First time user and first diet! Help!

loganpaigewhite

Im no good at counting calories or measurements of foods and I'm very picky I don't like a lot of healthy things. This is the first time I have been over weight I stayed small and active up until about two years ago and now I have decided its time to do something about this weight gain! Help, recipes, advice, workout plans, anything is appreciated! Thanks:)

Jld389

Keep track of what you eat for a week. Don't judge, just write everything down. Then take a look and see where you need to adjust. Then find something that gets you moving like walking and do a little bit every day. Just keep it simple and you won't get overwhelmed. Good luck! I started on weight watchers in February, walked a lot and then joined a club with personal trainer in May. I have lost 30 pounds and feel great. Just about a pound a week. Halfway done. You can do it!

libbydoodle11

loganpaigewhite wrote: »

Im no good at counting calories or measurements of foods and I'm very picky I don't like a lot of healthy things. This is the first time I have been over weight I stayed small and active up until about two years ago and now I have decided its time to do something about this weight gain! Help, recipes, advice, workout plans, anything is appreciated! Thanks:)

Move more

Look up a TDEE calculator

Invest in a food scale

Plan your meals

Don't starve yourself

Gradually add in healthier food items

Google recipes: foodnetwork.com, eating well.com

Make a shopping list

toddselle7

Keeping it simple- just logging what you eat into MyFitnessPal (or some similar tool) helps. If the whole diet/exercise thing seems overwhelming, resolve first just to record what you're doing - assuming you're not ready to add activity or restrict food consumption yet. The MyFitnessPal database has a surprising scope of foods and their calorie content, so it tracks calorie consumption for you without requiring you to look up calories on a table or write down things in a log (which IMHO is far less convenient than an online tool).

Researchers claim, and my own experience confirms, that if we track what we're doing, we just naturally are driven to correct any bad habits. We get a psychological boost from seeing our good results documented, and that serves as a strong incentive to keep us going.

Good luck!

arussell134

My advice would be to experiment. I would be shocked if there are truly NO healthy foods you like - or even "healthier." Here are some of my fav "healthier things:"

1. KIND bars (lower in sugar and help with my sweet tooth!)
2. Oatmeal with cinnamon
3. Greek yogurt
4. Vanilla protein powder + frozen pineapple + 1 tbsp coconut (I love this!)
5. Eggs
6. Soups - I love making my own with sauteed veggies
7. Chili - another way to sneak in tons of protein & veggies
8. Low fat string cheese
9. Clementine oranges
10. etc.

I also sneak things like spinach into my smoothies or under a pile of pasta or chili. I also make sure to save about 200 calories per day just for treats - a glass of wine, some good chocolate, etc. For me, having a little bit of the food I love here and there has kept me sane. (And yes, it has all worked - I'm down almost 30 lbs in 6 months.) Good luck!

SueInAz

The beauty of calorie counting is that you don't have to eat special foods, even "healthy" ones (whatever that means to you) to lose weight. You just have to eat less than you're burning every day.

I agree with previous posters: start by just tracking everything you eat. Everything. Be brutally honest with what you're eating; overestimate portions rather than underestimating them or attempting to find the entry with the lowest calorie amount. After a week or so, take a good look at your food diary and see where you can make small changes that will have big impact. A 20 ounce regular soda can have as many as 300 calories. Cut out one per day, and exchange for water or unsweetened ice tea, and that'll save you 1/2 pound per week! Instead of full-sized candy bars, buy the miniature size ones and eat one really, really slowly. You'll get just as much chocolate satisfaction with a fraction of the calories. Instead of french fries with your value meal have a side salad with low fat dressing. You get the idea.

If you can make just one small change per week, and keep snowballing them, you'll eventually start to make a real difference.

For exercise, just try to move more. Park at the back of the parking lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Go on long walks with the family. Find a sport you like and get active. (I started running and surprisingly I like it.) The most important thing is that you find something you like; you're more likely to stick with it for the long haul.

GreenIceFloes

I very strongly suggest you read all of these posts, in case you haven't already:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1

Keep it simple.
You need to maintain a reasonable, healthy and sustainable calorie deficit for weight loss.
Stick to the calorie limit MFP gives you, and hit your macros the best you can.
Don't demonize foods / food groups. Eat whatever you want, as long as you stay within your calorie allowance.
Weigh food, and make sure you pick the correct entries from the food database, since a lot of them are wrong.
Log everything, everyday. Honestly.
Exercise is important to keep you healthy, but unless you track what you eat, weight loss will be difficult.
Eat back at least half your exercise calories. Incorporate lifting into your schedule because you will lose a lot of muscle mass otherwise (and you might get 'jiggly').
'This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle' and 'moderation is key' are the most frequently repeated and important things.

Before I started following a healthier lifestyle, I gave 3-4 days to logging what I was currently eating. I was netting something like 500-1000 calories over my TDEE on a regular basis. I found out where I got most of my calories from, and reduced the frequency with which I ate those foods. A whole chocolate bar a day became two pieces a day, and so forth. Once you realize where you are going wrong, it becomes easier to rectify your habits and bad choices.

Good luck!