How did you start?

demonkarebear04

Good afternoon everyone. I have been on so many weight loss journeys I'm pretty discouraged by the whole thing. I know that I am able to lose weight, I've done it before, but then my ambition dwindles, I lose interest, and life takes over. I know that many people are going to say that you can't let life take over, but sometimes, it just does..

How did you get started losing weight? Did you start in slow increments? Did you have someone you could text all day telling them what you're eating and when you feel a crash coming on? I need advice, usually people get sick of advice, but there has to be a piece of advice out there that will hit the nail on the head.

I am 5 foot 3, between 230 and 240 pounds ( I haven't weighed myself in 2 months, scared of what I will see ) and just realized I no longer fit in my size 16 jeans, which must mean I am sadly, now in a size 18, without any present in my closet.

I don't dream of being tiny, I don't dream of a 6 pack, and I don't dream of putting my feet behind my head in some skinny yoga pose. I dream of fitting on the slide and swings, and I dream of being able to buy clothes in a normal section of stores... I dream of energy and excitement of the thought of being outside and doing stuff in the summer and not the fear of the fact that I have to wear means size 42 shorts in the summer....

Someone, anyone, advice? Stories of success? People who just started this morning and have ideas they may not follow but just sound brilliant none-the-less?

Rogsman

Well...

"A moment of clarity is when you suddenly get a deep understanding of some truth that's been out of reach for you. When your vision becomes unclouded and focused by a mad rush of what has been called an epiphany or revelation. People suffering form addictions use this phrase to refer to a moment when they are not being effected by their substance and can "see" or understand clearly the nature of their problem and finally realize the need to stop and get help. A moment of clarity from whatever is making it cloudy."

A couple of months ago I was on a stationary bike, sweat pouring off me, drenched through, breathing heavy and my heart racing. I was completely exhausted and pushing myself to reach 20 minutes. I couldn't believe I was in such bad shape and wondered how I'd ever lose the weight. I began to think it impossible and have doubts. Then I had a "moment of clarity".

"I can do this."

That was the moment I figured out that I was the one in control. That was 4 months and 40 lbs ago.

It's your life, it's your lifestyle. Hit the reset button.

ELEANOR43da

I agree, I changed my food habits and began to exercise without any hesitation. Just stopped buying things that may be triggers for me . I enjoy walking so I have stuck with that and step program, with eating what my body needs according to the program I do well.

I am 5'3,240 lbs and into a size 20 . Does it bother me ? No Do I wish to become small enough to fit into the non-plus sizes, maybe ,but I am concentrating on my health and what is best for me not for my looks. I love myself no matter how I am on the utside. I know if I am doing the right things that will follow.
Feel free to add.

kathleenjoyful

I started walking home from work every day, and didn't change the way I was eating at all, at first. I still lost weight. I then tried a crash diet a few times, but it was so restrictive I'd always regain. I rejoined the gym, and focussed on increasing my fitness and strength instead of focussing on my weight. I'd challenge myself each time I felt it was getting too "easy". I set appointments with myself to exercise and made sure I didn't miss them. I continued to do a lot of walking and got a Jawbone UP, and made sure I did 10,000 steps a day on TOP of any workout at the gym.

I saw that Jawbone UP synced with MyFitnessPal and I decided I really did need to change my relationship with food and signed up. At first I just logged food in MyFitnessPal as an exercise in mindfulness, without a calorie goal in mind. When I got serious about it a few weeks later I set my calorie goal around 1500, then 1700, and as I did more and more exercise and lost weight, I realised I wasn't eating enough. I now eat around 2000 calories a day or more, following the Eat More To Weigh Less philosophy of eating at TDEE -20% most days. My relationship with my body and food has never been better, I have enough energy to do the level of exercise I enjoy, I eat healthily and in moderation but don't restrict anything (except alcohol), and I am losing more weight than I was with a lower calorie goal.

This all sounds like a lot, but really I started small, just by walking more. I changed and made new habits, small ones, until they became larger goals and habits. I listened to my body and challenged myself physically. I learnt to listen to my hunger instead of overeating. Losing weight is sustainable for me now, and more about lifestyle. I know I won't regain when I get to my goal, because I'm already eating "normally". Took me a few months on MyFitnessPal of asking a lot of questions and learning from knowledgable people and groups, and it all started to come together for me. Most importantly I stayed open minded and flexible, and reassessed my goals as I went.

Start with mindfulness about the food choices you make, and more movement. The rest will follow if you're committed to it, even when you'll have days that you struggle.

marieskee

I just told myself "do it" I kept it simple and took it a day at a time. I changed my thought process and started to eat to live, treated food as fuel and exercise as fun. the inches started to come off slowly and I knew it was a lifestyle not the next big diet or gym addiction. you can do it by doing what works for YOU. one day is now day one. Best wishes!

phred_52

I sleep in fetal position, and my excess kept digging into my ribcage. That "really" motivated me to lose. Don't know all the facts about what one can/can't eat, but I totally don't eat any junk food no more, along with watching calorie count.

