Any tips for those of us starting out?

sekhmet13

Hello everyone!

I've been tracking my food intake for my first week on this website, and it's just terrible. So I've made a few changes (like switching to diet soda instead of regular), and I know I still need to do better, but I could use some tips. I've been mostly eating junk food, like pizza rolls, pop tarts, etc., so my question to everyone is, how does one break that habit? I have been bringing Healthy Select soups & pastas to work, so I eat that instead of candy bars, but when I'm at home, it's tough to limit myself to that kind of food. Plus, my boyfriend weighs 135 and can eat anything. Any suggestions that don't involve home cooking? Motivational aids? I'm not sure what will give me the kick in the pants to really and finally change my lifestyle.

Thanks all!
Chris
Milwaukee, WI

jessimacar

I started to cut down on things gradually. One at a time. Or I started making my own healthier versions of the things I love.

Mustn't it be easy to be a guy? My fiance went on a diet the same as I did and he's already reached it goal weight. Lol. It always seems easier for them..

Eating healthy at work is a great start. I'd start eating the junk foods in moderation. Eat less pizza rolls and have a salad on the side. You get to eat the junk, but fill up on healthier options.

Hope that helps!

nurse_chris

well you are on the right track by wanting to change and being here. Next, remember one day, step, change (pick your cliche) at a time. Junk food is an addiction (literally triggering the release of reward hormones), so its a tough challenge.

If you don't want to cook, you are on the right track by making sensible changes.... but you might want to look for easy and healthy recipes for dinner as that will help in the long run - there's only so much you can do with salads and tuna

HeatherShrinking

My biggest motivation when I feel like quitting is the people on this website. Something about seeing everyone's status updates (This person lost..., this person burned..., they were under their calories), really helps me stay with it.

Maybe post something on the welcome page called looking for friends or something. Everyone is super nice (I'm sure you know this by now).

Oh for quick foods at home... I've fallen in love with Fresh Express Chicken Salad Kit/Dole Southwest Salad Kit. Toss together in a bowl, eat the entire bag and it is around 330 calories. I never thought salad could be filling before but if you eat the entire bag it is. Sandwiches, fruit (fresh or canned), almonds,... For snacky veggie foods - sugar snap peas dipped in low fat ranch, edamame tossed in the microwave with a little salt - very yummy and they sell these as appetizers in bars now, so you can almost imagine their junk food..

Geminieve24

I have to say the one of the biggest changes you can do is to eliminate the soda! Even the diet! Drink water! The next biggest thing I would say to do is to add more fruits, veggies and make dinner your lightest meal of the day. You have to really figure out why you want to make these changes for yourself! Small changes at a time, but if you are looking to lose at least two pounds a week, you need to "buckle" up and get rid of all junk food in your home. Are you exercising as well? You may want to each week focus on cutting out certain things. Then after about four weeks of eliminating the bad stuff in your life, start hitting it hard! One of the best books I can recommend is "skinny *****". Read it, it will change your life! Hope this helps.

adamtrusty

I had to deal with an insane sweet tooth when I started changing my life. I agree with Chris though; junk food has to be weened; you can't just cut yourself off. I found that avoiding buying the unhealthy foods and not having them in the house helped me to cut down on the junk foods. I've learned to NEVER go grocery shopping when I'm hungry.....I would always find myself in the bakery department or the chip aisle.... My wife is also always emailing new healthy recipes to me at work; I'll get a new one with a message attached of "we should have this tomorrow". We use eatbetteramerica.com A LOT! And not every new recipe you try will be a success or will be something you have again. It's a learning process, but you can do it! We're here to help each other!

