Here it goes.. Hopefully!

jessicajc4
jessicajc4 Posts: 12
edited September 24 in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone! My name is Jess and I am new here! I am amazed at how easy and motivating this site is!! I am a SAHM of 2 girls, ages 10 and 9. I want to set a good example for them and am tired of feeling frumpy! I live near the ocean and am not eager to go to the beach because of my weight. I am hoping that this summer will be different! I noticed a lot of people have lost a good amount of weight.. my question to you all is.. how do you stay on track? What motivates you not to pick up the cookie? I am looking for some support on keeping my goal in sight! Any suggestions?
Thanks!!
Jessica

Replies

  • erniemj
    erniemj Posts: 187 Member
    the biggest motivator - having to record what I eat on my food diary - if I only have 1500 calories for the day, I am not going to waste it on a 300 calorie cookie - I joined MFP with several other virtual friends and made my diary available to my other friends, the potential peer pressure of them loooking at my diary is enough for me to keep it honest and to keep it as healthy as I know how - I am excited to keep on this journey and learn more about healthy eating and a better lifestyle!
  • jjrichard
    jjrichard Posts: 22
    I've only been on this site for a couple of days, but find that posting and keeping track has helped me, almost motivating knowing that someone could look at your food diary, and actually is encouraged not to pick up that extra un-necessary piece of food. My sister had introduced me to this site, and she has had amazing results. This site is a great support system. Feel free to add me as i would be happy to support each other :)
  • ScarletFyre
    ScarletFyre Posts: 754 Member
    Hi! I am still new enough that i haven't lost a bunch of weight on here...YET! :) a BIG thing that keeps me motivated as far as "not picking up that cookie" is that i have to log it. Be sure to select the option that allows people to see your food entries...when i did that, i found that if i thought about eating something not-so-good for me...then i'd think about how i had to log it for everyone to see! OR - try this - log it FIRST...a few times i thought about getting something for lunch, i logged it and was SHOCKED by the calories that it cost me, and ended up deciding on a salad or chicken breast instead! :)

    I just read in interesting arcticle this morning, too, where an ER doctor was saying that people who are overweight, besides the obvious disease risks, are ALSO more likely to die in accidents etc. I was dissapointed to see that they did not say why, but just that fact is enough to add some more motivation!!

    Suzi :smile:
  • magdalenanikole
    magdalenanikole Posts: 5
    Well, I just think of how uncomfortable I am with my body, especially my tummy. So even when I'm too lazy to go to the gym, I make myself go. Then I feel absolutely wonderful! Exercising is my favorite, although at times I'm too lazy to actually walk to the gym.
    And when it comes to eating, I still eat what I want. I just don't eat a lot of it. Usually for dinner I'll have a small salad with whatever else my school is cooking and for dessert I'll have a small slice of cake. I have a sweet tooth so my sweets are a must! Then I just go to the gym later and burn it off anyway!
    You don't have to give up eating what you love, you just have to eat less of it! It's a lot healthier that way because then your body is happy and so are you.
    Also, I try to eat small portions of food every 2 - 3 hours. It keeps your metabolism going cause your body keeps getting food in it's system so it won't think "well hell, I won't be getting any food for the next 7 hours, so I might as well store it" and that's how a belly grows cause the body will store the food like a hamster as fat.
    When you snack, try having an apple, a little baggie of carrots, some special k cereal, or even some of the special k snacks that are specifically made for dieting.
    The special k cracker chips are delicious and 27 chips are only 110 calories!
    I hope this helped.
    Add me if you'd like and we can motivate each other. :)
  • Dlhigh
    Dlhigh Posts: 72 Member
    Well, I learned to walk away from the cookies and cake and other junk, because once I used up my calories for the day I knew that I had to be done. I would look at the cookie or cake or any number of other tempting food hanging around at work, and say to myself. If I eat that, then I won't be having dinner tonight. I wanted dinner much more than I wanted the cookie. After a few months of eating right then the "junk food" has become "unapealling". So much of that stuff provides satisfaction only as you are putting it in your mouth. Makes you feel bad later, sluggish, rebound hunger, bloated, etc. Don't stress too much in the beginning other than staying in your calorie range. You will learn to make better choices over time.
  • blcotton
    blcotton Posts: 43
    I agree with the others who have replied to your post. MFP is very motivating and there are so many people on here to support you and keep you going:) As far as "not picking up the cookie", I've had my few slips but let me tell you once you log it and you see all those wasted calories it will make you feel bad and put you into better eating habits, it's really makes you feel guilty once you see your calories in the negative!!! Good luck, I know you can do it! :)
  • loupammac
    loupammac Posts: 194 Member
    MPF is motivation enough. Seeing all those fantastic calorie burns my friends are getting at the gym makes me want to go. I feel bad when I don't log any exercise. As for those cookies, before you devour them do a search in the food database and then cringe at how many calories they are. 9 times out of 10, that stops me from eating them. Make sure you log everything on your good days and your bad days. You'll get there :)
  • TeenaMarina
    TeenaMarina Posts: 420 Member
    Hi Jess,

    My name is Tara - I'm a mother also (she's 8) and I too am scared to death of bathing suit season! Geez, I used to look great and now I eat crappy and I'm lethargic, etc. etc. Anyway, day 1 for me on here, but not my first try and losing weight of course. I've done a calore counter like this in the past and I found it really helped. Good luck and hang in there! I'd love to live near the beach. And I'd love to look good in my bathing suit too, ha ha.
  • jessicajc4
    jessicajc4 Posts: 12
    Thanks Everyone!
  • rave411
    rave411 Posts: 2
    Welcome! Stay encouraged and you will succeed!
  • exercisesucks
    exercisesucks Posts: 102
    Welcome! I'm glad to be a sounding board for anyone that needs help. I busted my butt to lose weight and I'm sure you can too. What is your biggest obstacle in your opinion?
  • jessicajc4
    jessicajc4 Posts: 12
    I have a few obstacles.. One is motivation.. I am known to start on an excersise routine and then get bored or too tired and stop.
    The second is junk food. I love me some carbs... bagels, breads, donuts.. you name it.
    Last is not eating.. I would go almost all day and then get severly hungry and nauseated and eat a piece of bread or bagel to make my stomach ache go away.. and I would eat way too much at dinner....
  • MTLumps
    MTLumps Posts: 82 Member
    I have a few obstacles.. One is motivation.. I am known to start on an excersise routine and then get bored or too tired and stop.
    The second is junk food. I love me some carbs... bagels, breads, donuts.. you name it.
    Last is not eating.. I would go almost all day and then get severly hungry and nauseated and eat a piece of bread or bagel to make my stomach ache go away.. and I would eat way too much at dinner....

    We all have obstacles - mine happens to be chocolate and self-control. I used to do the not eating thing like you and had the stomach ache to deal with. I have not had that issue now in over 3 years. I got to my goal weight and then didn't pay close enough attention to maintenance, but I am so close! Hang in there, you CAN do this and there are so many here who will help keep you motivated. :flowerforyou:
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