weight loss

munchkinbabe481

I have just started any advice please

Alatariel75

1. Don't expect it to happen overnight
2. Work out your calorie allocation and stick to it
3. Don't buy into any hype - you don't need pills, potions, detoxes, cleanses, shakes or any other wallet lightening product
4. Find something that makes you move that you enjoy

Azexas

^^ all of what Alatariel75 said.

I'll add:
Invest in a food scale and weigh out all of your foods.
You can still enjoy all of your favorite foods in moderation

ncboiler89

munchkinbabe481 wrote: »

I have just started any advice please

Understand a very simple concept; losing weight is taking in fewer calories than you burn. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise (that will steer you clear of the pitfalls in Alatariel75's #3) . It is that simple. So come up with a plan and remember that the scales don't lie.

bostonultd1

Prepare most or all of your meals, get a food scale, I think mine was $14 on Amazon with free shipping. Drinks lots of water. Log EVERYTHING. Exercise at least 3 times a week and try to restrict yourself to one cheat day a week but don't go crazy. Liquids should be the only thing measured by measuring cups and solids should be measured by grams or ounces. Also, when logging, try to find things that are more standard, like "raw broccoli" and not someone else's "homemade meal" entry. When in doubt, do a quick Google search and find what a standard food has in calories per ounce and find something that's similar on the search database. The barcode option makes things much easier. That's the basics.

Roxiegirl2008

1-get a scale and weigh all of your food. I was shocked to see what 4 oz of chicken really looked like.
2- be kind to yourself. You are going to have days where you eat like crap and that is ok. Log it and move on. Don't let one day throw you completely off the track.
3-weight gain didn't happen overnight so your weight loss won't either

SueInAz

Forget what you think you know about weight loss. You don't need to eat "healthy" or "clean" to lose weight. There's no magical combination of foods to eat (or avoid) unless you have a medical issue. Eating after a certain time of day won't store fat. No foods "burn fat" and you can't reduce fat in one specific area by doing something special. Drinking lots of water doesn't have an affect on weight loss. I think that covers most of it.

Babysteps! Start slow. Make little changes and keep doing those things until they become habit then add another change. Right now, that change should be getting into the habit of weighing and measuring your food and logging every single thing you eat. Everything down to chewing gum and vitamins. You don't need to change what you're eating or how much you're eating yet, just log it all and be brutally honest with yourself. You may not like what you're seeing but you'll learn a lot more if you can correlate what you're eating, with how many calories it contains.

If you don't own a kitchen scale, buy one and use it. Most food should be weighed, not measured, even salad dressing and peanut butter packaging gives servings in grams. If you're inaccurate with your logging your results will not be what you think they should be.

After a week or so of logging, look back over your diary and figure out where you can make some substitutions that will have big impact. Smaller portions at meals. Swapping one or two sweetened drinks with water or something zero calorie. Strive to stay at or just under the calorie goal MFP sets for you every single day. Don't worry about sugar, carbs, fat and protein for now. Once you get logging and staying under your calorie goal you can focus on those things including figuring out your TDEE, BMR, etc.

Exercise isn't needed for weight loss but it's important for fitness and overall health. Don't join a gym right away (babysteps!) just start moving more. Find an activity that you like whether that's walking, running, swimming, biking, Zumba, or whatever. Do something you like so that you'll want to stick with it. Working out shouldn't be something you dread each day.

Take "before" pictures so you can better judge your progress visually. The measuring tape is at least as important as the bathroom scale. Measure your chest, waist, hips, thighs and any other body part you want to track and start recording them in MFP now. When the scale isn't moving your body might still be shrinking especially if you're lifting weights.

The most important thing right now is that what you're doing is sustainable. You shouldn't be trying to reach an end goal weight but changing your eating habits for life so you don't gain the weight back. That means that whichever way you're eating while you lose weight should be the way you plan to eat once you reach your goal, just a little more of it.