Any Tips for a Newbie?

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ShiranuisRakuen
ShiranuisRakuen Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone :) I'm looking to shed some pounds and I was wondering if there there are any tips that anyone is willing to recommend? I'm trying to work out when I can and eat right but I'm just not getting anywhere. I can't run to save my life and I'm going to be juggling work, school, and housemates in a couple of weeks. So any ideas on how to stay motivated, eat healthy and maybe some tips on exercise? I know I'm kind of asking a lot of information but really anything helps. Thanks for letting me into this awesome community :)

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  • Chezzie71
    Chezzie71 Posts: 36 Member
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    be true to yourself and keep up with MFP.. if there is one thing that you have to do every day is MFP even when things become difficult to juggle.. being loyal to the plan saw me through and kept me on track.. plan ahead and make every day a goal...xxx
  • MidgeN27
    MidgeN27 Posts: 152 Member
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    I totally agree with sticking with MFP even when things get tough.. I am here a lot. I have it on my phone so when things get tough I log in I converse with friends and the craving will go away in 10-15 minutes. Plus having friends here is very motivating and fun. Log all your foods and drinks everyday. Log exercise even if it is little seeing that will also help motivate you to stick to your program.

    Anyone can add me if you are looking for a buddy to help motivate and be motivated by.

    Midge
  • ShiranuisRakuen
    ShiranuisRakuen Posts: 3
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    Ok, Thanks! :) I just got it on my phone along with a workout app that will allow me to do exercises at my house or around my house without having to go to the gym. And I'd love to add you Midge. I know sticking to a plan is going to be tough but I'm more than willing to try :)
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
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    www.fatloser.com it isn't an exercise or diet program it is a free no spam email support system with daily videos to help you find your motivation. It worked for me this time.

    Find yourself a diet that you can envision yourself on for the rest of your life.

    Get rid of obvious junk food from your daily diet: potato chips, and certified "snack food". They give you zero nutrition.

    The more nutritiuous your diet: fruits, veggies, real food, the more satisfied your body will feel.

    Getting rid of white flour and sugar will get rid of your cravings. This includes refined grains such as white rice and pasta.

    Diet sodas cause health problems related to "metabolic syndrome". Google it for an eye opener.

    Give yourself 90 days to keep your diet BEFORE you think you deserve and food "treats". You have to earn your own respect by proving you can do this.

    Start building healthy and reasonable daily exercise habits such as walking. Boot camps are great if you can find the time for them but in the meantime don't discount the daily routine efforts of walking, or bike riding, or using a mini trampoline which can be hidden behind a dresser or bed for daily storage.

    I went from 205 to 135. It took me 5 years of learning to accept the changes to keep the weight off. I started when I was turning 50 years old, going through menopause, and sitting behind a desk all day at home. My diet used to consist of sugar, bread, butter, cookies, cake, crackers, and cheese. I would get 4 grams of fiber in a day.

    Today I've morphed into a veggie eating machine. I get about 60 - 80 gms of fiber in a day and do not eat any refined grains or sugar. Once in a while I slip up, but this advice I gave you is my reality.

    Best of luck to you!
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    I know it can be hard and life happens, we get busy or something comes up..."I'll do it tomorrow" then tomorrow becomes next week, next month, etc.

    I started MFP and then let that happen. I came back in the beginning of May and refuse to let myself not log a day. I have had a couple days - in regards to my workouts and diets where I said to myself "I'll get back on track tomorrow". I have to remind myself of these "rules" I gave myself...

    1. The first and most important thing is you have to accept yourself at the weight you are at now. If you cannot accept it, I truly believe you cannot change it. In this group we are going to be posting weights, there's a way for it to be anonymous if need be and I would be the only one who knows who is what #. Trust me though, no one in the group cares. We want each of us to succeed!
    2. The second most important thing you have to do, is decide to do it. I had a light switch turn on in Ireland or right when I got back. Eating nothing but super healthy food over there was nice, my body adjusted quickly and I had some difficulty when I came back because of all the preservatives and unnecessary crap Americans put in food.

    You will also need to decide to put yourself first. I am horrible at this, but I know for me, it's really what needs to happen.

    A couple tips I can give you...
    1. From day one I gave up booze, soda, fast food and crap. Not 100% but like 95%.
    2. I drink nothing but water, and anywhere from 8-12 cups a day. I had a 64 oz jug by my desk, pour it into smaller cups, you'll have that down in no time, and before you know it, it's gone. I use fresh lemons to flavor it (which helps your liver). You can also use cucumbers and I'm sure whatever fruit you love will work. Or those bottles of lemon and lime juice will work. I do still drink some fruit juices, just try to limit, these are like wasted calories in a sense. You want to make every calorie you take in valuable. This am I had 4 oz of Apple Juice mixed with 4 oz of water.
    3. MOST importantly, you HAVE to eat breakfast every day within the first 90 mins of waking up. I don't have a problem doing this because I will get nauseous, sick, lightheaded and dizzy if I don't. If you don't eat breakfast now you're going to have to start if you want to boost up your metabolism and lose some weight.


