Overwhelmed

baileykatrina

Does anyone else come on here to read blogs/message boards and see what everyone is doing then become overwhelmed by it all? I'm still in this sort of "planning" stage, looking at what others are doing, trying to create a meal plan, exercise, etc. I wish it was more simple. I feel lost. lol

jgnatca

I am well past the overwhelmed stage. I have some ideas to make this all manageable. I suggest making one habit change a week, slowly integrating new ways of doing things over time. Re-evaluate every week if you want to modify an existing habit or start a new one.

1. First week, just get used to weighing and tracking. Log all your food. Weigh all your food. Don't make any overt attempt to change how you eat.
2. Week two, review the log. Did MFP give you any red numbers? Look at those days and consider how you might change your diet to stay within the guidelines. Make some small changes to your diet.
3. Decide what you want to change next based on your results.
4. For exercise, I suggest being open to try something new every week, and then keep doing those things you really enjoyed. For instance, try a spin class, belly dancing, Zumba, walking, running, swimming, team sport, individual sport, hiking, weight lifting, bowling, ballroom dancing, yoga, Pilates, HIIT....whatever is going on in your neighbourhood and looks interesting.

The way our minds work, we can only keep eight or nine discrete ideas rolling in our heads at once (short term memory). Being smart, we have created things like lists to make this job that much easier. But really, trying to incorporate dozens of ideas all at once is just too much. Every small change leads to bigger change and habits don't have to be remembered. We just do them.

Chaagy

It can be confusing. I would start with just logging, and then getting to a place where you are meeting your calorie goals. Most people say, the best thing they ever did, was start logging their meals. It teaches you so much.

As you get used to that, start tweaking so that your meeting other goals - your macros, sodium, nutrients - whatever is important for you. Then add in excercise.
Interested in low carb and trying it out, research it, and try it out. Wanna paleo... try it. Wanna clean eat... go for it.

The thing is, there is no perfect plan. Only a plan that is right for you. And only you can find that out. I eat a lot of asian food, dim sum - that I won't give up. I'm not sure if there is a perfect plan on MFP that someone has laid out that includes those things - and if I ask for advice, I'll get a hundred different responses from "Don't sweat it" to "You need to cut those things out of your life, man!".

Only I can find out how to fit those things into my life, if they are important to me (BTW, I can fit them in... perfectly for me).

Remember, never let the quest for perfection prevent you from doing what is good. It may not be perfect, but it's good... and that's good enough. Just start.

rileysowner

How about rather than planning out a meal plan to start, you simply start logging what you eat. That is all. If you are over your calories goal, look at what you are eating and cut back or change things then to get to your calorie goal.

elaineamj

I started very small - focusing on easy wins to fuel my confidence. Still taking it all step by step and almost at the end of my first month. Overall, I am feeling GREAT!

CaffeinatedConfectionist

If you focus on how much weight you have to lose and how long it will take to accomplish, it can definitely get overwhelming and seem impossible. Just try to take things a day at a time; pick a simple task, like the poster above suggested, and become comfortable with that change before moving on to the next step. No one wants to be told to take baby steps, especially when someone is impatient to lose as much weight as quickly as possible, but it's important to establish sustainable habits that you can maintain, well, for the rest of your life. It's not a quick fix.

For me, I had to learn how to figure out how much I was eating on a given day and how much I SHOULD be eating. I had to learn how to incorporate exercise into my routine and eventually learn about resistance training and why it matters. I had to find exercise that I find enjoyable and that is not a chore, and I had to keep at that routine long enough that it became a habit. I had to learn about macros and why they matter. I had to learn what foods provide satiety. I had to learn what foods or what stressors are triggers, how to avoid them, and what to do when life happens anyway. I had to learn how to brush off criticism or snark if I don't eat the snacks at work. I had to learn that for me to be successful I need to pre-log my meals so that I'm not coming home from work tired and hungry and making stupid choices.

It takes some time to figure out what habits, routines, foods, and workouts work for you and will be sustainable. But if you try to make all those changes at once, it can be overwhelming and make it that much more tempting to throw in the towel.

nutmegoreo

I agree with the others. Just start with logging. That in itself will be eye opening. It was for many of us. There were so many things I was eating and really not understanding how high they were in calories. I still eat them, just not as much. As you log you will notice where you could make changes. Make those changes, and repeat.

jgnatca

A big eye opener for me is how much sodium is in fast food. When I'm cooking I can control the sodium and fat content of my food much more easily.

baileykatrina

This is all such wonderful advice. I think I am a bit of a perfectionist and want to try to do everything right and all at once. I started this week eating a healthy breakfast and drinking more water. It's interesting how a healthy breakfast will fill you up. I've not even been hungry by lunch time most days. I have A LOT to learn about nutrition. One day at a time seems best. I've learned a lot about myself even in these last few days. Definitely an eye opener. I need to track my food. I was doing that before but stopped.

ahoy_m8

Another vote for logging first. Without changing anything else. Before planning. Once you have a week or two of logging you can look back on, there may be a couple obvious things that would be easy to work into your plan. I also am a huge believer that small things done faithfully make the biggest difference in the long term. So start small & manageable. You can do it!

It can seem overwhelming to read about minor tweaks others are working on. The major things, however, are really simple. Calories in & calories out is the foundation. Stay focused on CICO. You can tweak the minor things in order of importance when you have the majors under control. There are other versions of this pyramid, but here's the general idea.

TeaBea

jgnatca wrote: »

I am well past the overwhelmed stage. I have some ideas to make this all manageable. I suggest making one habit change a week, slowly integrating new ways of doing things over time. Re-evaluate every week if you want to modify an existing habit or start a new one.

1. First week, just get used to weighing and tracking. Log all your food. Weigh all your food. Don't make any overt attempt to change how you eat.
2. Week two, review the log. Did MFP give you any red numbers? Look at those days and consider how you might change your diet to stay within the guidelines. Make some small changes to your diet.
3. Decide what you want to change next based on your results.
4. For exercise, I suggest being open to try something new every week, and then keep doing those things you really enjoyed. For instance, try a spin class, belly dancing, Zumba, walking, running, swimming, team sport, individual sport, hiking, weight lifting, bowling, ballroom dancing, yoga, Pilates, HIIT....whatever is going on in your neighbourhood and looks interesting.

The way our minds work, we can only keep eight or nine discrete ideas rolling in our heads at once (short term memory). Being smart, we have created things like lists to make this job that much easier. But really, trying to incorporate dozens of ideas all at once is just too much. Every small change leads to bigger change and habits don't have to be remembered. We just do them.

This^

Logging what you already eat is such a good learning experience. You won't need to change most things, but other food choices may give you pause. Is that food really worth it? Can I do better?

If you don't currently exercise, adding it is hopefully a lifestyle change. Find something you enjoy doing, not something someone tells you that you have to do.

CyeRyn

One step at a time. Once you get to know more of what you want, planning will get easier. Dont try changing everything at once. It leaves too much room for failure. Just keep yourself motivated and know you can do it!! Good luck