Just joined and looking for friendly help

Clajoye

Hi everyone! *deep breath*
This is all really new to me... I NEVER ever talk about my weight or dieting... I guess I think if I ignore the fact that I need to loose weight and shape up others won't notice. That's been my strategy for the past 10 years or so and it's just not working out.
I was never naturally skinny but in my teens and early 20's I was very active and didn't have a problem. I was actually pretty slim but curvy but too young to appreciate it. Once I started an office job and eating lunch out daily the pounds slowly piled on...
Five years later I was two sizes larger and then had a baby pushing me up another two sizes. I've been a size 16 since I had my son six years ago and I can't believe it. I've always been pretty but no one notices and I've stopped caring.
So, enough with the pity party - I'm on board for a change. I've signed up for Tae Kwon Do with my son (a Christmas gift from my supportive husband) and I'm ready to start counting calories - something I've always thought was too complicated.

In the past I've always either stuck to weight watchers (points seemed easier to me) or just a low carb/south beach diet that did not require math. I'm going to figure out this site and stick to my plan. I thought I'd stick to a healthy menu all week with one cheat day a week. Any thoughts on this?

I appreciate any friendly advice and I'm looking forward to sharing my success with others.

Thanks for listening!

~ clajoye ~

franzy

Welcome to MFP you'll find great support here and lots of buddies. :bigsmile:

manleyzoo

I know how you feel......I am there. Never thought I would be counting calories. This site makes it much easier. In fact I just talked myself out of a cookie when I looked it up on here. Yeah me!! Had strawberries instead with splenda.

I guess my thought on eating healthy all week and having a cheat day is this. I don't deprive myself when I want something, but I also eat a small amount of something I shouldn't have, log it in the calorie log and move on. If you deprive yourself, or at least this is my history, you will end up just giving up and binge. So I guess what I am getting at is eat in moderation and don't make the "bad" stuff the majority of your calories for the day.

Once you eat healthy all week you may decide that a cheat day just isn't worth it!!

Linda in IA

RLeighP

Welcome! MFP makes it so easy to track calories! You'll get so much support and encouragement from everyone here.

As for your plan, all I know is that you can't deprive yourself of what you want, otherwise you'll get resentful. I figure, as long as I work it into my daily calories, a little splurge is just fine!

SassyStef

Welcome!! Good for you, no more pity party!! I totally feel you, I hated doing the calorie thing to but MFP makes it so much easier to do so...does all the math for you! All I have to do is pick the right portion size LOL

Good luck on you journey and friend request me if you would like. Would love to encourage you along your journey and I could always use the same :flowerforyou:

rmkorama

I agree, don't deprive yourself. Start slow, go easy, incorporate small changes so you don't feel overwhelmed.

I've lost 20 pounds since August (AND maintained over Christmas) with two cheat days per week: Saturday & Sunday. As you adjust to the new lifestyle and consciously keeping an eye on what you're eating, over time you will start to simply eat less. However, it's still really helpful for me to be able to say to myself, "Self, I know there are some SUPER YUMMY COOKIES sitting on the shelf at home right now, and I can have some on Saturday. Not today."

BBCoach_Chiiva

<<ALL I CAN SAY IS.. WELCOME TO THE TEAM!.. YOUR GONNA LOVE THIS SITE!.. AND TAKE IT EASY.. YOU WILL GET THERE, JUST BE PATIENCE AND DONT LOSE CONTROL!!..

I EAT ABOUT 1,300 CALORIES A DAY.. AN EXERCIZE 45 TO 1 HOUR A DAY... AND OF COURSE I GET TO EAT "GOOD" ONCE A WEEK ...

IM USING A WORKOUT FROM TEAM BEACH BODY.. ITS CALLED TURBOFIRE.. BUT I USED INSANITY BEFORE AND LOST 16 POUNDS.. AND WITH TURBO FIRE (ON MY WEEK 2) LOST ANOTHER 2 POUNDS.

IF YOU NEED ANY HELP OR ANYTHING, JUST MSG ME MOST OF THE TIME IM HERE 24/7

Clajoye

I like the idea of logging it in first to see if it's worth it. I guess I was thinking I don't want to miss out on all the fun stuff because I'm watching what I eat. We usually go out to eat once on the weekend and I want that slice of pizza! I guess I can have it if I don't over indulge and stick to my excercise plan.

manleyzoo

That is right. I could NEVER do without PIZZA!!!!!! LOL

Linda in IA

roxannehill

Welcome! Hey if you go under 'Exercise' tab and go to 'Data' you can type in work outs and it will tell you how many calories it will burn. CHECK OUT HOW MANY TAE KWON DO will burn off, if it is an hour session it says it will burn off around 600 calories!!! My son is in Tae Kwon Do and is 5 y.o. and there are parent/child duos doing it together, that is great!

CarrieAbbey

Hi there, welcome to MFP. I used to do WW before and was still doing it until my doctor suggested this site. I thought it would be hard with the calories and all but I find it easier than the WW system. I now appreciate what I put in my body and it's nutritional value (fibre, fat, sodium). You will find it easier as you do it. I wish I knew about this sooner. One tip I would love to give you is drink your water, it goes a long way with your weight loss. Also, don't starve yourself. Good luck with your journey and feel free to friend me so we can support each other.

Take care

Carrie

bambier

I don't think a cheat day a week is too bad. One thing I'd suggest is looking into calorie cycling where you just try to average at your goal per week -- so if your goal is 1600 you could do something like

Mon 1700
Tue 1300
Wed 1600
Thur 1300
Fri 1600
Sat 2100
Sun 1550

That way over the course of a week you do better with staying on track with your total calorie count. There are a lot of websites out there that help you figure it out, but it's really a nic eway of doing it -- plus then I know if I screw up on tuesday and eat 1600 I can always steal a few calories away from another day - as long as I keep myself above 1250 every day so I don't "starve" my body...