Where do I start?

VolleyDawgMom

Hey y'all! I'm new here, obviously. Just joined today.

I was driving to work this morning and thinking about money... you know how you can spend a little here and there and before you know it you've spent some serious dough? So I just got to thinkin' and guessed my calories would probably be the same. A little snack here and a little junk there can seriously add up fast. No wonder I've been feeling like crap lately. I really can't believe how many calories I consume in one day!!

Well, honestly I don't know where to start. I just know I need to start somewhere.

A few years ago my life changed. Completely. I lost oh, about 55 pounds. I basically starved. Not because I wanted to but my nerves just wouldn't let me eat. My life has changed again in good ways and that weight is creeping its way back on.

Guess I don't know where to start. I'm about 5'6" and I weigh 225 lbs. I also smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, sometimes more. I wake up in the mornings coughing something awful. Sometimes I know I have the power to stop smoking. And mostly I'm afraid I'll just gain more weight if I quit.

I was brought up on cornbread and beans and buttermilk biscuits so my cooking style really has to change. Don't get me wrong, I can cook just about anything but it's full of fat. I'm sure of it.

So I just really need help. I was looking for a calorie counter. Found the MFP app. Figured out there's a whole community here. Started reading and I'm really confused. What's a good calorie intake for me? How do I track work outs? What kind of work outs do I need to do and how many times per week? What do I cut completely starting out? What do I slowly back away from? Do I lift weights (will I need to go to a gym) or do cardio or both?

I'm tired of not being healthy guys. I'm 32. I'm still young at heart. I love to laugh and have a good time. I currently don't have any ailments that I'm aware of but I know that'll change if I keep on living like I'm living. I can't keep treating my body this way. And I surely don't want to teach my kiddos to treat their bodies like garbage either. I wanna do this right. I want it to stick, this lifestyle change that I know I need.

So I need some tips y'all. Pointers. Suggestions. Recipes. What works for y'all and what don't.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

Mikeys_Girl

EmilyBites.com has some amazing recipes on the light side. One of my faves so far is the philly cheese steak sloppy joe's pair that with a salad and your set feel free to add me I am always open for support !

VolleyDawgMom

Hey thanks! I'll check that out. What about working out? I mean I don't really do much other than household chores. I am not lazy, don't misunderstand me. I just don't "exercise". I am a mama of 3. My boyfriend and I have 3 dogs. I work full time but I sit at a desk for a miserable 8 hours each day. So I know just moving some will help. Should I start with say walking for 30 minutes each day? Or is there something more that I can do? I don't want to start too slow or fast. I know I should drink more water. Boy, I love my sweet tea but I looked at the calorie intake just from the sugar alone... I have to change something there. I love my coffee, too. That goes hand in hand with my cigarettes. I really need to quit those too.

Mslmesq

First off, you are not just young at heart. You are actually still young. Just sayin. :-)

Have you thought about buying a pedometer or fit bit. I find that when I wear my pedometer (i have an omron which works well, but there are newer ones now), I'm more active. They say at least 10,000 steps a day should be your goal. A 30 minute brisk walk with dogs plus regular daily movement, should get you there.

How do you like water best? Do you like carbonated or flat. With flavor (if so, sweet or tart) or without. Find the way you like it best to drink more. Herbal teas at night are another way to sneak more water in.

Good luck to you!

littlesprite11

Hello renovate, I sent you a message:)

JennyBean8

Hi!!!! I just started today myself! Tired of feeling crappy and not taking care of myself, so lets do this together! I'm 35, and a mother of toddler twin girls, so I now how busy life can get! I used to be a smoker, but managed to quit 2 years ago. Have you exercised before? If so, what were you doing and for how long/how many times per week?

VolleyDawgMom

Nope, not until now. I think I should really give up my cigarettes. Just wake up tomorrow and not smoke. If I save the money that I would normally spend on them I will have enough to buy a good pedometer. I should get through work outs and what not easier too on the account of I'll be breathing better.

I'm playing around with this site and apparently you get to eat your exercise calories. That's awesome! I shouldn't be hungry, eh?

Boy, do I have my work cut out for me.

