Just Starting

mindovermeals

Hi guys! I've just recently decided that I really need to change my lifestyle and lose all of this weight I've gained for the past 4 years. It's been really rough for me because I am a very anxious person and since I'm always stressed out I tend to eat crap ALL THE TIME.

I've been trying to "start" this change and I somehow always end up in a situation where I just buy food or choose to eat whatever will make me happy at the moment

I've seen so many people just turn the switch and completely change what they eat but that's so hard for me to do! Anyway, if anyone wants to add me on here that would be great. I like seeing other people's posts and motivation to keep me going. Have a nice day!

jenant27

Good luck in your journey! I struggle each day but we can do this!

Ericdanielkwong

Set a goal, and tackle it! I know its hard but with the proper knowledge, it really becomes easy!

dragon_sla

Take one day at a time. Set a realistic goal and go for it. Do baby steps and when you reach that goal be excited! You can do it!! Feel free to add me if you want. On almost every night. We can all use the support and motivation.

LoveMyBabes3

I love sweets and fried food but I love veggies and fruits too. I plan my whole day out and save room for the things I like. I've still lost weight! You can add me and look at my diary.

hevarrrrr

log everything. in the early days what motivated me was that even if i went over it still told me i would be less in 5 weeks.

i emtionally eat and for some reason when i'm emotional i want cake mix. si i've added the recipie, weigh the ingridients and pop it in my diary. sometimes i need to adjust my calories or do more exercise.

happily those days are few and far between.

mindovermeals

Ericdanielkwong wrote: »

Set a goal, and tackle it! I know its hard but with the proper knowledge, it really becomes easy!

Thank you! I hope so haha.

mindovermeals

dragon_sla wrote: »

Take one day at a time. Set a realistic goal and go for it. Do baby steps and when you reach that goal be excited! You can do it!! Feel free to add me if you want. On almost every night. We can all use the support and motivation.

Thank you! I realized that baby steps are very important. I used to be able to work out for hours a couple of years ago. Now I'm so de-conditioned that I wheeze at the slightest hint of exercise! I decided I'm just going to try some strength training exercises to build up my endurance, then get into cardio since I can't do it now because I'm so out of shape

mindovermeals

hevarrrrr wrote: »

log everything. in the early days what motivated me was that even if i went over it still told me i would be less in 5 weeks.

i emtionally eat and for some reason when i'm emotional i want cake mix. si i've added the recipie, weigh the ingridients and pop it in my diary. sometimes i need to adjust my calories or do more exercise.

happily those days are few and far between.

That's a good tip. I didn't really think about doing it that way! I'm definitely an emotional/stress eater as well haha. It sucks!

cleaver1

It's always the first couple of weeks that are hard because everything seems like a massive effort. Eventually you'll get into a healthier routine and it becomes a lot easier. You'll also start seeing results which in turn motivate you to carry on. Well done on taking the first step!

Galvin87

What works for me is I input all my meals/snacks for the next day of what I intend to eat. Based on my goals I adjust accordingly and sacrifice eating a snack or two. Also include your workouts or cardio and go from there. This has really helped me achieve my allowed daily intake. I also review my carb, protein, sodium etc and plan on different food groups to better the result from that day. Most importantly just be conscious of the fuel you put into your body.

I hope this was helpful and stay focused on your goal, good luck!!

-galvin

mindovermeals

Galvin87 wrote: »

What works for me is I input all my meals/snacks for the next day of what I intend to eat. Based on my goals I adjust accordingly and sacrifice eating a snack or two. Also include your workouts or cardio and go from there. This has really helped me achieve my allowed daily intake. I also review my carb, protein, sodium etc and plan on different food groups to better the result from that day. Most importantly just be conscious of the fuel you put into your body.

I hope this was helpful and stay focused on your goal, good luck!!

-galvin

Hi! I didn't think to do that (planning that far ahead). Thank you for your advice! It was very helpful

mindovermeals

cleaver1 wrote: »

It's always the first couple of weeks that are hard because everything seems like a massive effort. Eventually you'll get into a healthier routine and it becomes a lot easier. You'll also start seeing results which in turn motivate you to carry on. Well done on taking the first step!

This entire post has made me feel SO much better! Thank you so much! It's so easy to be hard on yourself and expect everything to be a piece of cake. But seriously thank you, I'll keep all of that in mind!

Jrtbz

Dive in and go hard! Trust me, some days will be harder than others. You can do it for sure though. I have a problem with binge eating but still managed to lose 100 lbs. Your "issue" might slow you down here or there but it won't stop you from reaching your goals. Add me for support if you'd like!

mindovermeals

Jrtbz wrote: »

Dive in and go hard! Trust me, some days will be harder than others. You can do it for sure though. I have a problem with binge eating but still managed to lose 100 lbs. Your "issue" might slow you down here or there but it won't stop you from reaching your goals. Add me for support if you'd like!

Thanks for the support!
I'm glad that you said that it might slow me down but it won't stop me. Great encouragement, thank you so much!

VillageSmithy

Jan 13, 244 lb.; Mar 31, 210 lb.; today, 206 lb.

