Hi all - wondering if I should join now or in New Year

gladiola2012

Hello all

I've heard so much about this site that I decided to join. Just wondering, should I join now or in 3 or 4 weeks time (after the Christmas holiday celebrations?) . I need to lose about 12 lbs and I know I will find it hard to say no to mince pies, deserts etc around this holiday season. Lol.

CMmrsfloyd

The best time to start is always NOW. Why put it off? Yes there will be temptations over the holidays, but even if you 'take the day off' on special occasions at least you will have had a couple of weeks beforehand of working on your new lifestyle. If you start now, you might be able to lose a couple of pounds to off-set any damage that may be done over Christmas. LOL Seriously, though, go ahead and start. It's very empowering when you learn that you actually DO have control over these things. :-)

myshell26

There is no time like the present! Welcome to MFP. Even if you struggle through the holidays you can use this time to get familiar with the features on this site and get an idea of where you need improvement. Feel free to friend me if you'd like. : )

RMinVA

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Besides what are you waiting for? New year's is just another day on the calendar. The sooner you start, the sooner you will get there.

brk_1982

I suggest starting now, but maybe just set your goal as maintenance? I suggest this because:

-If you're not really ready to do this, you won't do it
-You'll learn how to track so that you can work out all the "kinks" before you dive in
-Tracking what you eat over the holidays but not focusing on losing weight will give you flexibility, but enough knowledge to not completely eat your face off. That way you'll still only have 12 lbs to lose instead of 15!

Good luck!

spiritwolf13

NOW!!!! Why wait? We all celebrate holiday, birthdays etc. If you have 12lbs to loose if you start now you may get a jump start and who knows if you start now you may be able to be aloy better with temptations then if you were not too. You may only have 1-2 slices of pie as apposed to 3or 4. Whatever you decide and I hope its now choice is yours MFP and support will be here for you
When you do decide to join if you like send me a friend request.

scamberlous

Agreed! I thought about putting it off until after the holidays, until I read my brother's blog post which was very inspirational which basically tells you there is no time like the present (http://www.businessoflosingweight.com/). Plus, starting now is great practice to choosing healthier foods while at parties, etc. I mean, if you can make it through the holidays, you can make it through anything!!! Seriously, read the post. It will help answer your question!

gladiola2012

Thank you everyone! My friend was right - such motivation on here (my hubby said the other night "Oh no, you're not going to be going on and on about diets again are you!" - thanks again all. I will start as of tomorrow morning (had a pizza today for lunch because I was feeling sorry for myself!). I would love to lose more weight but thought I'd make a smaller goal for myself for now for encouragement puroposes. Once again, thank you :-)

WilliamsPeggy

Welcome!

mwhite81

Now-if anything you will be ready to hit 2012 with a bang. It takes a couple weeks to get back into stride anyways, so it will be perfect.

Yakarobed

Now, you'll learn new tips for controlling holiday eating.

url=http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker][/url]
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

CMmrsfloyd

Thank you everyone! My friend was right - such motivation on here (my hubby said the other night "Oh no, you're not going to be going on and on about diets again are you!" - thanks again all. I will start as of tomorrow morning (had a pizza today for lunch because I was feeling sorry for myself!). I would love to lose more weight but thought I'd make a smaller goal for myself for now for encouragement puroposes. Once again, thank you :-)

I think my husband gets tired of me telling him how many calories are in everything. LOL But he seems to appreciate my efforts, even keeps the kids busy while I workout sometimes.

And there's nothing wrong with having pizza every now and then! Just enjoy it in moderation, log it, count it, and work it into your day. I actually like keeping a couple of individual portions of pizza in the freezer for those days when I just have to have it (you know, like the little Lean Cuisine or Digiorno ones that are lower in calories). I also have ice cream most days but instead of scooping out of a carton, I keep Weight Watchers ice cream bars in the house b/c they are absolutely delicious and much easier to control the calories! (only 130 calories per bar, and they are a decent size!) You can still enjoy things that you like. You may find it easier to feel full if you eat more lean proteins, veggies, and fruits, as those things will fill you up more for the amount of calories they contain, but you can still eat 'fun stuff' too as long as you are mindful of the portions. Plus it feels much less restrictive and easier to maintain if you let yourself have a little fun here and there. As long as it doesn't make you go too far over your calorie goal, just work it into your day and feel good about it. :-) If you set your calorie goal to 'maintenance' try not to go over that since that's the amount of calories you need to stay at your current weight. If you set it to 'lose 1/2 lb per week', that effectively puts you at 250 calories per day under what your maintenance calories would be. 'Lose 1 lb per week' puts you 500 calories per day less than your maintenance calories.

KriscoOil

NOW!

