New Member, who needs some encouragement

CCMarie24

Hello all,
My name is Chelsea and I am new to this program. I started this in the hopes of committing to a new lifestyle. Any encouragement and advice or fitness tips you have would be greatly appreciated. I get addicted to things like facebook, so I'm hoping this will soon become my new obsession. Add me as your friend and we can have fun losing weight together.

Chelsea M. Smith

ldybugg

welcome! ive become addicted to this site- its very easy to do! i log on all thruout the day and enter my food and check posts. its a great tool for a lifestyle change! just a lil warning the excercise is normally pretty high on cal burned so either use a hr monitor or double check on those. if u follow the guidlines from this site youll b on ur way! good luck!

ldybugg

welcome! ive become addicted to this site- its very easy to do! i log on all thruout the day and enter my food and check posts. its a great tool for a lifestyle change! just a lil warning the excercise is normally pretty high on cal burned so either use a hr monitor or double check on those. if u follow the guidlines from this site youll b on ur way! good luck!

jbwegner

Welcome! I have so become addicted. I am a teacher, so I have hours a day to devote to "nothing" and this is what I do. (Along with finally exercising and compulsively reading!) My best advice for you is:

Drink lots of water
Avoid processed food (Box bad, ground good)
Limit sodium
And MOVE

Best of luck! You can do it! :flowerforyou:

TabiHerbalifeCoach

WELCOME!!! I agree, that a great investment is a heart rate monitor, one with a chest strap. There are several brands of varying expense. I suggest Polar F6 or F7, they are easy to use, track calories burned, time in your goal zone, and save your work outs on the watch itself, so if you don't have time to enter it right away no biggie. I have the polar F6 it cost me about 100, shop around though you can find it as low as 80.


Also set your goals, put them in your signature so people can see them and help hold you accountable. That was my hardest thing as a single mom, no one was there to hold me accountable on the days I feel like quitting.

Holton

Welcome. This is a great site to become addicted to, as the more you are on it and aware of what you are eating, the greater your opportunity for success!. My suggestions are to weigh once a week at the same time (preferably early morning), to try to cut out white flour and white sugar whenever possible, and to realize that your recommended calorie intake is just a number and you are not suppose to necessarily be ON target every day. Some days you will be over a few hundred and others you might be under by a hundred and it is okay!! And if exercise is part of your regime, then YES you need to eat back those calories as this site recommends (a lot of us on MFP typically just eat back a portion of them, but you should incorporate them into your day). Because I think this should be a lifestyle and NOT a diet, I encourage you to try to eat healthy (the perimeter of the grocery store) and not rely so much on processed or fast foods. Everyone needs to find what works for them and you will too! Good luck on your journey!

sagithia

CHelsea

WELCOM!!!

Advice... I have lots of it.

1.) Log EVERYTHING!
2.) Drink 10 cups of water on days you don't exercise and 12 on the days you do.
3.) Make mini goals and rewards for getting them (not food).
4.) Cook your food the day before, and I mean everything for the day, so this way you know what you will be eating. And have small meals throughout the day.
5.) Only eat 1/2 of your workout calories if you really are hongry, otherwise try to skip them.
6.) Incorporate foods that you love into your new lifestyle but make it a healthier version....
7.) Yogurt is filled with hidden bad stuff, so if you want it get greek yogurt or plain yogurt and add your own fruits.
8.) Learn to read labels on food packages and get a better understanding of what is good and what isnt.

CCMarie24

Wow,
These are all great ideas...thanks so much. I agree with the rewards thing not food...I planned on buying myself something or treating myself to a movie minus the popcorn of course:) I appreciate all of the supportive thoughts. I'm going to update my goals to be held accountable by all of you. Thank you for being so encouraging on this new venture. I'll do my best to motivate you too, while having fun. It's a great day for a walk in Iowa:)

Chelsea

julialee

Welcome, Chelsea! MFP is awesome to keep yourself motivated! I'll add you to my friends list and help keep you going!