your thoughts, please?

marc8686

hey al, I am Marc, i am a big ol stocky 24 y.o. man at 6 foot 2 and weighing in at 389 ish. "built like a brick s***house" if u kno what they say, however i have much more fat than i want, I have consistently put on weight over the last 5 or 6 years and here and there made short-lived attempts at losing some, but have never really had success losing weight with ANYTHING else mostly due to discipline. I have been working on this for about a week and I feel really good about MFP and seems like something im really going to stick to and make a lifestyle out of it.........BUT i still fight the nagging doubts of whether or not i can really lose the weight i want to lose. i could just use some feedback from somebody that knows the feeling and has overcome that doubt.......before/after pics, whatever you think may help. i will relate to people that started like 100lbs away from their goal weight. thanks all, marc

togden

Well I am no expert and I am just starting myself but in 2 weeks I can see how MFP has helped me to become more aware of what goes in my mouth ... I feel like everyday I am able to make wise decisions on portions and what veggies, side, and meat will create a perfect balance in meals for me .... I have not gone over on many of my set points in the past 2 weeks but still working on the sugar and sodium points somedays they are great some days i go over a little .... Ultimately though I definitely believe that MFP is a tool for a LIFE CHANGE not just another diet ....

To date I have lost 11 pounds .... 4.1 the first week and 6.9 my second week ......

Robin66

Don't continuosly look or think about how much weight you need to lose. Set little mini goals, (mine were always 10 lbs) and I really think that achieving these mini goals were just as rewarding as getting to my big end goal was. I also love the AA motto, "one day at a time", you can do anything for just today. Another thing you must realize is this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. There will be times that you will fall off the wagon (we all do), just pick yourself up and jump back on, and don't beat yourself up about it, forgive yourself and move on. Good luck to you, you can do this!

Robin

anna_b1

Robin, I'm so impressed/inspired by your loss! Wow! I want to be you when I grow up.

Moreover, you are so right. Looking at the end-goal is too daunting a task. For now, I'm just looking to get to my goal of another 11 pds by my birthday.

NutritionDivaRD

I definitely agree with setting mini goals. You can post them to your profile so that you can go check them or update them often. As you begin to reach those goals, it is very motivating! Also, take your measurements and update them monthly. It's great to see changes in that way as well. Pictures is another great way to see the changes taking place in your body and will keep you motivated as well.

Best wishes to you on your journey! Of all the times I've worked on my weight, I've found the most success as well as the most support and encouragement on THIS SITE. And this is the first time that I am confident I will reach my goal. We can and WILL do this!

coachdoubled

Marc,

I'm 38 and have been in the same boat as you. I played football in high school and college and was literally described in a newspaper article as built like a fireplug. I have always been big, but this past summer I went in for a physical and weighed 372 (most ever). At that time I new that I needed to do something, but I have always been overwhelmed by all the dieting information and "advice" so that it was always easy to say the hell with it and give up. I found MFP in October 2010 and it has greatly helped me to understand about food choices and what normal portions should be. I am down 52 pounds in the last 3 months and my goal is at least another 90. Believe me, I know that it can be done!

I haven't given anything up completely, but I try to make better choices. I have pizza usually once a week, but using the database I learned that one of the local pizza places had TWICE the calories per slice than another one - to me that was a no-brainer. The other huge thing is water. It has to become a habit to drink water (or ice tea or low/no calorie favored water). Most humans are always dehydrated and it is even worse for big guys like us. Another tip is before eating out, check the MFP database on the amount of calories in what you are thinking about ordering - Knowing is half the battle and knowing before you eat is even better.

I had definitely resigned to the fact that I was going to be overweight/obese for my entire life, but now I know that I don't have to been. Please feel free to friend me if you want someone to bounce ideas off of or just for support. You can do it!

Darren

LuckyLeprechaun

you can do it. :flowerforyou:

marc8686

Marc,

I'm 38 and have been in the same boat as you. I played football in high school and college and was literally described in a newspaper article as built like a fireplug. I have always been big, but this past summer I went in for a physical and weighed 372 (most ever). At that time I new that I needed to do something, but I have always been overwhelmed by all the dieting information and "advice" so that it was always easy to say the hell with it and give up. I found MFP in October 2010 and it has greatly helped me to understand about food choices and what normal portions should be. I am down 52 pounds in the last 3 months and my goal is at least another 90. Believe me, I know that it can be done!

I haven't given anything up completely, but I try to make better choices. I have pizza usually once a week, but using the database I learned that one of the local pizza places had TWICE the calories per slice than another one - to me that was a no-brainer. The other huge thing is water. It has to become a habit to drink water (or ice tea or low/no calorie favored water). Most humans are always dehydrated and it is even worse for big guys like us. Another tip is before eating out, check the MFP database on the amount of calories in what you are thinking about ordering - Knowing is half the battle and knowing before you eat is even better.

I had definitely resigned to the fact that I was going to be overweight/obese for my entire life, but now I know that I don't have to been. Please feel free to friend me if you want someone to bounce ideas off of or just for support. You can do it!

Darren

thanks for your story darren, that definitely builds belief. please accept friend request and read msg i sent

zbstngrl

I ve posted this as a separate thread ... you might find this inspiring I did.
http://www.c25k.com/ben_video.html

marc8686

I ve posted this as a separate thread ... you might find this inspiring I did.
http://www.c25k.com/ben_video.html

that link is awesome, everything about ben's journey is inspiring to me, love the videos, the interviews, the pictures.....awesome tool to inspire people.