I'd found I was at 199, only 5'8". Me personally I hit the gym hard, mostly cardio. Hit my goal 160 just over 8 mos later.

Guess it's like anything. How bad one want's it. I wish you the best.

darkrose20

I started logging my calories "just to see". I realized what I was putting into my body, and naturally tried to keep under the calorie goal. Then I realized it's easier to keep that bar green if I exercised even lightly. The rest is history.

Sonj1973

I look at it in different ways....:

1) awareness being the Key...Knowing my habits, what when and why!
2) This is a change in lifestyle not a deprivation diet where 70% of foods are off the menu!
3) Enjoy the process eat what you like in moderation ensuring it fits in with your net calories allowed
4) Its ok to have a bad day and It's ok to have fun, and sometimes a day off!
5) This isn't punishment so don't make it hard on yourself....small steps and small goals help keep focus!

And a great way I found helps keep me motivated...Put the 21lbs you've lost in a rucksack, and when you feel like giving up put it on your back and walk around the block... By the time you get home and take it off I'll see if you still feel like giving up once you've realised how far you've come

Good Luck.....

bethlang26

The best thing for me was telling myself to earn my treats BEFORE eating them, rather than telling myself I'd burn them after which never happens! So now if I'm going out for a big meal/night out on a weekend, during the week I'll make sure I save enough calories for it.. And half the time with all the hard work and effort its taken to be green every day, I end up not wanting to throw it all away with a big meal and dessert, and will still make a healthier choice.

Also a big thing was not punishing myself for slip ups. If I have a bad day it used to be 'ah well I've blown it now may aswell pig out for the rest of the day/weekend and start again tomorrow/Monday" Now its - right, I had that one bad meal / few too many drinks / big dessert - and it's done. It doesnt have to ruin your week, have a walk after it, and plan your meals for the next day - it makes you feel much better about the slip up too, it's better to be naughty, have that one piece of cake and then get back to the plan after, than deny deny deny yourself and end up blowing out allll weekend!

Joehenny

Was already into working out but had a bad diet. Saw my friend get really shredded last year. We went to the beach and after I knew I wanted to be shredded too.

RAF_Guy

I was stood in the queue at the post office last year and when I looked at the tv screen showing the picture from the security camera, I noticed this really fat bald bloke. I looked around to see who was behind me, only to realise the really fat bald bloke was me.
Now I thought, there is not a lot I can do about male pattern baldness (unless I win the lottery and have a Rooney!) but there is something I can do about my weight.

Little did I know though that I would meet my dream lady on here, my soulmate and she is now my reason to keep at it. She is my rock.

bridgie101

the people above me all have fantastic self control. I can't just up and 'change' because I'm older probably - and change is incredibly stressful.

So this is what I have been doing. I've only been back on mfp for 1 1/2 weeks but I started doing this a little before.

Every morning come hell or high water I have a wee breakfast that suits me. For me it's tinned fruit and cornflakes with a cup of coffee. I don't think it matters what it is. It does matter, though, that it's always the same thing. No matter what, it's always the same thing.

It's bizarre but it has changed everything. Because I know what my breakfast is, i don't have to think. It goes into 'habitville' and therefore becomes unconscious. it has the same calories every day but best of all, my body has got used to it and expects it. I don't feel hungry after which is what used to happen if i ate in the mornings. 1 whole cup of cornflakes and 1/2 cup tinned fruit is only about 200 calories.

I've now had to wonder what I'll have for lunch. Again, it needs to be the same thing every day. right now it's a diet bar but when they run out I'll have to think of something else.

having that breakfast be exactly the same gives me a foundation for all other dieting. It's incredible what it has unlocked. If you're a creature of habit like me, it might be worth a shot.

arubaha

that is easy to answer, i saw myself in the mirror and said omg i am getting fat time for a diet. Lost 41 lbs and still have 20 lbs to go. Goal weight is 170 or 175 not sure yet. How did I start - stop eating the crap food and cut carbs and eat a lot more veggies and salads and eat a lot more chicken.. Now don't get me wrong I love my pizza i do eat 4 pieces at dinner time, but i only do that once a month or every few months not really a pizza guy. Also love my hamburgers with mayo pickles lots of cheese and mushrooms and onions. But that is every so often maybe 1 time in 20 days.
.

MyJourney1960

how did i start? i just started. I tend to, like you seem to be doing, get bogged down in details - how to, why to, when to. focusing on details just helped me postpone the actual 'starting'. so this time - and i i don't really know why this time worked or is working vs. previous attempts - i just.did.it. i just started. i started by reading, and logging, and watching what i was eating.

