introducing myself

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leander03
leander03 Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I am new to myfitnesspal. I just started less than a week ago. I set my daily intake to 1200 calories a day. I've done one treadmill exercise so far, but I am going to the gym tonight.

I am 34, single and don't have kids. I've never been married, and I am ready to really get on with the next phase of my life. I want to be healthy and happy. I was at the dr's last week for the flu. I weighed in at 172. It was devastating! I've never weighed more in my life. I used to hover around 155 or so for years, but these pounds have slowly packed on. My goal is fit and trim at 145.

Of course, since this is the first week. Like all good Americans I expect instant results! Since my pants haven't miraculously gotten bigger yet, I feel discouraged. I'm trying to retrain the way I think and to have realistic expectations about the amount of time it will take to lose almost 30 pounds.

I suppose going to the gym tonight is one of the first steps. I have a membership through my work, and I am looking forward to going.

I'm just looking for friends that comment and post daily. Also any words of wisdom and advice to a newbie would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • JeffTCole
    JeffTCole Posts: 140 Member
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    Welcome to MFP. You are off to a good start.
  • JulieGirl58
    JulieGirl58 Posts: 158 Member
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    I find MFP to be very helpful for me. I will send a friend request. Good luck on this difficult but rewarding journey.
  • Colleendenty83
    Colleendenty83 Posts: 2
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    Hey. I feel the same way. All through my 20s I was very fit and a gym rat. Then through a series of unfortunate events (mainly a back injury and crappy relationship) I packed on 30 lbs. I have never had this much weight to lose before and it seems daunting to me. I know exactly what I have to do to get back to being fit but like you I want instant results :/ but it has to be a lifestyle change to be effective so maybe we can motivate each other to stay nk track!
  • isabean
    isabean Posts: 4
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    Welcome! I have 30lbs to lose as well. we can do it together and hopefully learn from each other what works best. xo Lisa
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
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    hi there! I was around your started weight (175 lb), and am currently at 125 lb :) So 30 lbs is definitely a do-able goal! May I suggest you check out this link:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I suggested that link cause I see you are set to 1200 cal which is what MFP set me to as well in the beginning however it was much too low for me and I felt so fatigued! Just something to check out and compare :)

    Best of luck!!! Stay focused and log everyday and you will succeed :)
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 672 Member
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    You found the right place. It took me 7 months to get the first 30 pounds off and now I am struggling with the last 20... but you just have to stick with it. Don't let the scale rule your life. remember these things:

    - Weight loss isn't linear - the scale will go up and down for a multitude of reasons
    - Eat less / move more - It really is all about calories in < calories out.
    - If what you are doing isn't working, don't give up - Try something else.
    - One day of eating more calories than your tracker says you should will not and I repeat WILL NOT kill you. :smile:

    Make sure you are setting your calorie goal realistically - I see a lot of people say that MFP set them to 1200 calories and they only have 30 pounds to lose. That doesn't sound right. With less than 50 pounds to lose you should not set your loss goal to more than 1 pound per week.

    There are a lot of resources here search the community for topics of interest. You will find a bunch of great information.

    Welcome and Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • leander03
    leander03 Posts: 3
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    Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it. I actually had about 1300 calories today. I was starving! What do you guys eat? Do you eat pretty much whatever you want within your caloric limit, or do you try to focus on eating lots of typical diet foods. You know, like steamed veggies, kale (ugh), smoothies, etc? My first week, I've pretty much stuck to soups for lunch, 100 calorie bags of popcorn for snacks, weight watchers micro meals, wheat toasted sandwiches, frozen greek yogurt, etc. I need to make time for oatmeal and fruit in the morning.

    I just got back from the gym. First time going in...um, over a year!!! I felt like a new kid on the first day of school. I guess the good thing is, I'll feel more comfy the more I go back.

    :)
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it. I actually had about 1300 calories today. I was starving! What do you guys eat? Do you eat pretty much whatever you want within your caloric limit, or do you try to focus on eating lots of typical diet foods. You know, like steamed veggies, kale (ugh), smoothies, etc? My first week, I've pretty much stuck to soups for lunch, 100 calorie bags of popcorn for snacks, weight watchers micro meals, wheat toasted sandwiches, frozen greek yogurt, etc. I need to make time for oatmeal and fruit in the morning.

    I just got back from the gym. First time going in...um, over a year!!! I felt like a new kid on the first day of school. I guess the good thing is, I'll feel more comfy the more I go back.

