100 + to lose, why can't I take the first step?

Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps.
You started your first step; you joined this.

Second step, log everything you eat.
BE HONEST. Don't skip anything. Eat what you normally would- just now keep track.

Step three; go for 1 walk a day. Could be a half hour, could be five minutes. Doesn't matter.
You don't have to start to lose a ton of weight immediately.
But you DO have to start being completely self aware.
Become aware, and you'll change bit by bit.
I'm sure of it.

I am having the same problem. I start and then a week later, I quit logging and before you know it, I am snacking and eating whatever I want. But I refuse to give up! I agree with baby steps. Just log everything today. Then do it again tomorrow. If you miss a day - start again the next day. One day at a time. BUT don't give up!

You're here...again. DON'T SCREW IT UP THIS TIME!!!

I kid. Sort of. I have now been on this site for over 950 days. I had 50ish pounds to lose and I lost about that many my first year. I ate a reasonable amount of calories including my exercise calories. I have now maintained for over a year (including a small hiccup called brain surgery in February where I gained about 6 pounds during recovery most of which is back off now). My first couple of weeks here I made a friend on here who was a personal trainer. I wrote her a long winded message with all of my "reasons" that I couldn't fit in exercise or didn't have time to prep food or whatever. She wrote me back and said simply that she didn't think I was ready. That STUNG. Because I felt ready. I needed someone to show me my faults and the EXCUSES (not reasons) that I wasn't getting it done. Boy did I want to show her I could do it. So there you go. You're not ready!!!!

Now let that be one little push towards your momentum. Get out there and get it done.

I've been there and I'm sure I'll be there again.

I'm assuming you've figured out what you need to do and all that's missing is the motivation and 'will power' to do it.

My best advice is to think this sentence whenever you can: "What's the right thing to do RIGHT NOW". There is no future or past, there is only right now. The present is the only time you can make a decision so the next time you are tempted by food that will derail your plan, you have to remember that sentence: "What's the right thing to do RIGHT NOW".

Don't go through life thinking "I'll start on Monday" or "I'll get my **** together soon". No. You do it now, in the present.

If you've been stuffing your face all thursday and it comes time for dinner and you're trying to decide what to eat, don't say "Well I've stuffed up today so I may as well have KFC for dinner". Right now, despite your bad choices in the past, you can have healthy dinner; you can start right now!

The way I get myself started, and I have had to do this several times, is to just start logging what you eat.

I love fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes, could eat this every day, and I did, I just logged it..something starts happening where you say to yourself, OK, that was good but if I eat roasted chicken or skip the potatoes or eat less corn, I can eat more food.
I love more food.
I do this for a long time, making small changes like half low fat salad dressing and half regular- then I cut out the regular.
For me its all about small adjustments.
I dont even think about exercise until Ive lost enough weight to not injur myself, but it comes gradually like the food.
I am on round three here and I think that this time I will have success. This is just my thing..you will find what works for you.
Good luck!!

You've taken the first step by joining MFP. The second step is to use the tools - log your food and exercise, make some friends who will support you (they don't need to be in your situation as long as they are here to be healthy).

I've found that mini goals work best for me. When I started on this path I was more than 200 pounds away from my goal. I'm more than halfway there now. You'll see my ticker at 0 lbs. lost - that's because I'm onto my next mini goal - 40 lbs off by the first of the new year.

A friend of mine, Brad Lamm, wrote a book called Just Ten Pounds. Although I set my mini goals for more than 10 lbs, if I told myself needed to lose 200 lbs. I would have given up and never started. The first mini-goal was to get the scale to stop saying error (the scale only weighed to 400 lbs.). The next goal was 25 lbs., then another 25, etc.

I don't "diet", I eat healthy and when tempted to eat more than I really need - I ask myself how many people that amount of food should feed. If the answer is more than one - I don't eat it.

I wish you the best. I know this can be done with diet, exercise, and support. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

If you are looking to food for comfort, you might want to remove all of the easy convenience (Read: JUNK) food from your kitchen/pantry. After all of the junk is cleared, buy only what you really need in fresh vegetables and proteins. I don't know anything about your particular dietary needs, but you might want to look into a Ketogenic diet. If Keto doesn't fit your lifestyle, a caloric restriction may work. Do you have any activities that will keep you physically active?