I mean, i KNEW that i was obese, and it bothered me and i WANTED to lose weight but somehow had trouble connecting the dots. this time i stopped kidding myself, i no longer said "but i'm fine, i go to the gym" and "i'm eating well, it must be my metabolism, my age, my menopause...".

There were a few things that pushed me- really pushed me - one was a blood test where my sugar was just a tad over the border and the other was seeing a really cool sundress in a store window and suddenly i wanted that dress. so here i am about 4 mounths later, still no sun dress, but sugar levels down to normal, and i am well on my way to getting off the cholestorel and blood pressure meds. I have a family event in a few weeks and while i won't be the size 12 i was dreaming about, i also will no longer be the 22/24 i was a the last family even 6 months ago. hopefully i will fit into an 18 by then (not that 18 is my best goal, but it's better than 22/24)

so my advice - don't over think this, just start.

My basics are:
*log everything. be very diligent and be honest
*weigh everything (see above)
*be patient - there WILL be ups and downs, it's fine.
*if you are going to overeat/binge - log it BEFORE you start. this sometimes helps.
*if you DO overeat/binge - lose the "all or nothing" mentatlity. it happens, move on.
*measure yourself and take photos - it's really cool to see the changes.

demonkarebear04

So I suppose the moral of the story is having that aha moment when it just hits you that things need to change. I feel as though I've had this moment a hundred time and I am still unable to change. I live in a house with a lot of people and find it incredibly difficult to eat healthy when the whole house eats such incredibly unhealthy foods. When something healthy enters our house, it's gone in moments. How do people who don't live alone and make a lot of money do this? I think I need a serious support plan. Something almost along the lines of drastic maybe? I love everyone's responses!! The last time I did this, I just started also, and I lost 21 pounds in 3 months! It was amazing, then I just lost it and can't find it again! I don't know what to do...

Hezzietiger1

I got a reality kick in the face.. I was fat 5'2 232 lbs... unhappy, unhealthy (high cholesterol, prediabetic) and decided that's not the life I wanted. I joined a gym, dropped some $$ on a trainer and made my dreams reality. My first goal was just get under 200.. then 165, then 145.. now I'm at 138. My dreams changed. Now.. I want to look like an elite athlete and I will. I worked with my trainer through the whole process so far, and now I am a trainer. Nothing to it but to do it. Enlist some help and get at it!!

slim4health56

I completely understand the trepidation you might be experiencing (been there, done that), but past failures only make you one step closer to success. If you're ready to jump on the fitness/weight loss train, see this as a lifelong journey and not something you have to "endure" until you lose the weight. I started in July with a "diet" plan (doesn't matter which one, they all stink in my opinion) and got fed up with the restriction on foods really fast. But, instead of quitting, I just changed my plan and started eating real food (but watched the calorie input). Along the way, I've made little changes when I started to feel deprived and followed the wisdom of the successful folks here at mfp. Let me share some of this wisdom with you:

1) Eat real food and don't go hungry.
2) Determine your calorie requirements and modify your intake to a modest 400-500 daily calorie deficit. BE CONSISTENT!
3) If you can work in some exercise, great! If not, diet is still more than 80% of what you need to focus on to lose.
4) The scale is a dirty *kitten* that you can't trust (weight isn't the end all here - and most people agree to weigh yourself only once a week). Your weight will fluctuate, so don't focus too much on this - inches will come off and energy levels will go up if you're eating correctly.
5) Measure/weigh EVERYTHING you consume and add to your diary.
6) Make little changes/adjustments as you work toward your goal. You don't have to change everything all at once to be successful.
7) Commit to one day at a time.

You might get lots of advice on a particular plan (eating clean, fasting, protein shakes vs. whatever). Take the advice or not. It's not the diet plan that causes weight loss. You are entirely capable of figuring out how much and what to eat to lose weight. You'll figure out what works for you through trial and error as everyone is a little different in this regard. I've learned that if I keep my carbs a little lower than I normally would have, the weight comes off and the cravings for sweets all but disappear but this is just me - you might prefer a different macro ratio.

You can do this!

slimandfab13

When it started to get difficult for me to bend and cross my legs, that's how I knew I needed to start losing weight. I just started this month by signing up to MFP, counting my calories and I just did the 30 day shred challenge this morning. Reading success stories and seeing before and after pictures keep me motivated to do this, and I know I can because for once I believe that I can reach my goal. I needed to stop yo-yo dieting and vowed myself to make this a lifestyle.

alisonlynn1976

It was gradual for me. The first thing I did was join the gym, and I didn't go very often in the beginning. Then I took small steps like not bringing potato chips in my lunch anymore, not buying candy bars from the vending machine anymore, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. I would say that it took me a good 7-8 months from initially joining the gym to becoming hardcore serious about fitness and weight loss. It wasn't overwhelming because I changed small things one at a time.

