Where do I even start.!

Carterlady1221

When I say this is the first time I've been serious about this I mean it! What are some meals y'all eat for breakfast? Some snacks you guys eat? How often do you "weigh in", and as far as workouts... What are some good home workouts? I have a treadmill but I don't have enough cardio to actually run yet.. Anything helps, knowledge is power!

madhatter2013

Carterlady1221 wrote: »

When I say this is the first time I've been serious about this I mean it! What are some meals y'all eat for breakfast? Some snacks you guys eat? How often do you "weigh in", and as far as workouts... What are some good home workouts? I have a treadmill but I don't have enough cardio to actually run yet.. Anything helps, knowledge is power!

What does this mean?

Carterlady1221

It means my cardio isn't built up to running... No matter how much I seem to walk on the treadmill once I start running I get very faint and light headed

Matt200goal

Carterlady1221 - start with walking, then walking with it on an incline, then walk/run splits, and you'll work your way up to running. There are some Apps like "Couch to 5K" that have specific plans. I weigh in everyday - hopefully that keeps me on track for the day. Not getting on the scale everyday meant I wasn't holding myself accountable. Hope that helps. Omitting any answers on food & diet because I am working on cleaning up my own eating habits, but I think I know enough to say that you can't out-exercise a bad diet, it's got to start there (and I'm still very much working on that part).

Carterlady1221

Matt200goal wrote: »

Carterlady1221 - start with walking, then walking with it on an incline, then walk/run splits, and you'll work your way up to running. There are some Apps like "Couch to 5K" that have specific plans. I weigh in everyday - hopefully that keeps me on track for the day. Not getting on the scale everyday meant I wasn't holding myself accountable. Hope that helps. Omitting any answers on food & diet because I am working on cleaning up my own eating habits, but I think I know enough to say that you can't out-exercise a bad diet, it's got to start there (and I'm still very much working on that part).

How long should I walk for? Sorry for so many questions.. I seriously have no idea where to even start. This is like a whole new world to me. I never thought I'd actually want to be fit and healthy. But something clicked last night that made me want to get started, I usually get a Pepsi every morning and today I got a water instead! Baby steps!

madhatter2013

Carterlady1221 wrote: »

It means my cardio isn't built up to running... No matter how much I seem to walk on the treadmill once I start running I get very faint and light headed

Oh so your endurance is crap. Okay, gotcha. I was this way too. Calesthenics helped me a bunch with that. I weigh in every morning, but I've also been doing this for a couple years and only weigh every day to see how, what I ate the day before, affected me overnight. I would recommend weighing once a week, take measurements and photos once a month, and lift heavy if you can. My day usually consists of about 400 grams of fruit for breakfast, a very tastey salad for lunch and a bigger dinner (family of 6 so I cook for an army).

Carterlady1221

madhatter2013 wrote: »

Carterlady1221 wrote: »

It means my cardio isn't built up to running... No matter how much I seem to walk on the treadmill once I start running I get very faint and light headed

Oh so your endurance is crap. Okay, gotcha. I was this way too. Calesthenics helped me a bunch with that. I weigh in every morning, but I've also been doing this for a couple years and only weigh every day to see how, what I ate the day before, affected me overnight. I would recommend weighing once a week, take measurements and photos once a month, and lift heavy if you can. My day usually consists of about 400 grams of fruit for breakfast, a very tastey salad for lunch and a bigger dinner (family of 6 so I cook for an army).

Thank you very much, and If you don't mind my asking what is calesthenics? Im seriously new to all of this.

Matt200goal

Try the Couch to 5K App if you can get it - it's pretty specific and built for someone just beginning. Good on you for dropping the soda. I'm about 3 weeks clean from it - makes a huge difference I think. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step!

kami3006

I highly recommend reading the stickied threads in the weightloss & fitness sections. They will get you started off well.

madhatter2013

Carterlady1221 wrote: »

madhatter2013 wrote: »

Carterlady1221 wrote: »

It means my cardio isn't built up to running... No matter how much I seem to walk on the treadmill once I start running I get very faint and light headed

Oh so your endurance is crap. Okay, gotcha. I was this way too. Calesthenics helped me a bunch with that. I weigh in every morning, but I've also been doing this for a couple years and only weigh every day to see how, what I ate the day before, affected me overnight. I would recommend weighing once a week, take measurements and photos once a month, and lift heavy if you can. My day usually consists of about 400 grams of fruit for breakfast, a very tastey salad for lunch and a bigger dinner (family of 6 so I cook for an army).

