Tips on getting started?

jaysanchez4

Hey Everyone,

I fell off my diet pretty badly in the past year. I've actually stopped my diet completely, gained a a lot of weight and lost all motivation to get back into it. Yesterday i began again, eating lighter, drinking water and counting my calories.

I know i can get back into this but there are a few things that always set me back. How does everyone deal with the following?

Headaches when starting a diet? I noticed around the afternoon, even after eating a full day of food mainly consisting of fruit/veggies and protein; i get these massive headaches and i feel like my body is looking for sugar or salt. Once i give it that, normally from not so good food then the headache goes away. How do i deal with these headaches when starting a diet?

Strength training versus cardio? What's better for fat loss? I weigh 236, my goal is 205. MFP has me eating 1850 calories a day. Will strength training help burn fat faster?

And any general tips on how to stay motivated and keep this going rather than a 2-3 week crash diet.

I know the post seems extremely general, just need some guidance.

Thank You,

kommodevaran

Everything you know about weightloss might be wrong. And you already know everything you need to know about weightloss.

First, your diet is what you eat. You don't stop eating, do you? If you mean some random diet, don't go on a diet. Diets don't work. You already know that. When you quit, you go back to old habits, and you regain weight.

If you get headaches, maybe you're eating too little, or getting too little salt.

No foods are good or bad. A healthy diet is balanced and varied - mainly consisting of fruit/veggies and protein does not fit that description.

You lose weight mainly from eating less, not from exercise. You lose according to what calorie deficit you can sustain over time.

If you want to keep going, don't go on a crash diet.

emmies_123

I second what Kommodevaran said about diet.

My advice for starting is to spend the first week or two eating as normal and making sure to log EVERYTHING, preferably with a food scale. Measure it as best you can if you don't have a scale. During this period you can see the pattern of your intake and judge where you can cut back. Maybe that involves trading out snacks for healthier alternatives. Maybe all you have to do is stick to a portion size if you are overeating at meal times.

The trick is to grow into everything gradually, don't jump in the deep end straight away. This will help you make lasting changes, and feel less like you are punishing yourself. It will also help you transition to the fact that this is a lifestyle change, not a crash course diet. The changes you make while you are losing will help you maintain the loss.

Regarding exercise, I do a mixture of both types. If you google "My Fitness Pal HIIT for beginners" they have a great varied 4 week program. You might not be able to do everything at first, but it can help you get started. Even if you don't stick with it after the 4 weeks, it will introduce you to enough different styles that you can probably figure out what type of exercise you like enough to stick with in the long term.

The biggest tip for exercise is to do something you enjoy. Some people love running, some love lifting weights, others prefer workout routines, etc. If you find something you enjoy doing it will be less difficult to find time to exercise each day. Also, don't judge yourself or try to fit yourself to someone else's style. We are all different, it is ok to do different workouts.

cheryldumais

First of all you need to realize that you need a lifestyle change that is permanent not just a "diet" that lasts until you get to your goal weight. Lots of things can cause your headaches. Personally I have a slow thyroid so if I overdo my exercise I get headaches that won't go away. I finally ended up using walking for exercise which I have slowly increased over time until my body got used to it. Perhaps you are trying to lose too quickly. Try losing .5 to 1 pound a week instead of the 2 pounds a week everyone seems to want to start with. Another common headache trigger is caffeine withdrawl. Have you replaced energy drinks or coffee with water? This can create withdrawl headaches. As for what is the best exercise... It's the one you will do and stick to. The worlds best exercise program won't help you if you don't stick to it.

The formula to lose weight is easy. Eat less than your body needs to run. If you want to eat more, then you need to burn more. If you hate exercise then you need to eat less. It really is just basic math. There is no magic formula, program etc. Hang in there and take your time with your weight loss. I wasn't able to maintain until I realized it wasn't a race. Now I have different habits and my lifestyle works. I can keep the weight off. Good luck.

jaysanchez4

Thanks everyone!