LorinaLynn

When I started, I wasn't trying to lose weight. I thought I was stuck where I was, because weight loss was just too difficult... if I cut calories enough to lose weight, I didn't eat enough to function normally. I was wrong about that. I've since realized that eating too little just plain doesn't work for me. Eating right does.

But anyway, I just wanted to be healthier than I was. I wanted to be able to run a 5k. My brother could do it, his daughter could do it. We're genetically quite similar, and I'm halfway between their ages, so why can't I? And I figured if I was fit enough to run 5k, my weight doesn't matter.

So I stared Couch to 5k, and going from struggling to run one tenth of a mile to running a full mile straight in about a month was amazing to me. And I was losing weight. Not huge amounts of weight - about 5 pounds a month. After watching shows like Biggest Loser, I foolishly thought losing 5 pounds a week was normal. It's not. Weight loss is slow, just like weight gain is slow. But seeing the changes to my health and my ability to run, something I could never do before, kept me motivated to keep going even when the scale didn't make me do cartwheels.

enidite

you need to make your needs known if at all possible. If you need healthy food you need to tell the people living with you that you need this for yourself . Eating healthy does not have to be expensive.
I live with a husband and five kids, all of them really could care less about my weight loss effort, so I decided i will have to do this for myself. I cook for myself, eat meanwhile nearly all vegan and found my support elsewhere. I have a friend that is my lifeline. I text her when temptation strikes, we go walk and we encourage each other. I come here and read success stories and will ask questions if I need help. I walk at work in my breaks, I do anything possible that can help me succeed. Changing habits little by little can have a big impact over time.
I think you also need to realize that weight loss is not always easy. It is hard work, a lot of determination and setbacks. You will have to want to get better because motivation might get you started but it will not always be there and you will need something else to carry you through. I believe that once I accepted that I will not have a perfect weight loss story and that this is a permanent life style change that i will have to work on for the rest of my life, that's when I finally could keep going.
I still have a long ways to go, but I know I will make it this time because now I am not looking for the quick fix and the changing number on the scale any more. I am looking at the progress along the way no matter how small. Progress not perfection has become one of my mantras.
Good luck, baby steps will take you to where you need to go,.

soapyapples

The moment for me was when I saw a picture of myself at a gathering of around 12 couples. I looked quite a bit larger than I had thought myself, and it was a wake up call. Especially since I was standing next to my 6' rather thin husband.

I started logging my calories at first and realized just how much I was eating on an average day. Some foods can be deceptively high in calories. Years ago I gave up fast food and soda and lost a lot of weight without doing anything else, but that was not going to work this time as I still don't eat/drink those. I realized it was my portions that were out of whack.

I registered here and started tracking and realized I needed to exercise if I wanted to eat more of the guilty-pleasure items. I joined the gym and started really small. I was actually extremely intimated by the gym-regulars. After I got comfortable to the unspoken gym rules, I started new machines and started swimming. I lost around 15 pounds (2 inches from my bust, 4 inches off my waist, and 5 inches from my hips). That January I started school again for my second Bachelor's and was still working full time so I let myself "go" a little, but I have just freshened my desire to loose even more weight, but this time I will not be able to devote much time to regular exercise. So I bought a food scale and have been logging everything with exact weights (I used to just guestimate). I will be adding more exercise as I figure out how to add it in with my schedule, even if its just an extra long walk with the dog!

Keep your hope alive, don't get down that it isn't happening in 10 days, the journey is for a lifetime.

simonbraunercave

Just started. Restarted. I have genetically through the roof cholesterol levels and high blood pressure - on meds for both. Want to get off both but recognise with teh former may not be possible. Any advice or support gratefully received.

iofred

lol, I started with staying in a hotel that did not have a gym. They were affiliated with a gym 1 mile away, so I started jogging (stumbling) to and fro every day, and lost 15lbs in 2 weeks ... that was it, hooked ... lost total of 40lbs or so, and have been in maintenance mode for last 1 1/2 year, with this year 2 half marathons scheduled (and paid for )

rainbow198

Slow and steady for me. I got started by focusing on my fitness. At the time all I could do is walk very slowly around my neighborhood.

After awhile I was able to go a little longer and a little faster and I was seeing very small changes. I was then able to start incorporating more exercise.

Then I tackled my diet by cutting back on my portions and figuring out what worked for me through trial and error.

Once I found my groove, the weight and inches came off. It motivated me to keep going and I never stopped!

I'm maintaining now, but I still work at it everyday to maintain my weight.

Good luck to you OP. You can do it!

Edited to add: Oh wow, I just realized this post is from 2013. Well, I hope the OP did it!