ETA: I do like water. Just plain ol' water. Sometimes I like it at room temp. Of course if I'm outside and real hot I like it ice cold. I'm pretty good about not drinking cokes. Although here lately I've drank more than I should. Including today. =/

VolleyDawgMom

Hello renovate, I sent you a message:)

Hi there! I haven't gotten the message yet. Maybe it will come through soon.

stephiesmit

The first thing to NOT do is set unattainable goals. I would start by tracking what you're currently doing/eating to get an idea where you are. Then you can decide how many calories you need to eat to be able to lose in a healthy way. Unfortunately weight loss/gain/maintenance all has the same equation (calories in - calories used). For weight loss must have a deficit, gain obviously an abundance and maintenance as close to 0 as possible. With the tea/coffee only allow yourself it after drinking minimum of 24 oz of water. You can cut a lot of calories in your tea/coffee by using Splenda or Stevia. With the smoking remember as you quit that your muscle memory with smoking is hand to mouth which is why so many gain weight while quitting. You will need to find substitute :ohwell: My biggest recommendation with the stopping smoking is to get a container, cut a slit in top and seal it closed. Place the money you would be spending on cigarettes (daily if you usually buy them this way or weekly) inside. This money shouldn't be looked at as extra money because you would just burn it up before. When you make it to hour 6 month or 1 year anniversary of not smoking open the container and spend it ONLY on you. You'll deserve every penny. Just remember through it all that one day is an accomplishment. Good luck in your journey. Sorry so lengthy. Hope it helps.

MommyofSP

I also smoked for 10 years , hard as all get out to quit but my hubs and I finally decided to do so not only for our health but for our kids as well. We bought a "vapor toker" each and I can attest to the fact that although they cost a bit more in start up they are so worth it. We bought ours about 3 months ago and while my hubs still uses his , I am completely smoke free and have been so for the last month and a half. It saves so much a month for us . All hubs buys now is the "flavors" and I think that is only about 20 bucks a month - so going from about 200 bucks a month for smokes to just 20 saves boocoodles! Cold turkey quitting is so hard and every time that I tried I overate because I got bored and needed something to do (where normally I would step outside and have a cigerette!) but with the toker I could use it in the house and slowly just weaned myself off of it! My home, my clothes, everything smells better and tastes better, I promise!! Good luck with quitting and losing weight - if you need encouragement feel free to add me. If I can do it - so can you!

VolleyDawgMom

Hi!!!! I just started today myself! Tired of feeling crappy and not taking care of myself, so lets do this together! I'm 35, and a mother of toddler twin girls, so I now how busy life can get! I used to be a smoker, but managed to quit 2 years ago. Have you exercised before? If so, what were you doing and for how long/how many times per week?

Oh twins-you have your hands full, that's for sure! My hat's off to ya lol.

I did. I use to have a treadmil and a bowflex. My kids have a Wii and my girls got me into their Just Dance games. So I use to be really active. I would walk/jog on the treadmil each morning before work. I did a mile, didn't pay much attention to time. In the evenings after dinner I would do a little on the bow flex and JD with the girls. I no longer have the treamil or the bowflex. Divorce meant I had to move to a much smaller place and I didn't have the room for them. So you see I'm a little pressed for tools. I'm afraid to just walk. Where I live I don't have any friends or family so there's no one I can partner up with to make walking more enjoyable. I know I will get bored with that pretty quick. But if I have something else to do... I've seen a lot of talk on here about a Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD for $10. I think I might check that out.

I would love to have a partner to do this with! I'll add you!

What about you? Are you trying to get back to pre-twins health? What has worked for you before?

marciebrian

Hi and welcome! good luck to you and if I throw in my old 2 cents here, quit smoking if you can. I quit 4 years agao and I promise you it is the best thing you can ever do for yourself. Best of luck!

1princesswarrior

Hi, welcome. You have a lot of work but you sounds very very motivated. I used to smoke, quit in Aug 1998 cold turkey after countless attempts. That would be my first goal, regardless of how you quit. Btw, I only gained 2 pounds.

I also didn't know where to start so I saw a nutritionist. I don't know if you can but that's a good place to start.

For exercise, don't underestimate the power of walking. Can you take your kids? Also, YouTube has a ton of free workouts. You may also want to try www.shrinkingjeans.net (I think or you can Google it), they have a great body boot camp.

MFP has a lot of great calorie tools as well. I use a site called www.iifym.com to set my calorie needs but I also just found a trainer and dietician to help. It all depends on how active you are.

