Baby steps....

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jazi1964
jazi1964 Posts: 7
in Getting Started
What were your baby steps to a successful weight loss? I think part of the reasons I fail is because I do too much too fast.

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  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    Set a realistic starting goal. Set your self up for success not failure. Work towards your goal daily even days when you don't feel like it.

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  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    walking every night or almost every night

    cutting out liquid calories (juice, lattes, etc)

    increasing water intake
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Two short walks every day, eat meals, five-a-day, water instead of sugared tea.
  • brittyn3
    brittyn3 Posts: 481 Member
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    What worked for me...

    I started by cleaning up my diet. I would still have cheat meals or rather eat badly at times, but not as much as I was before. I STOPPED getting take out/eating out/ drinking during the week... etc. I would stop buying those snacks at the grocery store - forced me to make healthier choices when I was hungry.

    Working out - I've always had a strong fitness background. I just gained a lot of weight after college due to life stresses. I used to run outside but felt so self conscious about it, that never lasted long. Finally, I realized... it's ok to walk as my exercise. So I would start walking, then walk running, then running, now I lift heavy and do around 30 minutes of cardio 5 times a week.

    I found that if you just make healthier versions of food you love - it really doesn't feel like you're depriving yourself of anything. I make healthy chicken taco's, stir fry, etc and I feel like I'm still indulging. Everyone says this, but don't tell yourself you're dieting - rather you're choosing to be healthier for yourself. It feels better when you stay positive about why you aren't eating that bacon cheese burger everyday.

    Best of luck to you - just remember, It's a marathon.
  • Indigomami
    Indigomami Posts: 21 Member
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    Well I'm just starting today too. I try and keep the week in mind for a goal, the end weigh in. The bigger number is too much for me. I'm concentrating on my calories and meal plans while keeping workouts lighter. That way I'm well established in my new way of eating before taking on more.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    Well I'm just starting today too. I try and keep the week in mind for a goal, the end weigh in. The bigger number is too much for me.

    I'm not totally sure if this is what you meant...but your comment about the bigger number being too much, was so true for me too.
    I have lost 134 lb since 2008 but if I started out thinking "I need to lose 150 lb" I probably would have given up before I even started. My first goal was 270 lb. Then 220 followed by 199. Now 162 is my goal. I've just kept adjusting all the way down. That really helped me not to feel overwhelmed by it.
  • nessa3983
    nessa3983 Posts: 34
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    Everyone has different needs. I've lost 30 pounds in a year, 10 from having a baby, 5 from T25(I kept getting hurt so had to stop because I went too hard and didn't listen to my body) 15 from joining a gym and doing group classes. I started with about 3 days a week at the gym and I'm up to 5 days. Just listen to your body
  • Lelah77
    Lelah77 Posts: 177 Member
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    My "diet" is actually a lifestyle change. It has taken me two years to change my bad habits and begin new ones. As a result I have lost nearly 60 lbs.

    I started with portion control. I cooked normally, but weighed and measured.

    Then, about 2 months later, I added exercise... walking. THen some classes. Then some buddy workouts. About 6 months in I added the gym for good.

    Thirdly, I attacked the TYPES of food I was eating in order to be more full and healthy. I began replacing foods. One meal at a time. I began introducing new foods and recipes to my family . Trial and error. I brought in more healthy snacks and encouraged everyone to bring (rather than buy) lunches. This has been the longest and is an ongoing process.

    Baby steps = success.
  • CLM1227
    CLM1227 Posts: 61 Member
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    I set 3 goals for this week to accomplish daily. They are small, easy to track, and are a little more challenging that what I did last week without being unrealistic.

    My goals:
    1) Track my food and exercise daily
    2) Swim xx + 5 laps daily (I've been swimming xx laps 4-6 days/week for a few weeks now)
    3) Eat 20g of Fiber daily (my nutrition is bad, this is a small, but doable goal)

    Once I've met these goals, I'll just adjust a bit more. Next week, I'll aim for more protein than I've been eating. Since I tracked all week, I know what a realistic goal would be to make a SMALL change next week.

    I also try to stay away from weekly weight loss goals. Weighing myself is the #1 way for me to lose motivation and want to give up. So instead, I set goals that can help me towards weight loss while not looking at a scale or measuring tape. These are more within my control than daily weight fluctuations. My weight loss goals are monthly goals, instead.

    I've been working towards weight loss goals for a couple of years now. Only now have I really thought it completely possible. I've been increasing my time at the gym, making it more of a habit, I've been making mostly better choices with foods (I'm still wanting cheeseburgers and stuff, but that's why I'm tracking now), and I've learned to deal with my food cravings. They have been small choices, mostly focusing on beating my own records...even if it is just 30 more seconds on the elliptical today than last week.
  • bezerkus
    bezerkus Posts: 79 Member
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    I think you are absolutely right about taking a little bit at a time rather than taking on too much change at once.

    Over the last 8 months:

    1. Figured out the body I wanted and the routines that others had used to get there.
    2. Began Tracking food and measurements
    3. Began to eat less and shoot for calorie goal
    4. Added daily work week lunch walk (walking longer each week until I was up to an hour)
    5. Began playing Basketball again every Tuesday
    6. Added weight training 4 times a week rather than once every couple of weeks that I was doing.
    7. Added High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on the treadmill for fifteen minutes after every weight training session.
    8. Added 30-45 minutes extra cardio after each Interval training.

    There are a lot of baby steps in between those as I really consider each one of those bigger steps for me. For example: it took me at least a month to readjust my eating habits such as ordering half of what I was used to ordering before when eating out. And it is still a battle to eat better, but I am over the hump of eating more of what I should than shouldn't.

    Harder being 40+ years old, but lost 13lbs so far and I think a few more baby steps in the right direction to lose that final 10lbs before the end of the year.

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