Thank you very much, and If you don't mind my asking what is calesthenics? Im seriously new to all of this.

Calesthenics are bodyweight excersices that you can do in your living room (if you have the space and furniture).

http://bodyweighttrainingarena.com/basic-calisthenics-workout-routine-for-begginers/

mbaker566

I weigh every day. keeping in mind weight loss is not a straight line
I log to the best of my ability, weighing food for accurate intake
I second the c25k app. I was not a runner. because of the app, I am a jogger. I also just started the 10k version because why stop.
my 'diet' is trying to eat plenty of fruits and veggies and whole foods. and I just eat what fits in my calorie allotment.
my snacks are usually fruit.

also read the stickies in the forums. lots of good information

ka97

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

As for the running.....If you really want to run, I would suggest getting outside. I do understand the appeal of the treadmill, and I did start with one. But once I began running outside, it got easier. Start with couch to 5k, or something similar, which will begin with walk-run intervals and build progressively. And don't worry about speed. Run at a comfortable pace, one that you could hold a conversation with. My guess as to the faint/light headed is that you may be trying to run too fast. Or it may be too warm/stuffy in the room that you are in. Or you may not have eaten enough prior to working out. But my first guess is too fast.

Personally I eat greek yogurt every morning for breakfast - I have a chocolate peanut butter and a blueberry version that I flavor using protein powder. But you can really eat pretty much whatever works for you and your goals. I weigh several times a week, but I track over the long haul and don't worry much about the day to day fluctuations. I don't really do "home workouts" unless you count running or biking outside. In the winter if the roads are icy I do this deck of cards bodyweight thing. Our cable service has a lot of free "on demand" workout programs; I've thought about trying them, but never have.

Everyone is different, and there is a lot of trial and error in the beginning as you figure out what is going to work for you.

Ishii19

I would also add - best thing to start off with is weigh, take pictures, and measure yourself. That way in a month when you are sure none of your hard work is paying off, at least one of those things will prove you wrong A lot of us are slow to see change in ourselves, and often it doesn't show up first where you most expect it. But progress is great - notice and celebrate every step on the way to getting healthier.
Other than that - the basics are log everything you eat, pick some exercise that makes you feel good and proud of yourself and you know you can stick to - and then just live your life with those small changes, and watch how they can have big effects
Good luck!

AmyRhubarb

I would start by logging food as accurately as possible, and tell yourself right now that this is a learning process - you will not have a perfect diary every day, and you will not form new habits overnight. The beauty of having the diary at your fingertips is being able to look back over a day/week/month and see where you did well, and where you can make improvements. Are you meeting your calorie goal every day or coming in way under or over? Is what you're eating leaving you feeling satisfied? Where are places you could improve - higher proteins throughout the day, was that 600 calorie muffin worth it (I can't think of any muffin that is worth 600 cals, I'd rather have a donut!), could I be satisfied with half a serving of chips at lunch and stay within goal? Stuff like that. It's a learning process for sure.

As far as exercise, gotta try different things. I highly recommend and have had my best success doing a combination of strength/resistance training and cardio. Body weight exercises are a great place to start if you're not currently doing any exercise at all, and a great place to find lots of free workouts is FitnessBlender.com. You can search for workouts by length, type, body focus, strength/cardio/stretching, etc, and they are great for all levels. Check 'em out.

Overall, it's pretty simple: eat your calories (aim for GOAL, which is something to strive for, not fall well short of, remember that!), drink plenty of water, reasonable exercise (no need to go gonzo and burn yourself out in two weeks), take rest days, and get good sleep.

I think someone else mentioned taking photos - DO IT. You don't have to share them with anyone, but they are a great way to gauge progress when the scale doesn't seem to be playing along, and there will be days when the scale messes with your head, so don't let it. Take measurements as well - I dropped a full size without losing a pound - the tape tells a truer story of progress than the scale will.

And be patient. You want results that last, right? So be in it for life, make sustainable changes, not temporary ones, and roll with the punches when they come. You can do it!

3blues1978

If you have a treadmill, try the Lolo Treadmill app. It's like your own personal trainer, great workouts and she is always changing them up for you.

Steve_ApexNC

Carterlady1221 wrote: »

When I say this is the first time I've been serious about this I mean it! What are some meals y'all eat for breakfast? Some snacks you guys eat? How often do you "weigh in", and as far as workouts... What are some good home workouts? I have a treadmill but I don't have enough cardio to actually run yet.. Anything helps, knowledge is power!

