Hi Everyone!

lindaaprain261
lindaaprain261 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself

I'm new here and just used the app for the first time today. I have lots of questions and feel I bit overwhelmed with where to start, but I trust that many of you have been in this space place at one point in time as well. I'm 66 and for health reasons, need to lose weight and lower my cholesterol levels. I'm hoping that with more exercise, and better focus on my eating, I'll be able to do that.

I'd love to know your top three tips for getting started. What really helped you when you first began? Wishing you all much happiness and health on your journey.

Replies

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 10,009 Member
    edited July 1
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10941886/hi-everyone

    Hi @lindaaprain261 welcome to MFP!


    you’ll find a page called MFP University that will give you various discussions, videos etc to help you get started.

    You can also post to ask questions here and users like me will try to answer them.

    There’s several “over 60” threads that you might like to participate in, as well as challenges for seniors you might like.

    My top tips?

    Weigh accurately

    Log religiously (and honestly)

    Get and use a fitness tracker (Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, etc) to help track steps, and make that mental connection between calories in versus calories burned (that was a shock to me, let me tell ya!)

    Think in terms of substitutions: diet soda for full sugar, fat free coffee creamer or black instead of coffee with lots of add-ins, air fryer fries instead of deep fried, salsa or balsamic vinegars for salad dressings instead of high calorie bottled stuff, browning meats in a preheated dry pan versus with a lot of butter or oil, and so on.

    Give yourself grace. No self flagellation. Don’t talk in terms of “falling off the wagon” or that you “screwed up”. You’re a human who may have a “bad” day, or a family celebration. You shrug your shoulders, and get back on with it the next day.

    Find something you enjoy doing, whether it’s walking, aquafit, stretching class, swimming, or training with a trainer or group of friends.

    The dog and I drive to a town north of here every Wednesday morning for the pleasure of walking for an hour with a friend and catching up, and then I take the dog to the coffee shop near the house for a squirrel cookie for him and an iced black coffee (5 calories) for me. Good exercise , I thoroughly enjoy it, and the dog knows when it’s Wednesday morning.

    My husband is 70 and does tai chi twice a week, and aquafit five times a week, while I swim laps in the next lane. He absolutely loves it. He’s such a cut-up in the water, the naughty kid he would never have dared be in school. We’ve got a couple of ladies who are 90 in that class. Everyone works to their own level. I never see frowns, though.

    There’s lots of things you can do that are just plain fun, sociable, and can get you out of the house.

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