Heartbreak caused this but now I have a reason to change!

yourradimradletshug

Hi everyone! So I am new to the site and new to the "buckle down and sticking to a diet and workout plan" thing. I kept reading about this site and was really excited for it but due to recent hardships in my life I had put working out and my health on the backburner. I let my weight go crazy because after my boyfriend leaving me and my grandmother passing away I just didn't care. I was heartbroken and just didn't want to do anything. Then, my brother's fiance asked me to be a bridesmaid for their wedding in June! I was ecstatic....until I remembered I had totally let myself go. So here I am. Looking for support and tips. I gotta loose AT LEAST 20 of these pesky pounds by June! If anyone is good with nutrition PLEASE HELP!!!!!! I am very excited to be on here and starting my new weight loss journey.

MonicaA2013

All you need to do is limit the amount you eat of the same foods you are currently eating. Get a food scale and weigh and measure EVERYTHING to the proper serving that is on the package.. Then do what ever exercises you feel comfortable with. As long as you do this you will lose weight. When you log your exercise don't eat back ALL of the calories you burn because MFP tends to over calculate them. Most people eat between half and three quarters of their exercise calories. Good Luck on your journey.

quiksylver296

Yep! I agree! Food scale! A half a cup of ice cream is NOT what you think it is...

Take baby steps and don't try to do everything all at once. Massive exercise and extreme food deprivation will lead to failure.

Measure your food. Start there. Once you are comfortable with that, start making little, healthy tweaks to your food choices. Comfortable there, add in 10 minutes of exercise per day. Comfortable there... keep tacking on little things. They will add up to BIG things. You can do this!

999tigger

Am sure all the others will tell you, but 20 pounds should be pretty straightforward to lose in that timeframe. Just maintain a consistent deficit and it helps if you support it with some exercise. Theres a great thread on the success page with one ex wife losing all the weight after her husband left her. Its a great story how she deal with it lost the weight and grew as a person. You will hear the same tips all the time so absorb them into whatever plan you have. Good luck.

yourradimradletshug

Thank you so much for the quick responses! I think my mom has a food scale she doesn't use anymore. She had bariatric surgery and is full quickly but she has lost almost 100 pounds! I am very proud of her because she struggled with her weight for a long time which is why I want to start getting healthy now. Can either of you suggest easy lunches that I can take to work? I see a lot of recepies that require a lot of prep time or have seafood (which I can't eat) and I need something to bring to work so I avoid the fast food convinence/temptation next door to my job!

annaskiski

Here's the MFP bible:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Don't overcomplicate it. You don't have to stop eating the foods you like. Don't fall for "eat clean, cut out this food, etc"

June is plenty of time to lose 20.....

FatFreeFrolicking

yourradimradletshug wrote: »

Thank you so much for the quick responses! I think my mom has a food scale she doesn't use anymore. She had bariatric surgery and is full quickly but she has lost almost 100 pounds! I am very proud of her because she struggled with her weight for a long time which is why I want to start getting healthy now. Can either of you suggest easy lunches that I can take to work? I see a lot of recepies that require a lot of prep time or have seafood (which I can't eat) and I need something to bring to work so I avoid the fast food convinence/temptation next door to my job!

Turkey and cheese rollups, grapes, nuts/seeds, carrots with hummus

Turkey wrap with avocado and lettuce

Chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts

misskarihari

Get a scale, weigh your food and it will save you weeks of frustration (speaking of experience). I find my fitbit flex also very motivating to move around more, walk longer distances etc. Good luck!

yourradimradletshug

FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »

yourradimradletshug wrote: »

Thank you so much for the quick responses! I think my mom has a food scale she doesn't use anymore. She had bariatric surgery and is full quickly but she has lost almost 100 pounds! I am very proud of her because she struggled with her weight for a long time which is why I want to start getting healthy now. Can either of you suggest easy lunches that I can take to work? I see a lot of recepies that require a lot of prep time or have seafood (which I can't eat) and I need something to bring to work so I avoid the fast food convinence/temptation next door to my job!

Turkey and cheese rollups, grapes, nuts/seeds, carrots with hummus

Turkey wrap with avocado and lettuce

Chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts

My mouth is seriously watering right now. That all sounds delicious!

stephe1987

The main thing to remember is that you need to stay under your calorie limit in order to lose weight. Log everything you eat or drink and make sure to weigh or measure everything. You can eat back exercise calories but be careful not to overdo it: keep in mind that MFP and gym machines often overestimate how much was actually burned.

I would suggest doing a 80/20 diet. 80% of foods should fit into the healthy macros (carbs, fat, protein), while 20% can be sweet or salty foods. This way you don't deprive yourself of the foods you like, but you make a sustainable lifestyle change that will allow you to keep the weight off after you reach your goal. As for drinks, I would limit myself to 1-2 cups of non-water each day (this will take some adjusting but once you're used to it, it's fine). Water should be your primary beverage. You don't want to drink your calories because you won't feel full or hit your nutrients macros, and "zero calorie" drinks are often full of chemicals (possible future risk of cancer or other issues).

I like that you're starting now. A lot of people come here and post just a few weeks before a wedding or vacation or other event and then wonder why people say they will not be able to reach their goal in time. Some of them get really upset because they want someone to tell them that it's possible when it isn't. A reasonable pace is between 0.5 lb-2 lbs per week, and you'll easily be able to reach your goal in time starting out early.

yourradimradletshug

@stephe1987 I knew I needed to start early so that is why I am here. As for drinks I don't drink any soda anymore. Been over a year since I have had one actually! I mainly drink water. I have OJ in the morning mostly or coffee if I am just too tired to function. I once in a while indulge in an adult beverage but that is usually one and I luck out because the next day I have classes at the gym so it helps to remove some those calories.

Lazz5k

you're always welcome to add me for motivation. I might not be the 100% lets exercise everyday, I weight myself all the time type, eat nothing but berries girl - but I am a beer drinking, calorie tracking, runner that's trying up to you sister - we're all human

yourradimradletshug

@Lazz5k we are going to get along great!

Jordan

Welcome to the MFP community!

findingbobbie

All this is advice is awesome!!! I have a very unhealthy relationship with food, the more I try to track the more obsessed I become. I do measure my food, I just don't count calories, carbs, fat, etc...I have also stopped eating off of regular dinner plates. I know use child size plates or dessert plates, the smaller portions look so much bigger on a smaller plate so when you look at your plate it looks much fuller. Its a good little mind trick.

Now while I don't track my food, I do exercise most days of the week. That's the easy part for me. Food not so much, but I did lose over 100 pounds over the period of 4 years by eating less of the foods I was already eating and moving more.

I did gain some of it back last year mostly for one of the reasons you did, heartbreak, I kind of just let myself go a little bit. Its coming back off slowly, but no big hurry, just trying to find myself again in the process.

Feel free to add me if you'd like.

neilstone64

I was in a similar situation , private life had gone to hell and the weight piled on.
I found the easiest thing ( for me ) was to cut out excess sugar. I stopped eating chocolate and biscuits. Yes I know that's a tall order but if you can do it for 30 days then you won't want them again.
I also started running, nothing major to start, lots of walking and bursts of running.
Try it it does work.
Good luck

yourradimradletshug

Thank you all for the support. It means the world to me! Tonight is my last hoorah before I start all the changes. Only because tonight is karaoke and I want to eat the bad foods and drink with my friends to celebrate the weekend with my friends. Tomorrow I will be at the store buying a lot of the good foods to get myself on track.