need encouragement please :)

Faten_B

hi, im faten. a mother of 2 I'm 5'4". i started minding what i eat and exercising january 7th. i was 185 then. today I'm 170, which is great except that i don't see much of a difference in my clothes. i walk on the treadmill average an hour per day. my goal is 140, which i really hope i can reach by july 1st. please let me know your thoughts and any advices are welcome. cheers

trogalicious

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

IronSmasher

Set some fitness goals.

PolacaFL

Why is 1200 bad? Is it because people will lose weight too fast or because they limit their intake in healthy foods so that they can eat the junk food they want?

I heard that if you lose 1% of your body weight that it's considered safe. I'm at 230 so 1% would be 2.3 lbs/week. I lose between 1.5- 2 lb. MFP tells me to eat 1280. I usually eat 200 more from exercise, so a total of 1430.

boobear7

My body likes weight training, I see a lot of people only doing cardio.....maybe add a couple of weight training days into your week. Just a thought. It might help.

jlynnm70

Ok - I'm a mom of 5 and am 43 years old - I am 5'0" and currently at 143# trying to get around 120 - I started at a little over 150 about 6 weeks ago. I am trying to eat better, but haven't really given up anything but pop/soda (whatever you call it where you are. Dr. Pepper was my best friend and I've stopped seeing him!) I refuse to totally cut anything else out of my diet - moderation is key. Sorry - I married a chef and I like food!!

Set yourself some fitness goals - strength training is what everyone here told me to do - as most women seem to focus on cardio (your treadmill) - not that cardio is bad for you - but building muscle is what increases your metabolism and is going to tone you up. I found some good, relatively easy to understand beginner workouts (you do enough reps they are hard, but he explains them well and starts you with only a few different exercises so you don't get over whelmed - and he does them with stuff you have at home, so you don't' have to join a gym) It's called nerdfitness.com - It's something to look at anyway. I found it when someone told me to look up Body Weight exercises. I do the squats and can really feel it in my legs, so it has to be working.

Don't give up even though you haven't noticed it much in your clothes - take measurements in a few different spots - I do Waist, Hips, Chest and Thigh. I've found I have lost inches (which is where your clothes make a difference) Take a starting photo - even if you don't look at it for a while - it's something to look back on when you get to goal to see achievement!

And you can add me as a friend if you like! I only have a small group of friends on here, but lurk in the message boards and like to get ideas and support. The friends I do have are only super positive.

TheEffort

My body likes weight training, I see a lot of people only doing cardio.....maybe add a couple of weight training days into your week. Just a thought. It might help.

This is great advice.

SonyaKou

Be patient and find out what works for you. Try a blend of cardio and weight training to see which you enjoy more and what seems to give you the best energy boosts. Use the MFP calorie counter to become aware of what you are eating and how many calories each item is. It will help you make better decisions when comparing foods, but don't stress over fitting into the calorie budget. Eat to make yourself healthy and get proper probiotics/ micronutrients. You will find a balance. Being close to your normal BMI means you will not lose weight fast, because your body is going to try to protect itself. What you need to do is reassure your body that it is not going to starve and that it will feel healthy despite shedding those protective fat reserves. The best way to do this is to eat a variety of healthy nutrient rich foods.
Also realize that you may be drinking a lot more water than you used to and trouble with weight loss at this point could be your body adjusting to hold on to more water. That's a good thing. That is not bad weight. If this is what is happening, you are still burning fat and should continue with what has been working.
Most important though is to simply become aware of your body, don't try to do anything extreme or severely drop your calories while upping your exercise, etc. Think of this as a long term change. You want to change for life, not lose a bunch of weight, get sick/ burnout and gain it all back. = ) You can do it!

RichardAshley39

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Great post, follow all of the above and you'll not go far wrong.

Faten_B

thank you all for your thoughts and advice . i will take all in consideration. i was thinking of adding weightlifting but don't how. i will definitely check out nerd fitness. you're all great. keep going

bethkeysear

You got a lot of great advice on this thread. Make sure you are getting enough protein. That is key for me! I like looking up the reports on my computer rather than the app on my phone because it shows me a better idea of what I am eating too much of and too little of.