I've thrown everything at this. For me, essentials are eating clean, exercising 4-5x/wk, logging everything every day. The MFP energy equation is at my fingertips at all times. I like the payoff. A lot.

thegaragegirl01

And always always always remember to think positive! Never forget that the way you think about something changes the way you react to it. If you tell yourself "I suck at this, I can't do it!" You'll start to believe yourself. It's patently untrue. You can do this! :-) Find out what works for you and stick with it.

For me, my goal is to be healthy, not to be thin. So I don't look for results in the mirror. I see myself every day, I won't notice the difference, but everyone else will. You'll do a fabulous job!

The hardest part is putting your shoes on. (Metaphorical or otherwise)

mindovermeals

VillageSmithy wrote: »

Jan 13, 244 lb.; Mar 31, 210 lb.; today, 206 lb.

I've thrown everything at this. For me, essentials are eating clean, exercising 4-5x/wk, logging everything every day. The MFP energy equation is at my fingertips at all times. I like the payoff. A lot.

Wow! Congratulations, you look great. That is a huge accomplishment in just 2-3 months. That's amazing! I'm so happy for you thank you for sharing your story.

mindovermeals

thegaragegirl01 wrote: »

And always always always remember to think positive! Never forget that the way you think about something changes the way you react to it. If you tell yourself "I suck at this, I can't do it!" You'll start to believe yourself. It's patently untrue. You can do this! :-) Find out what works for you and stick with it.

For me, my goal is to be healthy, not to be thin. So I don't look for results in the mirror. I see myself every day, I won't notice the difference, but everyone else will. You'll do a fabulous job!

The hardest part is putting your shoes on. (Metaphorical or otherwise)

I know! This is so true and it's probably the hardest part about all of this. I'm such a pessimist and an overall negative person. But I do believe wholeheartedly that if I choose to think positively, there will be a change. I just had it happen to me yesterday when I tried to jog. I tried to think positive and I did so much more than I ever thought I could. It's all in my head!

Capt_Apollo

instead of stress eating, start stress exercising.

mindovermeals

Capt_Apollo wrote: »

instead of stress eating, start stress exercising.

Good tip haha. I used to do that so easily. Hopefully I'll be able to get there again!

scottacular

sfsw_in wrote: »

Hi guys! I've just recently decided that I really need to change my lifestyle and lose all of this weight I've gained for the past 4 years. It's been really rough for me because I am a very anxious person and since I'm always stressed out I tend to eat crap ALL THE TIME.

I've been trying to "start" this change and I somehow always end up in a situation where I just buy food or choose to eat whatever will make me happy at the moment

I've seen so many people just turn the switch and completely change what they eat but that's so hard for me to do! Anyway, if anyone wants to add me on here that would be great. I like seeing other people's posts and motivation to keep me going. Have a nice day!

Hi there,

I get anxious a lot and a few times last year had lapses when that anxiety resulted in uber food noms. There's no magic way to overcome it, it just takes time and increasing your mental strength whatever way works best for you. I will say though the obvious thing to do is at least not have trigger food lying around that's easy to grab. Packets of biscuits, etc (if you do indeed have stuff like that). Open packet syndrome is a killer, so buy things only in sizes you need. Even if buying a multi-pack of something is better value for money. If you're already doing this, then great. Be kind to yourself, it takes time and you're only human.

VillageSmithy

sfsw_in wrote: »

...build up my endurance, then get into cardio since I can't do it now because I'm so out of shape

That sounds so familiar! Thirty seconds into my first session on the treadmill 12 weeks ago (see before photo above) were memorably humiliating. (Gasping, wide-eyed, 'holy-smokes-this-can't-be-right'.)

But one's physiology responds very quickly to meet such demands. A month in, I was climbing 100 flights of stairs most work days. This morning, I did 70 minutes (eight miles) on the cross-country elliptical. I'm 68 years old, so... you can do this, my dear.

mindovermeals

@scottacular

Thanks for the advice! I didn't think of trying to buy stuff only in sizes that I need. It makes so much sense.

mindovermeals

VillageSmithy wrote: »

That sounds so familiar! Thirty seconds into my first session on the treadmill 12 weeks ago (see before photo above) were memorably humiliating. (Gasping, wide-eyed, 'holy-smokes-this-can't-be-right'.)

But one's physiology responds very quickly to meet such demands. A month in, I was climbing 100 flights of stairs most work days. This morning, I did 70 minutes (eight miles) on the cross-country elliptical. I'm 68 years old, so... you can do this, my dear.

Thank you! I really do think that it's all in my head. I limit myself and give up too quickly because I'm either too embarrassed to be so out of shape, or I simply think that I can't do it and I'm wasting my time. I gotta start changing that mindset!

monkey246

sfsw_in wrote: »

Hi guys! I've just recently decided that I really need to change my lifestyle and lose all of this weight I've gained for the past 4 years. It's been really rough for me because I am a very anxious person and since I'm always stressed out I tend to eat crap ALL THE TIME.

I've been trying to "start" this change and I somehow always end up in a situation where I just buy food or choose to eat whatever will make me happy at the moment

I've seen so many people just turn the switch and completely change what they eat but that's so hard for me to do! Anyway, if anyone wants to add me on here that would be great. I like seeing other people's posts and motivation to keep me going. Have a nice day!

I was in completely the same oat when I started. Slow and steady wins the race! MFP will help motivate you and notice where you're going wrong