New Here, Tips anyone?

Hiya! I like you have had an account for a while but this is the year I take it all more seriously!

Re committing to losing weight. Lost 50 pounds last year on MFP but fell off the wagon so to speak and gained 36 pounds. Starting again on 2nd Jan 2013 and will need help and inspiration. Wish me luck, got to get trimmer before I reach 40 years old at the end of May 2013.

Hi, just make sure what you eat has a purpose that it counts , helps your body out, veggies ,protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, your body reflects what you put into it, if you eat like crap well shoot you get my point. Check out other peep's diary's to see how they are doing it.

My suggestion is to keep at it. Keep logging your food, keep exercising, just do it. Even if you feel like you dont want to do it, do it! You will be glad you did when you start seeing results.

Break down your goals into steps. If you have your goal weight set, that's awesome.. but don't let that be the only goal. Set a goal of 10 lbs and tracking every meal, etc.

Eat less, move more, choose healthier alternatives. Make sure you get your water. Realize that you don't have any competition aside from yourself... and at the end of the day, be honest with your logging. Otherwise, you're just cheating yourself.

1) stick with it
2) find something that motivates you to stick with it
3) stay off the forums except for entertainment

ditto!!! especially #3.

another ditto and I want to add that you can do this. Believe in yourself and have a can do attitude and you'll get there! I've had times when my WL stalled for over a month and I was very frustrated but I kept with my plan and eventually the scale moved downward again. This isn't an over night thing so don't expect fast results and don't get down on yourself if its not happening as fast as you would like. You didn't gain it over night so you're not going to lose it over night.

And yes especially #3

I have done this program in the past and it worked great for me. Unfortunately I fell back into old habits and I am now back at square one, but I learned a lot from going through the process. First, know what you are going to eat before you get hungry. If you mentally plan your meals for the day it's a lot easier to stay on track rather than allowing yourself to get hungry THEN trying to decide what to eat. It takes to pressure off and doesn't allow your mind to wander into "what am I craving mode" because you have already told it what is on the menu. Secondly, there are going to be special occasions and events that will push you into eating things you shouldn't. And that's ok ideally you are trying to set up a lifestyle change and it's not realistic to say I'm NEVER eating fatty foods again. The biggest thing is to allow get right back to it the next day. If you can do that, then you will have a much greater chance at successfully changing your lifestyle. That is where I failed last time. I did great, lost weight, but then I moved across the country and through all the going away parties and dinners I strayed so far from my routine that I just thought, well so much for that, rather than knowing that I can just as easily pick up where I left off. So that's where I am at now, except rather than picking up where I left off, I'm having to start over. But it's better than accepting defeat right? It's a learning process and as long as you learn from the mistakes you make along the way and don't give up on yourself, you will see the results you are looking for. I wish you the best of luck, and let the new you shine through!

Eat within your calories intake
Work hard
Sleep
Repeat

get a good support system. I loooove my MFP friends.

Log everything and stay committed.

Also, find some supportive buddies on here, they can pick you up and keep you going.

Add me if you want an honest person to support you.

M<y #1 recommendation is read Forks Over Knives. I started at over 320 and am now 265 and still losing.

reading through these replies, there is alot of great advice in here..

what I can add is to LOG EVERYTHING. I hate seeing the red number and the overage, but it comes down to being honest with yourself. Only when you are honest will you see results.

Find a few exercises that you don't hate and then go back and forth between those. I alternate pilates, yoga, treadmill walks with an incline, and walks with my dog.

Finally, forgive yourself. Know there will be a day that you will have no will power.. forgive yourself and move on.. this is not going to happen over night.

Hope this helps!

My tip would be: Log. Absolutely. EVERYTHING.

Don't just estimate how much cereal you put in your bowl - weigh it.
Don't think that ONE little piece of candy doesn't matter - log it.
Even though that herbal tea you just drank was only 1 calorie, LOG IT.

You must get into the habit of logging absolutely every little thing you put into your mouth, liquid or solid. Never just guess how much you had, because you WILL underestimate. Always weigh, always measure, always log. If you don't have kitchen scales or a tablespoon measure or measuring cups, go out and buy them tomorrow. You will need them.

Even if you have a day where you fall off the wagon and you end up eating far more than you should, it is STILL important to log it. Even if you KNOW you ate over your limit, LOG IT ANYWAY. Yes it's awful having to look at everything you ate and seeing those red numbers but you MUST look at it in order for it to sink in and for you to face up to what you've done.

Keep your food diary open to friends, if not to public, so that people can see what you've been doing and how much you've been exercising. If people can SEE what you're doing, you'll be more motivated to do well.

Good luck!