Edit - Also, you might want to watch the BBC show called Secret Eaters. It's amazing, and what the Biggest Loser should aspire to become.

You can do this. It's super hard and the fact that your even aware and you have a desire is the first step. A lot of times there are reasons behind why someone is 100+ pounds overweight, it's not just a physical thing it's often a psychological thing as well. My only advice would be too look at it from a lifestyle change not only in your body but also in your mind and work on the both together.
Best of luck.

I agree with baby steps. I started just walking for 15 minutes and eight months later I am running. I started drinking 1 cup of water a day and cutting down on pop and now I drink 14 cups of water a day and rarely have any pop at all. Make very gradual changes. Start by figuring out what a serving size is and try eating just that. Buy a food scale because your guesses will be totally off. It will take some time to make changes but you can do it. It is hard, it is. Add some great friends who will offer support and encouragement and that will make your journey much more enjoyable. Feel free to add me if you want

Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps.
You started your first step; you joined this.

Second step, log everything you eat.
BE HONEST. Don't skip anything. Eat what you normally would- just now keep track.

i agree with this....im still in the very early stages myself....i started and gave up a few times.... but this time im not trying to radically change everything in one go. thats a mistake i made before. this time im taking baby steps. i spent a week just eating normally, but logging everything i ate. (as much as anything that was a big wake-up call for me) and then i set my calorie goal for maintaining my weight. once i was under that goal most of the time, i set my goal for losing 0.5lb a week and i plan to keep doing this until im comfortable with the changes ive made and able to stick to my goals consistently (but i no there will be the odd off-day and unexpected bbq lol)
ive only lost 3lb so far but thats with very small changes that i no i wont struggle to maintain in the future. for example i still drink coke, but at most one can a day and i swap the others for natural fruit juice mixed with sparkling water or a cup of tea. ive swapped semi-skimmed milk for skimmed.

its these kind of changes i recommend when your trying to make that first step because it'll feel like a great acheivement when you discover your still doing it 2 weeks later.

oh and another suggestion: make healthier versions of the food you already love to eat.....but not the 'swap chocolate for a banana' kind of substitutions. I often try to sneak veg into thinkgs i wouldn't notice it in (i add grated carrot, spring oninon and lemon to rice) if you like bolognaise, make batches full of onions, peppers and mushrooms and tomato puree. or soups, use any veg you like and potato to thicken...will be really healthy, tasty and can be a lot cheaper than buying tins.

hope this helps and good luck with your journey, that first little step is always the hardest, but once you've made it you won't want to stop.

That's one of the worst feelings in the world...wanting to lose the weight so badly but just not being able to get started. You must have those days where you wake up ready to go, though? Even if the feeling fades by lunchtime, you can work with it. Tell yourself that once you start, there is no quitting. You have solid reasons for wanting to get healthy, so those are going to be your go-to sources of drive to keep going. The motivation will come and go, so there's no point in relying on that to get you through this. When there's no other option, there's no other option -- motivated or not. You know?

Wake up in the morning, weigh yourself, and start logging. Don't expect perfection from yourself. Don't restrict yourself too much. And don't push yourself to the point where you'd rather give up. If you have a bad day, strive to have a few extra-good days (But plan some "bad" days once in a while. They keep you sane.) Once you spend some time on MFP, you'll realize it's a lot more doable than you believe it to be.

I agree with mini goals. Break it up into 10-pound goals on your profile, and give yourself a ✓ whenever you reach one.

ETA: You're going to have to get the family on board with this, but the junk's going to have to go from the house. Having your biggest temptation a few feet away can be way too overwhelming, especially in the beginning. I'm not sure what those foods are for you, but for me, I wouldn't dream of having a bag of cookies in the kitchen cupboard. They'd be gone that night, without a doubt.

Good luck.

I, too, have had a very difficult time getting started.. again. I want to lose >100 lbs and just wasn't motivated to do anything. What really woke me up was when my right ankle puffed up like a puffer fish. I was stunned but then realized it was my body's way of telling me I need to wake up and start eating right/exercise before worse things happened. I was on hypertension meds (2) and luckily am not a diabetic but was getting very close to being one.
I started out very slowly by adding more greens, and substituting beans or tofu for my eggs & bacon breakfasts. I felt fuller and didn't become bloated. I also started walking. Again. (used to be very athletic but food got in the way along with some emotional issues.)
I was always in so much pain when I walked and was about to give up when my marathon-running daughter told me to look into men's crosstrainers. Hello! I now am pain free when I walk (and afterward) and actually look forward to getting outdoors.

