Advice

Gandalfdafab

Hi there, I'm 21 and I weigh about 190lbs. I've tried to lose weight before by changing my diet and exercising but eventually I stopped and went back to my old, unhealthy habits. I want to get back into exercising again but I don't feel motivated enough to do so. Does anyone have any tips on how I can become more motivated to start exercising and essentially change my lifestyle? Also, how can I make sure that I stay on track this time and don't quit again?

Thanks, any advice would be appreciated.


Also, yes I am Gandalf and, yes I am fabulous.

shazymazy

Hi I am also starting out today. After 5 years of trying every diet under the sun. I am well aware that I don't do any exercise at all and like that lack the motivation. I am however joining a bootcamp on Monday and plan to go 3x a week. I am skeptical about counting calories on this app though as think sometimes you aren't able to track exactly the foods you eat. Have you used this app before? I want to lose around 40lbs so we should help each other!

999tigger

1. Read up and get a good understanding of how it works and then you will know what needs doing.
2. Take some time to devise a plan that works for you and maybe pass it by other people on here if you wnat feedback.
3. make gradual changes so you can adjust and adapt, then you will need to keep doing that.
4. Change your mindset so your mind is prepared for a long journey not just a few weeks. 1lb a week can give you a very rough idea on how long it might take. So lest say 60 weeks, it could take even longer than that, just get used to the idea and that here will be ups and downs along the way.
5. Make small targets and many of them not just weight related. Tape measure, mirror, performance at gym etc can all motivate about progress.
6. Do it one day at a time and break it down into mini diets as well so every 10lbs or treat each month as a new diet. This helps keep your focus and you simply do the best you cna each day.
7. Moderate rather than restrict. If you are too aggressive or unrealistic or impatient then these can lead to giving up, getting bored running out of patience or frustration. Avoid by principally just reducing the amount you eat and changing to a balanced healthy diet.
8. Get some scales and weigh then log your food.
9. If you have bad days dont fret just do better the day after.

Its all about consistent accurate deficits so keep it simple and do the basics well. Progress will motivate you, so be supportive of yourself and patient.
Good luck.

These are good starts.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

jennifer_417

The thing is: You're not always going to feel motivated. What works is making the decision to do it whether you feel motivated or not.

oh_happy_day

jennifer_417 wrote: »

The thing is: You're not always going to feel motivated. What works is making the decision to do it whether you feel motivated or not.

This is very true for me. I don't feel motivated to go to the gym after work at least half the time. But I go anyway, because I've committed to it.

Make small, sustainable changes. Don't treat this like a diet, treat it like a lifestyle change. Don't over restrict your food intake or burn yourself with huge amounts of exercise if you're not used to it, that'll lead to falling off the wagon.

Gandalfdafab

I agree. Thank you everyone for your advice!