Where Should I Start?
idare_fitness
Posts: 17 Member
I want to lose weight the right way (healthy way). However, I am not sure where I should start. Should I...
-Visit a doctor/nutritionist
-Research
-Join a challenge
-Youtube research/Nikki Blackketter/Freelee
I am completely clueless and I've tried to "jump right into it" before, but I failed and I stayed hungry all the time. I need motivation and the right tools to start. Any advice?
-Visit a doctor/nutritionist
-Research
-Join a challenge
-Youtube research/Nikki Blackketter/Freelee
I am completely clueless and I've tried to "jump right into it" before, but I failed and I stayed hungry all the time. I need motivation and the right tools to start. Any advice?
0
Replies
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Eat a bit less, move a bit more...
Use MFP to get your calorie goal, do some exercise you enjoy, eat some fruit and veg...5 -
what are your stats? (height, weight, gender, age) and what is your goal? (lose X amount of weight, build muscle, tone)0
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I started by entering my stats and goals into MFP, getting a calorie goal, and logging consistently and accurately. Over time, you can notice what meals work best to keep you full and energized.
If you find that joining a challenge helps with your motivation, do that too. If you have specialized needs based on medical conditions or allergies or just want some additional guidance a registered dietician (not a nutritionist) may also help. But don't feel you have to totally overhaul your diet. Many people are able to lose weight without completely changing their diet, just eating less than than did before. If you want advice on swaps or new foods to try, "Food and Nutrition" and "Recipes" have some great suggestions.2 -
Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »what are your stats? (height, weight, gender, age) and what is your goal? (lose X amount of weight, build muscle, tone)
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 180 lbs
Gender: Female
Age: 24
My goal is to get to 140 lbs. I want to be lean.0 -
Okay so as other have said plug your stats into MFP and let it generate your daily calorie goal. I would aim to lose .5-1 pounds a week. If you want to be lean I would recommend starting some weight lifting now, this will help preserve some muscle as you lose and be a good foundation. Eat what you like just less of it. Mess around with your macros (protein, carbs, fat) and find what balance keep you more satisfied it is different for everyone.0
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Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »Okay so as other have said plug your stats into MFP and let it generate your daily calorie goal. I would aim to lose .5-1 pounds a week. If you want to be lean I would recommend starting some weight lifting now, this will help preserve some muscle as you lose and be a good foundation. Eat what you like just less of it. Mess around with your macros (protein, carbs, fat) and find what balance keep you more satisfied it is different for everyone.
I work at McDonalds, so for lunch break (of course) I have McDonalds food 5 days a week. Fast food is the majority of my diet because I hate cooking. I would like to cut out fast food completely. I have already plugged my stats in and I set my goal to lose 2 lbs a week. I'm set at at least 1500 cal a day. I don't feel like I can start at eating less because I love food too much. I'm known to binge and eat out of boredom. I don't want to starve myself but I don't want to eat too much either. Structure is what I need, for sure. Any advice for not binge eating or boredom eating? I've tried substitutes before (eg. carrots instead of potato chips) but then I start craving salt. My sodium intake is OUTRAGEOUS! I will eat McDonalds Double Quarter Pounders with a packet of salt to sprinkle on it in between bites. How do I quit doing that?0 -
idare_fitness wrote: »Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »Okay so as other have said plug your stats into MFP and let it generate your daily calorie goal. I would aim to lose .5-1 pounds a week. If you want to be lean I would recommend starting some weight lifting now, this will help preserve some muscle as you lose and be a good foundation. Eat what you like just less of it. Mess around with your macros (protein, carbs, fat) and find what balance keep you more satisfied it is different for everyone.
I work at McDonalds, so for lunch break (of course) I have McDonalds food 5 days a week. Fast food is the majority of my diet because I hate cooking. I would like to cut out fast food completely. I have already plugged my stats in and I set my goal to lose 2 lbs a week. I'm set at at least 1500 cal a day. I don't feel like I can start at eating less because I love food too much. I'm known to binge and eat out of boredom. I don't want to starve myself but I don't want to eat too much either. Structure is what I need, for sure. Any advice for not binge eating or boredom eating? I've tried substitutes before (eg. carrots instead of potato chips) but then I start craving salt. My sodium intake is OUTRAGEOUS! I will eat McDonalds Double Quarter Pounders with a packet of salt to sprinkle on it in between bites. How do I quit doing that?
You don't really have enough weight to lose to go for 2lb per week....
