how did you get started on your journey?

Winter_Girl92

As the title suggests how did you get started on your journey? I don't mean you 'ah ha' moment but what you did after you had that moment? I know the simple answer is eat less, move more but I am hoping for more specifics. Thank you.

ZeXea

Well I always literally assumed i'd stay the same weight. I really did, because i never really saw my weight move for like....8? years. Then one day, I stepped on the scale and saw I gained like 28lbs over what I normally weigh.

After that i started to do exercises, except I never really had before? So I googled how to exercise at home and saw 'running/walking up and down stairs is effective and quick'. So I began to do that in the morning before eating. Then I ate a little less than what I normally did. Then I started food logging (though lazily/not as strictly).
Then I took a break for a few months.
Then I took it back up to lose the last few bits. I was much more strict on food logging and being honest on it, I exercised harder/longer. I got a heart rate monitor for accurate calorie burning counting.

Took almost a full year but im almost at my goal. In the beginning half though it was a hard struggle.

tcarp8

My doctor suggested I lose weight and said he thought low-carb was they way to go. I've been doing it since September 1st

Winter_Girl92

Thank you for your reply. I have been counting calories on here on and off since july and just can't seem to stick with it. I am quite lazy about it sadly. I really do want to do better with it because I have gained about 3 kgs since the.n. and nearly 20kgs since I fell pregnant early last year so I know this weight is all me and not from the pregnancy.

malibu927

I realized I was only 10 years younger than my dad was when he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and I didn't want to follow him down that road. Made it my New Year's resolution. Three weeks later a friend told me about MFP, and I learned much more and kept myself from most likely quitting after a month or two.

ZeXea

Winter_Girl92 wrote: »

Thank you for your reply. I have been counting calories on here on and off since july and just can't seem to stick with it. I am quite lazy about it sadly. I really do want to do better with it because I have gained about 3 kgs since the.n. and nearly 20kgs since I fell pregnant early last year so I know this weight is all me and not from the pregnancy.

I was not completely strict and I did end up putting it on pause for some months (I maintained during that time though).

But a huge help was I was surrounded by fit people. They, knowingly or not, REALLY motivated me to get in shape/skinnier. And i have, EVERYONE has noticed, and it's a nice feeling.

Honestly the best suggestion I have is to make fit friends who will help you with GOOD advice and are even willing to work out with you. Its so much MUCH MUCH more fun with friends

VintageFeline

I came off psychoactive medications which had been contributing to me overeating and at the appointment where I told my doctor I'd tapered off we had a discussion about my weight and some potential health issues that were creeping in (my doctor is amazing and has never pressured me into anything, she gets I'm self aware and good at knowing what to do for myself). So I started eating less, sort of half heartedly keeping an eye on calories and lost about 8lbs then stalled. I decided enough was enough and to get serious, this probably conveniently coincided with a hypomanic episode and for once was used usefully!

I ordered Insanity, bought all of the contents of the fruit and veg aisle along with lean protein and got cracking. It was the discipline I needed to get going. I completed Insanity and now exercise 2-6 times a week depending on my mental health (currently having issues with panic attacks whilst running) and track religiously. It's all just habit now with the odd inevitable wobble. I started in April, just hit 210 days logging.

I say this to everyone, I'm nothing and no-one special, if I can do it with all the issues I have then anyone can. Once the mental attitude is in place you just have to keep going until it's no longer an effort, just a part of every day life, your new normal.

busyPK

I starting logging my food, and signed up for a 5k a couple months out. Having that pushed me to start walking and then jogging. I now jog a 5k charity race monthly and try to always beat my prior time.

LizaMarie78

I always been overweight and would lose weight and gain everything back and more. Until May of last year had labs done and the results said I was pre-diabetic. My dad and his side of the family are almost all diabetics and one of his sisters die of complications of it. That really made me wake up and start doing something. It's been a slow progress but I haven't quit and now I know how to eat and lose weight in a healthier way.

sunandmoons

I joined MFP a bit over 4 years ago. I started counting and got bored...quit and took up vinyasa yoga for a couple years off and on. Was in real good shape. Then got lazy. Working 9 hours a day and just quit caring. Moved across the country and started to think about caring more for my health. Ive been counting for about 2 and a half months and half way to my goal!

