Never tried this before.

Okay so I'm a 31 year old Father of twins who is starting his first attempt at dieting, weightloss, getting fit. Ever.

I've made the decision to do this for a couple of reasons.

1.) I'm not comfortable with the shape I'm in.

I've been gaining weight slowly my entire life. So I suppose it was difficult for me to identify when I got "fat". But I'd say it was about 3 years ago when I first started working a sedentary job. I'd always worked jobs that were active, and I suddenly shot up about 40lbs with the change.

2.) I have a family to think of.

My 16 month old son has a heart condition, and my relationship with my wife is no longer where I'd like for it to be. I need to start taking care of myself both to set a good example for my children, and to become a better husband.

Anyways that's my story. I'm not really a fitness nut, and I don't even have anything resembling an exercise routine (I haven't since high-school). I want to try being more active, but it's never been a high priority for me in the past.

Could use a few tips on getting started.

Replies

  • 30Purple
    30Purple Posts: 252 Member
    Stress is so bad for our weight! Welcome to the club, and good luck!
  • Todd08
    Todd08 Posts: 80 Member
    Feel free to add me!
  • allgoodthings
    allgoodthings Posts: 82 Member
    Good places to start:

    http://www.c25k.com & http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/

    Good luck on your journey!
  • Feel free to add me if you'd like! :flowerforyou:

    I've done MFP before and been successful. Medical reasons and STRESS caused me to put the weight back on. The support you will find here is amazing!
  • Amlong1977
    Amlong1977 Posts: 125 Member
    Start with small changes, stay within your calories, & get moving no matter what it is, walking, gym, whatever. Anything is better than nothing. That's the way I started & I've lost 94 lbs.
  • nickgarner6
    nickgarner6 Posts: 106 Member
    I have just started this journey as well. Feel free to add me as a friend, a little motivation is always helpful.


    Nick
  • Exercise is the key! I've set myself a 30 min minimum target everyday, every little bit helps.

    Good luck, you're doing this for a great cause!

    Feel free to add me as a friend :)
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
    Good luck to you! Try out different things until you find something that you really love. Go on a bike ride, shoot hoops, play football with friends, just move your body! You've got this!
  • Welcome to MFP. I hope you will soon love this site, like I do! This a great place with lots of motivational people who are willing to help!

    Being honest with your calories is the first place to start. And don't beat yourself up if you go over your calories for a day....accepting this one was hard for me even on my cheat days. But we all have days that aren't so great and you learn from it so you can do better the next day.

    Next get moving...walk, run, bike, swim....whatever you want to do. It took me awhile to figure out that I had no motivation for the cardio machines in the gym. So I started running outside doing the Couch to 5k program. It is a great program and I am loving it! (In week 5 now and I am still motivated). Also being a single mother doesn't give me a lot of extra time, but I find it. I will do multiple circuits of pushups, situps, jumping jacks, squats, lunges...etc for 20 mins while kids plays in the bath. My point with that is there is always time, just find what you like to do and find time to do it. Every little bit counts!

    Feel free to add me if you are looking for motivation!
  • ssb16
    ssb16 Posts: 38 Member
    Similar to others here if there is any advice I can offer do not hesitate to ask.

    Two things to control

    Diet and Exercise.

    Diet is the easiest to change and the largest. Start tracking what you eat on this website. Every single item will bring about awareness of how many calories you are consuming. I used to eat 4 Large slices of pizza and not think of it. When I found out they were 800 calories I naturally reduced it down to one slice or none.

    Exercise will be the next step.

    My suggestion is to start with diet first.
  • Ldysw357
    Ldysw357 Posts: 118 Member
    Feel free to add me! I too have recently started (again), but this time I'm doing it for the right reason....for me. I recommend you start with walking. I take a morning and afternoon break at work and walk a mile at each break, but start where you're comfortable. I'm now going to a Zumba class and while I can't keep up, it's fun and I like it. There is great support here. Good luck!
  • I am new too! I really like pcrm.org
  • Feel free to add me too!
  • Hi everyone! I'm new and will get into the swing of things pretty soon - but the first thing is to introduce myself... I look forward to reading about everyone's journey :-)