New to MFP and overwhelmed
McKennaNY
Posts: 1
Hello all! I am new to MFP and looking to lose a significant amount of weight. I am trying to focus on small victories, especially after stepping on the scale today. I guess I am just overwhelmed by the number and the task at hand. I need to get eating under control, the exercise needs to be amped up a bit more, and I need to not be afraid of the weights at the gym. I am trying to not let the number be an emotional upheaval for me, as that is the history of my weight gains and losses. I tie a lot of **** up with that number. Good Luck to everyone and thank you!
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Replies
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Welcome, and well done for taking your first step to your goal - this is a brilliant website, with lots of brilliant people on it!
Do feel free to add me as a friend so we can motivate one another!0 -
I told myself this is going to be the rest of my life. I stopped making goals, I just live. For me - the goals set too much pressure on myself. I stay within my calories and so far, i've been steadily losing. I tell myself to have patience, this isnt a fad diet where I will lose 20 pounds fast, then gain 30 back. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will do fine.0
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Don't be overwhelmed - take it one kilo at a time and most of all, don't be intimidated by the numbers nor some of the people in here. Most are quite friendly and facing the same challenges with the same inadequacies, some just need to prove how much better they are. I assume they need this for their own purposes and so one must not get angry nor disheartened.
It is YOUR journey and you will do it at your own pace. Good luck.0 -
Slow and steady! You can do it! Maybe making changes just a couple at a time will help keep things manageable. Give yourself time to adjust to the changes. The MFP mantra seems to be "it's a marathon, not a sprint"! I've restarted this June and, really, just started adding more exercise. I've been losing steadily. A friend was on 3 months before he started the diet portion. He's lost steadily also. MFP works and you have taken the first steps! Give it time and stick with it!0
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welcome to mfp! congratulations for accomplishing your first goal - taking action! feel free to add me as a friend. don't be fooled by my screen name or my pounds chart. to keep myself from getting overwhelmed i've set mini goals for myself. when i reach my first target weight i will resent to reflect my second. mini goals help me see results sooner and keep me from getting discouraged.
Good luck in your journey!0 -
I had the same freak out moment when I first started. I couldn't even write down my final goal weight for 2 or 3 weeks. But one day I took a deep breath and decided to face it head on and get over it. I even shared it with my Hubs that night to make it really real. From them on I didn't think too much about the final number, I just took one day and one week at a time making small changes along the way until I got myself used to this new lifestyle that's now a full on habit.
You can do this!0 -
sent a friend request!0
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Don't be overwhelmed - take it one kilo at a time and most of all, don't be intimidated by the numbers nor some of the people in here. Most are quite friendly and facing the same challenges with the same inadequacies, some just need to prove how much better they are. I assume they need this for their own purposes and so one must not get angry nor disheartened.
It is YOUR journey and you will do it at your own pace. Good luck.
I agree with Hugh - most of the people here are so friendly and helpful, real motivators, with always a word of encouragement for you. There are a few , as with any site, who seem to troll. (edited to remove comments towards them.lol) Those are the ones you need to ignore. It isn't a fad as you said, it will be slow, BUT HEALTHY! That is the key. You will find a huge family here - welcome!!0 -
hiya and welcome. dont be overwhelmed. there are some wonderful and very supportive people on here. just take it day by day and dont be put off or give up if you have a bad day. just get back on it the next day. i found swimming was a really good excercise for me as it tones all your muscles and gives you an all over body workout (bit boring sometimes but i think its an hour 3 times a week and its worth it). ive never lost this amount of weigh before and ive got to say its been so much easier using this site. you can post any time and someone will be there to encourage and support you. good luck, youll do great
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I agree with everyone here... one step at a time one foot in front of the other. I would agree that most of the people on here are super helpful but you'll have to weed out some of the bad ones.. Dont let people try to tell you "eat this" or "dont eat that" getting too bossy.. Just take one step at a time. Ive seen people losing weight eating what they want to and others lose weight who just watch what they eat and dont exercise.. The most important thing about this place is the resource of people who want to help and the amazing tools for tracking.