Feel free to message me and/or add me as a friend as you must be overwhelmed by now. I was.

Welcome and the best of luck!

VolleyDawgMom

I also smoked for 10 years , hard as all get out to quit but my hubs and I finally decided to do so not only for our health but for our kids as well. We bought a "vapor toker" each and I can attest to the fact that although they cost a bit more in start up they are so worth it. We bought ours about 3 months ago and while my hubs still uses his , I am completely smoke free and have been so for the last month and a half. It saves so much a month for us . All hubs buys now is the "flavors" and I think that is only about 20 bucks a month - so going from about 200 bucks a month for smokes to just 20 saves boocoodles! Cold turkey quitting is so hard and every time that I tried I overate because I got bored and needed something to do (where normally I would step outside and have a cigerette!) but with the toker I could use it in the house and slowly just weaned myself off of it! My home, my clothes, everything smells better and tastes better, I promise!! Good luck with quitting and losing weight - if you need encouragement feel free to add me. If I can do it - so can you!

Congrats lady! I bought one of those vapor cigarettes a few weeks ago but I didn't like it at all. I'm glad you and your hubby have had success with them though. I am afraid that I'll gain weight. People say not to stop one habit to pick up another but I'm sure that's what I'll have to do. I just need to choose a healthy one. I quit cold turkey about 6 years ago. I was sick and couldn't smoke without coughing uncontrollably. I became addicted to cough drops but quickly let them go. I was so proud of myself. But, I lost my job and I don't know why it made sense to start back up after my income got cut in half but I was "stressed". Only problem is smoking didn't take the stress away.

I know I can do this and boy do I know how hard it will be. I don't know what it is that I'm so afraid of that keeps me from quitting every day, except for the weight gain. Thanks so much for your comments and encouragement!

VolleyDawgMom

Hi, welcome. You have a lot of work but you sounds very very motivated. I used to smoke, quit in Aug 1998 cold turkey after countless attempts. That would be my first goal, regardless of how you quit. Btw, I only gained 2 pounds.

I also didn't know where to start so I saw a nutritionist. I don't know if you can but that's a good place to start.

For exercise, don't underestimate the power of walking. Can you take your kids? Also, YouTube has a ton of free workouts. You may also want to try www.shrinkingjeans.net (I think or you can Google it), they have a great body boot camp.

MFP has a lot of great calorie tools as well. I use a site called www.iifym.com to set my calorie needs but I also just found a trainer and dietician to help. It all depends on how active you are.

Feel free to message me and/or add me as a friend as you must be overwhelmed by now. I was.

Welcome and the best of luck!

I am definitely motivated. I just need to keep that mindset. I guess that's why I'm looking for advice. I don't want to be a quitter. Unless its in regards to the cigarettes that is! No, a trainer or nutritionist is not something I can afford to do at this time. I have 3 children and the 2 older ones are busy with sports. Now my youngest, she would be into the walking with me. My oldest, she's very athletic and plays 2 sports. Although she isn't free a lot of times she loves to come home and show me what she had to do in her conditioning part of her practice and then gets me to try it. She'd love to see me get myself healthy again. Once before when I lost so much weight she was so proud of me. I could tell by the way her face would light up when her friends would ask who I was because they didn't recognize me. Talk about reward right there. Anyway, I will do this, I know I will. It just seems like there is so much to take in and consider... there are so many options and routes-I want to choose and do what's best for me so that I'm more succuessful.

saxmaniac

My suggestion: don't bite off too many changes much at once, or expect to lose 5 pounds a week.

I would honestly start working on your food consumption first, and do NO exercising other than some light walking, until you establish a track record of finding a diet easy to adhere to that allows you to lose weight. We're all psychologically different, and what we find easy to stick to differs for everyone else.

The reason why is, if you can't avoid overeating, then no amount of exercise is going to help. You'll just be working out and wasting time.

Make small changes that become habit. When you find one easy, start another. Pile them all of top of each other over time.

_HeartsOnFire_

This is how I started a year ago...

As many of you know I have lost 48.5 lbs. I still have 26 lbs to go.

