What are the main pitfalls for a beginner?

Expecting fast results.
Trying to cut specific things out of your diet. Weight loss can work without cutting out specific foods.

Biggest mistakes I've seen:

People being overly restrictive with calorie intake and food groups. Don't make it more difficult.

All or nothing attitude - if you have a bad day log it and move on, one day won't ruin progress

Lacking patience - It takes time, you didn't gain it all over night, stop trying to lose it over night

Looking for quick fixes - No pills, wraps or whatever other stupid thing. Log your food accurately & honestly

Demonizing food groups - Yes this is up there but sugar isn't making you fat, it's too many calories

Not being consistent

Logging accurately - Digital food scale really helps and checking the entries you are using when you log. For example: Don't select homemade in the database = you have no clue what that member used in their recipe, so it won't be accurate for what you used.

Listening to Dr. Oz or Beachbody coaches - NO learn about nutrition and fitness.

Don't set unrealistic goals

ETA: Don't focus entirely on the number on the scale, it's a number, it will fluctuate.

this thread is a day old but ill still throw in my $0.02

1. impatience
2. underestimating calorie intake/overestimating calorie burn
3. not aiming for the correct intake (setting limit too low or too high)
4. overexerting themselves i.e. too much exercise
5. having one bad day and saying "whelp, i f*cked up once, might as well give up now"
6. not realizing that this needs to last beyond your goal weight (continue to eat proper and exercise after hitting desired weight)

This may not be a popular opinion here but I think a lot of people choose lightly active when they are more sedentary. Some people say "sedentary = bedridden...I have a 2 yr old to chase, so I'm active" I think that it is better to choose a less active setting and then add in exercise, but that is my personal opinion. I will add that I have 2 friends who joined this site, chose active setting, and did not lose weight...then switched it to sedentary, still entered their exercise, and have lost at almost the textbook rate they are hoping to (i.e., 1.5 or 1 lb per week) since then.

^^ YESSS! Thank you, at last! :flowerforyou: I agree with you totally on this and wish more people would take this approach (although I wouldn't log 10 minutes worth of cleaning etc as exercise, as some people do - we need to be sensible about what we count as true exercise and what counts as normal daily activity).

OP - as well as the sexypants thread, there's also a great thread written by SexzyStef about accurate logging - weigh in grammes if possible rather than cups etc.

Biggest mistakes beginners make is over-complicating things. Keep it simple, then simplify it again... and again.... and again... until it's 'you're eating less calories than you burn'. Happy days, cannot go wrong! Log, log, log & log (EVERYTHING!)

Next step... monitor weight weekly, if you don't lose for two consecutive weeks, eat a bit less per day the next week....

Repeat.

Do that for the foreseeable, thinking about any more is pointless, for one, you're a beginner! You know jack **** about anything! (No disrespect meant) But by mentioning your 'metabolism fighting you' that proves it. Trust me.

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Really Pitfall isn't too difficult. Watch out for the fast-rolling logs. And I would beware of the scorpions in the tunnel. They'll change direction on you while you're jumping over them.

Really Pitfall isn't too difficult. Watch out for the fast-rolling logs. And I would beware of the scorpions in the tunnel. They'll change direction on you while you're jumping over them.

OmG thanks for the memory!!

I think your goal is reasonable. I agree with others keep it simple and do not discouraged. If you are disciplined the weight will come off. Here are a few tips that keep me on track.

1. I plan out all meals on Sunday for entire week. It takes the guessing out and gives no excuse to cheat since all my food is already planned out and convenient. I don't go diving for junk food.

2. Always eat breakfast

3. Drink tons of water

4. Exercise I start out slow. I do a 30 minute workout and add a couple of 15 minutes walks in the morning and the evening.

I'm passing by so I'm not sure what has been mentioned but here are a few of mine:

1. Don't try to do too much too soon, especially with exercise. You may injure yourself even if you feel you are doing fine.

2. Don't restrict yourself too much with food if you know you will burn out. If you don't feel comfortable at a certain calorie level after a week or two of getting used to it, losing the weight a little slower is not the end of the world. Increase your budget until it's challenging enough but not too hard.

3. Don't eat back all the calories of exercise, the calories mentioned are your gross (exercise calories + calories your body burns just by living), you need to either find your net calories (exercise calories alone) or just log 50%-75% of the time you spent exercising. (don't double eat back, MFP is set to automatically add your exercise calories so all you need is to log some of your exercise time and the calories you are allowed will increase on their own)

4. Invest in a measuring scale and measure every single bite. It's very easy to eat 200-500 extra calories a day just by overmeasuring with cups.

5. Don't beat yourself up if you happen to have a less than perfect day, it will only lead to throwing the towel. Just pick yourself up and continue where you left off without feeling guilty. One bad day does not undo 10 good ones.

6. Keep mental notes about the food you eat. What makes you full? What keeps you full? What provides a nice bang for your calorie buck? What foods is the majority of your calories coming from? If it happens to be a food that does not satisfy you and has a lot of calories, what can you do to manage smaller portions (like bulking it up with vegetables or only eating it after a meal..etc)?

7. You do not need to restrict sugar/bread/carbs/gluten/dairy/processed food or anything else for that matter unless you have a medical issue or you feel you absolutely lose control around it. You can have anything and everything if it fits into your daily (or weekly) budget. Be reasonable, though. Eating 90% of your calories in cookies will not give you all the macro/ micronutrients your body needs. Try to add a healthy balance of nutrient rich foods.

8. The scale is not always your friend. Sometimes it may seem like it's stuck on the same number when in reality there other other processes in the body that affect your weight like food that is still there, retaining water, constipation, extra sodium, a feast the day before.. etc. Don't let it discourage you if you don't see the numbers you want on some weeks. You may even see gain, but it will level out within 3-5 days.

9. Don't let other people around you get to you when they say things like "should you be eating that?" or "have you tried the xx fad diet?" or "why aren't you eating that?"... be mentally prepared to stick to what is working for you.

10. Do not be the grinch at parties and outings. Enjoy your time, have a bit of this and a bit of that, chat around, have a small drink.. Allow yourself to eat at maintenance on these days. This way even if you don't lose weight for a day, at least you don't gain it. Having a normal life on a diet makes you more likely to keep being mindful even after you lose all the weight.