Top 3 things I should focus on?

DeeJayD2015
DeeJayD2015 Posts: 53 Member
in Getting Started
Okay so I am just getting started. And I have lots to lose. Where do I start? I tend to try to tackle so much initially and then find it hard to get into a set routine with all the new stuff. Any words of advice are MUCh appreciated..... :)
«1

Replies

  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    Start with figuring out your BMR (there's lots of online calculators) so you know how much you absolutely have to eat for your body to function properly and for you to maintain the energy you need to live the life you want.

    Eat at a caloric deficit, you'll lose weight. You can find exercise you like down the road, or figure out your macros (how much carbs, protein etc you want) later.
  • jillmarie125
    jillmarie125 Posts: 418 Member
    365andstillalive wrote: »
    Start with figuring out your BMR (there's lots of online calculators) so you know how much you absolutely have to eat for your body to function properly and for you to maintain the energy you need to live the life you want.

    Eat at a caloric deficit, you'll lose weight. You can find exercise you like down the road, or figure out your macros (how much carbs, protein etc you want) later.

    I agree with this. Find you BMR and TDEE. Not sure how much you have to lose, but TDEE-15% or 20%. But, if you change your MFP calorie goals to that number (which I do) do not eat back your exercise calories.

  • JessaLee0324
    JessaLee0324 Posts: 118 Member
    So 365....that brings me to a question. myfitnesspal recommends that I eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight. My BMR is 1431. So.....now I'm confused.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Frankly, if you're just getting started, try not to make it too complicated and take baby steps. Sure you can figure out your TDEE and BMR (whatever those mean, right?) or you can just let MFP tell you how many calories to eat by giving it your goals.

    My initial advice to someone just starting to use MFP is to take the first few days and just log what you eat. Get used to the whole idea of entering every single piece of food and things you drink into the tool. It'll give you a really good idea where you're starting from and how much, or little, you're really eating every day. Most people are pretty shocked and it becomes apparent how they've put on the pounds by eating the way they were before.

    Once you get used to that, take a good look at the things you've logged and find where you can make some simple changes that will make a big impact. 250 calories in Coca Cola every day, twice a day? Replace that with a glass of unsweetened iced tea with lemon. A Snickers bar every day at 2:00pm? Replace that with a 50 calorie apple. You get the idea.

    Try to add one new habit or change every week and it'll be a lot easier to maintain than to join a gym, try to eat 1200 calories every day, cut out all sugar, eat "clean" (whatever that is) all at once and get overwhelmed and frustrated.

    Most of all, try to make these changes something you can stick with for the rest of your life. Good luck on your journey!
  • awesomedjmcvey
    awesomedjmcvey Posts: 50 Member
    edited October 2014
    This is what I think, I read a book called Do Life by Ben Davis. The quote there that I think it is the most important part to our journey is "learning how to eat to live rather than living to eat". I am not dieting I am eating the way I want to for the rest of my life. I am eating to sustain life. So to answer your question, I would say what do you want to eat is the most important thing to focus on.

    Second, what do you like to do for excersize.

    Third, Support group. Add friends on here and build you a positive group of friends. That has been the best thing for me... I love everyone on here and I am glad to be sharing my journey with them.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    1) A reasonable daily calorie intake
    2) A reasonable balance of carbs, fats, and protein
    3) Some regular exercise


    Start with those 3 things, then worry about the finer details.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Welcome to MFP! Our boards have just gone through an upgrade, so the helpful topics that would normally be pinned at the top of each board are missing at the moment. If you haven't come across them, yet, I think that these are a really great place to start:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-don-t-complicate-it
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    Welcome to MFP! Our boards have just gone through an upgrade, so the helpful topics that would normally be pinned at the top of each board are missing at the moment. If you haven't come across them, yet, I think that these are a really great place to start:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-don-t-complicate-it
    These are great topics to read! Definitely check them out.