    :)

    My diary lately sucks cause I have no time to prep between school and work life, so I mostly just try to stay within my calorie goals at least. But I think you are on the right track :) The only thing I might suggest is maybe to wean out of the prepackaged meals as they tend to have a lot of salt which can hold in your water weight. Also MFP put me as 1200 cal at first even though I have a very active job and am constantly moving. The 1200 was not enough for me and after some research I went up to 1700 cal (and continued to lose!). That's why I always suggest to check the Scooby calorie calculator as well :)

    If you are at your goal for the day and still hungry, just stop and decide if you are hungry or just having a craving. If you are actually hungry, by all means grab something to eat! :) calorie calculators can only give estimates so listen to your body :)
  • NewLeaf_13
    NewLeaf_13 Posts: 18 Member
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    Hi there! I have about the same to lose as you. I actually started at 189, currently at 173 (woohoo!) and GW is 140. I'll send a friend request...love having others as motivation! This is also my second time around trying MFP, I've been very consistent the last few months and love the results.

    I try to eat mostly fresh, non-processed foods (fruits and veggies, grilled chicken, ground turkey, etc) but I also eat foods that I enjoy just in smaller portions. For example, I knew that today at work we would be ordering Mexican food and dessert during a meeting. SO I countered that with a light healthy breakfast and dinner, but allowed myself to have two tacos and a small cupcake at lunch and I'm still under calories for today (I eat around 1300 too). I also made sure I got exercise in. You'll hear this again and again on the forums on here...portion control, lifestyle change, etc!!

    I focus mostly on cardio with a little bit of lifting here and there. Nothing too extreme though :)
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    Best advice I can give is to weigh and or measure your intake. From there it's all about dedication to your goals. You can do it!!
  • MonicaA2013
    MonicaA2013 Posts: 753 Member
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    One very important thing to remember is that you have 2 different calorie goals on here.

    1st -- BASE GOAL cals. minimum calorie intake per day.

    2nd-- NET GOAL cals. after exercise calorie goal.

    Always eat your DAILY caloric goal cals. Then eat 1/2 - all of your Net calories. eventually you will get a better idea as to how much of your Net cals are needed to sustain you through the day, and how much you leave over will add to your deficit that MFP has given you.

    Always weigh and measure your foods until you have a better visual of what a true serving portion of that food is.

    Also when it comes to weighing in, do it how ever often as you want but make sure that you have a set day and time for the main weekly reading. Also get a tape measure for your waist ,hips, chest and thighs. This way you will have another way of getting results when the scale stops for a couple weeks. Believe me it will.

    BEST OF LUCK !!!

    If you would like you can add me as a friend i am on daily and have an open menu diary.
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 672 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it. I actually had about 1300 calories today. I was starving! What do you guys eat? Do you eat pretty much whatever you want within your caloric limit, or do you try to focus on eating lots of typical diet foods. You know, like steamed veggies, kale (ugh), smoothies, etc? My first week, I've pretty much stuck to soups for lunch, 100 calorie bags of popcorn for snacks, weight watchers micro meals, wheat toasted sandwiches, frozen greek yogurt, etc. I need to make time for oatmeal and fruit in the morning.

    I just got back from the gym. First time going in...um, over a year!!! I felt like a new kid on the first day of school. I guess the good thing is, I'll feel more comfy the more I go back.

    :)

    My diary is open. (I preplan and package food everyday, so I log it all in the morning) Though its been a bit of a roller coaster of late. Basically I eat what I want with in the calorie limit. 1300 still seems low for an active woman at your age with only 30 pounds to lose. As a reference I am 45, 5'7" and I am at 1590 which to be honest sometimes I just cannot manage, I am still hungry a lot.... lol. But if you eat back some of your exercise calories then you should be okay. You should also be as close to your NET goal as possible. Don't think of it as a beat the ticker kind of thing, staying way below your goal is not a good thing. If you are within 100 either way you will still lose. I think someone else mentioned TDEE which you should definitely look at. Also think about how many calories you will need at maintenance once you reach your goal. You want to make sure whatever you do is sustainable. Meaning can you eat like this for the rest of your life?
  • Jasmine1995xoxo
    Jasmine1995xoxo Posts: 27 Member
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    Hi, I'm 18 years old and would really appreciate a diet buddy. The support really helps me and will be much appreciated
  • handyrunner
    handyrunner Posts: 32,662 Member
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    hi good luck to you and to everyone on their goals...consistency and patience is the key to this.

    anyone can feel free to add if they want

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