How to even start??!!! 😟

danisb1987

I'm having trouble with just the first step, starting exercise, getting into the mind frame, motivation EVERYTHING!

I know my why but stuck on everything else.

Any tips on how to get started???

Lietchi

The first step I would propose is simply logging your food for a week. Nothing more, nothing less. No restricting your intake, no exercise, just logging.
That will be a great starting point to find gradual changes you can introduce subsequently to get where you want to go.

AJBusjahn

true that. when I began logging my food I began to see how much I actually ate as to what I thought I was eating, and getting a tracker (I have a cheap fitbit) I really saw how little i burned as opposed to what I put in.

nutmegoreo

Are you having trouble starting with the dieting part or just exercise? Is your goal losing weight or gaining?

Making some assumptions about those answers, I would start with just logging a few days. The good, the bad, the ugly. It will give you an idea of where you are starting.

Personally I find that starting with changing my eating habits actually encourages exercise. Others will find that exercise helps them build better eating habits. Either way, just start. Just this next meal. And then the next one. If you get sidetracked one day, start with logging the next meal. No punishment for being human. We all get sidetracked. Take it one meal at a time, one day at a time, one workout at a time.

If you are having difficulties with working out, start with getting your workout clothes and shoes on. Tell yourself you will do the first 10 minutes. Usually by that time, I'm going to finish it.

Hopefully, something in there helps, but if not, I'm sure others will have more suggestions.

LiveOnceBeHappy

There are some really good articles on the main page of MFP about what it's about. For working out, make it easy and just walk. Looks like you have a little baby, so put him or her in the stroller and go for a walk. No need to go to a gym if you don't want to. No need to lift weights if you don't want to. Track your food intake and then eventually figure out from the calculator how many calories that are recommended to reach your goal. Try to stick to that. You'll start figuring out how to budget those calories effectively. You'll start finding swaps for higher calorie items that you enjoy. Nothing too crazy--light mayo for regular, for example. Measuring portions of things to make sure you're in budget. You'll get there! Read, read, read this forum!

Bex953172

Not sure if you.mean the whole lot or just the exercise.
It depends what kind of exercise you like and in what way you want to exercise.
For example I watch YouTube videos to exercise to in my lounge.

At first I spent about 20 minutes just looking through different videos to find ones I found FUN. there are some boring exercise videos out there. And I saved some into my "watch later" list. And also ones that are doable with my equipment (none) and my ability.
And I've found even just sticking one on gets me.up. it's hard not to join on when you've got one playing on the telly.

If you prefer outdoor exercise such as running/cycling. Then don't wait for motivation. You're never going to FEEL like exercising. Instead of motivation, work on your discipline. Where you ignore how you feel about doing the exercise and know it's.more something that has to be done.

For example, no one FEELS like washing all the pots. No one particular likes washing all the pots. But you do it.
Try have the same.outlook for exercise

As for the food, I kinda gotta agree with everyone else. Log without any changes to see what your working with and you can really see where your highest calories come from..and then keep tweaking it and tweaking it until it's within calorie levels and easy to manage.
Kind of got to learn as you go as everyone journey is personal to them.

But you'll always find help on here too if you get stuck again! Xx

emmamcgarity

I agree that starting logging food is the key first step. If you haven’t already, go ahead and log the last thing you ate today.

As for exercise, start small when you are ready. Then increase when you want. Walking is a good starting point for many.

LenGray

I agree with the logging food to find your baseline advice! But I'd like to add that when I started, I had to take very small steps. Some of my first goals were things like, 'Eat a whole bag of salad greens in a week' or 'Drink 6 cups of water a day'. Little habits, things that feel ridiculously easy but build up over time, have now become the keystone habits that help me sustain my weight loss in the long term