I so badly want/need to get healthy & could use some help an

LynnieSkinny

Hi all! I am completely new to this website, but I figured it could be a great tool for me to lose my 32 lbs I need/want to. I have been struggling for years now on losing this weight from my pregnancy, but when the going gets a little tough I tend to give up. I refuse to give up this time and I want the weight off for good.... a complete healthy life change!

Any advice, motivation, successes, etc. that could keep my going as well would be greatly appreciated! I am really on my own here and all of my family/friends aren't the greatest supporters I could have, but they try... most of them are naturally very skinny (especially my husband and daughter) and can eat anything they want and not gain ANYTHING!!! But I am determined to teach my daughter healthier habits so she won't struggle like I do, and I want my husband to have a healthier lifestyle as well.

auntiebabs

Well, here is what worked for me....

I started by:

1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)

2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress.
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me I did the math to find out the calories needed to maintain my goal weight and my current weight and I gave myself a range with 1200 as my rock bottom, lose 1 lb/wk as my target and maintain my goal weight as the top of my range. As long as I keep within in this range I'll lose. I tend to naturally zig zag my calories 3-4 at very close to my target and then a higher calorie day closer to the top of my range.

As long as I stayed under maintain my current weight calories I won't gain. So no need to throw in the towel, just pick-up where I left off.

Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people nee the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as acheivable. I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.)

I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.
Good Luck

marie_2454

Hi, I want to lose around 30 pounds too, and am also pretty new to this site. It's totally great though. Everyone is friendly and helpful. It's really motivating to see people's before and after pics too! Feel free to add me and we can encourage each other! My sister is naturally skinny too, and it sucked (and still does :P ) being the ''big'' one in the family...BUT I'm working on changing that

Brooke1542

Welcome to MFP! It is a great tool to use to track both food and exercise and there is a lot of support and advice that you can get through the message boards. Add em if you would like!

Congrats on taking the first step in becoming healthier, and I completely agree about teaching your daughter healthier habits at a young age, I wish my parents would have!

dahnya

I'm in the 30 pound goal myself! I am new to the site as well but I am beginning to notice a trend: pre-plan and exercise. I am walking my dog daily twice a day for 40 minutes each walk (hopefully this will turn into a jog...) and I'm packing my breakfast and lunch for work each evening. It's only day 2 but hopefully I'll see a difference by my weigh in next week!

LynnieSkinny

I actually mostly meant that the people I live with or see on a daily basis are not great supporters... I have a hard time finding healthy things that my hubby, daughter and I all like. And a few of my friends are not the greatest motivators I could have... But I suppose I will start having to be a better example myself!!! It might be hard, but I want this to stick this time, so I am willing to work through all my issues... Thank you all for the advice/adds. I look forward to sharing this journey with you

Maria127lbs

Hello, I just join the site yesterday, haven' posted a pic yet, but I need to release about 30 lbs too. It is so hard with kids. I can smell my sons snack right now and it is Sooo tempting!!! I exercise , but need to work on my food as I snack too much. Good luck!!