I would suggest you learn to like cooking if you don't want to always eat fast food...1 -
idare_fitness wrote: »Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »Okay so as other have said plug your stats into MFP and let it generate your daily calorie goal. I would aim to lose .5-1 pounds a week. If you want to be lean I would recommend starting some weight lifting now, this will help preserve some muscle as you lose and be a good foundation. Eat what you like just less of it. Mess around with your macros (protein, carbs, fat) and find what balance keep you more satisfied it is different for everyone.
I work at McDonalds, so for lunch break (of course) I have McDonalds food 5 days a week. Fast food is the majority of my diet because I hate cooking. I would like to cut out fast food completely. I have already plugged my stats in and I set my goal to lose 2 lbs a week. I'm set at at least 1500 cal a day. I don't feel like I can start at eating less because I love food too much. I'm known to binge and eat out of boredom. I don't want to starve myself but I don't want to eat too much either. Structure is what I need, for sure. Any advice for not binge eating or boredom eating? I've tried substitutes before (eg. carrots instead of potato chips) but then I start craving salt. My sodium intake is OUTRAGEOUS! I will eat McDonalds Double Quarter Pounders with a packet of salt to sprinkle on it in between bites. How do I quit doing that?
2 pounds is an aggressive goal. You may want to consider choosing 1 or even .5 a week because you'll get more calories each day.
If you hate cooking, what is your plan to eat? Saying "I'm going to quit fast food" isn't going to be sustainable unless you replace it with something else.
If you mean "binge eating" just in the sense of eating too much sometimes, then having a reasonable calorie goal is really going to help with that. If you mean it in the more clinical sense of Binge Eating Disorder, that may be a bit more complicated and potentially require professional assistance. Not sure what sense you mean it it.
You quit putting salt on things by not putting salt on them. Not trying to be flippant, but you have to decide that your goals are more important than what you want to do in that moment. That said, you may want to focus on your goals in pieces.
The most important thing is hitting your calorie goal (if weight loss is your primary goal). You can do this while still eating fast food and eating a high sodium diet. Second would be figuring out what to eat instead of fast food. Third would be reducing the sodium (which will probably also happen when you reduce your fast food intake).3 -
janejellyroll wrote: »idare_fitness wrote: »Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »Okay so as other have said plug your stats into MFP and let it generate your daily calorie goal. I would aim to lose .5-1 pounds a week. If you want to be lean I would recommend starting some weight lifting now, this will help preserve some muscle as you lose and be a good foundation. Eat what you like just less of it. Mess around with your macros (protein, carbs, fat) and find what balance keep you more satisfied it is different for everyone.
I work at McDonalds, so for lunch break (of course) I have McDonalds food 5 days a week. Fast food is the majority of my diet because I hate cooking. I would like to cut out fast food completely. I have already plugged my stats in and I set my goal to lose 2 lbs a week. I'm set at at least 1500 cal a day. I don't feel like I can start at eating less because I love food too much. I'm known to binge and eat out of boredom. I don't want to starve myself but I don't want to eat too much either. Structure is what I need, for sure. Any advice for not binge eating or boredom eating? I've tried substitutes before (eg. carrots instead of potato chips) but then I start craving salt. My sodium intake is OUTRAGEOUS! I will eat McDonalds Double Quarter Pounders with a packet of salt to sprinkle on it in between bites. How do I quit doing that?
2 pounds is an aggressive goal. You may want to consider choosing 1 or even .5 a week because you'll get more calories each day.
If you hate cooking, what is your plan to eat? Saying "I'm going to quit fast food" isn't going to be sustainable unless you replace it with something else.
If you mean "binge eating" just in the sense of eating too much sometimes, then having a reasonable calorie goal is really going to help with that. If you mean it in the more clinical sense of Binge Eating Disorder, that may be a bit more complicated and potentially require professional assistance. Not sure what sense you mean it it.
You quit putting salt on things by not putting salt on them. Not trying to be flippant, but you have to decide that your goals are more important than what you want to do in that moment. That said, you may want to focus on your goals in pieces.
The most important thing is hitting your calorie goal (if weight loss is your primary goal). You can do this while still eating fast food and eating a high sodium diet. Second would be figuring out what to eat instead of fast food. Third would be reducing the sodium (which will probably also happen when you reduce your fast food intake).
I'm a mess, I know. Maybe 2 lbs is an aggressive goal, but I've been known to be hard on myself.
I hate cooking, but I am very willing to do so in order to replace the easy fast food.
I will elaborate more on the "binge eating" comment. When I am not around food, I am fine. When I see food, I will eat all of it (or want to really badly). I call it the "see food diet".
It's going to be hard to just "stop" putting salt on food. I crave it pretty badly. I've considered salt substitutes, but I'm not sure how well that will work.
