Newbie to MFP - Seek Advice and Support

Hello Everyone!

I just joined this weight loss site and MUST succeed in losing 190 pounds on a permanent basis. I was at 299 not so long ago however some medication issues have caused (for the most part) a gain of 64 pounds in 3 months.

I am 50 years old with a beautiful wife and 3 children. My youngest is 10 years old and if something doesn't change then I may never see her graduate, get married, have grandchildren, etc...

I strongly believe I must do this for myself first and then the results will follow. I am a big fan of The Biggest Loser but due to medical issues likely would not qualify for the Jillian Workouts!

Any advice is welcome and I will join other boards as time allows. Thanks to anyone reading this and their support!

Regards - Dana (Merrimack NH)

Hi Dana, and welcome to THE best site on the web! :flowerforyou:
I'm from NH too!
Between the easy to use food counter (which by the way is SUCH an eye opener!) and all the wonderfully supportive members, you WILL be able to lose the weight that you want to, AND, it'll "almost" be easy doing it!
I recommend logging ALL your foods BEFORE you have them, rather than later, as it tends to lead to better food choices. (not to mention you'll know if you've got enough numbers left to have a night time snack, like I ALWAYS try to do!) Some people also like to weigh and measure some things, such as meats, rather than just estimating and possibly being WAY off! :noway:
Don't go making the mistake that if you have LOTS of numbers left at the end of the day that you'll lose even faster, because that DOESN'T happen. Feel free to read any info about the site in the "help" section at the top of the home page. And also under "Community", then "Weight Loss and Healthy Living", then "general diet and weight loss help", and then check out the first few threads. They'll REALLY help you understand how MFP works.
Before coming here, I had tried just about EVERYTHING out there, including hypnosis, TWICE, and nothing really worked until MFP!
Just the word "diet" would make me cringe and set me up for failure. :grumble: It meant depriving myself of all the "good stuff" out there, and as a result, I'd only last just so long, (maybe a few weeks if I was lucky!) and then I'd "cave" and go right back to eating all those "goodies" again! :embarrassed: But, MFP ISN'T a "diet". :noway: It's a "lifestyle change". (When I first read that, I said "Ya, SURE it is!", thinking that it WAS just another diet. :grumble: But, it wasn't! :noway:)
The main reason that I've managed to lose the weight that I wanted to is because I HAVE been able to eat "real/good" foods. :bigsmile: (Not Slim Fast or any other easy, quick, fad "wacko" diets!:noway: ) Through MFP I learned that I just needed to "work for it", through exercise, and watching my numbers (MOST of the time! ) As long as I do that, I CAN occasionally have stuff like Chinese food, a double cheeseburger, pizza, and even homemade ice-cream!

HI Dana - Welcome! Hope you are having much success so far with your new eating habits and fitness! I just wanted to recommend Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds videos. They helped me lose weight after my son was born, and they are easy to learn, motivating and inexpensive. If you can't afford the gym or just don't want to go, they are a great subsitute. I can no longer walk in the neighborhood where we live (no sidewalks, cars driving too fast), so I use them when I need a workout and don't want to go all the way to the gym (20 miles!). They will get you started moving and feeling better. You'll be amazed at how quickly the time goes by!

My doctor recommended this site for me when I wanted to lose a few more pounds. It's true that logging before you eat really does help. On days I workout hard, I don't worry so much; however, on days I don't workout, I am usually running low on calories by dinner time, which makes it hard to have a filling meal. Obviously, a vegetable and fruit heavy diet while fill you up more and keep you going longer:) Drink lots of water (I use those Propel drink packets to make it taste better AND get more vitamins.) and try to change up things to make your diet diverse and interesting.

Good luck to you! I think you'll find the site very helpful in getting to your goal!

Take care,
Kelly

I think you've got a great start by realising that you've got to do this for yourself! It's all very admirable wanting to do it for kids or family but you've got to want and do this for yourself more than anything! Welcome to MFP, everyone here is really friendly and there are some great motivational posts if you get chance to click through the blogs. Good luck to you on your path to a healthier you!

Welcome to the site, everyone here is so welcoming and supportive. I agree with everyone that says log BEFORE you eat and not after. I was shocked at the amount of calories I consumed in comparrision to what I thought I was consumming! A definite eye opener.

Good luck and let us know how you are getting along.