So im new to this. Any tips?

Honestly, just eat healthy and exercise as much as possible. It really does work if you stick to it.
Log everything you eat and be completely aware of your calorie intake and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day!
Good luck and message me if you ever need anything

Hey guys. Im 21, 5'2 and i weigh 80kgs. My target weight is 60kgs and i could really do with some help, advice and support to get there. Im quite an active person as i work with horses but i just can't seem to shift any weight. I'd love to hear your advice and tips to see if i can finally make it happen. Cheers guys

Well, pretty much anything involving a calorie deficit will work, so it's all about finding out what is most comfortable to you. For me, I used to be super strict and view foods as "bad" or "good" but recently I've just started to really live the "everything in moderation" philosophy. I don't eliminate any food or food group, I eat what I want in moderation and make sensible choices.

It's weird because I've always been bad with budgeting money, but thinking of my calorie goal as a budget has really worked for me. For example, I can eat this 300 calorie chocolate bar, but do I want to spend that much on it right now? Would I rather spend those calories elsewhere? It really makes you think of what food is worth to you. So while nothing is off limits to me, there are many things I rarely eat because it's not worth it to me to spend so much on them.

Besides drinking water, sleeping, having a calorie deficit and moving in some way - everything else is pretty much up to debate and comes down to personal preference. Just find what you think you will stick with long term. I could do any fad diet for 2 weeks while my motivation is up, but probably not for the rest of my life.

There's a lot of good information on this thread.. you may not be calculating your calorie goals correctly.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Take a measuring tape and measure yourself. The scale isn't always the best means to see progress. :-)

Eat less, exercise more. Repeat.

We're not perfect. You will have ur bad days, it's okay. Just don't make it a habit. MFP sets everyone's cal low, so if u go over by a little it's okay. Eat ur cal, drink plenty of water, eat clean (fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains), get enough rest and exercise. Log your food anything u put in your mouth should be logged. U will be given more cal for exercise. Some will say eat back some will say don't. Eat back some if ur hungry if not don't. Good luck. This is a great place to get tons of info. As you make friends look at their dairy and see what healthy eating is and try new things. Welcome.

Honestly, just eat healthy and exercise as much as possible. It really does work if you stick to it.
Log everything you eat and be completely aware of your calorie intake and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day!
Good luck and message me if you ever need anything

^^^^Agreed! (and same here)

Also, find what your body doesnt process well or what youa re better off having. For me, I need to watch how much sugar I have and need to keep my sodium a little lower or drink a heck of a lot more water then normal.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Don't skip on weight training just because it burns less calories then cardio. On that note, also avoid eating back exercise calories, unless you are exercising hard enough you really need the extra food. Also, one of the easiest ways to cut out calories is to eat less carb-ey things, like bread and grains. As for snacks always have healthy stuff available, that is divided into portions, veggies are especially good if you just like to be eating, like when you're watching TV etc. Finally, and probably most importantly, NEVER give up. This is something you will most likely always want, so you might as well do it now.

The best pieces of advice i can give to a new person is:

1) FOOD makes more difference than exercise, and no matter what school of thought you have towards nutrition, the one thing almost everybody agrees on is that FRUITS and VEGETABLES are good food.

2) EDUCATE yourself. People tend to eat what they want, so the best way to avoid junk food is to NOT WANT it. The best way to not want junk food is to educate yourself on what the actual consequences of junk food, and the benefits of healthy food. Once you educate yourself and develop a portfolio of good recipes, your food choices will be effortless and intuitive.

Lots of good advice in the posts above.I. I suggest you make sure your net intake is over 1,000 per day.