Long winded just to say.. start very slowly but you have to start! Anywhere. Anyhow.
Walk around the parking lot or to the corner & back, add more fruits & veggies to your diet. No need to do it all in one day. I'm a work in progress and take my lumps and get right back up.

You can do it!

Hi,
I've been reading a motivational book (I would recommend it, but it's in French, sorry!) but I got a few things for you, it might help you motivate to start off. - Ok, let me tell you right now, I'm about to write a whole novel

We have to start by losing weight in your mind before you lose on your body. Personally, I have 80+ lbs to lose and I understand where you're coming from. - The thing with losing weight without playing yo-yo, is that you have to change your eating habits... and this, forever. But it isn't THAT hard.

So, in average, for a man, the calorie intake to ''maintain'' your weight is 2350 calories per day, (If you work at an office and is about 30 yo to 50 yo, this should be your number...) Start off little, example, cut about 150 calories from every meal you take, and do an extra exercise per day (the time you want) to lose about 100-200 calories. When you're under your daily calorie intake, you're sure to lose weight .

1. Alright, so first off, like I said, you need to lose your weight in your head before your losing on your body.
- What are your reasons that you ''gained'' weight? What are the reasons that keep you from losing weight? - You must come in terms with yourself that you, only you, are responsible for your weight gain. This... will mean that you, only you, can do something about it.
This may sound weird, but write down every reason mentioned above on paper, and destroy these reasons... find the solution, the aggressively rip the paper apart and throw it in the garbage. This will help your mind get rid of these ''fake'' reasons and excuses.

2. Find your "motivational boost". - Are you ''sick and tired'' of being overweight? What gets on your nerves about being overweight? - Do you experience any physical discomfort? - Use these as a kick off.... they will help you achieve your goal.
Honestly, I couldn't even climb up the stairs for two floors straight without being out of breath... I couldn't look at myself on pictures and I was avoiding mirrors... and one day, I said ''enough is enough. I'm f******* sick of being fat! . That's when I started.
The negative points will always boost more motivation than positive... in my honest opinion. So now you can start by writing down all your ''points''.

3. Find your positive boosts now. - Like: My kids will be proud of me, if you have kids. Or, I'll have a better health.
Write all these down too. Even better, make little postcards, and stick them on your walls at home.
I stuck these words on my fridge, every time I am about to open the fridge for a snack, I see ''A dream is something you need to work hard for, not something that will happen out of nowhere''

4. Find yourself a model (that have lost weight and kept it off for years). Or..a partner that will have similar goals to you. This will help you motivate yourself when needed.

5. Like someone said previously, log EVERYTHING you eat AND DRINK. I used to take 3 extra large coffees (triple cream triple sugar) from Tim Horton's, every day. They're 400 calories each.... So it's very important that you log everything and don't forget about the liquid calories.

6. You might feel hungry in the first 2-4 weeks, but if you do, find yourself some foods that will stop your hunger, like celeri stalks. When I'm hungry, I take a Mott's Garden Cocktail and a celeri stalk. There's also this ''false'' hunger during the evening... don't be fooled by it.
But, if you still always feel hungry, feel free to see a health professional that can see with you your calorie intake and what can help you.

And, keep in mind that ''You will NEVER regret the changes you make to your life. This, I can assure you."

Okay, sorry for the long post! Hope these motivational quick tips can help you as well as they helped me. I have 3 lbs off only, but I feel changes already, and I feel so proud of myself, it's incredible. Believe me, you will feel the same.

:flowerforyou:

Oh and, if you need motivation boosts, feel free to friend me and contact me. I guess I can be good at kicking some butts some times hehe.

PS: I was 50 and nearly died from blood clots because of my unhealthy lifestyle. Do not let it get there, I was 24 hours away from dying.

I agree with what the others are saying. Start small. Make one change at a time- otherwise you will be overwhelmed. Be sure to celebrate your victories- reward yourself for the accomplishments you make. Before you know it, you will be on your way to a healthier you! It helps me to think of it as getting healthier and not as a diet...