Hi, I just signed up...uhm, now what do I do???

TiaBay

Hi,
I just signed up today. I am not quite sure where to start. I welcome your tips and advice.
I need to lose over 100 pounds.
Thanks,
Tia

CinthyNair

Hi Tia!
Welcome to our family :flowerforyou:

One of the first things I did was set a goal for myself. Use the customised options available to set it up.
Then, start logging in the the food diary. The key to this is to be totally honest with yourself.
Make gradual changes to your diet and start working out.

I started in Sept 2009 and to date I have lost 45 lbs ... this really works!

Good luck ok?

elmct57

Welcome!

i started by doing a little research into different diets. then i checked out what snopes showed about them. so far the low glycemic seems like the way to go for me but i am also doing hcg first and will switch over when i am done with my round.

good luck and just focus on day by day till you get comfortable

Lindsellie

Hi! I just started tonight also. And, I too need to loose at least 100lbs. I've been doing Curves for the past 6 months and one tip they've given me is to start small. Therefor right now, my set goal is to loose 20lbs.

Glad to see I'm not the only new girl!

Mirlyn

I haven't been on here long but the best advice is to hold yourself accountable for every bite that goes in your mouth. Before eating it think, "do I really want to log this?" If the answer is no, don't eat it.

melodyg

Welcome! I signed up a couple of weeks ago... I have over 100 lbs to lose as well.

What I am doing for now is just logging in everything I eat. I plan my meals for the day the day before and leave a little wiggle room to improvise snacks. I made my food diary public for accountability, so feel free to check it out for ideas.

I've also put more of a focus on exercise. I'm mostly just walking and doing some exercise with the Wii (My Fitness Coach and Wii sports).

I've set goals for myself but they are not weight related. I learned during the last time I tried to lose weight that setting weight related goals just sets me up for disappointment... so my goals are related to making healthy life choices. Taking medicine as prescribed (I've been bad at that and have the health problems to prove it), eating right, exercise. I've just added on little goals at a time.

Good luck!

xtina11179

I agree, as far as holding yourself accountable goes. And one of the things that really helps me is when I went to the settings and allowed my diary to be seen by others. Kind of similar to Mirlyn's post, I say, "Do I really want people to know I ate this pint of ice cream?" Although you will RARELY find a judgmental person on here, I feel as though I have to answer to everyone here as well as myself!

I wish you the best on your journey (as well as everyone else!) and I know you will find the support you need here!!

jmbuzanowski

I just signed up today too. I started changing my eating habits and working out in January and have lost 20lbs so far. I still have 45-50lb to go and I am hoping that this site will help me be more accountable. Mostly, I need to be more honest with myself about the food I am eating.

I wish everyone luck on this journey. It is a hard one, but when we do it together it feels less daunting.

Kalamitykate

Welcome Tia! One of the great things about this site is that it works with many different diet and exercise goals. Every person here does things a little differently and lots of folks are getting great results :happy:

Some people jump right in with hard-core exercise and strict diet plans and do awesome. I would have quit the first week if I tried that. :laugh: What worked for me was easing into it. The first week I just tried to log everything and work on lowering my calorie intake, once that was easier I started paying attention to drinking enough water, then where my calories were coming from (although that's still an ongoing battle). After about a month I started upping my exercise. It's been a slow process but I've been really trying to focus on making each change a habit before moving on to the next change. It's only one way to do this, but it's worked for me and truly feels like a permanent life change.

The one thing you should absolutely do is read the message boards. There are so many wonderful people here and reading the boards will give you loads of ideas and inspiration. Welcome again :flowerforyou:

Katie