    I started working out at home almost every day with the Biggest Loser Challenge on my WII. It's got awesome programs that change it up every day for you. You can choose to work out how every many days a week you want to. The program is very modifiable. Now, it's best to go thru the whole week, then if you have changes make them at the end, or you'll have to do the fitness test all over again.

    Good luck! If you need a friend you can add me!
  • TravisBurns
    TravisBurns Posts: 354 Member
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    Keep it simple. Do not overthink a lot of things or make things complicated. There is so much out there and there is a lot of **** to sift through...unless you keep it pretty basic.
    Im not certified, but Here are my few points I do for my own personal success, and they have all worked for me and those I have tried to help.. I have gained muscle, lost fat, lost 45 pounds in 3 months, knocked a ton of time off my mile and still going strong.

    1. Drink a lot of water (I drink 8-16 cups a day), and cut out all soda/sugary fruit drinks.
    2. Don't eat ****ty food as much ( I indulge between 1-3 times a month)
    3. Plan your workouts ahead of time. Set a routine for about a month or two of basic and/or light workouts and get the hang of it and get proper form then advance on to more heavy/intermediate lifts.
    4. When you workout push yourself. Don't let it be too easy and don't let it be too hard. Find the medium
    5. Rest is just as important as working out.
    6. Eat right. Don't starve yourself. That won't get you anywhere. The slower and steadier the weight comes off, the better.
    7. (edited to add) Enter lower times on your workouts on MFP the calorie burned calculator is very generous. For every 20 or so minutes I workout, I actually only input 5 on MFP for a more accurate calorie burned count. Plus, it is always better to underestimate calories burned and overestimate food, in cases where you aren't sure.


    Hope im of some help.
    I lost about 85 pounds a few years back too. So i've done this twice before. Same method.
  • EK2828
    EK2828 Posts: 20 Member
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    Here's my non-certified, non-scientific input... I will say it's worked for me at least!

    1. I got a heart rate monitor not long after I started. It's not a fancy one but like being able to wear it when I'm doing something that I think *might* be considered a workout, and I know I'm able to log calories burned accurately. I'm usually pleasantly surprised by how much I've burned! (And if I don't burn what I thought I would have, I'm glad I know that and am not over-eating to make up for calories I didn't actually burn off.)

    2. Log everything! If you "hide" your bad days from MFP it's not really going to help, and no one will yell at you if you mess up every once in awhile. Seeing the good things you're doing can keep you motivated, and seeing the slip-ups will hopefully help keep you on track going forward.

    3. Don't stress yourself out. MFP is a tool that's supposed to be helpful... I figure everything on here is a recommendation or idea, and obviously some people have conflicting advice/opinions, but I'll try what I think makes sense for me and what makes me feel better/see results. I'm not going to beat myself up for going 30 calories over my goal if I'm making smart food choices, "grade" my workouts against other peoples', etc.

    4. To help with not stressing... try to plan ahead whenever you can. My entire day goes so much more smoothly when I have meals & snacks prepped or at least decided upon before my day starts. I can log things ahead of time, or whenever I get a chance, and I don't have to worry about figuring out what I can eat when I'm already hungry or only have a few minutes to grab something. I'm a huge fan of salads, and I always have a million containers in the fridge of all of my salad "parts" ready to go so I can throw something together in no time!

    There's obviously a ton of helpful advice out there, but those are the things that have helped me the most.
    If you'd like to add me please feel free. :) I'm starting my second round of MFP (I got lazy & took a break when I had my baby) so I'm kind of new again, but I have been here before!
  • ShiranuisRakuen
    ShiranuisRakuen Posts: 3
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    Wow! Thanks for the great tips everyone! I'm looking forward to trying to use them! Based on what I've read so far I think I'm going to try and walk to my college when I have the chance (I live about two miles away). Just as like a helpful bump to get into exercising without running (heaven only knows how much I fail at that haha). I'm going to cut back on a lot of the sugars, however I like to bake/cook a lot for my friend. Besides MAJOR temptations, is this a bad idea?


    Thanks TravisBurns I'll be sure to keep the exercise calculator in mind :)

    Thanks EK2828 I'll keep in mind to log in all of my food and not to hide a bad day. Also I really like the idea of having everything prepared for a quick lunch like a salad, I'm going to keep that in mind! :)

    Graceisjinxed, I love the idea of keeping a jug of water and just pouring small glasses of it throughout the day. I usually keep a liter and half on me which helps but I think I may go over to your jug idea!

    Susanswan, sodas were the first thing to go! And I know how bad diet ones can be for you, I don't have a boot camp near by but I do have a park where I think I'm going to exercise in. Maybe play some crazy version of tag with some friends to get the heart pumping :)

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