walking 3-5 miles per day. That is plenty.



3) Limit the bad stuff, but don't cut it out entirely. I don't know anyone who has totally eliminated all bad stuff from their diets. It's basically impossible and to say you're going to cut something out forever is probably setting yourself up for failure.



3a) Only eat sweets on holidays or special events. This is a great way to start limiting your sugar intake.



3b) Limit yourself to 2 cups of coffee per day.



3c) For now limit yourself to 1 20 oz diet drink per day.



4) Keep fresh fruit and vegetables within arms reach as much as possible, and eat as much of it as you want. I think this was one of the biggest things that helped me. I would buy a bunch of fruit and veggies and bring them to the office on Monday morning. I'd wash them and put them in a basket next to my desk.



I have many more tips but I don't want to overwhelm you. Just take it slow, slow, slow. Behaviors don't change overnight. Good luck.



-Brad

Yes, that's true, but after taking vitamins your pee will usually come out more yellow (sometimes fluorescent yellow) even if you are well hydrated. This is not really a good thing either as it means you are peeing out a portion of the vitamins you just took.

Congratulations dude. That's great. Very inspirational.

You can do it Richard. Since you are just starting out you might want to think about giving yourself two days off per week. On those off days make sure you eat healthy and take a long easy walk if you get the chance. You don't want to get burnt out on working out. Burnout can happen rather quickly when you are starting something new.



On the same note, try not to take two days off in a row. Once you take a couple of days off it gets a lot harder to get back on the horse. You need consistency and moderation to make exercise a new habit.

Congratulations Stephanie! Keep up the good work.