So overwhelmed... where do I start

jenniferbissette7

Hi everyone,
I have realised that I don't do diets very well. I start off good but slowly fall off track.
I'm 41 years old and need help. Any advice.

CindyLC2015

Hi. I'm in the same boat except 2 years older. I'm hoping a community of people that get it will help

upgrade_2_fit

I am in no shape to give you advice but the one thing that worked for me in the past was prepping food. I already had all my meals set up and so I didn't have a reason to fall off track. I jinxed myself when I was on my journey last year when I went on vacation. I thought I would be able to get back in the swing of things and I never did. I am just now getting back on my journey. I am disappointed I stopped working on myself but I feel good about getting back on track. I wish you luck on your journey.

cmriverside

Just take baby steps.

1. Log all your food this week. Every bite. Don't even worry about *what* you are eating. Study your food log and adjust.

I think the biggest mistake people make is trying to change everything in their lives regarding food and exercise. They go "all in," and then find it's too much to change. Small changes work better. The weight didn't come on over-night and it isn't going to change over-night. Just start with educating yourself on how many calories you need and what foods will help you achieve that goal.

ta-da

Adc7225

Welcome to MFP! Great start, what worked for me was sort of starting on a clean slate. Though I never dieted but just hearing so many different things can make you crazy and confused. So start by allowing yourself to say - I know nothing about eating right and maintaining a healthy weight.

Start by logging what you eat, getting a food scale will be the best thing you can do for yourself. Once you start really logging what you are eating and start realizing how evil and sneaky calories are because they can hide in massive amounts in the smallest things. Then you can then start seeing where you can realistically cut calories for the long run. I'm not saying it will be easy in the beginning but it does become less overwhelming and easier as time goes by.

I had to look at my relationship with food the same as other unhealthy relationships and realize that it had to be re-established with new terms and goals.

Best wishes.

pjhankin

Hi Jennifer. I started with ambitions of 2lb per week then 1lb and was falling way short. I then used MFP and went for 0.5lb per week and found that it was easier to keep under the calorie goal to the point that I was losing more. I like rice, pasta, bread etc but rather than cut out completely, I reduced the amount I was having and ate a little more veg and salad - not a drastic change. I also increased my exercise - GRADUALLY, rather than going all out, as I knew that regular failure to reach over ambitious goals would result in failure. So, I eat a varied diet (good and bad), watch my portions and make sure I exercise regularly. Don't forget, it's not all diet - introduce simple but regular exercise and increase the intensity and goals little by little and you'll start to feel great. I was 15 stone when I started May 2015 - now I ride over 100 miles on a bike every week at 12 stone 5lbs. MFP definitely works, but patience and commitment is the key. Get some supportive friends on here - you don't need hundreds, just a good selection of different people who will occasionally give you a little boost now and again with a simple "like" or "well done". Add me if you want - Best of luck!
Oh, and by the way, if you go over your calorie goal for a day don't beat yourself up - just remember how many you were under on previous days and remind yourself that you're doing great over the week.

LizSmith55

^^^ DEFINITELY....It has taken me a long time (I'm 46) to just accept who and where I am in life. I have always wanted immediate gratification. If I didn't see what my head considered "success" & things got a little tough (which they always do) I'd just give up & go back to old habits. I wish I could tell you what I did to change that way of thinking this time around but...I guess I just got real with myself. I stopped making excuses, I stopped giving up and I just put it in my head that I was just tired of the way that I was and that no matter how hard it became & no matter how long it took...I was just going to shut up & do it. I lost my 6 yr old son to cancer 3 years ago...while he was sick (diagnosed in 4-2011) until last October...I have used the excuse of "going through a tough time" to allow myself to jeopardize my health by the way I was living...maybe I just made the decision that losing weight & regaining my health is NOTHING compared to living through my son's illness & death so I'd better shut up & "Just do it"...I'm not finished & I think I will always have this particular battle to fight but...we all have some cr-p to deal with....mine is self control when it comes to food....so be it. I'm 46 lbs down & I have about 25 more to go but this is the most successful I have ever been in taking control like this...so I wish you all the luck in the world. You can do this...if I can...anyone can....there is no rush...

mommazach

Start each day clean slate. I took me almost a year to figure this out. Here are my suggestion. Take them and use them if you want, or throw them out as rubbage if you want.
1. weigh and measure everything you eat. This was a biggy for me as I was underestimating everything I ate.
2. Weigh daily. I only log when I lose, but it's a daily trigger for me. I get up, go to the restroom, let the dog out and weigh myself. That way I can see how yesterday's eating actually affected me.
3. Find an exercise you can do. Generally two of them. In my workouts, I started with elliptical for 15 minutes and worked up to an hour. Off days, I work out to a video. I'm currently addicted to P90X, but I'm much better at it then when I started.
4. Stretch after working out... EVERYTIME!
5. Get a water drinking app that sends reminders. I didn't take hydration too seriously until I became dehydrated.

