If you could tell one thing to newbies on MFP....

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  • amiscci
    amiscci Posts: 64 Member
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    You can do it! I am only 9 lbs into my 15-20 lb weight loss goal, but after about 6 weeks of *this* I know I can do it.
    I'm not an exercise person but I've been seeing a personal trainer-- painful to start but it's working and I'm almost enjoying it! No more pain! The diet was hard in the beginning (I tried 1200 cal-- way too low) and now I know my 1450 calorie goal is do-able
    and doesn't leave me starving.. I can LIVE like this. When I feel a snack attack coming on, I grab a water bottle and read MFP
    success stories instead!! I chug that H20 and almost always I'm less hungry and MORE motivated after seeing all the great successes!

    I had doubts in the beginning but now I KNOW I can do it-- and you can too!
  • QOTC
    QOTC Posts: 20
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    As a newbie (for prolly the hundredth time), I appreciate all of this advice!! Thank you! =)
  • wolftrax
    wolftrax Posts: 50
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    Fat cells just LOVE sugar....that's why bears like honey...
  • kelzz193
    kelzz193 Posts: 120
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    -Results take time
    -Be patient and persistent
    -Take your measurements/photos once a month
    -Celebrate your accomplishments along the way
    -Be kind to yourself, you are after all trying to do something good for YOU!!!
  • Nikki_42
    Nikki_42 Posts: 298 Member
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    There's some really good advice on here, thanks OP for starting this topic! The only thing I'd add that I couldn't see on a quick skim through is - invest in a food scale that has one gram increments and weigh all your food, especially to start off with. You don't want to be "guesstimating", you could be way wide of the mark - not such a biggie on vegetables but essential with most other foodstuffs!

    I was just about to say I didn't see that either! A food scale will be a rude awakening to correct portion control. I thought I was guessing portions right from all my research (1 oz of cheese is 2 dice size BS) and was so way off it wasn't even funny. Definitely invest in one. You can do a search on the boards and see what type others recommend. (my digital was only $20 but the best $20 spent so far)
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Don't "save up" your calories for that special dinner, or restaurant outing that you have planned with your friends because you might just end up bingeing instead.


    I don't entirely agree with this. A lot of people here calorie cycle so that they don't have to be over for the week if they know they are going to be over on a day and then successfully reach their weekly goal loss. I tend to do it the two days either side of an expected naughty day and it works well for me because then you have something to look forward to and don't feel like the only person around the table not eating what they'd like. I don't mean to save silly amounts of calories for a full binge but sometimes you just want your diet to be less conspicuous.
  • joannezuk
    joannezuk Posts: 153 Member
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    Just one from me. Cook your own food. If it comes out of a pretty container, it's probably loaded with sodium. Also, for the number of calories in a teeny tiny prepackaged meal, you can usually create a gourmet dinner that you can barely finish. Just cook with lean proteins and lots of veggies, make your own marinades and dressings (ie. not cream based). I love trying new recipes, but I don't always follow them to a tee. Usually, when a recipe calls for 1/4 cup olive oil (which is 4 tablespoons, btw), I start with 1 tbsp, and add 1 teaspoon at a time until I feel I have enough to sautee the food in question.
  • Cyanid3
    Cyanid3 Posts: 112 Member
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    Ah, I love this thread. There are so many things I wish I knew before I joined end of April, especially before I started my journey.

    Taking pictures and measurements are definitely useful. Having a good digital food scale helps. Being honest with yourself and accountable for things eaten, hours slept, etc helps. Also, you don't need to starve! Eating at least your BMR and close to your TDEE will help fuel you, keep up your metabolism, and help your goals in the long run. I found i wasnt eating enough for a long time, and im now happier and have more energy to work out. Drink plenty of water - invest in a good reusable water bottle to take it everywhere. Be kind to your body, learn the proper form for exercises so you don't strain your knees or neck, etc (I say this since my knee is in a brace). Also, inches lost > the number on the scale. If I feel fabulous and my clothes are looser, then I don't care what number the scale says.
    Stay positive!
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    drink your water and don't eat back your exercise cals. they are already worked into the equation


    This is completely false - on MFP your exercise calories are NOT already included in the equation, which is why it recommended that we eat back our exercise calories
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
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    ....I'd tell them to take lots of before pictures when starting their new life style. I have a couple, but really regret not having standard one (same clothes, pose, etc.) to see if I can tell the 'then vs. now" differences.

    I really wish I had done this. I've taken some after I started and can see the differences...

    This!
    And eat your exercise calories!
  • nomee
    nomee Posts: 1
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    thank you for this... i managed to lose weight this week then my tea last night must have been soium filled as i put 3 lbs on in time to be wieghed by the nurse :( feeling very down today
  • iwillsoonbeslim
    iwillsoonbeslim Posts: 283
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    Trust MFP, believe MFP and eat as much as MFP tells you to. Simples.
  • estitom
    estitom Posts: 205 Member
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    Don't focus so much on your weight loss that you forget everything else in life.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    thank you for this... i managed to lose weight this week then my tea last night must have been soium filled as i put 3 lbs on in time to be wieghed by the nurse :( feeling very down today


    Don't feel down... maybe your weight is only higher because you were weighed on a different scale.

    Did you weigh yourself on that scale previously?
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Throw away the scale for a month when beginning any kind of rigorous workout program, especially any program that includes resistance training. The reason being is because you will see (relatively) massive fluctuations in your weight over the course of that first month due to the effect on your newly challenged muscles that could even show in the form of weight GAIN. It's a good month or so before those fluctuations start to steady out and you begin to see consistent weight loss. Lots of people are either unaware of this or refuse to accept it and get frustrated and quit because they weigh themselves one or two weeks after beginning a rigorous training program only to see that the number on the scale either hasn't changed, or has gone up.
  • Cyphio
    Cyphio Posts: 20
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    Do not try and change your life all in one day. Make small,manageable changes slowly. Those who try to make many changes too soon often get discouraged and give up.
  • VryIrishGirl76
    VryIrishGirl76 Posts: 1,167 Member
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    LOVE this, thank you so much for sharing it!
    Lesson 1
    its a journey not a destination

    Lesson 2
    you did not gain it overnight and you won't lose it overnight.

    Lesson 3
    If you eat it you own it, or if you bite it then write it

    Lesson 4
    Use your brain- calories in calories out (burned) no fads etc.

    Lesson 5
    Be honest with yourself, log everything

    Lesson 6
    Stop making excuses

    Lesson 7
    Make a lot of friends so you feel accountable- they are counting on you to do the right thing

    Lesson 8
    DO this for yourself- no one else!!!

    Lesson 9
    Make it a lifestyle, not a diet. control portions, nutrients etc.

    Lesson 10
    Measure yourself, and weigh your food.

    Thats it for now....
  • vswilliams
    vswilliams Posts: 13 Member
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    Hi! What do you mean when you say to eventually break up with cardio? Cardio is basically the only excercise I do....
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    Dont over-cardio
    Dont ignore your type II muscle fibers
    Dont believe weights make you bigger
    Dont do sets of 25 with weights
    Dont get too efficient at any exercise
    Eat protein
    Eat healthy fats
    How much you burn during your workout isnt as important as what happens after your workout, when your body is recovering
  • MaryPhillips90
    MaryPhillips90 Posts: 236 Member
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    I'd tell them not to grow to be one of those forum know-it-all a-holes. Because that's what this place is amounting to.

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