ShaSimone

No better time than the present! It will definately get your January started off right.

westcoastSW

The sooner you start the sooner you'll be done!

vinylscratch

Thank you everyone! My friend was right - such motivation on here (my hubby said the other night "Oh no, you're not going to be going on and on about diets again are you!" - thanks again all. I will start as of tomorrow morning (had a pizza today for lunch because I was feeling sorry for myself!). I would love to lose more weight but thought I'd make a smaller goal for myself for now for encouragement puroposes. Once again, thank you :-)

That's why we're all here; everyone has a different way of going about this. For me it's to chat my own mouth off about it to stay focused, and rarely can the people you surround yourself with relate or put up with the sheer amount of chattiness staying focused can take

I also thought I'd start on the New Year. But then I decided to start now, even if it's just tracking calories and staying within a higher calorie goal than I'd eventually like to be at. Not only will you be able to exercise control during the holidays -- it will be much easier once you've been in the swing of things right now -- but you'll already have tackled the hardest part by New Year's when we all go back to work and excuses start to pile up after a couple of weeks -- the hardest part being just making the decision to get started!

Make your plan... make it all about changes you can maintain, not a diet... and get the rough part over with NOW! You can do it!! Feel free to add me and chat up a storm if your hubby won't listen! Lol!!

loved1

NOW!

I have some big eating days coming up and I have already entered them in my food diary so that I can work around them - exercise, load up on bulky vegetable calories - in the preceding days. I'm going to one of my favorite restaurants that I visit once a year at the end of the month & I am going to have steak, pomme frites, red wine & maybe chocolate mousse, but at least I know what's coming & I can do some long runs to prepare.

Honesty is a great policy when it comes to dealing with yourself.

waterman12

True, but then you will be saying hi I am trying to lose 15-20lbs?

TheFitHooker

First, Welcome to MFP!

Now I've always been one to say "I'll wait till..." but I always find another excuse. I started this round in September, close to Holiday's, I got tired of seeing what I seen in the mirror. Basically if you don't just do it no matter the time or season, you will keep having an excuse to not do it. You CAN do it, you just have to be committed to it, don't be interest in it because that is when people give up.

ETA:// Don't look at this like a Diet, look at it like a life style, or you'll go right back to where you started. I've learned that, train your body eat and work out the right way .

Helenatrandom

Start now. Even if it is just to log in and get an idea of how many calories you are consuming. I know I was surprised about some things! Mainly cholesterol. I ordered a BLT salad at Wendy's and found out it contained all the cholesterol recommended for a day! I KNOW there is bacon in it, but I was still surprised it was THAT much.
Even if you choose to enjoy the season with treats, at least you'll know the calorie cost and can place limits.
BTW, Bigelow™ tea's Ginger Snappish and Celestial Seasonings™ Candy Cane Lane tea are WONderful! The very scent of them can satisfy a craving for something christmassy sometimes! So can Constant Comment!

12skipafew99100

There is no time like the present. Even if you don't loose in the next few weeks at least you can become aware of what you are eating and maintain. Good luck and welcome.
Deb

shilpster

I just joined as well. No time like the present!!! I can't believe i haven't discovered this tool before.

rileamoyer

Start NOW, then by January you will be knowledgeable, understand what you need to do and be at full speed.

k7n2w3

Join NOW! if you can make it through Christmas the rest of the journey will be a piece of cake! Never wait, procrastination might turn January into March. And if you plan on joining a gym you can get into a routine before the January rush at the gym :-)

k7n2w3

Start NOW, then by January you will be knowledgeable, understand what you need to do and be at full speed.

This is another perfect reason... it takes a bit to get into the grove of things while you are learning what needs to be done :-)

mplasky

NOW is the best time why put it off if you put it off now whats to say something wont come up to put it off later. I have found that MFP is awesome for support and motivation and this is my 3rd day being a member, trust me join you wont regret it!

12skipafew99100

Agreed! I thought about putting it off until after the holidays, until I read my brother's blog post which was very inspirational which basically tells you there is no time like the present (http://www.businessoflosingweight.com/). Plus, starting now is great practice to choosing healthier foods while at parties, etc. I mean, if you can make it through the holidays, you can make it through anything!!! Seriously, read the post. It will help answer your question!

Hey thanks for posting your brother's blog. It was inspiring.
Deb

David8676

I started dieting mid November of last month and I haven't looked back yet and don't plan on it. I was the same way last month. I was thinking should i start dieting now or wait till next year with all these holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up. But you know what, starting now will make you that much stronger. I have only been dieting for a little over two weeks and am very proud of myself and progress so far. The most important change for me so far however has not been the weight I'm losing as much as the fact that I am just feeling healthier and fuller after every meal. I find myself craving Salads, whole grain bread, generic healthier cereals, soups, and other healthier foods I could never have imagined myself eating. Start now and I promise you in a month you will feel prouder for it.

Kris10can

Start now....so that way you are already practicing healthier habits for the new year!!!

em9371

another vote for now, if you put off till jan and then might put off again you will never get started!
You know you are going to be eating more over Xmas you will only feel worse in Jan when you have 20lb to lose instead of 15. If you start tracking now, you can include some lower cal days and exercise to cancel out all the xmas treats, still have a good time over the holidays and then aim to lose properly from Jan

serena569

I've never understood waiting for the new year, the first or the month, Monday, whatever. If you are truely committed, then you are committed today.
I quit smoking on 12/28/98 because that was the day I decided I didn't want to smoke anymore. Plus, four days later I was able to say "I quit last year."