spitfire1962

I can honestly say that I did not start out eating healthy. LOL, there are still days when I might indulge in some of my old favorites, but with moderation. I was always eating take out because of my busy schedule. I am single and live alone and find it difficult some times to cook for one person. But I have slowly been learning that I have to make healthier choices. Cooking for myself isn't such a chore anymore. But until I got here I would carry around a list I printed off on healthier fast food. Here's a link that might help you make better choices: http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm. At least until you get tired of eating all the sodium that take out food contains. Even the grilled chicken is loaded with it. Sodium makes you retain water which makes you weigh more. Start to slowly wean yourself off the junk food. Before long you will realize that you've come too far to waste your calories on junk. If I could do it, anyone can.

teeminus30

For me seeing how many calories were in things helped in the beginning. If I ate better I could eat more and still lose weight. Then I started to lose weight and everywhere I go, everyone I know tells me how great I look. 8 more lbs and I get to go shopping. I say get the junk out of the house. I used to drink a lot of calories and that was the first thing to go for me. I gave up soda, lattes and my nightly drink and saved at least 500 calories a day off the top. Also when you exercise you get to eat more. I used to hate the gym but after 4 months on MFP I crave it. Start small and don't give up. This program works if you work it.

mianup

Chris, you have taken a big step by recording your food. This prompted you to move to diet soda. It is a great step!
I was also addicted to soda, big time. What i did was to move to fruit juice mixed with plain soda (help me cut out extra sugar from sweetened soda) . I then moved to fruit juice and now to fruits. I do cheat at times, with diet soda. But that is nothing compared to what i was having before.

another suggestion is to make small changes. They go a long way. if you are having 2 slices of Pizza, have one slice. If possible deck your pizza with lots of veggies and lean meat ... will make you feel full faster.Or add a salad to the side.

All these small changes will add up. Good Luck!

spcopps

I have an awful sweet tooth. I have only been tracking my calories for 4 weeks so not sure I can help a lot but here is my take...measure your water to make sure you get enough. Drop the soda's and I reward myself with a Pepsi Max ONLY if I drink all my water for the day. If I don't get my water in..no Pepsi Max that day. As for sweets..I love chocolate. I bought the chocolate rice cakes and all natural peanut butter. Also the special K chocolate chip protein bars and keep fruit on hand. I have curved my sweet tooth by the things mentioned above PLUS strawberries are great with a little no sugar chocolate syrup, all of which keep me from eating a lot worse junk food. If your not big on eating breakfast, which is very important, make a fruit smoothy using low fat or no fat yogurt and whey protein powder. They French Vanilla whey powder goes great with any type of fruit for a smoothie. Switch from whole milk to 2% and make your way down to 0%. I made the switch all at once but some people don't like 0%. I use splenda in my AM coffee instead of sugar and 0% milk instead of creamer. Eat more smaller meals (I drink a smoothie for bkfast, a replacement drink for snack, lunch, snack then dinner) instead of 3 big meals. I had to set a timer to remind me to eat every 2 hours until my body got used to eating more often. With all these simple changes I maintain between 1300-1500 calories per day. I'm not going to say it was extremely EASY at first but it starts to become the norm. I have a family of 5 and I am the only one watching my calories and even with sweets in the house if I eat my calories I don't have the craving for the unhealthy foods, sounds crazy but it's true!

teeminus30

For me seeing how many calories were in things helped in the beginning. If I ate better I could eat more and still lose weight. Then I started to lose weight and everywhere I go, everyone I know tells me how great I look. 8 more lbs and I get to go shopping. I say get the junk out of the house. I used to drink a lot of calories and that was the first thing to go for me. I gave up soda, lattes and my nightly drink and saved at least 500 calories a day off the top. Also when you exercise you get to eat more. I used to hate the gym but after 4 months on MFP I crave it. Start small and don't give up. This program works if you work it.