Most folks lock their food diary to just friends, but you can find a few who are public (mine is) and build some friends here. You can then look at their food diaries to get ideas. There are also recipe and food related groups on MFP. There are cooking sites for ideas as well - foodnetwork, cooking light, all recipes, etc. Just make sure you measure/weigh food correctly and be honest with logging calories eaten. I find it better to have a basic food plan each week - helps with hitting calorie targets and limiting grocery store runs to once per week. I pretty much cook from scratch with a few exceptions such as pasta and bread (although I do make those, just not regularly). Others figure it out on the fly and lean more towards prepackaged food such as lean cuisines, etc. Some prepackage their breakfast and lunch the day before so they can just grab and go in the morning. Point is, there are various approaches that you can try to find out what works best for you. Scroll through the threads here and poke into some groups and you will have more info than you can handle in a very short time.

It takes time to work up to running when your body isn't used to it. Beyond just cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, you musculature and joints need to work up to it as well. I have been on a slow trend to build up to running on my treadmill. The main thing is you need to build a base rate and then start progressively add stress (speed, incline, time) a little at a time. As your body adapts, you can up your base rate and start the stress process over. How long it takes is totally up to where you are now and how quickly your body adapts. Try to enjoy the journey and don't expect to be running 6 minute miles in a month. Of course, you don't have to run. There are plenty of activities that will give you a good cardio workout...pick one you enjoy. Whatever you roll with, I am sure you can find a related group here or elsewhere on the web.

Also, take some time to read a bit about nutrition and exercise. "Nutrition for Dummies" by Carol Ann Rinzler is a good basic nutrition book. She covers way more than you will ever want/need to know about food and how the body processes and uses it. I like the articles Lyle McDonald at bodyrecomposition.com. I am sure you can find some decent books/articles about whatever activity interests you. Just read with a critical eye and if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

dubird

The links above are good, but the thing is, you have to find what works for you. Getting suggestions from others is helpful, it can give you ideas of things that have worked for others, but you need to experiment and find your own method.


For me, I started very slow. I logged for a couple of weeks without changing anything to see what my baseline was and find patterns. Then I started with one change: swapped out soda for unsweet tea with Equal. That knocked 200-300 calories out of my day with one change (and a change i like, since i like tea with equal). After a week or so to get used to that, I changed something else. I ended up going through all the restaurants around where I worked to determine which meals would fit under a set calorie amount for lunch, and I found a lot of different options that I liked. My breakfast is pretty much the same thing every day, so that makes things eaiser for me. I like to keep most of my calories for evening for dinner with HSpoon, and after 3 years of doing this, it takes a lot less food to satisfy me at meals now so a lot of times, I still end up with calories at the end of the day. The point is that this is not a diet. You're making a change to your eating habits, which means that your weight loss will be long term, not come back on like when you stop a diet. If you take the time to retrain your brain and your body to what a proper portion is and how much of something is appropriate, it will serve you for the rest of your life.

Exercise is also not needed for weight loss, though it is good for other things. That's part of the reason I had trouble losing weight before. I'm essentially a lazy person who has bad asthma (which gave me an excuse to stay lazy!) Having to build in exercise into my day when I have other things I want to do always frustrated me and I would give up. Learning that I didn't HAVE to exercise to lose weight meant I could stick with this. I've added walking now because I had to take physed class and walking was the easiest one. It did help with my asthma, so now I keep walking to try and get that under better control. The fact that it does help burn extra calories is good, but that's not why I'm doing it. So if you're intimidated by adding exercise, focus on your eating first. Then, if you want to start, walking is a good way. Go outside, pick a direction, and walk for 10 minutes. Doesn't have to be fast, pick a comfortable pace. Turn around and walk back. Congratulations, you've just had a 20 minute walk! Once you get used to that, you can up your pace or up your time doing it. Getting started is always the hardest thing, but if you take it slow, you can ease into it and it'll be easier to keep at it.

And yes, this method has been very slow. It's taken me about 3 years to lose almost 50lbs, but in doing so, my eating habits are better, I've been able to keep eating things I like by just learning what a portion is and sticking with it, and I'm confident that when I hit my goal, I'll be able to stay within my range without much trouble. That's worth so much more to me than just losing the weight!

Carterlady1221

Thank you all very much for your kind words and encouragement!!!