i don't know when to start

MUSTLOSENOW55

Hi I'm new and trying to lose just 10 lbs. This seems like the worst time of year to be starting a diet. Turkey day is just 4 days away and then christmas 4 weeks after that not to mention all the delicious food around on a daily basis this time of year. I don't know if i should just wait til friday to start when thanksgiving is over. or maybe i should just wait til january but i dont think i can wait that long. *sigh*

belladonna786

There is always going to be something. You have to be ready no matter what.

Ready2Rock206

Well then there's Christmas, and then Valentines, oh then Spring, oh and all the summer goodies, oh and then we're back to fall! I guess you can never start! Or start today. There will always be an excuse to not start - if you want to do it then start now. Give yourself a free day on Thanksgiving if you want, but then go back to it on Friday.

collectingblues

Why not just start now? Eat in moderation, aim to lose at a reasonable rate, and go on your way.

Do you plan on avoiding all food-focused holidays when you're at your new weight?

jen10st

I always intended to start next Monday. And ALWAYS found reasons not to. Start right now don't put it off and you never know that 10lb might even be gone by January , good luck you can do it x

cmriverside

You're not going to stop eating. You'll just be eating a little less and moving more than you have been.

No time like the present.

You have to learn to negotiate holidays and other social events. That's part of life management, and definitely a necessary skill for controlling your weight.

mjrkearney

Start now. Delicious doesn't mean you can't control your portions and if you keep putting it off for holiday reasons then you won't get started until next August.

melaniecheeks

Just do it.

MoreBean13

Start today. If you always plan to start tomorrow, tomorrow never comes.

This week, just get started by logging your calories accurately. Don't stress too much about choices on Thanksgiving day- it's only one day (just don't extend the holiday for a week!) but get some good practice by logging every bite of food that crosses your lips. It will be invaluable experience, and a guaranteed eye-opener.

TavistockToad

Don't go on a diet.

Make healthy lifestyle changes, then it doesn't matter what time of year it is....

beattie1

The time to start is "now"! Don't wait til tomorrow morning (or next Monday, if you're reading this on any day that isn't Sunday), or after *********** (insert next celebratory meal - Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, the guinea pig's birthday). You can always find a reason to defer starting. The time to start is when you get that "I must do something about my weight/ my fitness / my health problem" thought.

To succeed you have to see yourself as starting a new way of life, not a diet that will last x days or weeks. Your new way of healthy living and eating will always have to embrace and accommodate celebratory meals, so enjoy that one meal when it comes and get back on the healthy eating pathway immediately after.

If you don't know where to start, this is a good place
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Read it and get stuck in - there's still six weeks before New Year's is over and you don't want to waste that time!

taunto

I always used to say "I'll start tomoorrow"

Well, tomorrow turned into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, months into years.

Start today. Doesn't matter if its you just simply logging what you ate today and went for a 15 minutes walk. Instead of spending all this time planning, start right now, you will have some hicups, some trial and errors along the way and lots of learning but none of those will happen unless you start!

Good luck!

AZKristi

Start now. Even if you don't restrict calories right away, getting in the habit of logging and becoming aware of what you eat is a huge first step. Once you see it in black and white, you might be more motivated to start making better choices.

kimberliiw

I agree with everyone to start now. And Morebean has a great idea to just log this week. It will give you a baseline of what you're eating, familiarize you with the site and as she said be an eye opener. I find that even if I'm "taking a day off" that I make better choices and use better portion control if I log it.

PatriceMG

why not right now? a good a time as any!

megsmom2

Don't wait "until". It will never get here. Start now and do your best every day, choice by choice.

vmekash

I hope you've already started.
If you're committed, you'll do fine.
Good luck.

katescurios

Start now! Turkey is a lean meat and actually one of the most popular meats for people sticking to a low cal meal plan. Instead of tons of potatoes, have more of the other veg like carrots, peas, sweetcorn.....

If you don't fancy that then screw it, eat what you want on thanksgiving day but be a little more careful with your calories in the days before and after and take a walk after dinner to burn some of the food off.

There's always going to be some kind of event coming up unless you decide to abandon all friends, family and social events at the same time as you start logging your food I'm a big believer that you can't give up everything nice to lose weight and often have days where I go over my cal allowance, despite that I'm still regularly losing and I'm fitter than I have been for years.

nancycaregiver

Your name is mustlosenow, not mustlosewhenitseemslikeabettertime!!

gaylynn35

Go ahead and get started now. There is no time like the present.

Car0lynnM

No time like the present!! Perhaps make your goal to log everything through the holidays, and maintain your current weight to January. then change to lose. Baby steps to healthy lifestyle changes.

shoshi68

I always used to say "I'll start tomoorrow"

Well, tomorrow turned into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, months into years.

Start today. Doesn't matter if its you just simply logging what you ate today and went for a 15 minutes walk. Instead of spending all this time planning, start right now, you will have some hicups, some trial and errors along the way and lots of learning but none of those will happen unless you start!

Good luck!

What this guy said. And he is very wise.

gigglemachine

Now!

Log turkey food and xmas food and if you go over your daily calorie limit, just go for a jog or a long walk and burn off the excess!

By January you will WISH you had started now

phyllio77

Hi I'm new and trying to lose just 10 lbs. This seems like the worst time of year to be starting a diet. Turkey day is just 4 days away and then christmas 4 weeks after that not to mention all the delicious food around on a daily basis this time of year. I don't know if i should just wait til friday to start when thanksgiving is over. or maybe i should just wait til january but i dont think i can wait that long. *sigh*

Start by just logging everything you are eating..high or low, good or bad...don't beat yourself up about it..just log it.

Then start logging activity.

I found what I ate and how I ate and when I was active just all fell into place.

Been on MFP since Oct 3rd 2012 and I have lost 9 lbs and several inches!

You can do this if you are ready to take the plunge!

MaggieSporleder

Start now. Even if you don't restrict calories right away, getting in the habit of logging and becoming aware of what you eat is a huge first step. Once you see it in black and white, you might be more motivated to start making better choices.

This is a fabulous idea. Just log this week, see what kind of calories your actually taking in, and then cut next week.

kenazfehu

Start right this minute. I'm not saying restrict yourself completely, but there are only 3 holidays coming before January 1. That's not an excuse to completely void the next 5 or 6 weeks.

Denjo060

how about starting today????

mmddwechanged

Start today. If you always plan to start tomorrow, tomorrow never comes.

This week, just get started by logging your calories accurately. Don't stress too much about choices on Thanksgiving day- it's only one day (just don't extend the holiday for a week!) but get some good practice by logging every bite of food that crosses your lips. It will be invaluable experience, and a guaranteed eye-opener.

This. Start today. I've been tracking for at least six months. I gained back most of the weight I had lost in a three week vacation where I indulged! I've lost that and more now. The best part is looking back at high calorie and lower calorie days and learning about ME! (Knowledge is power)

WendyTerry420

I don't know why you would wait. :ohwell:

bloomlately

Start now. Start tracking your calories to see where you're at so you can start making small adjustments. If you try to put it off until after the holidays, then what's to say you won't put it off again for another reason?

Enjoy your Thanksgiving. Eat the foods you like and don't deny yourself. Just eat in moderation like any other day, and don't make Thanksgiving about deliberately feeding yourself into a coma. Yes, you'll probably go over the arbitrary calorie goal you set for yourself, but it's not the end of the world for enjoying a holiday!

stingraycat

Start right now.