just starting out and nervous

AmazingRed

I have a typical history with my weight struggle... I jump onto the health bandwagon only to fall off a couple months later. I've tried WW... and many other websites. I've come back to MFP for the 3rd time in hopes of making it stick. I recently moved in with my bf and I want to make a healthy life for myself. I love food and I love to cook, I struggle to stay under my 1200 cal/day goal. i'm hoping you great people will help with tricks of the trade and finally get me back to a better place. Thanks in advance!

Misssynth

I'm exactly the same. 3rd time back on here, intend to make it stick this time! I lost 35lb 2 years ago by calorie restriction and working out (though some of it unhealthy =/ ) and ive put it all back on plus another 25lb.
The best advice I can give you is to still let yourself have treats otherwise youre more likely to binge, plan meals in advance so you know exactly what youre having and know how much you have left for treats and something im finding really good is join a gym!! I recently joined one and although I was nervous and thought everyone would be looking at the fatty on the treadmill I am loving it. I get excited to go back, feel proud of myself and hey, its healthy.
Do you have any weight loss buddies to talk to daily about how youre doing, and to message if youre feeling the need to eat something really unhealthy? If you need one, feel free to message me!! The support of other people really helps.

Sibbie0828

Hi, there! Congrats on coming back - I'm back too for my second time. I wanted to recommit before I gained back all that I lost last year. I gained back a bit, but I'm nipping this in the bud!

I agree with Misssynth's advice about planning meals in advance...that helps me too.

My other piece of advice...are you sure the 1,200 calories is the right target? I don't know your stats, but I'm not sure if you should target below 1,200 calories/day. I had to meet with a nutritionist last year because I was logging everything and coming in below my calorie target 90% of the week, working out religiously (training for a marathon plus working with a trainer 2x/week), and I didn't lose a single pound for 8 months. I found out that I wasn't eating enough. I lost almost 20 lbs eating very little (netting less than 1,000/day after my workouts) and working out 6 days a week (sometimes 2x/day). After about 3 months of weight loss, though, my body stalled and held on to EVERYTHING. My nutritionist let me know that I was essentially starving myself for 8 months.

Try searching for "In Place of a Roadmap" in the message boards and you'll find some really great information about determining how many calories you need to survive and how much you should consume to lose weight...it may be more than you think. It was a real eye-opener for me and, judging by the cult-following of the post, many others, too.

Eating more (and still eating healthy) is definitely not easy for me. It flies in the face of everything I was taught (eat 1,200 and if you can get below that, great!). But, upping calories has worked for a lot of people here. I'm hoping it works for me, too! Check it out and think about it.

Best of luck with however you work toward your goal. If you want to add me, please feel free!

Sibbie0828

This is the "In Place of a Roadmap" post...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

katarinavt

I have worked out for over a year now. And lost twenty five pounds . I do Zumba, Belly Dance and Pilates! I love it and have fun doing it!

AmazingRed

thanks for the warm welcome ladies! I love your advice and I'm hopeful it will help. I've recently gotten into running (3-5 days/week) and I'm a pretty avid yogi. I had a gym membership for years but can't seem to find one with a vibe I like and a price I can afford. my treadmill is my best resort right now so I'm going to stick with that.

I'm 5'1" and 156 pounds, with a goal weight of 130. According to almost every fitness source I've consulted that puts me at 1200 calories a day, and I traditionally have eaten back those I burn with workouts because otherwise I'm starrrving. I'm gonna check out the link you posted though, because I'm all for understanding the basics before setting myself up for failure.

I'm sorta going this road alone so I appreciate the support from you ladies!

T1mH

I'm sorta going this road alone so I appreciate the support from you ladies!

Your on MFP, your not alone anymore

linz910

I think I'm dieting for the 15th time in my life so you're definitely not alone. Trying to make this time a life habit. Biggest struggle-saying no to food and booze when it comes to all the entertaining my job does or as simple as family events! Best of luck to you and just keep up the hard work! You WILL get there