How did you kick start your weight loss? How did you begin?

DreamGirl8926

I lowered my portion sizes, cut out all soft drinks, and started walking a bit more!

ElizabethRoad

I just started counting calories. I don't even understand what "kickstart" means or why you would need to do it.

marriedwith

Wii Fit, paying *some* attention to what I shoved in my face-hole, and bodyweight exercise.

Looking back, it was a terrible way to start. I wish I'd known then what I know now.

Start lifting weights. Like, right now. Lift heavy, eat lots of protein, and follow these macros guidelines. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

I just restarted looking into my fitness. I started with a carb deplete to make me less hungry, then got into carb cycling which has worked well for me in the past. The IF calculator looks like a good tool and is similar to what I do - thanks for the link!

LovingLisa2012

November i stopped eating fast food mainly cuz my transmission went out on my car) lost 10 pounds in 2 months (with that simple change)
fast forward to March 2nd, i joined MFP and told myself i would simply track my food for a month ( no calorie restriction)
i have always been one to quit tracking after a few days ..
April 1st i started to get serious about adding in workouts and keeping my cals down to where they should be 2,000 - 2500 ( not 3,000 as they were)

i am now also limiting sodas to diet dr. pepper only and no more than 1 a day and some times i go 2- 3 days without 1 .. the rest is water

i have gone from 312 - 297 (slow yes, but i am slowly making changes)
i have done the whole cut all the bad stuff (fast food, fried foods, salt, soda, teas etc and drop weight quick (50 pounds in about 5 months) then i ended up binging so bad that i not only gained those 50 pounds back but 25 more

now its all about moderation, i still am limiting my fast food, i mostly cook at home now

mariiyah

-Cut down on my portion sizes, measure a portion with scale & according to info on packet. (before i used to just measure with my tummy, the more food on the plate the better :laugh: )

-Cut out processed & fast foods completely.

-Cut down on junk food majorly...but i dont deprive myself of anything. i'll still have chocolates & cakes but as part of my healthy diet, and not too much! maybe once or twice a week.

-Make meals from scratch. always opting for homemade food for lunch/snack etc. while at work rather than buying food from shops.

-Trying out ALL vegetables. (i used to count chips as my 1 a day cos its a potato. learnt that potato doesnt count!)

-Including exercise into my daily routine.

nsdjogger

The first 2 weeks I logged everything I ate, making no changes in my diet so I could honestly evaluate my nutrition. I then started to make small changes in food choices and increased my activity level. Nothing drastic, just being consistent and working on having a positive attitude.

SummerLovesPhil

I test-drove a truck. No, really, that's how it got started in earnest. I test-drove this truck that costs more than any vehicle I've ever even thought about buying, calculated the payment, then determined that by not eating out, I could save enough money to make A TRUCK PAYMENT. That was kind of a wake-up call, so I stopped eating out. I decided that I would use the money (actually, just a fraction of it) to join a gym and get some guidance. I spent two weeks trying out half a dozen gyms. A couple of them recommended MFP, so I signed up and started tracking calories meticulously. I felt a huge difference in those two weeks alone! Just the act of tracking calories helped me start eating better. I have cut out restaurant food and alcohol and otherwise just try to make the best choice in the moment.

Saruman_w

I started kinda slowly. Started drinking water exclusively. Started eating out less and less. But still went out. Finally I started adapting a way of eating low calorie stuff on a regular basis and kept that up for awhile.

mznisaelaine

- Cut down my portions
- Eat tons of fruits and salads
- Started to exercise more than just 1 day a week or a few times a month lol

That's how I got started!

seebeachrun

I tried "watching what I ate" for about 2 months and walking three days week for at least an hour. Then I realized that nothing was happening.

I looked around online for a free program like weight watchers and found MFP. I started out logging my food and trying to keep under my calorie goal for a month and again, realized not much was happening.

I again looked around online, including the boards here, and it finally dawned on me that I can't sit around all day and lose weight even if I eat my goal calories every day religiously. I needed to add exercise, specifically weight training because it will sculpt my body and help me lose fat (but not necessarily weight as I have found out.)

Baby steps or all at once. Figure what works best for you based on your prior experience trying new things. For me I have to make changes to my schedule gradually so it doesn't seem like so much all at once. It was a lot less overwhelming to go step by step for me because each step complimented the last step.

In only two weeks of weight training I already notice a big difference in how my body looks, even if the scale only says I have lost one pound, looking better and feeling better about myself is way more important.

Honestly, like Nike said "Just Do It!"

***Edit: Oh and one important detail that I didn't think was very important in the beginning. Measure your portions. You can buy measuring cups and spoons at the dollar store (buy two sets!) or Walmart (88 cent for a set of both!). You will be surprised how small some portion sizes are and how big your personal portions are.***

DawnM62

I had been feeling ukk for a while so unfit, overweight and drinking too much wine just woke up one morning and said "I'm going to wear "that dress" for my birthday"

don't know where that came from really don't "that dress" is at least 6 years old from before I was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid and started piling weight on like there was no tomorrow, probably need to loose 40ish pound before mid July so it fits but that's the gole

so no wine already did eat quite healthily
but now I track everything that passes these lips and I'm really feeling motivated and positive

mes1119

I printed out a calendar and made a plan. Planned my meals for the week so I didn't get caught eating junk, planned out when and what I would do for workouts. I went low in calories for the first week just to kick start it.

I was a "knew how to eat right and workout, just didn't do it type", once I started being healthy again, like I have for most of my life, I had good results.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

WOW!

These your replies are tremendous (so informative, inspirational, some VERY funny and just all around terrific)--thank you ALL so much for posting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dynamojones

I just cut out all soda and junk from my diet and cut down my portion sizes

+1

TriciaZ944

Jillian Michaels ripped in 30 then I did insanity and been going strong since.

darcywills13

Cut out all fast food...and started drinking shakeology everyday. Helped me with the food cravings.

sweetpea129

My first step was cutting out all soda (for lent). Which lead to me not wanting the doritos and cheetos if i didnt have pepsi to go with it. Which then lead to me cutting out all junk and starting to count calories.

Marge321

Sister got pretty sick in winter...got me strong enough to tell me : "hey, you live only once, you can't be that fat!"

elis_mama

bump

SmartAlec03211988

Stopped drinking soda and started counting calories. Lost 36 lbs in the first three months.