    Also agree with not complicating things too much at the start. Keep it simple - calories in vs calories out. Weight loss happens when you consume fewer cals than what your body burns all day. MFP already estimates that for you when you enter your info and they give you daily goal. At 1200, I would aim to meet that goal daily. Personally, I don't like eating below my BMR, so if you want to set a higher cal goal, try changing your weekly loss goal to 1.5 lbs a week rather than 2 lbs.

    So get your goal set, then eat your cals. If you exercise, log it and eat those cals back (or least a portion of them). Track your calorie intake and output as accurately as possible - a food scale is a great item to have, and a good heart rate monitor or all day tracker like a FitBit can be helpful for better estimating your burn.

    And have patience. One day at a time, do your best each day. If you "screw up", shake it off, log it, and move on. Look back over your diary at the end of the week and see where you did well and maybe where you didn't, and if you went over, was it worth it? Figure out where you can make improvements and do better next time. It's a process! :smile: But resolve to make the changes you can stick with for good, so you can drop the weight and keep it off.

    Good luck!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    eat in a calorie deficit, hit your macros, and do some form of exercise (I prefer heavy lifting and minimal cardio but that is just me)...
  • DeeJayD2015
    DeeJayD2015 Posts: 53 Member
    Thanks everyone for the ideas and advice. This really helped. :D<3
  • Nessalee77
    Nessalee77 Posts: 78 Member
    When I first got started I put this quote on my fridge

    "Start where you stand, and work with the tools at your command. Better tools will be found as you go along"

    I'm sure you know one change you can make to get started. Make that change, measure yourself weekly, and keep researching. Make more changes as you go along, keep experimenting.

    Good luck :)
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
    Hello & Welcome! :)

    My Top 3 Recommendations:
    1. Log EVERYTHING! - Healthy, Unhealthy, Flat-out empty nutrition yummies Log it ALL There's just something about SEEING what we put into our bodies that wakes some of us up. LOL
    2. Be Consistent! - Whatever exercise regime or eating trend you want to experiment with just be consistent with it & make sure it is something that you can truly integrate to your life.
    3. Grain or Salt - All the members on MFP that I have crossed paths with has the best intentions and would never purposely steer you wrong. HOWEVER, please understand that EVERYONE is different and this whole weight loss journey is rather individual. There are some general things which applies to most, but not all. Always try to keep advice in perspective to how it does or does not apply to you, based on your lifestyle, height, & age.

    Best of luck to you! <3
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 368 Member
    1. Get a food scale. I like the Ozeri Pronto and it can be purchased for around 20 dollars. If you are not weighing your food, you are not counting calories.
    2. Learn when you are hungry through out the day and when you tend to want to snack or binge. I get hungry after lunch around 3pm. I plan for it, I have healthy and filling snacks for that part of the day that hold me over until dinner. Find healthy snack replacement foods.
    3. Exercise and lifting weights. Get a program put together and make this part of your day. You can lose weight without it. I have in the past, when I first joined I dropped 44 lbs through diet alone. The weight falls off quickly, but you also lose a lot of muscle and strength with it. The pounds come off more slowly while lifting weights, but you will gain strength and overall will be much happier with your over all body composition by incorporating strength training than without.

    Finally, do it for you. Use yourself as your own measuring stick. Don't worry about what others lose, lift, etc. This is your race, move at your pace.

  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Eat at a calorie deficit. No other advice needed.
  • red2dot
    red2dot Posts: 3 Member
    Simple beginnings-
    1. Yep log Calories- this was eye-opening for me
    2. Get moving!- Buy a pedometer,10,000 steps everyday- add exercise from there
    3. Lots of water- stay hydrated & it helps curb snacking

    Don't over do-it, it's easy to burn yourself out. You didn't gain weight over night, you shouldn't lose it that way either.

    Good luck!
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    1. Log consistently and accurately
    2. drink plenty of water
    3. have fun doing whatever type of exercise you choose

    29509743.png

  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
    1. Logging
    2. Logging everything
    3. logging everyday

    You will select better eating choices and exercise routines from the many good suggestions on the forums.