Celene67

The thing that is working for me this time -- I am not trying to stick to 1200 cals. That stupid number was stuck in my head and I couldn't do it. Well no kidding! I am looking at weekly averages now, stick to 1300ish per day on average - sometimes as high as 1500. As long as I stay under my TDEE I am pointed in the right direction. I am logging everything, even my "tiny snacks". It's becoming a hobby, looking up and logging food is fun in an odd way. I am getting rid of things that I can live without, if it's not delicious it's not worth it. Most of all.... I am losing slowly. 11 pounds in as many weeks and I am happy with that. I get to eat what I want, I am just mindful now, no stress.

ekruska802

A friend mentioned she was using MFP. Then she showed me the barcode scanner, which was fun. I thought, "hm, I wonder if this works?" and downloaded the app. I'm about 40 days in, and although I don't have a scale, I'm sure I'm progressing. My clothes fit better, and I feel happier in my skin. So - hooray for getting distracted by the shiny thing! (The barcode scanner)

riley4785

My 5 year old offhandedly called me fat. I don't think she meant it in a mean way, but meals are always a battle with her and midway through an eat something off your plate argument she said why so I can be big and fat like you someday. Ouch! The kids went back to school and I started walking with my babies every morning. I pulled out my food scale and started tracking every calorie. I'm 95+ days in and have lost 30+ lbs and am no longer obese. I'm just overweight! Yay!!! I got a Fitbit around day 45 and that has just pushed me to hit a daily exercise goal because it's so in your face when you're feeling lazy. I like the food scale because it lets me eat anything and know the cost of it so I can make choices. Honestly my kids pushed me to get going. And walking more has been such a good mood lifter I've kept at it.

Winter_Girl92

Thanks everyone for replying. Do any of you plan your meals for the week? I have good intentions to but I suck at planning anything haha

lynn_glenmont

After getting some blood test results at a work health screening that caused me concern, I called a wellness coach through my employer health insurance, and she recommended MFP. I immediately started logging and trying to stay within my calorie goal, on a weekly average if not daily. I really didn't have any rules for what I could and couldn't eat, just that I had to log everything. Eventually I started focusing on hitting protein and fiber goals as well, and checking my micronutrients at the end of the day and taking a multivitamin if things don't look good. I did stop getting candy and chips from the vending machine at work for a while, which was something I had been in the habit of doing almost daily, and found some lower calorie snacks that did more for hitting the macro and micro goals I worry about. These days, the vending machine isn't off limits, but it seldom tempts me away from the nuts, mini bags of microwave popcorn, roasted seaweed, etc. that I keep at my desk.

On the "moving more" side, the day that I got the blood test results, I began walking to a subway stop at the end of the day that wasn't the closest one to my office. I began taking walks in the evening and on the weekends. I set a weekly goal for minutes of physical activity and calories to burn, and if I wasn't hitting my goals and I felt it was too late to go for a walk, I'd turn on music and dance in my living room. That was really all I did for the first three months or so--about the first 25 lbs to 30 lbs. It was only after that I found a gym (I've belonged to gyms in the past, but the last one was sold and the new owners wanted me to pay a new initiation fee, and since that ticked me off and I wasn't going that often, I quit).

The "aha moment" was 27 months, and though I really haven't lost much more weight to speak of -- I've gone up and down in a range of about 15 lbs below that initial 30 lb loss -- I have maintained the 30 lb loss and little more for about two years, which I see as a huge victory.

cbeau1991

I went in to get my yearly checkup and realized that I had gained nearly 20 lbs in a year. (It was my first year of grad school and I had developed some unhealthy habits.) I was overweight as a kid and it really freaked me out. I have a friend who lost like 30 pounds with MFP, so I gave it a shot.

