Decisions Decisions???

Carnivorekat

Am a Yoyo dieter and have been for years, so thinking about changing my mindset and rather than focusing on dieting, trying to focus on strength and fitness - am a newbie Gym goer, and I have a lot of weight to lose, but it feels like an uphill battle sometimes.

Hoping for some advice and wondering whether to ditch the scales at home and just go by my measuring tape from now on, and kick exercise in and just eat sensibly?

TeaBea

I've done the up/down thing too. My mindset (right now) is no scale. I know I want to be at least one pant size smaller .... so for me it's all about measurements. I realized (finally) that this HAS to be about health. I'm never going to wear a bikini.... but I CAN have decent muscle tone, I CAN walk up hill without getting out of breath. I CAN be healthier.

cmriverside

Do both. If you have a lot of weight to lose, all the numbers are important.

People say "ditch the scales" because some people get obsessed or overly frustrated with what they perceive to be lack of progress.

In my opinion, it's really important to have all the information you can possibly have. Digital food scale, accurate food logging, measuring tape and body weight scales are all necessary for success.

icimani

As long as you don't get an unhealthy obsession with the scales, I say do both.

Weighing myself helps keeps me mindful - reminds me that there will be fluctuation, and reminds me of my goals. And when the scales just won't budge, I'm usually still seeing progress in measurements and fitness level so that keeps me motivated.

Carnivorekat

Thanks guys - will stick with it - have been having a bad day today and craving lots of unhealthy carbs and it feels like a never ending cycle at times - will just get back on track tomorrow and perhaps keep the scales but stop using them so much as they tend to depress me sometimes

MoreBean13

First off, your new outlook is where you want to be. Yo-yo dieting and starving yourself never get the long term results you're looking for. Fitness and sensible eating will.

Start here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

And look at the rest of the important threads in the Eat, Train, Progress group, it's a wealth of good information:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

And don't completely ditch the scale, you do need to periodically know how much you weigh, but it would be good to only weigh yourself once a week, or if that's still too much for you to handle right now, once or twice a month. Definitely get a tape measure and start taking measurements, and (even though it's painful) take some full body pictures in a bathing suit or fitted gym clothes to look back at later (not underwear preferably- you'll never be able to show progress pics in your inevitable success thread later if you take them in underwear!).

Also, start lifting weights right now! 2-3 x a week lifting, full body, heavy weights, ~45 mins. Cardio can be whatever you like, 2-3x a week, 30 mins.

PikaKnight

Morebean posted great info! And here's one more link to check out (Also in the Eat, Train, Progress group)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

cmriverside

Thanks guys - will stick with it - have been having a bad day today and craving lots of unhealthy carbs and it feels like a never ending cycle at times - will just get back on track tomorrow and perhaps keep the scales but stop using them so much as they tend to depress me sometimes

The carb cravings are difficult to break. Start having meals that are protein heavy. They will keep you full and satisfied.

The threads linked above are Excellent, cannot recommend enough. You need fats, don't be afraid of them. Sugary carbs can be part of your plan, just use them sparingly. I know that can be difficult, so be kind to yourself if you go overboard. Just keep rebooting and eventually your new behaviors become habit. Everything takes practice.

Carnivorekat

Thank you so much - when you have been an unhealthy person for 20+ years its very hard to make the changes, but going to tackle it and eventually achieve what I need to achieve - will look at the links and get busy learning more - have another PT session on Friday and am introducing the weights to my regime which so far I have enjoyed although my muscles have really ached so need to ensure I know how to stretch them properly after I use them as don't think I did it properly this time and have suffered. I have a goal to work towards which is not weight related in any way but is very much fitness related so going to focus on that and hope everything I do towards this will all fit together properly.

love MFP some fab people who are so helpful am learning so much being on here

MoreBean13

Thank you so much - when you have been an unhealthy person for 20+ years its very hard to make the changes, but going to tackle it and eventually achieve what I need to achieve - will look at the links and get busy learning more - have another PT session on Friday and am introducing the weights to my regime which so far I have enjoyed although my muscles have really ached so need to ensure I know how to stretch them properly after I use them as don't think I did it properly this time and have suffered. I have a goal to work towards which is not weight related in any way but is very much fitness related so going to focus on that and hope everything I do towards this will all fit together properly.

love MFP some fab people who are so helpful am learning so much being on here

Re: bolded- Muscle aches are completely normal and expected when you first start a new program. Ironically, the solution is to keep doing the exercises, not to discontinue them. You can expect when you start lifting weights to be sore for up to a week afterwards, but it's short lived- it won't happen much after the first couple weeks because it's a matter of transitioning from "untrained" to "training". Light cardio (walking, low resistance elliptical, etc) will dramatically alleviate the soreness and stiffness.

cmriverside

kathrout1973,

I understand being unhealthy for 20 plus years. I was unhealthily overweight for more than ten years, but once I went that direction I was all-or-nothing :laugh:

You can absolutely make this change. We love people like you who are excited and willing. That's 90% of the battle - your mindset. Always being willing to just keep getting up.

It was difficult for me to tell myself "no" to foods I loved because I had spent ten years saying "yes" to anything I wanted at anytime. It doesn't work, as you know. I had to almost treat myself like a child and say, "No. You get XXXX number of calories a day. Everything above that defeats you. Everything above that is wasteful."

It is all mental, and retraining your thought processes. Some days I just had to force myself away from the food and go somewhere that was not accessible to food. The beach, the park, anywhere that was away from the refrigerator and food establishments. After a while that becomes normal. I stayed busy and learned I really didn't need that food.

Morebean is right about the discomfort. That means you are working. Your body is thanking you, believe me. Keep getting up.

Carnivorekat

you guys are amazing - am so inspired to do this - will give myself more support and get the new habits in place so that the old ones don't dominate any more.

I will welcome the tight sore muscles for a while so that I know I have been working, think I need to ensure I do some more on my arms and top half of the body as that didn't feel sore at all, but my thigh muscles were struggling after doing loads of squats on Monday.