    They will NOT stick for your lifetime unless you develop them into habits.

    This is a mind game, Plan on training your mind to make the right choices. Logging will translate them into habits.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    Calories, calories, calories.

    How many calories you eat is most of the battle with weight loss. Start with calories. Focus on the macros (fat, protein, carbs) if you can, but its ok if you just need to think about calories at first.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • anna_jewel
    anna_jewel Posts: 127 Member
    I was also confused and a beachbody coach mentioned- that on another reputable website had me 1466, MPF 1200. They expect you to be doing workouts (higher calories then) where as MPF has you at a lower calorie rate, no workout and then ups the calories after your workouts. Hope that helps. :)
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    edited October 2014
    JessaLee0324 wrote: »
    So 365....that brings me to a question. myfitnesspal recommends that I eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight. My BMR is 1431. So.....now I'm confused.


    I doubt it that MFP said you need to eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight....unless you're like 4 1/2 ft tall.

    You only have 10lbs to goal, what weight loss per week did you enter?
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • DeeJayD2015
    DeeJayD2015 Posts: 53 Member
    I think MFP tells everyone to eat 1200 a day. It told me the same. I personally manually lowered mine to 1,000 (which it has been giving me "warning" messages about - I sit ALL day - I personally know I don't need 1200 calories). Anyhoo - I think their idea is 1200 is the minimum healthy amount to eat - and they expect you to build in FITNESS - hence mFp ? Just my theory. I am a newbie to all this.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    LosinMama1966 wrote: »
    RGv2 wrote: »
    JessaLee0324 wrote: »
    So 365....that brings me to a question. myfitnesspal recommends that I eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight. My BMR is 1431. So.....now I'm confused.


    I doubt it that MFP said you need to eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight....unless you're like 4 1/2 ft tall.

    You only have 10lbs to goal, what weight loss per week did you enter?

    You don't get it, huh? MFP is INFAMOUS for saying that. I'm 5'5" and weigh 177 pounds and it said the same thing to me...so please, don't even start.

    I guess I will start...

    MFP won't tell a 30 year old F with 10lbs to lose that they need to restrict to 1200 calories to lose weight, unless they are tiny..... 2lbs per week....now that's different.
  • DeeJayD2015
    DeeJayD2015 Posts: 53 Member
    LosinMama1966 wrote: »
    DeeJayD2014 wrote: »
    I think MFP tells everyone to eat 1200 a day. It told me the same. I personally manually lowered mine to 1,000 (which it has been giving me "warning" messages about - I sit ALL day - I personally know I don't need 1200 calories). Anyhoo - I think their idea is 1200 is the minimum healthy amount to eat - and they expect you to build in FITNESS - hence mFp ? Just my theory. I am a newbie to all this.

    So, you do absolutely NO exercising whatsoever during the day?

    A little bit of walking during the work day but mostly I sit at a desk for about 12 hours a day. Sometimes for hours at a clip. I have to squeeze in time before work and after work to exercise. I also try to walk at lunch whenever possible. But - it's a LOT of sitting (and stress! lol).
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    DeeJayD2014 wrote: »
    I think MFP tells everyone to eat 1200 a day. It told me the same. I personally manually lowered mine to 1,000 (which it has been giving me "warning" messages about - I sit ALL day - I personally know I don't need 1200 calories). Anyhoo - I think their idea is 1200 is the minimum healthy amount to eat - and they expect you to build in FITNESS - hence mFp ? Just my theory. I am a newbie to all this.

    I'd seriously recommend you figure out your TDEE.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • DeeJayD2015
    DeeJayD2015 Posts: 53 Member
    Let's keep it positive and happy folks. :) It's just weight loss. hehehe.

    I am losing right now - but thanks RGv2. Once I get stuck I will alter it if needed.

Categories