newbie :) Any advice?

Missi3601

so I'm new to this app but find it intriguing... I'm hoping I can stick to this - I'm kind of a procrastinator with some things...I gained about 50 pounds over a few years after a car accident, I like to consider myself active - I play for two softball teams during the spring summer and fall- and I have a 9 year old that keeps me busy, but the weight doesnt seem to go anywhere! Just looking for ideas on meal planning. I've only been on here 3 days and so far I'm down 3 lbs. but I'd like to drop a whole lot more! Any suggestions?? Feel free to add me

chixdrag2

Hi, I'm fairly new to myfitnesspal too, but it's def a great way to track your diet and exercise and hold yourself accountable. I've lost about 75 lbs over the past year and a half and I've found that Facebook and Youtube have been great resources for me - Leanbodylifestyle.com is great and he makes awesome low calorie recipes and he's got a ton of videos on youtube. Also Scott Herman has a lot of good fitness videos and the constant networking on Facebook (Million Dollar Baby Fitness, Fusaro Fitness and Female Gym Motivation are some of my faves) really helps to keep my motivation up! Just a little planning ahead for your meals goes a long way - I usually prepare all of my meals the night before and bring everything to work with me in tupperware so I don't even have to think about all the take out that everyone else is getting! Hope that helps!

StacyNicki

Hi I'm new as well. I agree up until a year ago I did martial arts and it was a two hour class once a week with intense exercise for the first hour. Also for a while I was doing zumba....weight really didn't go anywhere. Then I got pregnant (but even so I was 184 before I got pregnant) and now I'm 207. My only advice which I need to follow myself is stick with it

kp1439

sorry to hear about the accident ... glad u joined here .. if u stay on you will get great result ... this will be a change in your life style ... hope you get what u looking for ... add if you wanna.

schultz222

Sorry to hear about your accident. Myself, I quit smoking and gained way too much weight. Now I am paying for it. My Fitness Pal is great. It keeps me on track pretty well. As the day progresses and I see I am close to my maximum calories, I go do some exercise so I have more calories to burn. I have been hiking 4-5 days a week for 2-4 hours each time. I also do strength training at LA Fitness 2-3 times a week. I am determined to lose this weight. I was starting to have back aches also and they have gotten better since I lost even 7 pounds. Keep the faith and keep tracking EVERYTHING you put in your mouth!! Good luck.:flowerforyou:

ash190489

Hi there,

All I can say is stick with it, you're doing very well already to have lost 3 lbs in 3 days....

I would suggest weighing yourself once WEEKLY. Your body fluctuates day to day... so when you're weighing yourself daily it can get REALLY disheartening when you've put on weight & it probably is only based on fluid anyway. Also, I would recommend you MEASURE yourself. Even if it is just around your waist and hips. The weeks you might not drop much weight, you will no doubt see changes in your measurements. The scales aren't everything!

I would also suggest doing a combination of cardio and strength exercises. Have a goal and stick to it or better it as time goes by and as you get fitter. I.e. you might start with 30 mins per day 3 days per week. Then you might bump it up to 4 days or 40 mins. At the moment (I am almost on my 10th week) I work out 5-6 days per week and do a full cardio session for about an hour and then the next day I do about 40 mins cardio (brisk walk in the morning, stationary bike, x-trainer, zumba) for 30 mins & then 10-15mins in the afternoon as a warm up before I do 30-40 mins of strength/weight training. However I started with 40-50min 3 days minimum per week.

When I first started it was hard to change that mind shift when I was constantly craving particular foods i.e. chocolate. I don't deprive myself of anything, I still have chocolate daily, however it's all about PORTION CONTROL. So I have a fun-sized/treat sized chocolate (12grams) instead of a whole chocolate bar, or worse yet a block! I still eat pizza, but I only have 2 slices instead of half or more. Since I first started I have really begun changed my mind-set to thinking about my body as a car and food as a fuel to keep me going, it's not necessarily about enjoying every bit of food you eat, however, life is short and we should enjoy some foods. I have really started thinking about QUALITY versus QUANTITY. I found that eating a McDonald's hamburger had me hungry not too long after eating it, however if I made myself a sandwich using whole grains and good quality ham/chicken/turkey and salad, I was much more satisfied for a longer period of time and for LESS calories.

There is a some food for thought - - - literally! I hope I helped. This seems to be working for me and I have lost over 9 kilograms (20lbs) in less than 10 weeks. :-) I also barely ever go over my calorie goal and I don't usually eat my exercise calories back (unless it's a special occasion). Good luck! You can do it!

jmuhnie

Buy a food scale to weigh out your portions...I was killing myself with estimation. I also picked up a heart rate monitor. If I had to pick one, I would get the scale over and over.

Tim249

Just wanted to echo the comments about portion control. I haven't changed WHAT I eat (with a few exceptions) , but I've changed how often and (especially) how much I eat when I do. So far I've lost 11 pounds in three weeks, though my goal is 2 lbs/week.

So I wouldn't say I'm eating healthy, but I'm learning to monitor my calorie intake. As I make progress, I'll slowly try to replace unhealthy foods with healthier choices. But I still get to enjoy the food I like!

I've been really excited to add friends over the past week. It really does help stay focused, and it's motivating to see others going through the same things.

And I also only weigh in once per week. I sometimes peek during the week, but I only "officially" weigh on Sunday mornings. As a wrestling coach, I've very much aware that weight fluctuates pretty wildly from day to day based on water intake, and I don't want to ride that roller coaster!