I appreciate you laying out an example goal plan for me. I have trouble prioritizing things. I will highly consider every single thing you said. I thank you for taking the time to help me out.1 -
Aggressive in this case doesn't mean being hard on yourself (which isn't a good idea anyway, by the way; it very often backfires), it means that your body isn't going to consistently give you a 2 lb. fat loss every week. The lower your weight as you start, and the fewer pounds you have to lose, the slower it's going to go. After the first few weeks, a loss of 1% of body weight per week is what most people see.
Try not to be too hard on your body -- you've got to live in it for the rest of your life.2 -
Aggressive in this case doesn't mean being hard on yourself (which isn't a good idea anyway, by the way; it very often backfires), it means that your body isn't going to consistently give you a 2 lb. fat loss every week. The lower your weight as you start, and the fewer pounds you have to lose, the slower it's going to go. After the first few weeks, a loss of 1% of body weight per week is what most people see.
Try not to be too hard on your body -- you've got to live in it for the rest of your life.
And you are more likely to lose muscle so you will still look squishy and wobbly when you weigh less.2 -
idare_fitness wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »idare_fitness wrote: »Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »Okay so as other have said plug your stats into MFP and let it generate your daily calorie goal. I would aim to lose .5-1 pounds a week. If you want to be lean I would recommend starting some weight lifting now, this will help preserve some muscle as you lose and be a good foundation. Eat what you like just less of it. Mess around with your macros (protein, carbs, fat) and find what balance keep you more satisfied it is different for everyone.
I work at McDonalds, so for lunch break (of course) I have McDonalds food 5 days a week. Fast food is the majority of my diet because I hate cooking. I would like to cut out fast food completely. I have already plugged my stats in and I set my goal to lose 2 lbs a week. I'm set at at least 1500 cal a day. I don't feel like I can start at eating less because I love food too much. I'm known to binge and eat out of boredom. I don't want to starve myself but I don't want to eat too much either. Structure is what I need, for sure. Any advice for not binge eating or boredom eating? I've tried substitutes before (eg. carrots instead of potato chips) but then I start craving salt. My sodium intake is OUTRAGEOUS! I will eat McDonalds Double Quarter Pounders with a packet of salt to sprinkle on it in between bites. How do I quit doing that?
2 pounds is an aggressive goal. You may want to consider choosing 1 or even .5 a week because you'll get more calories each day.
If you hate cooking, what is your plan to eat? Saying "I'm going to quit fast food" isn't going to be sustainable unless you replace it with something else.
If you mean "binge eating" just in the sense of eating too much sometimes, then having a reasonable calorie goal is really going to help with that. If you mean it in the more clinical sense of Binge Eating Disorder, that may be a bit more complicated and potentially require professional assistance. Not sure what sense you mean it it.
You quit putting salt on things by not putting salt on them. Not trying to be flippant, but you have to decide that your goals are more important than what you want to do in that moment. That said, you may want to focus on your goals in pieces.
The most important thing is hitting your calorie goal (if weight loss is your primary goal). You can do this while still eating fast food and eating a high sodium diet. Second would be figuring out what to eat instead of fast food. Third would be reducing the sodium (which will probably also happen when you reduce your fast food intake).
I'm a mess, I know. Maybe 2 lbs is an aggressive goal, but I've been known to be hard on myself.
I hate cooking, but I am very willing to do so in order to replace the easy fast food.
I will elaborate more on the "binge eating" comment. When I am not around food, I am fine. When I see food, I will eat all of it (or want to really badly). I call it the "see food diet".
It's going to be hard to just "stop" putting salt on food. I crave it pretty badly. I've considered salt substitutes, but I'm not sure how well that will work.
I appreciate you laying out an example goal plan for me. I have trouble prioritizing things. I will highly consider every single thing you said. I thank you for taking the time to help me out.
I encourage you to be nice to yourself. It can be challenging enough to lose weight with more moderate goals.
I understand what you mean about seeing food and wanting to eat it. Eating more each day (AKA having a more reasonable calorie goal) personally makes it easier for me to control my behavior when I encounter food "out in the wild." Everything feels better when you aren't hungry all the time and many people losing two pounds a week (or trying to lose 2 pounds a week) *are* hungry all the time or a lot of the time.
I crave salt too. You know what, I never limited it at any point when I was losing weight. I did have a bunch of days when I went over my goal (mostly due to hot sauce, my weakness). If you have a health condition that means you should limit it, then you probably should. If not, you may want to focus on calories first and then limiting fast food (if that's something you still want to do once you're hitting your calorie goal). If you're eating something and want to salt it, maybe you still do that.