Feel free to add me anyone whod like to
Mark0 -
I broke my wight loss down into 10lbs sections to make it easier to deal with, and gave myself little rewards (bath products, new socks!), all none food related!
One day, one meal at a time is the way forward, good luck. You can do it!0 -
Hi! We've all be in that boat...I still am! Feel free to add me for encouragement. I have over 100 to lost so I know how easy it is to look at the "big number" so to speak and feel overwhelmed!0
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Hello all! I am new to MFP and looking to lose a significant amount of weight. I am trying to focus on small victories, especially after stepping on the scale today. I guess I am just overwhelmed by the number and the task at hand. I need to get eating under control, the exercise needs to be amped up a bit more, and I need to not be afraid of the weights at the gym. I am trying to not let the number be an emotional upheaval for me, as that is the history of my weight gains and losses. I tie a lot of **** up with that number. Good Luck to everyone and thank you!
The following might be helpful for a startWe’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.
In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.
This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.
-John Barban0 -
feel free to add me as a friend!
You can do this!!!0 -
I broke my wight loss down into 10lbs sections to make it easier to deal with, and gave myself little rewards (bath products, new socks!), all none food related!
One day, one meal at a time is the way forward, good luck. You can do it!
This is exactly what I did! I started with 5lbs incriments at the beginning to get going but I have so much to lose that I needed stepping stones. In my first week (last week) I passed my first goal of 5lbs with a total of 6lbs and it felt great! Normally I would have been discouraged that I still have 121 pounds to lose but instead I had earned a reward for passing five and it felt like a much bigger accomplishment. Now I'm still motivated to keep going even though I still am facing a big number. It seems to be working.0 -
These are a few of my favorite things about MFP:
It showed me that I am on this journey with a great number of other wonderful people.
It proved to me that it could work: many people on my list are at goal and maintaining.
It encouraged me to dream big: I have people on my list who have already lost more than twice what I hope to lose.
It made me realize that it is never too late: I have people on my list who are much older and reaching their goals.
No matter where you are in your journey, you've found a home here on MFP. Welcome, and let's do this!!0 -
Feel free to add me! You'll get there! The hardest part is that first step, and you're here! Just stick with it and it'll happen! 0
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Welcome! Don't try to change everything at once. Try to build healthy habits one step at a time. Make a few small changes at a time and once you get the hang of those, change a few more things. Your pounds may not fall off, but you'll be teaching yourself healthy habits that can keep you fit for life.
Some examples of small changes: commit to drinking more water or exercising 30 minutes 3 days a week or measuring all your food or eating 3 servings of veggies everyday0 -
Many people at the gym have a positive attitude, and can likely offer you help in learning new ways to work various muscle groups. If you are willing to spend a little money, I highly recommend at least getting 4-6 training sessions and do a couple a week to get introduced to various ways to workout with the weights. It should help you overcome your fears. Just know that resistance training, along with cardio is way better than just doing cardio, so don't skip the weights, that way your muscles contiue to burn calories! Welcome, and if you are doing goals, make sure you set reasonable, attainable goals and you should be good. Also know that when you lift, you will increase your weight some thru muscle gain, and that will offset fatloss, so don't look to the scale as your only means of measuring goals. If you are at a gym, most of them will take your measurements for free, have them do this on a regular interval, like once a week or once a month. You can log that here if you wish to track it, along with your weight. Also the smartphone app here is really handy, use it.0
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I really like the idea of rewarding yourself after a goal. Personally I am going to try to reward myself for 5 pounds. Thanks great idea. I0
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Don't be overwhelmed! Set mini goals and don't be afraid to ask questions. 0
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I am new too, maybe we can support each other. Add me as a friend.0
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Just take it one day at at time and focus on mini goals (I like to set mine in 5 pound increments: get under 220, under 215, under 210, etc.) and focus on living a healthy lifestyle. I try to live my life how I would live it if I had that super fit body. I think about how food affects my body, not just how it tastes, and if I want something that I don't consider healthy, I'll have it occasionally. For example, for lunch today I'm going to a HS friend's calzone shop. Will I go again next week? No. I'll probably only go once more this semester, max.
