Advice for newbies- things I wish I had known starting out

TinaBean007

Also, this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0

And some great advice I heard recently:

"There is no wagon. Starting now, you make the choices that you know you need to make. And whatever you do, do *not* fall into the trap of, "well, I fell off the wagon, so now I can just throw everything out.""

girlfromOklahoma

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this thread. You guys all have such wonderful advice!!

seamanny

The best thing I found was getting a 28 oz water bottle from Target or Walmart that has a straw in it. I was shocked at how much more water I consumed with a straw vs. without one.

So true! I drink more when I have a straw as well!

sjhalida

Thank you to all of you who have shared advice!!! I have been here for 25 days now :-) and I try to read some of the forums every day and I will say...this is by far my favorite one so far!!!!!!!!!! This advise (in my opinion and for me) is the most down to earth, human, doable advise I have seen. I know all of the other advise is very good but not everyone is the same and as one of you said, I have to be able to do this for the rest of my life. I can not thank you enough!!!

seamanny

Great advice! Mine:

1. Have more good days than bad.
2. What you eat in private shows up in public. I always used to sneak food as a kid so I had to keep reminding myself of this when I was alone and wanted to eat but wasn't hungry.
3. Try to exercise around the same time every day. Eventually when that time comes around, you'll feel the urge to work out. I swear!
4. Buy yourself some gear. People spend their money on their hobbies (video games, concerts, etc.). Spend your money on your new active hobbies. Buy yourself a great pair of sneaks, a good stock of workout clothes that you feel good in, and the right equipment to reach your goals, whether it's a gym membership, exercise DVDs, or a reflective vest for your late runs outside.
5. Plan your meals as much as you can. I plan for the week and buy groceries on Sundays. I also trained the bf to cook healthy meals (which he loves now) for when he gets home from work before me. Don't give yourself the excuse that you have no food in the house so you need to get takeout.
6. But....get takeout when you really want it. Just make sure it's every now and then. This goes with not depriving yourself. At a birthday party? Have a slice of cake if you want it. Thanksgiving dinner? Dig in baby! I gained 4 pounds over Thanksgiving weekend and it was gone within 3 days of my normal routine. You need to live. You need to be able to do this forever. Think you can go forever without ever enjoying another Thanksgiving?! Heck no!

Great advice! Thanks for sharing

Scarlett_Belle

Measurements! Even if the pounds don't move in the right direction the inches will! Don't ever give up, you are worth the work to feel happy with your body :flowerforyou:

Adah_m

Keep it coming guys!!!!

Hey also, don't think that you're "on a diet."

You're living life. That's what you're doing. You're living each day as a question mark that asks for more days. Each day we live healthy, we earn another day in our future. I'm not saying you double your life, but every thing you do to be more healthy can extend your life and give you an extra day with your child, with your husband, or just another day in 50 years that you can lay back and soak in the sunshine. You deserve those extra minutes, hours, and days. Do not let yourself think otherwise.

As an added bonus, your experience of those days will only get better. I can tell you that my life has improved x3000 since I've gotten healthier. Each day is worth a month from a year ago.

Start living happy, start doing what you've always wanted to, and eating and exercising will be an afterthought. You'll wake up one morning in complete euphoria, and then notice you've lost weight.

sjhalida

Nobody at the gym is judging you. Do not be afraid to work out in public. This is about you, and feeling ashamed of your body is useless. Rock your journey, smile at everyone you see, find your confidence, and most important, fake it til you make it.

I love this one!!!! I was TERRIFIED to go into a gym. I was terrified to even look like I was having fun, thinking I would find some skinny mean looking girl giggling and pointing at me.
You do NOT deserve happiness less because you aren't a size 0!!! Get in that gym!! Get outside!! Screw everyone else, you are who matters, and the fact that you're in the gym means you are doing the right thing. Never let ANYONE embarass you. What we are doing takes incredible strength, courage, and faith, more than anything I have ever done in my life. This makes us AWESOME people, strong people, and incredibly smart people. Remember all of that. Congratulate yourself in that mirror every single morning for making the right decision.

Also, taking pics is genius. I wish I hadn't been so terrified of the camera when I was much bigger. I would love to see a swimsuit pic of me now, so I can see the shape differences and have some before and after pics to be proud of.

I love this one too. I have a teenage daughter who wants to work out with me but is afraid to go to they gym as she is very self concious. I am going to have her read this entire thread!!

themedalist

I agree with so much that's already been said. It's not a race, be patient, focus on developing better eating habits and exercising. I would add developing a solid plan for maintenance. How are you going to keep the weight off once you've lost it? My maintenance strategy is to weigh myself everyday and make adjustments to food and exercise anytime my weight goes up by more than 2 pounds. I will simply not allow myself to regain the 45 pounds it took me a year to lose.