Lots of people here successfully lost weight while still eating fast food. Maybe you're getting a regular cheeseburger instead of a Double Quarter Pounder (unless you can fit that Double Quarter Pounder into your calories), but as long as you're consistently meeting your calorie goal you will lose weight. Lots of people here successfully lost weight while salting their food and going over the sodium goal. Nobody here lost weight while eating more calories than their body could use, so the order you want to tackle these in is pretty clear.
Let us know how we can help! So many of us have been there, in one way or another, and we still hang out here because we want to help other people the way others once helped us.3 -
If jumping right in hasn't worked in the past, then maybe try for a gentle, toe-dipping approach this time? Forget about two pounds a week or quitting fast food or cutting down on sodium, for now at least. Log everything you eat, and then start to eat less. What less looks like is totally up to you. Because here's the thing: everyone wants to lose weight fast, but not many people think about what happens after you lose weight. You can suffer for 20 weeks eating carrots and then go right back to fast food as soon as you hit your goal weight, or you can take a good, careful look at how you're eating and make sustainable changes that will last well past those 40 pounds. It will take longer, but it won't hurt nearly as much (assuming you can handle the impatience) and you might even have a good solid chance of sticking with it.4
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »If jumping right in hasn't worked in the past, then maybe try for a gentle, toe-dipping approach this time? Forget about two pounds a week or quitting fast food or cutting down on sodium, for now at least. Log everything you eat, and then start to eat less. What less looks like is totally up to you. Because here's the thing: everyone wants to lose weight fast, but not many people think about what happens after you lose weight. You can suffer for 20 weeks eating carrots and then go right back to fast food as soon as you hit your goal weight, or you can take a good, careful look at how you're eating and make sustainable changes that will last well past those 40 pounds. It will take longer, but it won't hurt nearly as much (assuming you can handle the impatience) and you might even have a good solid chance of sticking with it.
I will say this for making slow and sustainable changes: it makes maintaining much easier. When I reached my goal weight, I didn't have to figure out how to make wine or french fries fit into my calorie goals because I was already doing it. I just started eating more of what I was already eating.2 -
Great advice guys. Thank you. You all have helped a lot. Now to find something to eat...my stomach is currently growling and I've just been sitting here sipping on coffee since 11 am.0
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I'm a 290lb man and my weight loss is 2lb a week so that would be too aggressive for you.
Listen to the guys and set something more sensible for your needs.
Make your own lunch at home and skip the fast food.
Get a food scale & weigh everything.
Good luck!1 -
In the salt issue specifically: Do you have a health condition that requires you to limit sat/sodium, or are you just thinking it's "bad for you"?
If the latter, one option is "don't worry about it", at least for now. I love salt. I eat salty foods (fermented sauerkraut, pickles cheeses, soy sauce, you name it) freely every day. I sprinkle it on lots of food, besides. Occasionally, I even just eat salt (a bit, not spoonfuls!).
None of that prevented me losing about third of my body weight, down to the 120s at 5'5". None of that prevented my blood pressure going from pre-hypertensive (at 183 pounds) to low normal BP (102/70 at the doctor's office today). None of that prevented my cholesterol/triglycerides dropping from dangerously high to solidly in the normal range.
Unless you have a health condition or genetic predisposition that requires limiting it, it's not the devil.
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In the salt issue specifically: Do you have a health condition that requires you to limit sat/sodium, or are you just thinking it's "bad for you"?
If the latter, one option is "don't worry about it", at least for now. I love salt. I eat salty foods (fermented sauerkraut, pickles cheeses, soy sauce, you name it) freely every day. I sprinkle it on lots of food, besides. Occasionally, I even just eat salt (a bit, not spoonfuls!).
None of that prevented me losing about third of my body weight, down to the 120s at 5'5". None of that prevented my blood pressure going from pre-hypertensive (at 183 pounds) to low normal BP (102/70 at the doctor's office today). None of that prevented my cholesterol/triglycerides dropping from dangerously high to solidly in the normal range.
Unless you have a health condition or genetic predisposition that requires limiting it, it's not the devil.
I was struggling with low blood pressure for a while. It resulted in me passing out a lot. I saw a cardiologist and he advised that I increase my salt intake because my BP was so low. Ever since then, I've eaten a lot of salt. I keep track of my BP and it's at a normal level. However, I feel like it is making me swell up. My ankles stay swollen especially. The elastic of my socks cut into my skin. I also struggle with getting my engagement ring off/on my finger. My fingers are really swollen. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with my salt intake, but my mother said that I am retaining fluids because of my salt intake. She has a medical history, so I listen to her.0 -
idare_fitness wrote: »I want to lose weight the right way (healthy way). However, I am not sure where I should start. Should I...