When I feel like things are moving too slow, I remind myself that if I hadn't started, I'd be even heavier than before rather than having lost at a "slow" and steady (ie healthy) rate. I've been eating healthy and working out for 8 weeks and I'm down 14 pounds. Overall I have 63 pounds to go but I'm focusing on getting under 200 for now (last weigh-in I was 208.2). Focus on small victories and you'll be fine!
Also, another big thing that has helped me is getting right back on track the very next meal after I have something unhealthy. So, today, I'm having an unhealthy lunch, but my dinner and snack will be nice and healthy Best of luck! 0 -
Welcome to the next chapter of your life. Folks here will keep you focused and motivated. I have lost 60+ lbs and it all began with losing 5 pounds at a time.....Doesnt seem like much, but it really adds up! Feel free to add me if you want! I will motivate you!0
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Hi and welcome. It can definitely be overwhelming to look at the big picture so I agree with those who said to break it down into smaller increments. Every pound that you lose is important in your journey to a healthier you. It takes hard work and dedication, but is definitely doable. Good luck to you. Feel free to send me a friend request.0
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Welcome! Don't try to change everything at once. Try to build healthy habits one step at a time. Make a few small changes at a time and once you get the hang of those, change a few more things. Your pounds may not fall off, but you'll be teaching yourself healthy habits that can keep you fit for life.
Some examples of small changes: commit to drinking more water or exercising 30 minutes 3 days a week or measuring all your food or eating 3 servings of veggies everyday
Welcome it is a slow and steady journey but you can do it0 -
If I can, YOU Can!! It is one day & one step at a time. Atthe beginning don;t look at the big number, look at just making it go down by 1lb at a time and be happy in the loss's. If you gain then be okay with it and keep on going. Eventually the Big number will be less than the LOST number, it takes time but it can happen.
Feel ree to add me0 -
Slow and stead is right!
Feel free to add me for support as well!0 -
Hello all! I am new to MFP and looking to lose a significant amount of weight. I am trying to focus on small victories, especially after stepping on the scale today. I guess I am just overwhelmed by the number and the task at hand. I need to get eating under control, the exercise needs to be amped up a bit more, and I need to not be afraid of the weights at the gym. I am trying to not let the number be an emotional upheaval for me, as that is the history of my weight gains and losses. I tie a lot of **** up with that number. Good Luck to everyone and thank you!
Welcome! Kudos to you for taking the first step. If you are serious about getting healthy and fit, this is the place to be. I have learn, MFP is not about dieting. There are many many good groups that you can get involved with to kick start your plan, and to keep yourself accountable. Challenge yourself. Set small goals and work towards them one at a time. DO NOT OVER KILL. Its easy to get discouraged when trying to lose weight.. but just keep in mind, this will take TIME. Drink lots and lots of water to keep hydrated and to flush your system. Also try to exercise at least three times per week. Start Small.. maybe doing 15 per day and working your way up. Also, commit yourself to logging your meals. Be honest and count every single thing you digest. This will give you a true perspective of what you are consuming and why you need to make adjustments. You will be fine. Add me as a friend..0 -
Hi. Welcome.
When I first started, I started small. (Don't let the 16 lbs lost fool you... it's actually 66 lbs because I didn't join right away). First be realistic about what you can and can't do. Set your weight loss goal for a realistic loss per week which will give you your macros without exercise. That being done, look at the database. You can add to it or use something that fits and already exists to fill in your food diary each day. Once you've got that figured, you can do similarly with the cardio exercises too.
Do what you're able in the way of exercise and log that at the end of each day (yes, you can go back and log later too) then complete your day's diary. Don't forget to add the liquids.
After that, you can up your exercise intensity as you go along and improve, and get healthier.
Not so bad or hard to figure out once you've gotten a start.0
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