New To Weight Loss...

IamHezzer
IamHezzer Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
Hello,
My Name is Heather and I am a mom of 3 very active kids. My kids have always come first in my life and I have been happy with that; until recently my health has been declining. I am realizing that I need to get active and loose some weight in order to stay healthier for not only me but for my 3 kids and my husband. I find the whole concept of weight loss difficult since I have always just eaten what I want, whenever I want. I am really going to need support in order to make a go of this. If anyone has some tips on being able to stick to this new lifestyle, I would love to hear your advice.
Heather

Replies

  • jenihullett
    jenihullett Posts: 241 Member
    The biggest thing that helped me is this: make SMALL changes gradually. If you change everything about your lifestyle right away, you're more likely to revert back to your old ways (I know, I've done it several times!) If you try to go from junk food and the couch to broccoli and Insanity it just won't work. Baby steps are easier to stick with.
  • FernRunner
    FernRunner Posts: 79 Member
    Welcome Heather!

    My initial advice would be to start with small changes. Walk/exercise for a few minutes each day, increase the amount of water that you drink, and decrease the number of other (higher calorie) drinks. Focus on getting in your fruits and veggies.
    Take starting pictures and measurements (you may hate them in the beginning, but you will LOVE them in the end!).
    Check your progress and evaluate how you're feeling a couple of weeks from now and see your motivation grow!
    Getting involved and active on weight loss forums (like this one) has been hugely helpful to me.

    Good luck!

    Although I like to think of it as good ol' fashioned hard work and not luck. :happy:
  • prairiedawg2014
    prairiedawg2014 Posts: 367
    hi heather! welcome to MFP! you want tips? well....log everyday....be true to yourself when logging all food and snacks...even cheats. drink all your water. excercise....so important. and if you have a bad day with eating, pick yourself up, dust off and get back on track. if you need advice for anything, always ask. there are so many supportive ind informative people here.
    good luck on your journey! and if you want, you can add me as a friend, i would be happy to help in anyway i can. :flowerforyou:
  • meinola
    meinola Posts: 36 Member
    Hi Heather,

    I'm also pretty new to MFP, but I do have some suggestions for you.

    1. Log everything you eat in your food diary, even diet soda or Crystal Light packets. Even if the food (fast food, sweets) is bad. I went way over my calorie intake yesterday but being honest with yourself helps you not to make those mistakes more often.

    2. Find some friends, either on this site, or in real life that are trying to do the same thing. Go to a fitness class together or get encouragement from your online buddies when you have a good day.

    3. Don't let a bad day completely de-rail your progress; letting one bad day turn into a month can turn into giving up. It's hard to stick with and some days are harder than others. Get back on track as soon as possible.

    Feel free to add me as a friend and good luck on your journey!

    Marisa
  • lunatikchik
    lunatikchik Posts: 30 Member
    I do better when i have 3 meals and 2 snacks than when i was just eating 3 meals
    my usual day is basically this for meals
    Special K Protein Bar for breakfast
    cottage cheese and apple for 10: break
    leftovers from supper (general a 4 oz serving of meat, and .5-1 cup veggies)
    or a sandwich on dark pumpernickel bread
    3:00 afternoon snack celery and laughin cow cheese wedge
    supper general a 4 oz serving of meat (baked), and .5-1 cup veggies

    I'm more or less using the south beach diet plan as prescribed by doctor

    but i also walk on my 2 breaks and hit the gym for a couple hours 5x times a week
    granted with kids you may not have the time or money for a gym, but there are plenty of exercise videos on youtube you can try
    or if the kids have a wii, get some of the exercise/games and make it a family event to see who can out do the other and get the kids involved!!!!
    and there's always walking running jogging that cost only a pair of good sneakers!

    remember to stay hydrated and drink lots of water, use mio if you don't like water, to flavor it up a bit
    or make fruit water by adding your favorite fruits!

    hope this helps!
  • Mandie69
    Mandie69 Posts: 65 Member
    I bought a fitbit and set myself little challenges each day to increase my activity and found this the biggest motivator. With food, as long as you make sure you put everything you eat on here both good and bad you can see where you might be going wrong or you can plan ahead by checking out the calorie values before you eat them. This I find helps you make better choices or helps you decide to increase your activity to compensate if you are going to go over your calories goal if you going out for a meal ect.

    I hope this helps!

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