-Visit a doctor/nutritionist
-Research
-Join a challenge
-Youtube research/Nikki Blackketter/Freelee
I am completely clueless and I've tried to "jump right into it" before, but I failed and I stayed hungry all the time. I need motivation and the right tools to start. Any advice?
#1 - In contrast to what everyone on here seems to say, YES!!!! you should see your medical provider first before starting any diet or exercise program. Now 99.999% of us don't, and we are just fine, but it's better to be safe than DEAD!!!! After all, it takes you <1 hour out of a week to get in and get a pretty full exam to make sure nothing weird is going on, so why wouldn't you?
#2 - Research, yes, but remember you can't believe everything you read on the internet...and esp on MFP. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here, but very few are trained medical professionals or nutritionists, and none of them has met you or know your health/family history. What works for them may not work for you.
#3 - Challenges - eh, I guess you can, if that's what you need to keep motivated. I set my own personal goals and just work toward them, but that's a carry over from my Marine Corps days - lots of self-discipline required there.
#4 - Youtube - this goes back to #2. Some good info out there, and lots of BS too. I could probably make a convincing video that aliens caused my weight loss. Use some critical thinking skills and keep away from the snake oil sales people.2 -
How long have you been working at McDonald's? My daughter has been working at Arby's for 7 months. The higher activity of her job caused her to lose 20 lb. She likes to cook and is a great cook. The 1 free Arby's meal per day often ends in the trash.
And if no-one else has said it, I will: Get a kitchen scale to weigh your food.0 -
idare_fitness wrote: »In the salt issue specifically: Do you have a health condition that requires you to limit sat/sodium, or are you just thinking it's "bad for you"?
If the latter, one option is "don't worry about it", at least for now. I love salt. I eat salty foods (fermented sauerkraut, pickles cheeses, soy sauce, you name it) freely every day. I sprinkle it on lots of food, besides. Occasionally, I even just eat salt (a bit, not spoonfuls!).
None of that prevented me losing about third of my body weight, down to the 120s at 5'5". None of that prevented my blood pressure going from pre-hypertensive (at 183 pounds) to low normal BP (102/70 at the doctor's office today). None of that prevented my cholesterol/triglycerides dropping from dangerously high to solidly in the normal range.
Unless you have a health condition or genetic predisposition that requires limiting it, it's not the devil.
I was struggling with low blood pressure for a while. It resulted in me passing out a lot. I saw a cardiologist and he advised that I increase my salt intake because my BP was so low. Ever since then, I've eaten a lot of salt. I keep track of my BP and it's at a normal level. However, I feel like it is making me swell up. My ankles stay swollen especially. The elastic of my socks cut into my skin. I also struggle with getting my engagement ring off/on my finger. My fingers are really swollen. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with my salt intake, but my mother said that I am retaining fluids because of my salt intake. She has a medical history, so I listen to her.
Those sound like good reasons to limit it, then - at least for long enough to know whether it's the cause - or rather to find the right amount that keeps your BP where you want it, but doesn't lead to swelling. Do make it a point to drink adequate (not crazy excessive) amounts of water, though. You might want to consult further with your doctor, and maybe ask for a referral to a registered dietician, concerning this issue.
Best wishes!0 -
Coming from my own experience of the diet roller coaster, It sounds like you're not ready to lose weight, you're already setting yourself up to fail. You're coming up with excuses as to why you can't do it, like you don't like to cook, or you work at McDonalds and addicted to salt that you put it on your burgers which you have 5 out of 7 days. These 2 things as you know yourself are clear examples of things you need to change. You know how bad take out is for you and how it's full of calories which makes you gain weight. You also know that making a healthy homemade meal and bringing it into work would be 100 times better for you but you don't like to cook. When you are ready, these things will not even be difficult to change. You will look in the mirror and think, serious what's 5 minutes to toss up a salad and throw it into a wrap and bring it to work for less then 300 calories, why the heck am I getting a burger, fries and what ever else you get for what 1000 plus calories. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I sounded just like you are now up until a few months ago which is why I say that you're not ready. You need to change your mind set and stop thinking of why you can't do it and just do it. Junk food is an addiction which affects the same area of the brain that crack, cocaine does. You need to know that you will not let food win, you will let your health win.5
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You can eat fast food every day and lose weight. I lost 50 pounds working at Taco Bell (and NOT from GI problems either) and eating there 6 days a week. I didn't continue to lose because I ate too much and didn't watch WHAT I was eating (the loss came from going from sedentary to very active suddenly).
You can easily count calories and lose weight at McDonald's. The macro balance of a simple burger is pretty good, and I know they have other low calorie options too.2
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