Struggling....any beginners advice welcomed! x

IrishRach

Hi All, i am new to MFP....

Ive been recording my days, but struggling to keep off the junk. Its shocking when i look back on it, makes me feel terrible! No motivation to exercise (apart from sex) lol.....but feeling really frustrated....any beginners advice would be much appreciated!!

lauren0804

It's hard at first because you see everything you eat and might feel a bit embarrassed. I love this site because I can tweak where i need to now. You don't realize how many calories you consume a day!

My motivation to exercise is that I can eat more...lol! I would take it day by day, cut back here and there and then you will see the difference. When you start seeing results you know it works. You can't make big changes over night otherwise you won't stick to it.

What kind of junk are you craving?

Feel free to add me for additional support

Jennyisbusy

Just keep logging things honestly. You will most likely disgust yourself into making changes - kinda like peer pressure. I would also pick one minigoal to really really really stick to. drinking all of your water, eating at least 1 veg a day, whatever you feel like you can actually do, and then do it

sc1572

It's hard at first but everyday it gets better! We all have bad days, and time will make it better.

Jennyisbusy

Another fun one to try is plan a dinner in advance an log it. Then build your day backwards to fit your dinner plan.

messyhare

Just keep plugging away. The more you stay on track the easier it will get. If you fall off track, just jump right back on!

At first, I just logged my food, I didn't exercise much. About a month into it, I started doing some simple exercising.

I try not to get too discouraged by setbacks because I figure this is now a new lifestyle and eventually I will be the healthier, thinner me that I'm striving to be.

Feel free to add me if you'd like support - this site is an incredible help. I've been sick with a serious lung infection this entire month so you won't see anything much from before today.

adamcf

focus on short term goals. but look beyond each day. go for 2 weeks. eat right for 14 days and expect something at that point. What you can expect is less of a desire for that junk.

exercise to be able to eat more. just start out slow. don't go for the gold just yet. ease into it.

Just as a side note, having sex can burn over 300 calories an hour. true story.

IrishRach

Wow, thank you all so much for replying with all so much advice.

God, it feels good to not feel like im on my own haha (sounds cheesy) but it is true, its nice to have the support.

I crave anything fast, and usually means something really not good for me, and late at night which is due to my working hours etc.....but having logged the last week and looked back, i feel awful and ashamed....and sometimes.....this makes me eat more, does that make sense?!

Autumn15

Best advice is "One day at a Time"...You can do it and don't beat your self up when you have a bad day. Find things you like and can stick with for exercise either alone or with friends. You don't have to give up anything you love to eat just remember to do things in moderation. Drink lots of water...You will find lots of friends on here to help your journey and tons of useful information on the Forum. Best of luck on your journey, now pick out that new bikini in the size you wanna be and go for it!

webdiva1

oh, sure ... i get it. i used to LIVE on fast food. i'm pretty sure my car could have driven to several places all by itself, just because it had been to them so many times before.

i'm happy to report that although i still patronize fast food spots, the choices i make now are way, way different. not sure if you're in the states, but for me, kentucky fried chicken's GRILLED chicken, an occasional subway sandwich on whole grain bread, and grilled chicken salads from mcd's and wendy's are now the order of the day. no more fries ... no more fast food burgers ... no more pop at all.

for me, it was just all about simply breaking the fast food habit. it's not that i really WANTED fast food all the time. i mean, we've all had really nasty fast food from time to time, right? it's just easy and convenient. also expensive. and for the most part, not healthy at all.

now when i crave a cheeseburger, i make my own at home ... with 95% lean ground beef, cheese from 2% milk, no bun (though occasionally i'll do sara lee delightful multi-grain), fat-free mayo and all the tomatoes, lettuce and whatever else i want. i have total control over sodium and it just tastes SO much better than fast food. i actually proved it to myself a couple weeks ago when i indulged in a quarter pounder with cheese. yuck. really: YUCK. it was a good reminder of why i gave it up in the first place.

so yeah ... one day at a time. chances are real, real good that your craving for fast food is in your head, not your stomach, and it could be mostly habit. you can break that cycle, and when you do ... well ... it's an amazing feeling to know you're in control.

stay the course. you can totally do this.

oh, yeah -- one more thing. remember the self-loathing when you're tempted to indulge. fast food may make you happy for a few minutes ... but eating right will make you happy for the rest of your life.

Racerdan77

Help, how do I comsume 1450 cal this evening? Should I eat some high cal junk?

Artemis_Acorn

Welcome to MFP. You're so smart to start working on being more healthy while you're young. The first bit is hardest because you're trying to change your mindset while you change your lifestyle. My best advice is to find yourself a core group of supportive MFP friends - you'll not only get good advice, but you'll feel more accountable if you open up your diary for them to be able to peek at what you're eating. Not a requirement of course, but it does help me. The other thing is that you can look at their diaries and get ideas and inspiration. I have some friends who just have this MFP thing down to perfection.

As for the logging, do your best to log everything. I think it's more important to log everything than it is to be spot on with your numbers. It will help you get a sense of the cause and effect of what you're doing too.

As for the exercise, I just started with walking. You can also log things like housework (if it is beyond your normal everyday routine) and gardening. A lot of people enroll in a Zumba class which is really fun.

Best of luck in your journey - I think you'll love it here.

geekymom57

As others have said, just keep logging and learning more every day about what you are eating and when. Then choose one of those meals that you're ashamed about and ask yourself why you ate what you did and when--was it convenient? Comfort food? Boredom? Cheap? All of the above? Breaking habits is really really REALLY hard, so don't beat yourself up that after a couple of weeks you're still eating things you're not proud of. By admitting you're not proud of them, you've already demonstrated recognition that they are not the foods you should be eating--pat yourself on the back for that a minimum!

IrishRach

Thank you!!

I totally know there all bad for me, and i still go ahead and eat them, lazy? yes....convieniant? certainly.....
I feel bad about it and it makes me want to binge more......

However after speaking to some really wonderful people and getting so much advice, i must say i do feel really motivated to eat healthy and really change what im intaking into my body......im being lazy, and need to snap out of it!

Thank you ALL, your advice is all greatly appreciated!

geekymom57

i must say i do feel really motivated to eat healthy and really change what im intaking into my body......im being lazy, and need to snap out of it!

Nothing personal intended but--being lazy is to true for so many of us! I just returned to my former place of employment after being elsewhere for the past 9 months. Several people had lost significant amounts of weight and they said (mostly the same words "I decided not to be lazy any more--it was the time to do it," another had regained most of the 30 pounds she had lost and said "I got lazy."

I get lazy about it, too--after a while the initial enthusiasm can diminish, and you get tired of eating the same old same old, watching what you eat/drink, etc. For me, repetition of the meals I choose (i.e., breakfast and lunch during the week) are the key, and planning in advance for the ones I don't choose (meals out, special occasions). It does take some effort but I don't think it' really laziness per se--more apathy, I think, or indifference, or low enthusiasm because it can seem so overwhelming at times. But you'll get into the groove and it'll start to make sense and be rewarding after a while, even if you don't see immediate weight loss.