I forgot the suggestions. I eat a lot of Lean Cuisine for lunches and snacks. They have these spring rolls that feel like a treat. You get to eat 3 for 200 calories. CJs mini wontons, available at Costco, are really good and I'm a foodie. You can eat 12 for 150 calories. We eat them with brown rice or make them into wonton soup with Swanson's broth and lots of veggies. An In & Out burger minus the cheese but with everything else is only 390 calories. Skip the fries and soda and 390 cals is not bad for a meal. Who'da thought you could lose weight eating In & Out. I am good all day and if I have calories left in the evening I have a treat. I mean a real treat, like cheesecake and not the diet kind, as long as I come in under calories right?

kelika71

This may or may not help you. I've had quite a number of people asking what I've been doing. So, I wrote it all out in a blog.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/kelika71/view/what-i-ve-done-71725

Best wishes and congrats on taking that first step.

beesareyellow

If you can, drop the diet soda, study after study has shown that diet soda can actually contribute to weight GAIN, it messes with your system.
Switching to water also helps your digestive system and can curb hunger.
Even if you don't like to cook, you can still throw some baby carrots,some low-fat cheese and/or cold chicken breast into a Tupperware, add a fruit and you have a quick, healthy lunch for work.
Prepared foods tend to have very high salt content that can also work against weight loss goals.
Cutting out the fast food is hard, but everything can be done in small steps. Have the junior burger, skip the fries, add a side salad and use 1/4 of the dressing. Instead of chips while watching your favorite Dr. Who episode ( sorry, that,s MY guilty pleasure), you can have a whole bag of low fat popcorn.
Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, try one small change at a time, take it day by day. Make friends here and you will see how nice people are. We all come here for help and motivation, this is a wonderful community.

UcallMeJay

If you have an iphone or Android phone, download the free My Fitness Pal app. It makes tracking your calories 100% easier.
I found at first that it was easier to eat pre packaged foods. But you have to learn how to read the nutritional facts.

Find some fresh fruit and veggies you like and take those with you as snacks

Learn to love water! I start the day with 16oz of water and after that it is all down hill. I take a few bottles with me to work and by the time I get home I have consumed close to 8 servings.

Eat a big, but GOOD breakfast. I try to make breakfast my biggest meal, lunch my 2nd biggest, and dinner is usually small. mainly because I work a closing ****s and get home late and it isn't good to go to sleep right after eating a big meal.

Eventually, you will want to start working out.

godblessourhome

my biggest piece of advice is...
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...don't let how you 'feel' determine whether or not you stick with making yourself healthier. there will be times when it 'feels' too hard to deny yourself something. there will be times when you 'feel' like giving up. there will be times when you 'feel' discouraged because the scale isn't reflecting the change you want to see.

stick with it anyway.

nehushtan

1) Be patient and persistent. There is a lot to learn and a lot of weight to lose and a it will take time to lose it.

2) Learn the calorie content of everything you eat. Do not put something in your mouth if you don't know how many calories it is. Carry a calorie book or smart phone with you and consult it for any restaurant or for anything you make at home or for anything at the supermarket that isn't labeled. Do this for 90 days or until you know by heart the calorie content of anything and everything you eat. Learn portion sizes. All of this will become second nature to you.

3) Record everything you eat. Record it as soon as possible after you eat it. Make recording what you eat "a part of the meal". Record your meal instead eating dessert. Make a mini-goal of recording everything, every day, for 90 days, without missing an item or a day. Record even when you "blow it" by accident or on purpose. Record when you are tired or bored with the program or rushed or out of time or overworked or sick of the whole mess or experiencing PMS or depression or are ill or angry. Record on paper if you don't have access to a computer or your smart phone's battery dies. Record something that you forgot to record yesterday.

4) Exercise and record your exercise. Eat your exercise calories, if you wish. I enjoy every bite.

5) Stay under your calorie budget (base + exercise calories) at least 97% of the time. Never enter a restaurant with the word "buffet" in the window. Never walk into a restaurant without a plan. Never attend a party without a plan. Never go on vacation without an eating plan. Never take a business trip without an eating plan. Eat at home as much as possible. As often as possible, bring home-cooked or grocery-store bought food to work. Go out to eat infrequently and don't eat a lot when you do. When going on vacation or a business trip, try as much as possible to stay at a place that has a kitchen; buy your own groceries and make your own food instead of going out.

