time is now!

Kats223 · February 2014

I need to find a way to lose this weight and hope to have the support here. I am 56 and ready to lose this weight. Would like to have some advice on what I can do to keep on track and stay with it. Any helpful ideas would be great. Thanks Kats

meltedsno · February 2014

Hi Kats... welcome.... I am 58 years old and for the first time in my life, I will celebrate my birthday in July the healthiest I've ever been... I have always been overweight.. I was born overweight!!!!

This weight loss journey has been one I started many many times, but something "clicked" July 1, 2013 for me... I decided then that I was ready for a change and I've never looked back.

My suggestion to you is to start with logging everything ...and I mean EVERYTHING.... that goes in your mouth for a week. You will be surprised how a little of this and a little of that quickly adds up. I like to have a little bit of "coffee" in my "creamer"... lol... imagine my surprise when I realized that each cup of coffee I drank every morning (and I probably would have 3 or 4 cups) came to about 200 calories a cup ... wasn't kidding when I said I liked a little bit of coffee in my creamer! On top of it all.. that 600-800 calories worth of coffee wasn't even a GOOD cup of coffee!!! Eliminating creamer was the first thing to go... I have since added a once-every-two-weeks cup of "skinny latte" from Starbucks or Caribou as a "reward (160 cal for the large size... 180 if I choose to have skinny mocha latte)...

I mean really, think about it.. I was wasting almost 50% of my calories on icky powdered creamer?!?!?! I just continued from there.. .my other vice is pretzels... I could eat a WHOLE bag... and i am talking about the BIG bag of pretzels very day... tack on another 1000 calories (that's a little over 9 servings!!!!) a day... and I haven't even had "real" food to eat!!!! I haven't eliminated pretzels... instead, I physically count out 18-22 pretzels per serving (depends on the brand) ... and will work them into my plan... will also make myself exercise to "earn" that treat... I could go on and on. point is... start by just keeping track of what you eat for even a day.... and make changes from there... good luck!

Kats223 · February 2014

I am still trying to learn how this site works. I just found out today that you had wrote to me. Thank-you. I have started tracking what I eat but as I was reading your note ( while drinking a cup of coffee with 2 creamers and a flavored creamer with sugar ) I realized that I am not tracking everything that goes in my mouth. Its another wake up call. I struggle so with losing weight but really need to. Doctor says that I am ready for a heart attack or stroke. It's hard to do it alone so I thought that maybe, just maybe this will help me be accountable. How much have you lost and how much more do you have to lose? What exercises do you do? I had surgery last week for something minor so can not do any right now but also planning on adding that to my new journey.

KatissimusDorsi · February 2014

Hi Kat! I'm Kat too.

Tracking can be tricky at first. Often times we forget what we eat if we don't record it immediately. For example, today I had a handful of almonds this morning while cooking breakfast and completely forgot to track it until it popped into my head 5 minutes ago.

I went to the grocery store today and probably ate around 50 calories worth of samples. A small thing, but imagine if I hadn't tracked that or the almonds? That's about 150-200 calories right there!

So yeah, it can be tricky at first but it's so helpful to get a grasp on exactly what you're eating. My recommendation is to try to track everything you eat or drink (or at least right it down) close to when you eat it. That way you don't forget anything. Some sneaky calories tend to be:

-Sugar for tea or coffee
-Milk / creamer in tea or coffee (as you've found out!)
-Oil spray - it says 0 calories but it's actually about 5 per second of spraying.
-Condiments like ketchup / mustard / barbeque sauce
-Beverages, especially wine and flavored teas or coffees.

As far as exercise goes, since you're just starting out start out easy! If you're worried about cardiovascular health, try going for a gentle walk for 10 minutes once a day. Once that gets easy, try for 15 or 20 minutes.

If you have any activities that you enjoy, like biking or going to the park with your dog, add those in as well!

Let me know if I can help any further!

lthames0810 · February 2014

I'm 59 and trying to lose about 50 lbs (of which 13 are gone! already.)

Very much what the others have said. I was surprised to find that only a few changes to my eating were enough to get the weight loss started.

Also, you can use your food diary as a planning tool. You can enter what you plan to eat in advance, see if it will fit in your calorie budget and adjust before the damage is done. This is especially helpful if you are planning to eat at a restaurant, assuming you know in advance where you're going. You can look up a menu item (either here on MFP or the restaurant's web site if any,) put it in your diary, then see what is left of your calorie budget for the other part of the day.

trogalicious · February 2014

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

mshippiequeen · February 2014

i keep a paperclip chain in a very visible place and add one to it for every pound i lose and remove one for every pound that comes back. it's a fun visual to keep track of your hard work and if you slip, it makes you own up to it!

p.s. good luck to you!

deksgrl · February 2014

Log in every day and log your meals. Find some friends, so when you log they can encourage you, and vice versa.

Set a reasonable calorie goal as Trog said. If you make it too restrictive, it will be hard to stick to. Learn how to keep foods you love in your plan, in the proper portions so they fit in your calorie goals. Stick with it, even when you might have bad days.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

twyrm · February 2014

I'm just getting back on the healthy eating wagon myself. I have had great success with MFP, (45 lbs at my best, but stopped tracking and 10 lbs creeped back on me) but the key, as others have pointed out, is to track everything and be honest. It is amazing what you eat when you are not paying attention.

A few tips I would recommend that have helped me:

Cut out at least half of the starch you eat (bread, pasta, rice, etc). For example, keep a full portion of meat but eat it on 1 piece of bread instead of 2. You won't miss it. This works better for me than trying to cut it out completely. It helps me keep satisfied and not feel deprived. Once I start doing this, I find I want less and less, and I cut it down even further. As the pounds come off, the starches become less and less appealing.

Concentrate on eating more protein. Lean meats, eggs, greek yogurt, nuts, etc, will help you feel fuller, longer.

Don't get caught up with intensity to start. Don't get crazy with an exercise program and burn yourself out, or worse, hurt yourself. Just walking is a great place to start. Try to go at least 30 minutes a day. It sounds like a lot, but once you get in the habit, you won't want to miss a day.

I wish you much success. I know it works, but you do have to be honest with yourself. Like everything worthwhile, it takes some effort and dedication.

Kats223 · February 2014

Again I didn't even think of the condiments. It sure will be hard to keep in a 1200 calorie diet. I do have 5 dogs so a walk with them will be on my work out planning and they will love it.

Kats223 · February 2014

Thanks Trog- I have been beating my self up every night on not staying in my 1200 calorie diet. I don't no what a hrm is. I tell you I am new and learning the lingo. I hope that by March 1st I will be able to start a work out (had a little surgery) This will also keep me focused on this weight lose journey.

Kats223 · February 2014

Pasta and bread you are right, are my down fall. I crave them when I don't have them for a while. Then it seems I can't get enough.

time is now!

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