Mistakes to avoid as a beginner?

Question

Hi! I'm currently starting my second fitness journey after losing 50 lbs and gaining half of it back due to pretty much giving up on myself. I feel like a poor diet was my biggest downfall alongside that. As I spark this second journey back up, I was just wondering if there's any tips anybody could throw my way? To lose 50 lbs I started with simple weight training exercises and then incorporated aerobics along with it. I didn't really cut any food out, instead I reduced my calorie intake but in turn I starved. I tried to prioritize vegetables too but I feel like nothing really kept me full. This time around I decided to do an arm, leg and torso day with weights with about 5 workouts per day each 30 reps. Also including 30 minutes of aerobics alongside, aiming about 3 to 4 days at least a week. Does anyone have any tips on what to eat/recipes to keep me full? What are some things you think I should be doing?

I've been on and off consistent for a couple months now but this last month I've been prioritizing it more and now I'm 7 lbs back down. I would love to hear input or constructive criticism!

cmriverside · Accepted Answer

If you feel like you're "starving" then raise your calories.

Focus on whole foods: fruit, vegetables, protein, nuts, legumes, whole grains, dairy, eggs, oil. Log your food, study your FOOD diary and figure out how to tweak portions and meals/timing for more satiety. This is your experiment to run but better nutrition makes it easier for sure.

You don't mention how much you're currently eating...and that is important.

Set your Goal here to "Lose 1 pound per week."

When you exercise, add it into the "Exercise" area and eat more - like 200-400 calories more for each hour of moderate exercise.

AnnPT77 · Accepted Answer

If you're logging your food, review and analyze your diary.  Pay attention to which days go better or worse.  Think about what was different on those days.  Use those insights to improve your plan.

If you find your "good choice" breakfast tasty and filling, that's great.  If you don't, then consider alternatives.   If you a grabbing lunch on the go, take 15-20 minutes (when not on the go!) to think about filling, tasty things you could eat that would make a better contribution to your goals.  Consider where you are when on the go, what options you have for food.  (Examples:  Convenience store, fast food restaurant, carry a lunch or snacks, etc.  Even convenience stores and fast food places have some reasonably filling, reasonably nutritious, moderate calorie options.  Plan ahead.)

There's no need to get fancy with recipes.  If you're heading home, pick up a rotisserie chicken and some frozen veggies, some moderate-calorie sauce if you don't have something in the pantry.  Quick dinner, no recipe.  Bagged salads with a protein.  Etc.

It sounds like you're losing focus as the day goes on.  One thing to consider:  How's your sleep quality/quantity?  As the day goes on, we're more distant from that last sleep.  Fatigue accumulates. When fatigued, the body seeks energy.  Food is energy, voilà - cravings, often for quick-energy foods like sweets and processed-food carbs.   Keep in mind that stress, over-exercise and other factors can also increase fatigue.

Another thing to consider:  How fast are you trying to lose weight?  Slow loss, even very slow loss, when using a workable plan . . . will get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than something aggressive that's too hard to stick with consistently.

I'm in long-term maintenance now, but when I was losing weight, I made it a point to carry small, relatively filling, nutritious shelf-stable snacks in my car or purse/backpack, ones that were tasty but not super-tempting.  That helped me tide myself over until I could find a bigger but nutritious/tasty/filling food(s) to eat.

Don't get hung up on recipes.  Focus on a plan that's achievable for you.  Heaven forbid (because it was kind of a party trick), but people have lost meaningful amounts of weight eating entirely at McDonald's, or mostly convenience store foods . . . and improved their blood test results and other health markers at the same time.  It's a better idea to eat mostly whole foods for a variety of reasons (like feeling more full, for most of us), but eating in a calorie-appropriate way that's practical/filling for us the way we are now, maybe evolving gradually and manageably in new directions (like learning to cook):  That can work.

Best wishes!