Advice for Getting Started

kbeaumont88

Long story short.. about 2 years ago I lost 30 pounds and was doing great and almost to goal weight, able to run 3 miles at a time.. and now here I am almost 2 years later and I am at the highest weight of my life and up 70 pounds. Obviously I have lost weight before and I did it by counting calories- sticking around 1200 and working out doing the Couch to 5k (eating back exercise calories). As simple as it sounds to just start doing that again... I am having a hard time.

I don't want to do anything drastic and I want to make this lasting thing this time and get back to how I was.. I am just having trouble starting, like I don't know how to start or something. Anyone have any advice? Any types of "cleanses" (I don't like that word) just to jump start me back to feeling good again and involved in the process? Again, not looking for a quick fix, just ways people found it easy to get started and feel motivated?

Thanks! I have about 80 pounds to lose. 5'2

malibu927

"Cleanses" won't do anything. If you don't think 1200 is a good amount for you, you can lower your deficit and have more calories to eat. You've done it before, so you know what you need to do. Good luck!

RoxieDawn

No to cleanses. Go back to your grass roots 2 years ago and start there. But now you need to focus on today and look ahead into the future in order to make each day from here on out look like each day in your future.

Keep up the exercise and do it every day and see your self doing it in the future. Just like you get out of bed and brush your teeth, see your self running or exercising weekly and the habits you learn from calorie counting, move those same habits into maintenance when you meet your goals.

NO CLEANSES.. NO JUMP STARTTING.... JUST START and use your past knowledge ... so begin!!!!!!!!!

Ready2Rock206

No to the cleanses or any other ridiculous nonsense. You're not a car - you don't need a jump start. Just start logging - no drastic changes - bite it, write it - build that habit!

jkal1979

No need for a cleanse. Your liver and kidneys do the job just fine and you don't have to pay them.

If you are having a hard time with 1200 then adjust your weekly weight loss goal. Try setting it to 1.5 or 1 pound a week. That will give you more calories. The important thing is to have a sustainable goal.

Read the announcements on here and the General Weight Loss board so you are familiar with how MFP works and get into the habit of logging accurately. Even if you lost the weight before by using this site/app it will be a good refresher.

LLT38

The important thing is to find eating habits that are sustainable in the long run. You lost a lot 2 years ago which is fantastic. But then you gained 70 lbs which is about half a person on a 5'2 frame. You will need to find out why you are going to such extremes with your eating and handle those issues. Then you will be able to create a sustainable way to live - eating and exercise.

dubird

First off, a cleanse isn't going to help. And, in some cases, can hurt you. Unless you're doing one that the doctor gave you in preparation for a medical procedure, save your money and skip it.

Other advice:

- It's ok to start slow and build. What I did was weigh and log EVERYTHING for a week before I cut anything, just to see where my patterns were. That let me see what times of the day I was eating, and gave me ideas for what to cut down on. Then, I picked one thing to change, and gave myself a couple weeks to get used to it. Then, changed something else. Start slow and create a foundation to build on. It takes longer, but you'll feel better the entire time instead of being hungry and desperately craving favorite foods. You don't have to cut out foods, simply cut down on HOW MUCH you eat of them.

- Exercise IS NOT required for weight loss. It's good for many other things, and if you can exercise, make sure to add it. But don't rely on it for weight loss. Focus on calories in for now, and if you're not exercising, add that in slowly when you can. It will help you get you body healthy, and learning to lift will help you tone muscles, which will make your body composition better, but if you don't relearn eating habits, it's not going to help that much.

- Don't rely on others for your motivation. External motivation and support is great, but sporadic. You're not going to have someone call you up 2-3 times a day to offer encouragement unless you pay them. So you need to learn to motivate yourself. The way to do that is to take a good, honest look at why YOU want to lose weight. It doesn't have to be 'to get healthy' either. Find that reason and make it your motivation. Mine was I didn't like that I looked fat in my wedding pictures. And since it's on my work desk, that means I was constantly looking at it. Now that I've lost weight, it's also a reminder of where I was and to not let myself get there again. So find your own reason and motivation, and you'll always be able to pick yourself back up when you make mistakes.

- And you WILL make mistakes. Days you go over by accident, celebrations and holidays, sick days, etc. EVERYONE has off days. It doesn't make you a failure and won't sabotage your progress unless you let it. When you make a mistake, learn from it, log it, and start fresh next meal/day. It's a lesson that's hard for a lot of people to learn, including me, but once you internalize it, things become MUCH easier!

Bishbosh33

Try not to focus on too much at once! If you try cutting your food intake at the same time you are exercising more, you'll be starving and will probably fail. Either give yourself a few weeks to establish some healthier eating habits and shrink your stomach, or hit focus on your exercise and try compound exceed use that build muscle rather than cardio.

dcshima

@kbeaumont88 take scientific approach figure out your TDEE with whatever activity you are at then subtract 20% to get at fat loss range. I find adding macro approach 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fats helps to keep me full, generally. Hitting protein is first priority when meal planning, feel free to friend me, 60 lbs down 7 months, 60 lbs to go!