Here is what I've been doing...
The first and most important thing is you have to accept yourself at the weight you are at now. If you cannot accept it, I truly believe you cannot change it. In this group we are going to be posting weights, and others will see it, but trust me, no one in the group cares. We want each of us to succeed! We are all in this together!
The second most important thing you have to do, is decide to do it. I had a light switch turn on in Ireland or right when I got back. Eating nothing but super healthy food over there was nice, my body adjusted quickly and I had some difficulty when I came back because of all the preservatives and unnecessary crap Americans put in food.
The next step is to join myfitnesspal.com. They also have a free phone app that allows you to scan the barcode of what you are about to eat and it'll log it for you. Once you get an idea of how much you are taking in, it'll give you a huge perspective. You'll see what you actually need vs what you are actually taking in. If you join that my username is graceisjinxed. The support I get from this site I cannot put a value on it. Some people I know, some I do not know, but everyone is incredibly supportive. That's a huge thing, having support and knowing that others are going thru the same thing you are, others are struggling but you all want to make the necessary and right changes.
I've been working out every day in my house. I have a WII that I bought ONLY for fitness use, yes I want all the Lego games but, that's not fitness. I start off with a warm up of Just Dance 3. They have a sweat mode that has 3 levels. I started in the middle, it says it's equivalent to 30 mins of walking a day. My sister has Just Dance 2, she liked Just Dance 3 much better. Then I followed that up with The Biggest Loser Challenge (BLC) for WII for 30 mins. The thing I like best about the BLC is that you pick a program and it goes from there. Every day my routine is different. This morning I did Box-Fit. Tomorrow is my rest day - but I'll be at the gym that I just joined. Thursday it'll be BLC yoga. With each day/week that passes, the exercises change up a little, get harder, and you get new ones. I thought I was going to die the other day when it introduced burpees (google that if you don't know what it is...).
From day one I gave up booze, soda, fast food and crap. Not 100% but like 95%.
I drink nothing but water, and anywhere from 8-12 cups a day. I had a 64 oz jug by my desk, pour it into smaller cups, you'll have that down in no time, and before you know it, it's gone. I use fresh lemons to flavor it (which helps your liver). You can also use cucumbers and I'm sure whatever fruit you love will work. Or those bottles of lemon and lime juice will work. I do still drink some fruit juices, just try to limit, these are like wasted calories in a sense. You want to make every calorie you take in valuable. This am I had 4 oz of Apple Juice mixed with 4 oz of water.
MOST importantly, you HAVE to eat breakfast every day within the first 90 mins of waking up. I don't have a problem doing this because I will get nauseous, sick, lightheaded and dizzy if I don't. If you don't eat breakfast now you're going to have to start if you want to boost up your metabolism and lose some weight.
I just joined 9 Round a kick boxing place and LOVE it.
Link to the Biggest Loser Challenge for WII - You may want to look on ebay or half.com Amazon's price has gone up...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Biggest-Loser-Challenge-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B003S2OO7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341926247&sr=8-1&keywords=the+biggest+loser+challenge+wii

Since I originally wrote this I've changed things up a bit. I restarted the BLC again, but only 2-3 days a week, Kickboxing is 3 days a week. That leaves 1 day of rest or workout. Depending on what I'm feeling that day depends on what I do. Rest is important though. I had been working out almost every day, then it seemed I wasn't losing any weight, I stopped for a week before the personal training started, and now I've lost 2 lbs in a week. So I'm back on track. I also upped my calorie intake to 1300 a day.

BLC lets you track your diet and extra exercise outside of the game. If you get this, and I do LOVE it, you will need to take your measurements - neck, chest, waist, hips. It'll make you do a fitness test and then it'll recommend a level. Now I have asthma and was very out of shape when I started this. It told me I should choose hard. I chose moderate. Whatever it recommends I would try the one below it first, unless you're up for it. You can always change the program - though each time you will need to redo the fitness test. But at the end of each week there's a challenge event, weigh in, then program recommendations for you. You can also wait until then and change them. I don't think you'd have to do the fitness test again.

Let me know what other questions you might have! I'll do my best.

I know a lot of dieters and diets say don’t eat this or don’t eat that. I have never stopped myself from eating anything. If I want a cookie, I’ll have a cookie, if I want a garlic stick, I’ll have a garlic stick. I do not believe in forbidding foods from your diet. It’s also okay to go over your daily calorie intake goal, just go under the next day or work out harder and longer. Whatever you choose.

trogalicious

One tip?

