Todays my first day BUT....

dvisser1

it's not what you eat...it's how much you eat.

don't view food as "crappy" it's not...it is a fuel for your body.

All food has some value. You will find some people here who say carbs are bad, sugar is bad, fat is bad...imho none of it's bad.

This morning I am having fruit loops with milk and toast with butter for my breakfast.

Just follow a reasonable calorie deficet...in other words don't starve yourself...eat food but be in that deficet that you are given. Log everything you eat and if possible get a food scale and weigh your food as measuring doesn't cut it.

If you want to exercise do so for health and fitness and log it and eat back some of those calories as MFP is usually too high.

I lift weights for my exercise but it's because I love being strong...I however started with short walks...20mins, then did Wii dance for 20mins when it got too cold, then I did some bodyweight challenages, then moved to videos (Jillian Michael's 30 day shred) then moved to weight lifting.

There are tonnes of videos online that are short (fitnessblender.com) if you want to exercise, lots of sites with bodyweight exercises but find something you love and do that regardless what it is.

Motivation for me is all internal...I just want it.

This is great advice. A couple things to add, be patient. You did not get overweight overnight, you can't drop the weight overnight either. The healthy way to lose weight is the long, at times frustrating, slow method of gradually losing the weight. You don't want to shock and over stress your body, because stress generally leads to weight gain. If you have a bad day and go over on your calories, don't stress over it. Don't try to make up for it the next day because you'll just end up hungry and unhappy. If you have a high calorie day, own it, accept it, but keep it to one day. Don't let one bad day spiral into three or four. And DO NOT EVER GIVE UP! You deserve to be happy and healthy in all ways in life! You are worth the effort this takes!

Do not think of this as a diet. Diets are temporary, healthy eating for a healthy life is life long! This is the time to change how you view food and it's importance in your life. Choice by choice, you get to change your life. Pasta, potatoes, white rice....those things are all ok (despite some people thinking everything that contains a carbohydrate is evil) but you have to practice accurate portion control to know how many calories you are consuming and then practice moderation in eating high calorie foods.

Weight is a number. How your body looks and feels and how healthy you are is not driven just by weight. Muscle weighs more than body fat but is smaller. Separating your weight number from your body image is important. In my journey I found it very helpful to track my progress 3 ways: weight on the scale, body measurements and progress photos. You can change the shape of your body without losing any weight. However the progress can be slow enough that looking at yourself in the mirror will not register that anything changed. Take a body pic every 2-4 weeks, so you can go back and really see how much your body has changed. The body measurements, get one of the soft tape measures you can find in a sewing department and then take the measurements in the same locations on your body at a regular interval as well.

angel_of_harmony

It's all about moderation; just make sure to limit fried foods and things that are high in calories.

Drink plenty of water to help with adjusting to eating less and when all else fails try eating some veggies or a piece of fruit.

I would not go crazy and binge but take your time adjusting to this new lifestyle.

For me, I first began by limiting the amount of red meat I consumed, switched from 2% milk to skim (or sometimes almond/soy) and I watch my portions.

Take it one day at a time and remember that when you slip or make bad choices that it is never too late to change.

Tanya949

You have joined a great site with very supportive and encouraging people who are going through the same thing you are. I joined last month and this is definitely helping me with my weight loss. I am doing it for the same reasons you are, my health. I want to feel better, not just look better. I can't really add anything to the excellent advice you've already been given except that when you get the hang of logging and portion control, and switch to healthier foods.. try to look at your macronutrients. Carbs, protein, fat. Try to meet those goals for even better health and results. Sounds like you eat a lot of carbs, so your protein may be low. (This was true for me). As you increase your protein intake, you feel fuller longer, and the cravings start to disappear. Good luck with your journey!

I'm sending you a friend request.