I think the biggest challenge for me are the first couple of weeks, sticking to it and not falling off. But You all offered some great advice on how to turn it into more of a lifestyle than a diet. I'm going to ensure to eat within my calories, workout 4-5 times a week and avoid any junk i don't need.

I appreciate all the help,

Thank You!

AnnPT77

jaysanchez4 wrote: »

Thanks everyone!

I think the biggest challenge for me are the first couple of weeks, sticking to it and not falling off. But You all offered some great advice on how to turn it into more of a lifestyle than a diet. I'm going to ensure to eat within my calories, workout 4-5 times a week and avoid any junk i don't need.

I appreciate all the help,

Thank You!

If the first couple of weeks are the super-big challenge, phase it in. Cut your calories to maybe 250 under maintenance (0.25 pound/week loss rate), try to add nutrition to your diet to replace foods that are less important to your happiness (usually a productive way of looking at it, vs. cutting out junk), work out maybe twice a week.

In a week, if things are going OK, cut daily calories by another 100 or so, keep working gradually on the nutrition. In 2-3 weeks, as you're feeling good an energetic about your workouts, go to 3 days a week.

Then keep going with that kind of thing until you find a happy, sustainable balance.

It could be easier than going for all of it, all at once. Just my opinion.

lynn_glenmont

Don't cut salt and sugar from what you eat when you reduce your calories, if doing so gives you a headache. Have some bacon, lean deli meat, or an ounce of cheese with your breakfast and lunch to ensure you're getting salt; have fruit or sweetened yogurt or sweetener in you coffee/tea with breakfast and lunch to ensure you're getting sugar.

Silentpadna

AnnPT77 wrote: »

jaysanchez4 wrote: »

Thanks everyone!

I think the biggest challenge for me are the first couple of weeks, sticking to it and not falling off. But You all offered some great advice on how to turn it into more of a lifestyle than a diet. I'm going to ensure to eat within my calories, workout 4-5 times a week and avoid any junk i don't need.

I appreciate all the help,

Thank You!

If the first couple of weeks are the super-big challenge, phase it in. Cut your calories to maybe 250 under maintenance (0.25 pound/week loss rate), try to add nutrition to your diet to replace foods that are less important to your happiness (usually a productive way of looking at it, vs. cutting out junk), work out maybe twice a week.

In a week, if things are going OK, cut daily calories by another 100 or so, keep working gradually on the nutrition. In 2-3 weeks, as you're feeling good an energetic about your workouts, go to 3 days a week.

Then keep going with that kind of thing until you find a happy, sustainable balance.

It could be easier than going for all of it, all at once. Just my opinion.

This^^^^

Your goal is 30 pounds. No need to rush it at all.

Same goes for strength training (which I highly recommend) or cardio (if that's your thing). Whatever you do, there is no reason to rush into that either. Find a good program and start easy progressing just a little each day.

janejellyroll

Good advice so far.

If you find cutting sugar and salt gives you headaches in the first couple of weeks, why do that? Focus on the calories. If you decide you later want to reduce sugar or salt for other reasons, there is always time to do that. But why make things harder right at the beginning?

I don't know what you mean by "not so good food," but you can include many different types of foods in a calorie deficit. There's no reason to feel bad about eating things that fit into your goals!

You stay motivated by including lots of foods that you enjoy and avoiding eliminating so much stuff that life feels like a slog (or you feel sick).

COGypsy

I'd also suggest focusing on building habits, rather than sustaining motivation. I think that's key to making lifestyle changes. For example, the first thing I do when I get home from work is make my smoothie for the next morning, pack my lunch, and load up my gym bag. I can't say I'm especially motivated to do any of those things. I don't look forward to each day's opportunity to out Tupperware into a lunch bag, lol. But after doing it consistently for so long, I find I get antsy if I get out of that routine for some reason. I'm the same way with meal prep, workouts....all that kind of stuff. It's been invaluable to me, not only in losing weight, but in maintaining the loss as well.