fuelednfit

After the ah ah moment which was more like a oh oh moment I took a teeny tiny step at the time. I started with small things once it was mastered I moved on to the next one. For example at first I stopped drinking juices or caloric drink. Then I tried to remove what I considered non essential
in my diet. Like ice cream or cake for dessert and replaced with a fruit. I still ate big portions and didn't count calories. I was just swapping the processed junk food for healthier options. Then I started portion control and calorie counting. Once the food was more or less in control I started moving more seriously. That's the thing I still struggle with but I am getting better at being consistent. It's not a quick thing I have been at it seriously for 1.5years but I am slowly and steadily going down. Went from a size 18 to 10 and still going for another 40 to 50lbs lower no matter how long it takes. One step at a time swap your bad habits for better ones

lynn_glenmont

Winter_Girl92 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for replying. Do any of you plan your meals for the week? I have good intentions to but I suck at planning anything haha

Not really. Of course, when I go grocery shopping and buy fresh produce or meat/poultry/fish that I don't plan on freezing, I generally have some idea of what I'm going to do with it, or if I decide to bake bread or cook beans or make a big batch of something (e.g., stew, soup, casserole) that will last for several meals, I generally will plan on that being the basis of meals during the week, but I don't get the sense that's exactly what most people mean when they talk about meal planning, which sounds much more structured and something they do before they ever get to the grocery store, and maybe includes pre-logging all of those planned meals. Or maybe I'm wrong about what other people mean by meal planning.

Montepulciano

Realized that my weight was out of control. Started looking at the Zone Diet, came here thinking it would be a good place to track what I was eating, some personal accountability. Read a lot of the forums and realized it was less a matter of what you eat, but how much and that you have to burn more than you eat. Other than that there is no one true way, and you have to find what works for you. I put back a few things back into my diet. A few weeks ago I added in walking regularly, usually 6 out of 7 days. I find for me, layering in new habits works better than trying to be perfect at everything at once. Hope something in there helps you.

threadmad

I started just by logging for a couple of weeks. That showed me where my food intake was not so good, and I started choosing foods I like that kept me within my macros and calorie goal. I know from past experience that I will not stick to a diet that says eat this, don't eat that. I am sticking to a way of eating that includes eating less of things I would normally eat, and eliminating foods I ate just because they were convenient when I was hungry. I'm changing my life, not dieting.

Machka9

Winter_Girl92 wrote: »

As the title suggests how did you get started on your journey? I don't mean you 'ah ha' moment but what you did after you had that moment? I know the simple answer is eat less, move more but I am hoping for more specifics. Thank you.

I signed up with MFP, entered my information, had a look at the max calories MFP gave me (and choked a little bit), and then kept my calories under that amount for that day.

I decided to stick with it for 2 weeks. If nothing happened in those 2 weeks, and I didn't figure it would, I would chalk it up to perimenopause and resign myself to the fact that I would be overweight for the rest of my life.

Within 2 weeks, I had lost 1 kg. So I figured I'd stick with it for a full month. By the end of the month I had lost a total of 4 kg. So I figured I'd stick with it for a total of 4 months. I lost a total of 15 kg in those 4 months. I took a 1-month break, and then resumed ...

I'm stubborn, and when I decide to stick with something, I stick with it.


But I will add that 2 months prior to starting with MFP, I had already increased my exercise. I love exercising, so that part was easy.

rankinsect

For me, I think the key way I got started (and continued) was to add a little bit of structure to my eating.

I started with calorie counting, something I'd done before, but what really changed this time was:
1. I'm being reasonable with my goals. The last time I was counting calories, I was 350 pounds and trying to eat 1350 calories per day. Not at all reasonable, and I was (for good reason) always starving. I lost fast before (too fast, actually) but it never stuck. This time I started at around 1900 per day, which was still aggressive but not too aggressive - I lose about as fast as I can safely lose without risking health or too much lean mass, and I'm rarely all that hungry.

2. I have a plan. I still make sure that every day, my meals are logged in advance for the next day. This really keeps me on track - I know what I'll eat and when.

