Please rate me & give me some tips

l_beakley
l_beakley Posts: 48
in Motivation and Support
This is going to sound REALLY weird but I'd like for people to look at the 3 pics I have on my profile & rate them for me. PLEASE BE HONEST!!! This is the type of thing I need for motivation! The picture of me on the job is from July of 2011, the pic of me in the blue animal print shirt is from February of 2012 & the one of me in the middle of 2 other people is from my 20 year high school reunion in June of 2012. Please give me feedback & any diet related/exercise tips you have. I really want to lose the weight & I think getting outside views will really help. Thank you in advance.

Replies

  • Afterblue
    Afterblue Posts: 78 Member
    Hi,

    It will help me if I knew what kind of life you led. How long is your work day? How early does it start? Do you have a long commute? Do you have time to prepare your own meals? Do you have a very strict grocery budget? What is your weight loss goal in terms of size?
  • l_beakley
    l_beakley Posts: 48
    I'd like to lose about 100 pounds. My work day varies anywhere from 4 hours a day to 9 or more hours a day. Some days I don't work at all. I work 2 jobs and they are both part time and I'm on call for both of them. My commutes are no longer than 20 minutes each way & I do prepare my own meals most of the time. I'm a vegan so when I do get a busy day & have to grab "fast food" I get a veggie sub at Subway. I do have a pretty strict grocery budget but am willing to pay more for better quality, healthy foods.
  • Afterblue
    Afterblue Posts: 78 Member
    You have your long term goal down pat.

    The basics are simple. Burn more calories than you consume. How you do it, is the tricky part.

    MFP is very helpful in three areas. Telling you what your caloric needs are for your weight loss goals, helping you stay on track by helping you log in exercise and nutrition and also making supportive friends who have similar weight loss goals. Try and make friends/join groups who have similar weight loss plans. If all of your friends are in the 30 pounds to lose area, you might feel discouraged as they meet their goals faster than you do.

    Where you come in is staying true to your goals. Here are some of the best tips I received.

    1. You have a long term goal. But consider having smaller, realistic short term goals. 10 pound increments are helpful because they are realistic in the short term. Plan for slow steady weight loss because while serious restriction has immediate gratification, you often gain those pounds back because most of us cannot keep up living on <1000 calories for life while still being healthy.
    2. Log everything. Even when you have not been true to your caloric intake. You need to know and be honest with yourself.
    3. Weigh portions. I thought I was eating healthy until I realized how large my portions were. Eat often - every 4 hours is good, but eat healthy.
    4. Make the food that you do eat as delicious as possible. Pure spices are your friend. Eating healthy does not mean eating bland, tasteless food.
    5. Employ a cardio plus weight training routine into your life. Start with something low impact if you need to, and for 30 minutes to start with but build. 10 minutes here, 30 minutes there etc and it will add up. Weight training is great for burning calories at rest, and to build bone strength to lessen the risk of osteoporosis. A combination of both is in my opinion better than doing just one or the other.

    You will have great days and you will have bad days. The important thing is to stay on track and you will succeed.

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