Find some great motivational friends who will be supportive of you, and add them to your list. Some of my most devastating days have been uplifted by watching others struggle along with me. Misery loves company, but Motivation makes success.

Best of Luck to you, and keep with it. It does prove difficult at times, but It's worth it in the long run.

moonchildisme

I was 15 stone when I started May 2015 - now I ride over 100 miles on a bike every week at 12 stone 5lbs.

What does 15 stone turn out to be?

mmanchester68

cmriverside wrote: »

Just take baby steps.

1. Log all your food this week. Every bite. Don't even worry about *what* you are eating. Study your food log and adjust.

I think the biggest mistake people make is trying to change everything in their lives regarding food and exercise. They go "all in," and then find it's too much to change. Small changes work better. The weight didn't come on over-night and it isn't going to change over-night. Just start with educating yourself on how many calories you need and what foods will help you achieve that goal.

ta-da

This is excellent advice. Also, don't think of it as a "diet" as such; think of it as the beginning of a healthier lifestyle. Diets are something you do to lose a few pounds and get on with your life. Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. We all need a little motivation now and then.

vingogly

My own experiences -- most of it already said by people above:

• Weigh or measure everything you eat
• Record everything in MFP and refer often to your MFP records
• Be honest with yourself; if you keep your diary private, it's just you and MFP
• Don't set unrealistic goals (weight or time); 1 to 1.5 lbs/week is a reasonable loss
• You'll lose a bunch at first - that's mostly water; don't get discouraged when it slows down
• Don't fall for the many "magic" pills, diets, and foods you'll see people write about here
• Understand there are no "evil" foods and going way over one day isn't failure
• If you find yourself discouraged by weighing every day, do it once every week or so
• You don't *have* to exercise your brains out to lose weight

At the end of the day when I finish logging, I look over the day's record and see how I've done. I look for places where I can improve in the future, and look for different choices I could have made. I keep it simple; there's some variety in my diet, but I find eating a similar menu all week makes things easier for me. I walk, take the stairs, park in the far corner of parking lots, and do the little things -- eventually I'll get into resistance training but for now this light exercise is good enough (in fact, my GP recommended focusing on the eating part first, and putting off the exercise until later).

A lot of people here present what's worked for them as the gospel truth, and you'll see battles back and forth between different factions (like low carb or low fat vs. eat whatever you want). Ignore all the fighting and controversy, and just keep plugging away at it day by day. What works for someone else may not work for you.

As others have said don't think of it as a diet: it's a new way of eating. I'm 10-15 pounds from my final goal, and my focus is on whatever permanent changes I'm making when I go into maintenance. For me, this will involve logging my food every day until I think I've internalized the process, and weighing myself at least once a week so if the pounds start creeping on again. Anyone can lose weight; keeping it off for the rest of your life is another thing.

BiggDaddy58

jenniferbissette7 wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I have realised that I don't do diets very well. I start off good but slowly fall off track.
I'm 41 years old and need help. Any advice.

Hi Jennifer..You are not alone. I would encourage you to stop thinking about this as a diet. This is a lifestyle change. Map out your wants..and plan what you are going to do. If it's lose weight and be healthier, then learn about losing weight.

Do some research. Find out your BMR, your TDEE, what good healthy foods you enjoy and plan your meals. Account for all your food. If you are going to stay at this, then make sure, you pick foods you like, not something you feel you have to eat.

The same with any exercise you do. Walking, biking, anything, just find out what you like and incorporate it.

I suggest weighing yourself daily and logging those weights for the 1st 20-30 days. This will give you an understanding of how your body processes foods and deals with weight loss and exercise.

You are not alone. You can do this. Make up your mind, before you can make over your body.

I wish you success on your journey, and enjoy the journey, don't just long for the journey to end and you're at your destination. Enjoy the ride.

juliet3455

@jenniferbissette7 Great advice from everyone above.
I offer up my generic reply that it is a group of links to various posts by MFP alumni.
Logging Accurately
Important Posts to Read
A guide to get you started on your path to Sexypants.
You're probably eating more than you think.

As a general concept In the Message Boards you will find that most Boards will have some Announcement (closed) posts.
As an example in the Getting Started you will see one called Most Helpful Posts - Getting Started (Must Reads)

Most Helpful Posts - General Diet and Weight Loss Help (Must Reads)

Most Helpful Posts - Food and Nutrition (Must Reads)

Seems like a lot of information - Take it in small steps and you will find that one or two of the posts become your Go To.

jenniferbissette7

I just want to start off saying "thank you" to everyone. I woke up this morning with a refreshed energy about my new journey. This is going to be great.