I'm soo overwhelmed

misty879

I have so many great ideas and so much great info that I don't know where to start! I have been on this 'road to recovery' for a long while now. Actually, I have been overweight most of my adult life and I am 30. There are so many things that I think are going to be too hard. I know that I have to just jump in somewhere and start, but I don't know where that somewhere is. ( Did that make any sense, lol )

I am not accountable to myself, meaning I am not very self disciplined for weightloss. My husband is overweight too, and says he wants to work toward a healthier future, but he seems happy with himself. It seems like he is just talking... not ready to act.

I NEED someone to help me do this. I would love to hire a personal trainer, but they are very $$$.

Any tips or words of comfort to offer?

Thank you all for listening to my vent...

Misty

chelso1

What helps me is to set goals, and make/break those goals. Goal setting makes you feel very accomplished. I used to look at myself in the mirror every morning and just tell myself I was fat. Now I weigh myself every morning and I am always giving myself a great thumbs up and saying good job!

Definately stay in touch with the MFP message board. Usually everyones help, motivation, and support is the best boost anyone needs. We are all here for the same reason, and we all know what one another is going through in some way or another.

Best of luck to you!!

epoeraven

Hang in there!!!! I know it is tough.

While I can't tell you if this is the right advice for you I can tell you what my doctor told me when I was first starting. There are three things to losing weight and getting in shape. 1. Changing your eating habits. 2. Cardio exercise for your heart and buring calories. 3. Strength training for muscle toning. Don't try to be perfect at all three right away. In other words, if you change your eating habits and work on that don't think that you have to be in the gym for four hours a day to back it up. Start with eating better and trying to get a walk in a couple times a week. Once the eating starts falling into place then start working on adding more cardio and maybe a little strength training. The best advice my doctor gave me - you didn't gain all of this weight overnight, don't expect to lose it that way.

As far as involving your husband goes.....Can you find things to do together with your husband for exercise? Walks? Maybe joining a gym together? Or, how about a dancing class?

astrosnider

I would try starting with small steps such as making sure you log your food intake every day in your food diary on mfp and your exercise in your exercise diary. If you are not already doing some regular exercise start by taking a 20 to 30 minute walk every day and work up from there.

In my limited experience a few sessions with a trainer can make a big difference. A good trainer can give you exercises that match your skill level and can observe you to make sure you do them correctly. If that's out of the question I would try to find a group exercise class such as RPM (spinning on a stationary bicycle) or something else that's fun and affordable. Try to do it at least twice a week on a set schedule. The idea is to build it into your regular routine so that it becomes a habit. You will probably meet others in the class who share your goals and who will cheer you along on your journey.

I am 64, and believe me, losing weight does not get easier as you get older. It just gets more difficult. Anything you can do now at your young age will pay dividends in the future in your health, appearance and energy level!

MacMadame

I was where you were two years ago. I started by tracking my food. That's it. I wanted to see what I was eating. The first thing that happened is that I started eating less because I didn't want to have to put certain things into my journal. I wasn't even trying to lose weight at point but I was eating about 500 calories a day less just because of logging.

Then, I started studying my logs... the first thing I noticed is that I was drinking very much water. So I worked on that. Once I got my water up, I looked for something else to work on. I think the next thing was my protein. But it might have been sodium or fiber. I worked on each one until they improved and were a habit and then I worked on the next one.

Eventually I started thinking about exercise. I started going to the gym at work once a week. That's it! But after a while 1x a week wasn't enough. So then I made it two times and then three and .... the next thing you know, I was an endurance athlete working out 6-10 hours a week and eating healthy 80% of the time. Yeah, it shocked me too. :laugh:

I say start somewhere and take it slow and really make the new behaviors solid habits before you go to the next one.

FireMonkey

"There are three things to losing weight and getting in shape. 1. Changing your eating habits. 2. Cardio exercise for your heart and buring calories. 3. Strength training for muscle toning. Don't try to be perfect at all three right away."

That's great advice! Changing one thing at a time, one day at a time, works for me. Trying to change the world all at once - umm, pretty big job. Don't think I could do that.

Just think: time passes anyway; if you make a small change every week or so, where will you be in one year? A lot further ahead than if you had done nothing, I bet.

BrendaLee

A good first step is to start logging your food, and spending some time here on the boards- that's where I started. This can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

StarryEyedGirl

if this was easy we would all be thin! take one step at a time and once you start to see results you will have more motivation and once your husband sees how well your doing he will join in! set small goals and don't beat yourself up over it especially if your trying your best! once husband gets on board you will feel better....

kwardklinck

The food logging is a big help. Get your husband in on that too. Just thinking about everything you put in your mouth makes a difference. I've changed to sugar free coffee creamer and started cooking everything with Pam cooking spray just to save calories. These small changes have made a big difference in the amount of food I can consume in a day. I eat 3 good sized meals a day, I never crave snacks anymore, I actually crave exercise, and I never go to bed hungry.