Don't jump into everything at once. Giving up smoking, starting to work out, completely change how/what you eat? That's a lot of change at once.

Honestly, if you're wanting to lose weight, just log what you're eating. Seriously. Everything. Food scale, measuring cups, etc. Weigh out everything if you can.

...and then just eat the right amount. You'll lose weight.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

I like that calculator the best.

Make the changes gradually. Don't get stuck on "diet" food... and give it 4-6 weeks before you try changing calorie goals.

edited to add: I can't count. That's more than one tip... but they still apply. Even if I can't math.

_HeartsOnFire_

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/quit-smoking/AN01437

That'll help with quitting smoking in regards to the weight gain issue.

kristy6ward

Like another poster said.. since you're just starting out, try tracking your calories as you eat now and see where you can make changes. I wish I had a log of what I would normally eat in a day to look back on and remind me how far I've come.

As for working out, I started with a simple digital pedometer. I was part of a 10 week walking challenge at work. The goal was to walk at least 10,000 steps a day or 70,000 a week. Walking is an easy thing to do and you can really see your activity start to add up. Pretty soon I would take extra trips..or take the longest route to get somewhere in my office just to see my steps increase. Seeing the steps add up really motivated me to move more and to actually workout. I then joined a gym, tacked on free weight training and started a couch 2 5k running program. Experiment with lots of different activities and change up your routine every once in a while.

So start with a pedometer and build from there.

VolleyDawgMom

One tip?

Don't jump into everything at once. Giving up smoking, starting to work out, completely change how/what you eat? That's a lot of change at once.

Honestly, if you're wanting to lose weight, just log what you're eating. Seriously. Everything. Food scale, measuring cups, etc. Weigh out everything if you can.

...and then just eat the right amount. You'll lose weight.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

I like that calculator the best.

Make the changes gradually. Don't get stuck on "diet" food... and give it 4-6 weeks before you try changing calorie goals.

edited to add: I can't count. That's more than one tip... but they still apply. Even if I can't math.

I guess that's where the "Where do I start?" question comes from. Cigs first? Track calories and get moving? Lol, decisions decisions. Great job on your loss by the way!!! Fixing to go check out this calculator you suggested.

That's raised many questions for me, too. Sooo many calculators. Thought I understood the TDEE deal and looked at calculators on www.iifym.com and boy that just threw me for a loop.

trogalicious

I guess that's where the "Where do I start?" question comes from. Cigs first? Track calories and get moving? Lol, decisions decisions. Great job on your loss by the way!!! Fixing to go check out this calculator you suggested.

That's raised many questions for me, too. Sooo many calculators. Thought I understood the TDEE deal and looked at calculators on www.iifym.com and boy that just threw me for a loop.

Thanks.

So yeah, at this point.. all you need to do is pick one thing and go for it. You can smoke and lose weight just by watching your calories and counting them accurately.

Losing weight and being fit are separate things. Sure, a lot of folks do both, but if you have to choose.. and losing weight is your biggest hurdle, just count your calories and find out what you need to eat to lose. Or, if quitting is your first goal.. then go that direction. It wouldn't hurt to count your intake either way.

JennyBean8

OK! Then what you want to do is set small goals. Trying to do too much all at once, can stress you out, and really put a damper on things if you cannot reach your goals. I used to do it all the time and when I slipped, I continued to slip because I thought I was a failure. Since you are new to exercise, start slowly. Start walking and gradually increase your speed/duration, once it becomes easy for you. Get involved in something you love! Since you like water, water aerobics would be great! It is so easy on your joints and so fun, you don't even feel like you are working out, when in fact, you are using the water as your resistance and you are getting an incredible workout!

I am all for you quitting the smokes!!! I quit cold turkey, and I was a bartender at the time, during the times you were still allowed to smoke indoors! So, if I can quit with people blowing it in my face every day, you can too! However, it can be tough, so don't put yourself down if you end up caving and have one, just make a choice to start by cutting down and gradually increase it IF you can't do the cold turkey.

lisapalla

MFP will tell you what your calories should be - you really should stick to it because it works! I also am a smoker - I've lose 20 pounds, gained back 3. I want to lose the rest of my weight before I quit smoking but my daughter is really on me. Just start again - forget about the last weight loss and concentrate on this one!!! Good luck!!