3. I track success and failure. It sounds silly, but I use Habitica, which is a game that involves you creating tasks that you want to do, and rewards you like an RPG - experience, levels, gold, gear, etc. It's actually a good feeling when I get to click a little "I did that" on my page and see myself gaining XP.

4. I became active in this community, rather than just a user of the app without any interaction with others. I think that kind of focus helps me keep on target, and it's nice to motivate others and have them motivate you.

5. I planned how I would respond to failure, temptation, and frustration. I think this is key - even if you start with perfect intentions, reality is messier. Going over one day is a minor stumble, allowing that one day to progress into a week, month, or year of not caring is devastating. At least two prior attempts failed because I was frustrated at "plateaus" that really, in retrospect, were likely nothing more than prolonged water retention that I could have waited out if I hadn't gotten impatient and frustrated. This time I approached this with a different perspective - this isn't something I'm doing for a limited time, it's my new life, and the only real time limit is the number of years of life I have left.

Asher_Ethan

I was convinced I could prove to the world that a calorie does not equal a calorie and if I ate paleo while losing .5 pounds a week doing MFP I was going to lose 20 pounds in a month (I was such an idiot). 1 month in and only 4 pounds down I started getting on the MFP forums and learned everything I thought I knew about weightloss was a lie.

choppie70

I started two years ago when a Nephrologist told me the pain I was feeling in my flank was "just because of the extra weight." So I bought a new pair of sneakers that day and lost 26 lbs. She was wrong of course, the pain in my flank was a big ole kidney stone stuck in my ureter. It took 5 day surgeries to get the stone out. During that time, my grandfather passed away, then my dad had a stroke and passed a month later. I was devastated by the loss of my dad. Then two months later my uncle died and my mother sold the house I grew up in. Needless to say , with all the emotional stuff I gained all the weight I lost and more back.

This May, my fitbit flex broke so my husband surprised me with a new ChargeHR. It kind of motivated me to get my grove going again. Then I saw a picture of what I actually looked like and I went full force.

This time I am not depriving myself of anything I really want, I just fit it into my calorie goal. That has made all the difference and I feel like I got it this time.

daniwilford

The first thing I did, upon release from the hospital on March 8, 2015, was give up Pepsi and began counting carbs. On my follow up visit to the Doctor, he said I could avoid going on yet another medication if I lost 20% of my body weight. I began walking. I began to make serious changes in my diet and began counting calories. By September 8, 2015, I had lost 20% of my body weight, was averaging 30 miles of walking a week, and doing strength training 3 times a week. Not only did I not have to start another medication, but I have discontinued another and cut the dosage in half for yet another. I am over half way to goal and feel much better mentally and physically. I do not "plan" meals, but I do pre-log a treat some days, do batch cooking, so there is always something in the freezer that is easy and quick to heat and eat, and keep the refrigerator stocked with no fat dairy, fruits and vegetables.

COMMANDO33

Picked up my gym bag aand went to the gym

healthy_hermione

I had seen my nutritionist a few days earlier and she gave me a list of healthy snack/dinner ideas so I went to the grocery store and bought a ton of healthy food. Started going to fitness classes at my gym and eating better.

cupcakesplz

I hold off from eating snacks in the morning. That was my start

MommyL2015

Got a treadmill and started walking. I didn't really start paying attention to my food until I lost about 20 pounds and got stuck, then found this fine place.

Unknown

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allaboutthefood

I finally stepped on the dreaded scale, I knew it was going to be bad, but I was ready for it! So on Feb 22 2015 I WOKE up at 295 lbs, looked at my husband and said NO MORE! That night I joined MFP. I took over the cooking and the shopping. I started with cutting out pop and juice, than tea, now I pretty much only drink water. I spent a lot of time on the internet, researching and finding healthier recipes to much loved recipes and foods. I also starting moving a lot more, and starting eating throughout the day. I plan, shop and cook for a family of 5, we are on a very tight budget and can not afford to eat different things, so we all pretty much eat the same foods. I am nearly 60 lbs and my husband has lost close to 30 lbs on diet alone, and the kids are also much healthier.