6) Dream big and never give up! Losing weight these days is a fight against the culture, against the food industry, against the restaurant business, against the fad diet hawkers, against your magical thinking, against your patience, against your desperation for quick results, against your body's instincts, against your habits, against your psychology, against (ladies especially) your hormones, against (sadly) your family and your friends, against the Food Channel, against the time crunch, and most of all against the "norm" that you have been living for X years which is constantly tapping you on the shoulder and silently calling you to give up and to slowly sink back and to settle for the status quo and to not dream big.

7) Savor every bite and every victory. There will be many and it will all be worth it.

LFern

I am the ultimate snack-a-holic. I have not been able to shake it. I'm a month in now and haven't lost anything.

I have managed to stay under the calories that MFP set for me. And I stay honest - having to look at the numbers really makes me wonder what the heck am I doing.

READ LABELS.

I like the whole wheat hot pockets as a quick lunch. But even the small tv dinners aren't too high in calories. It's all about MODERATION.

SMALLER PORTIONS.

And as much as you may hate cooking - you have to realize that in order to have healthy choices YOU have to make those choices available to yourself! :noway:

Take one day a week and cook some healthy things and put them in the freezer so you can grab n go :happy:

hroush

my biggest suggestion is to read the many other threads on this site as they contain a lot of information.

jojoworks

Hi and welcome to MFP!!! You've made the first right move by joining and recording what you eat, you've also made the 2nd right move by seeking support from the amazing people here to help!

All the responses I've read to your post thus far are spot on and awesome, especially the woman who invited you to read her blog describing how she lost the weight.....very nice read.

What I would add at this point is for you to not forget to work on your head game. Your self-esteem or lack of it may be partly responsible for how you got to be where you are today and working on it or repairing it may help you immensely in finding your successful path. Personally I look at the weight loss effort as a 3 legged stool that includes food/nutrition, exercise and mental health. If all 3 are being used to help you, your success may be more attainable. I listen to self-hypnosis weight-loss CD's that are full of positive messages and imagery. Whatever method you use, just try to reprogram what the little voices in your head are telling you, if they're being mean to you replace them with voices/messages that are affirming and supportive.

good luck and happy eating!!!
JoJo

apertuis

I started to eat alot of salad. I'm not much a veggie person other than the lettuce so I add boiled eggs & tuna and low fat dressing. I only eat 1/2 the dressing with it. I eat reduced sodium low-fat soups also. Just watch that because alot of the soups & frozen dinners are loaded with sodium. Be sure to drink plenty of water. That was the hardest thing for me to overcome. I HATE water I'm getting better now and normally go way over my 8 glasses. I also love the fat free pudding and low-fat popcorn when I need a sweet. Right now I'm having a hard time saying no to King Cake. Thankfully Mardi Gras is almost over. lol I used to drink 6+ Diet Coke's a day and now have 1 or 2 a day. Also the low fat Nutri Grain waffles are good. Good luck with your journey! Once you get the hang of it you'll do great.

Nigel99

Get rid of the sodas completely. I drank a lot of soda before MFP, but just giving up soda alone made a big difference in losing weight, reducing sugar intake, and being healthier. Now I just drink ice cold water all the time, and I don't miss the soda at all. After 30 days without soda, I tried half a 16 oz bottle of Mtn Dew, and it tasted way sweeter than I remembered. Poured the rest out a few days later, and just tossed the last of the sodas I had sitting around - I had no interest in drinking them any more. Even the diet sodas aren't great - just ditch them entirely (or drink fewer and fewer to quit them more slowly).

Keep track of your sodium. There is so much sodium in everything (even in those "healthy" soups, and there can be 2/3 of your daily intake in a restaurant salad or more). Watch for packaged foods that are "reduced fat" or "fat free" or "lite" - they may have slightly less fat (sometimes almost negligible amounts), but will add lots of sugar and/or sodium to keep the taste. Too much sodium isn't good for you, and it will make you retain water, and make it tougher for you to lose weight.