Also, take the time to find out what the best calorie intake is for you. Don't take MFP's default setting of 1200 calories as their "recommendation" to you. MFP can't be in the business of making customized recommendations to each and every user. 1200 calories seems to be used because that's what nutritionists feel is the minimum number of calories to get adequate nutrition. But for most people, it's not enough food to maximize their weight loss (in a healthy way). I ate 1200 calories a day for a month and consistently lost 1 pound a week. Increased my cals to 1500 to 1700 calories a day and lost 1.5 pounds a week for most of the rest of the year. Clearly, 1200 calories wasn't enough food for me. Take the time to experiment a bit and learn what works best for you.

Good luck!

sjhalida

Great advice! Mine:

1. Have more good days than bad.
2. What you eat in private shows up in public. I always used to sneak food as a kid so I had to keep reminding myself of this when I was alone and wanted to eat but wasn't hungry.
3. Try to exercise around the same time every day. Eventually when that time comes around, you'll feel the urge to work out. I swear!
4. Buy yourself some gear. People spend their money on their hobbies (video games, concerts, etc.). Spend your money on your new active hobbies. Buy yourself a great pair of sneaks, a good stock of workout clothes that you feel good in, and the right equipment to reach your goals, whether it's a gym membership, exercise DVDs, or a reflective vest for your late runs outside.
5. Plan your meals as much as you can. I plan for the week and buy groceries on Sundays. I also trained the bf to cook healthy meals (which he loves now) for when he gets home from work before me. Don't give yourself the excuse that you have no food in the house so you need to get takeout.
6. But....get takeout when you really want it. Just make sure it's every now and then. This goes with not depriving yourself. At a birthday party? Have a slice of cake if you want it. Thanksgiving dinner? Dig in baby! I gained 4 pounds over Thanksgiving weekend and it was gone within 3 days of my normal routine. You need to live. You need to be able to do this forever. Think you can go forever without ever enjoying another Thanksgiving?! Heck no!

Ok I'll stop now. Hopefully someone got something out of it!

Buying yourself gear is another great idea!! I know this was hard for me as I was a single mom for many years and have always been even more frugal when it comes to spending on myself. My lucky day was when I happened to come across work out clothes on clearance at Walmart!!! I bought several sets so I have enough for a week!!! Then, I bought myself an expensive pair of sneakers. Best investment I have made in a long time.....and I AM WORTH IT!!!

harshman

Find the cardio you hate the least and do it. A lot.

You can control 2 things today: (1) what you put in your mouth; (2) how many miles you run, walk, swim, ride...

This is mostly (but not all) math. You can't cheat or negotiate the math.

Eat when you are hungry. Don't when you are not. Volume is important. If you can eat a crap load of something or a little bit of something else for the same calories... eat the crap load. Volume fills you up.

Give yourself a break every once and a while- but be honest with yourself.

Know that you deserve to have control over your health, your body and the way you feel. That is better than a pint of ice cream any day... well, most days.

If you fall off the wagon, get back on immediately.

Oh! and have small attainable goals along the way to your ultimate goal. Set up rewards and make sure you follow through with them if you succeed.

Ginoo

Water is usually a difficult thing. I have found that drinking 4 x 500ml bottles of water is much easier than trying to drink 8 glasses. It is the same amount in the end but it seems easier in the bottles.

Sahara0815

GREAT advice!!

nmb0717

Also, buy a good HRM, preferably one w/ a chest strap, so you can accurately track your calories burned. Don't rely on the numbers that MFP generates or the machines. Polar is a good brand

sd0104

Patience.

People don't see drastic results after a couple of weeks and give up.

This takes MONTHS, sometimes even YEARS.

Totally agree - some people want (and expect) results NOW (me included!) It's so important to realize this should be a lifelong change/commitment. It shouldn't feel like work or be something you hate - it should be a lifestyle choice.

CATindeeHAT

Also, buy a good HRM, preferably one w/ a chest strap, so you can accurately track your calories burned. Don't rely on the numbers that MFP generates or the machines. Polar is a good brand

^^ This.

JoanB5

"What about the advice to drink eight glasses a day?

Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total." --http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

JoanB5

My advice? Find a variety of activities and do the one you can do that day. I got too caught up in running and when I got hurt, I stopped everything, and gained 15 pounds. Find SOMETHING you can do and MOVE. You don't have to love it. It doesn't have to be hip or rad. You just have to MOVE YOUR BODY. Find what you can do, and do it! Do something. Do anything. Just do it!

mcdebbie

thanks for all the tips!

jadethief

Spend some time reading the forums and pay attention to those people who have been here a long time and have been successful. They give good advice.