New and need support

I've tried to lose weight off and on, but always lose motivation or get sidetracked. I am in serious motivation mode now, so here are a couple things that have being working for me:

Snacking throughout the day. I always heard people recommend this, but I had always eaten such big meals, that I felt like I was wasting calories by snacking. What I've found, is that a little snack every couple of hours makes it so I'm not super hungry by the time dinner rolls around, so I can eat less and make better decisions about what I eat (as opposed to just gorging the minute I got home, snacking while making a huge dinner)

Make food ahead of time. I always have a big salad in the refrigerator. I add veggies to it, some low-fat feta, and that way I always have something to eat when I'm hungry, that's low-cal and healthy.

Filling out the food journal ahead of time. I fill out breakfast, snack, and lunch first thing in the day (and make adjustments if something changes). Then I see how many calories are left, and I can make decisions from that.

Setting mini-goals and and looking at the big picture. Something that I struggle with, is trying hard, thinking about what I eat and the exercise I'm getting, then I only lose a pound. It feels like with how much work and thought and energy I put in, it should be 5 or 10 pounds! I have always gotten discouraged when I see such little weight lost, but I'm trying to remember that it all ads up. I'm setting mini goals to help me feel like I'm reaching my goals more.

This site itself is pretty motivational too. It's great to be able to talk about the issues and feel like other people know exactly what you're going through.

Good luck!!

What are your plans for exercise and eating?

If I could make one suggestion, it's eat clean. Stop eating processed stuff. Check out my food diary. I eat all day but it's all very healthy. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/ElaineKatko

Hi! I'm finding that the only thing that works long term is to eat right. Feel free to look at my diary, it's public. It's not perfect by any stretch but I'm really working on cutting out processed foods, eating more fruits and veggies, getting enough protein and drinking a lot of water.

For me, logging in what I eat and drink has really helped me make better food choices. Knowledge is power! Seeing exactly what I was putting in my body made me think twice about it!