“I’ll start Monday”

lahrysa

Hi guys! I don’t want to wait till Monday to start. I’ve made 10,000 excuses why I’m still fat and I am out of excuses. Any tips to stay motivated would be super helpful. As far as exercise/ diet I’m new at all that as well. I know what I shouldn’t eat but not as much as what I should. Obviously clean foods but how to I figure out portions? I’m 23 and extremely overweight. I’m starting tomorrow to go to the gym. I need to start slow so I don’t burn myself out but I need tips! Thanks in advance

sctuba99

Hi Lahrysa !!! How are you ? I'm having some success with Swimming at my Chuze Gym. The pool is clean and if I swim for 30 minutes this app says I'm burning 700 calories. My joints don't ache and I'm tight all over. I see a dietician tomorrow , but basically I decided to stop eating bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and sugar. Eggs in the morning , salads and lean meats and boiled eggs, beef jerky and string cheese for snacks. 2019 is going to be the year !!!

khcrmo

Id say take a couple of days to eat like normal and just track everything. Just getting used to tracking and seeing what you are eating and how it adds up makes a huge difference. You will really learn alot from that. You will see where you can cut out or swap foods for better choices and what things you should cut down on protion size. But that way you're not overhauling your whole kitchen with things you might not want to eat as a lifestyle change forever. You are just revamping your current menu😊
I found this way feels a lot more sustainable to me than in the past when i tried to follow someone elses menu for me.

estherdragonbat

lahrysa wrote: »

Hi guys! I don’t want to wait till Monday to start. I’ve made 10,000 excuses why I’m still fat and I am out of excuses. Any tips to stay motivated would be super helpful. As far as exercise/ diet I’m new at all that as well. I know what I shouldn’t eat but not as much as what I should. Obviously clean foods but how to I figure out portions? I’m 23 and extremely overweight. I’m starting tomorrow to go to the gym. I need to start slow so I don’t burn myself out but I need tips! Thanks in advance

Actually, weight loss is all about the calories. You can eat what you want, but not necessarily as much as you want or whenever you want.

I'm twice your age and made it from 254lbs to 147 eating a lot of nutrient-dense fruits, veg, whole grains, etc., but keeping room for reasonable indulgences. (I keep my homemade desserts to 200 calories or fewer per serving, and have cut way back on bakery treats.)

I've found that over time, I've made better choices with snacks, but I haven't stopped snacking. As I type this, I'm snacking on some dry cereal (Kellogg's Krave; little chocolate filled pockets. 140 calories for 29 grams AND 30% of my iron RDA). Other snacks include roasted chickpeas, string cheese, veggie dogs, Fiber One bars. Mostly I try for snacks that help me hit my protein, iron, or fiber goals. I've cut back on things that don't have much going for them besides being low-calorie. Veggie straws and pop chips are mostly low-fiber carbs and salt. I eat them sometimes but not as much as I used to.

"Clean" eating has a million definitions, many of which contradict each other. As long as you're getting adequate nutrition, it really doesn't matter.

WinoGelato

Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Don’t get hung up on “clean” food vs “junk” food labels. All food can be part of an overall healthy and balanced diet. And “eating clean” has virtually nothing to do with losing weight. That comes from being at a consistent calorie deficit.

Eat a variety of foods at a calorie target appropriate for your goals. Focus on those that provide nutrients, satiety, and enjoyment.

Accurately track and log everything you eat, ideally using a food scale.

Don’t strive for perfection or extreme restrictions. When you have a long way to go, you need a plan that you can stick with.

Good luck!

MarilynTC

I am just getting started (again, for about the tenth time 😉) and am focusing on logging everything I eat, even when I go way over my calorie goals. I am trying to add more fruit and veggies instead of other snacks (with mixed results - sometimes, I go overboard with the cheddar cheese and the wine), and trying to get in a brisk 30 minute walk most days (but didnt yesterday bc it was WAY too cold). I have about 70 or so lbs to lose, and I keep reminding myself it will take time. I packed on 50 lbs last year pretty quickly because of an illness that kept me mostly bedridden and for which I took a lot of steroids, and because I suffer from major depressive disorder and tend to binge eat my bad emotions. Good luck, and remember (as I am trying to) that every day wont be "perfect" and it doesn't mean it is all over it you stumble a few times.

zeejane03

Weight loss is pretty straightforward-you need to be at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. And that's about it.

No need to make drastic changes to your food choices (don't worry about 'clean' eating-that's a fad buzz word that doesn't actually mean anything), just start being mindful of portion sizes (food scale is a huge help with this), and make small, realistic changes that you feel comfortable doing long term.

As for exercise-it's great for your health and will also give you a bit more calories to play with, but start out slow and again-be realistic about what you can do/enjoy doing.

Welcome to the group

TavistockToad

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818701/the-myth-of-motivation-and-what-you-need-instead

BMsJourney

lahrysa wrote: »

Hi guys! I don’t want to wait till Monday to start. I’ve made 10,000 excuses why I’m still fat and I am out of excuses. Any tips to stay motivated would be super helpful. As far as exercise/ diet I’m new at all that as well. I know what I shouldn’t eat but not as much as what I should. Obviously clean foods but how to I figure out portions? I’m 23 and extremely overweight. I’m starting tomorrow to go to the gym. I need to start slow so I don’t burn myself out but I need tips! Thanks in advance

Figuring out portions are not that hard - get a food scale and pre-log meals, I promise it helps! Also, feel free to message and/or friend me

JeromeBarry1

The only tip you need is this, "Love you". Love you, and take good care of your body. Don't harm you by over-feeding you. Don't neglect you by under-using your muscles. Obesity and atrophy are two extremes of the same body. The sweet spot where your self-love shines is in the middle.

BMsJourney

^Indeed! Well put, Sir! @JeromeBarry1

kireler

I pretty much did the same thing for years. "Tomorrow" "Next week" "I had a hard day" "I deserve this". In November I told myself "Enough" and started this journey.

To get my portions into check I started by taking the same amount of food but leaving one bite on the plate. then a week later I would take a break halfway through my meal for 5 -10 mins (go get a glass of water, change my son's diaper, go spend time on my phone in the bathroom, whatever would get me away from my plate) and I found that when I got back I wasn't hungry anymore. I ate too fast, I would eat so fast that by the time I was done my plate, I had eaten more then I needed. A few times I stopped myself while chewing because I wasn't hungry and there was no need to eat that bite.

Once my portions were in control, I started bringing a lunch to work instead of buying it. And started eating it slowly.

I still indulge from time to time as I don't think I could do this if I didn't. But I do try to exercise those extra calories away. For example, I baked a cake with my daughter this weekend. She frosted it with my wife and we had it for dessert at dinner. I had a tiny piece instead of what I would of normally taken.

What worked for me:
-Tracking Food on MFP
-smaller portions
-no sugar
-being honest with myself
-accepting that it's a long journey ... not a quick race.

Good luck and Don't be too hard on yourself.