Day One...please offer advice

goofynat

Does anyone have any tips or ideas for the shock this will have on my body, mind and spirit. I am a little overwelmed but the overload of info, and hoping someone has tips on how to ease into this process. cheers ~ Nat

mthorne313

I feel the same way. I started back on this yesterday... I signed up a year ago and never really attempted to do anything with it. I know.... so sad because it is such a great program!!

So... here are my thoughts... just take it one tiny step at a time. I am like you in that I seem to get overwhelmed very fast. I have been learning to look at the small pic and not the whole thing. Plus... this is the first time I have used the message boards and I am LOVING it! It really seems to be helping a lot!

liquidjem

I am not going to lie....my first few days were frustrating...I found a couple of cool people on here that really made me put it into perspective and not want to give up...Here I am a little over a month later and 7 pounds lighter! Its not much, but its a start. Your body, mind and spirit will all kick in and get into the swing of things! Then you will feel great and it will be worth it! Good luck with your journey and welcome! Add me if you like!

Advice: Be honest, even when it hurts...
Use the folks on here as a tool, many are helpful!
Stock up on fruits and veggies, they will become your friends
Lots o water!

♥jewel♥

Open up your diary so at least your friends can see it. That way if you are having any problems, we can have a look and see what might be going on. Log everything, drink your water. Remember, one meal, one day at a time. Baby steps are the way to go.

FabOma08

First of all, you said it right! Ease into.....Mainly I'm talking about exercise. If you're not already pretty active don't suddenly try to do hours in the gym or 5K walks! And remember, this is a learning process. It takes time and you will make mistakes. That's life. Any mistake is worth making if you learn from it! And listen to the advise you get from others but don't just automatically assume they're right. Ask for help when you need it, and know there's tons of support around here!

The_Saint

One day at a time. Remember the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, but it also continues with each step.

Planning will help a lot.

Andee08

My suggestion to start is to eat as you normally would and track it for a couple of days. This is a good way to see where you were at and then how to make adjustments over time instead of all at once. Once you get your eating right (1 or 2 weeks) start throwing in exercise. There is no need to do an immediate over haul of everything at once, this is a long process. Just start small and keep making small changes. I found if I change everything at once I will fail, but if I do it gradually I dont notice the changes. Please feel to friend me if you would like some encouragement.

sauntryk

Take one day at a time. When I first started I ate the same and was shocked by how unhealthy I was eating and was very discouraged. I always bought the LOW FAT bars, and what not, and had no idea how much sugar intake I was taking, let alone my sodium (from soup??) and calories, WOW, so I just watched for about a week slowly making changes and cutting things out of my diet. I went from drinking Xtra Large triple triples at Tim Hortons to Medium 2 milk 2 sugar, (never to drink cream again)....having 2 egg whites and 1 egg, scrambled with red peppers, mushroom and measure parmesan, measured cheese, was a lot less calories then 2 eggs and 2 toasts. Baby steps, one day at a time.

jessdeweerdt

I'm not very far in.. and I haven't lost a ton of weight, but I feel about a thousand times better. My advice:
1. Focus on TODAY. What am I going to do to eat healthy TODAY? What am I going to do to exercise TODAY?
2. Weigh yourself no more than once a week (it can become an obsession), take pics of yourself weekly in the same outfit and measure!! There will be days when you're not getting along with the scale, and you will have these to fall back on. (and also keep in mind the weight didn't magically appear in a day, and it's not going to disappear at that rate either)
3. Get as many friends as you can - they will help you through the worst of days and sing with you on the best
4. Follow your calorie counter, it is your friend (and yes, be honest with it, it matters)
5. Water, water, water!

Remember, it's hard, hard, hard, HARD work, but it's worth it. Look at the success stories if you have doubts..

dls06

I say educate yourself, plan for the week, get some recipes and try them out. Go to the store and take some time to read labels.
Take your time and don't think it is only going to take loging your food. It takes a little effort and if you really want to get healthy and start a healthy lifestyle you can. You just have to educate yourself. You didn't gain all the weight in a day and you won't loose it all in a day. But think where you will be this time next year.

Texas_Nana

I told myself, "In one year you can be healthier and thinner or you can regret that you didn't do this.." I am a woman of faith so I admitted it is bigger than me and put it in the hands of God and remembered his promises for me. (I have some of them posted on my profile.) Then I got busy moving more and eating less! If I messed up I just started again at the next meal.

In less than six months, eating right has finally become a habit for me. I am amazed at how fast it went by!

The Couch to 5K program (C25K) is amazing...I truly went from couch potato to jogger in nine weeks....graduate this week!

Good luck ladies, off you go!

mbeth21

Thanks for starting this thread. I have tried many times to start and stick with an actual change (not just a diet) and I've never been able to stick with it. I am starting again today - logging my food just to start. Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Its good to hear from people who have stuck with the lifestyle change for more than 1 month!

cdngirl71

Start one day at a time. Don't over exercise, start slow. Plan your daily meals. Remember to drink lots of water and log your food.

lilRicki

the first month is pure hell...you're tired, hungry, b!tchy...let me tell you if you're going to quit it's going to be within the first month...knowing that, prepare for it. Pretty soon you'll be reaching for the fruit not the donuts, not going to the gym seems weird to you, you can't imagine not logging on to MFP EVERY DAY...this isn't going to be easy, it's probably one of the hardest things you're ever going to do...just stay plugged into here where there's motivation, butt kicking and tons of ideas. Read about nutrition and health at least 10 minutes a day, this is said to maintain motivation. The pay off is fantastic, you'll be sexy, healthy, and alive. There's tons of love to be had on here, just work your *kitten* off (literally) lol and enjoy your new experience.

lclarkjr

My best day one or even week one advice is to just eat normally for a few days while using MFP to calculate your calories. For me the realization of the amount of calories I was consuming normally motivated me to eat better. Easing into it is the best way if you are feeling overwhelmed. HTH

goofynat

WOW. The response from this is spectacular, and I will read over all the answers several times today to get my head into the game, and start to plan my gradual transformation into a healthier me. Thank you for all your kind words, great advice, and by the looks of things I can to the right site for the best support team. I cant wait till I get to a point of being someone elses support on their first day. You have already changed me for the better...cheers ~ Nat

joeysrib

If you are not very active, like me trying to go from a stationary lifestyle, to at least a slightly more active lifestyle, I do water aerobics, and will continue at least until I build up some stamina. Once I have the stamina, then I'm gonna try Zumba. Exercise should be fun, and shouldn't cause pain. Try water aerobics, some gums will let you take a class or two before making you buy a membership.

Feel free to add me!

wvfrog22

I just started a month ago. Like many, I "started" on January 1st, but when I really started a month ago I was up about 5 lbs from 1/1! Yikes! I love the calorie tracker. I would never have done this if not for that one tool. It is so convenient! I am down almost 10 lbs and have actually started exercising. Like everyone has said, it's baby steps. You can't really start out exercising every day if you've never been an exerciser. I think that would just cause burn out. Once I started to realize how much I was actually eating in a day I was shocked! I am limiting to 1600 and I never feel hungry. I know you can do this! Your best move so far was to ask for help! It's never easy to go it alone! Best wishes on you new healthy lifestyle!