Introducing myself; need a little help!

StephanieJoy24

Hi, my name is Stephanie, I started this yesterday, keeping track of what I eat and all. I am 20 years old, and have been big for as long as I can remember...So am trying to lose about 55lbs. by march 2013. I know its a big reach, but ill honestly be happy with 30! I see myself reaching for bad food still, but I am still making sure that I stay under my calorie limit for the day. I want to change, so I feel better about myself. Can anyone give me helpful words of advice on my journey. How often do you guys weigh in? Have you learned what foods you should stay away from? Any advice or helpful tips will be appreciated!

Tobeshine

Get yourself a heart rate monitor so you can keep track of the calories you burn while exercising, it really is motivating and gets you working harder when you do exercise. The more you exercise, the more you can eat!

calgon62

Believe me I have been a yoyo dieter for years. You really just have to find what works for you. I find you should weigh only once a week in the morning when you first get up on the same day every week. Try a higher protein loooooow sugar and complex carbs! You can do it!

StephanieJoy24

Where can I find one of these heart monitors? I've been reading others' inspiring success stories... hope that will be me some day!!

francesanne7

Hi Stephanie,

Keeping up with your food on here is a big help and you will start eating better just seeing what you are eating. I don't have alot of advice to give as I am in the same boat and want to lose 30 pounds or more. I just know I use to eat more junk food before starting this log and do eat healthier now. I try not to eat alot of carbs and more proteins and vegetable but if I want something I do eat it just staing within my limit. Good Luck!!!!

BoomerAngel

Hi Stephanie - Good for you on your weight loss goals. I noticed you mentioned reaching for the junk food but still staying under your total calorie goal for the day.....ooops, you know that the "quality" of the calorie matters a lot, right? You asked for input on tips that work.....for me, all of my calories are meaningful nutrition benefits (no junk food at all). It is not easy at first....it takes a few weeks to retrain your taste buds to not crave the junk, but it DOES happen if you stick with it. For me, I avoid "simple" carbs (anything white....bread, corn, white potatoes, etc.), keep a very low sugar intake (no juices or power drinks, and no sweets), and a frequent, small meal regimen that keeps my blood sugar stable. My "fix" for my sweet tooth comes with very low cal treats that allow me to stay within my goal of 1,200-1,300 calories a day. It sounds crazy at first, but it is so possible. Good luck!!

jadums

Eat a 300ish calorie breakfast that has protein. People who eat within the first hour of getting up eat fewer calories over the whole day than those who skip breakfast. This was a big adjustment for me, and required me to get up earlier, but it has helped change my cravings and my satiation.

Understand that your willpower dwindles as the day goes by so the worst times will likely be at night. Plan for this and make sure you know what you can snack on when you're winding down.

Plan for your cheating ahead of time using your food diary or exercise to work around the calories treats use up. Everyone cheats and it's especially hard at the start to give up the foods you go to for comfort or to relieve boredom.

Reward your efforts using a treat allowance system - the treat can be food or a bunch of cheap flowers. Just use something that makes you feel good about the effort you're putting in and helps motivate you to keep on track.

Find lower calorie treats that you like/love and have them in the house for snack time. While you should plan to allow yourself a chocolate bar or 1 bowl of ice cream or 1 bag of individualized chips or 1 small french fries from McDonalds (or whatever it is that you crave/love), you should work at finding low calorie treats that you like/love and have them on hand. Even if they are something you wouldn't normally buy because of cost (I like cherries for instance, so expensive), remember that what you save by not buying the junk food you can spend on the snack food you like.

When you fall off the horse, forgive yourself and get back on as fast as you can. I lost 2 months because I couldn't forgive a bad week when I was on vacation. It's so important to let the bad day go and refocus.

Remember your bigger goal and use it to feed your willpower. The hardest part of this is changing your habits and it's going to be hard. Don't kid yourself. Losing weight is a MARATHON not a sprint. There is no instant gratification here. It's all about sacrificing today to gain tomorrow. So find yourself some mantras "I want to fit into that dress more than I want that bag of chips" "I want to like myself in pictures more than I want that can of pop" "I want to see my toes more than I want to have that piece of cake"

Welcome to the beginning of one of the hardest things you'll ever do and know that you're worth doing it for!

koebcke1977

Hello Ms. Stephanie,
My advice on weighing in is to only do it once a week in the morning when you get up. Try to make it the same day of the week every week. If you do it more than once a week, you will just make yourself go crazy. My best advice is sort of a cheap knock off of "Field of Dreams..." Believe it and you can do it! Good Luck!

StephanieJoy24

Wow, thank you all for all of these awesome words of advice! I really want this, so I will take everythingg into consideration. You all have been so helpful! thank you!!!!