I just feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
thefitcouchpotato
Posts: 10
So, I need some advice, I've been on MFP for a while but have never really committed myself. I've decided it's time to commit to losing the weight, but I feel so overwhelmed, where do I even start? I've lost weight before, but that was in high school and now I'm living on my own, dealing with the stresses of being an adult.
Any tips or anything are much appreciated? I've been trying to drink more water, eat more fruits and veggies and I joined a gym, but I have yet to go because I'm scared senseless of it.
Thank you!
Any tips or anything are much appreciated? I've been trying to drink more water, eat more fruits and veggies and I joined a gym, but I have yet to go because I'm scared senseless of it.
Thank you!
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Replies
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You need to get into that gym. You have all kinds of anxieties that probably aren't as worrisome as you think. Pick a day, plan on it, and demystify that gym. Ask questions at the desk. Look for friendly faces. I spent all summer telling myself that I was "going to start swimming" without ever setting foot at the rec center. When I finally got fed up with my procrastination and excuses, it was no big deal and I've met some helpful and friendly swimmers. You can do this. Other people have. Why not you?0
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It does seem that your anxiety is getting the best with you. I've been an adult for quite a while now, but I don't remember being that stressed about moving into my first apartment. It was wonderful freedom, if I recall. And what really is scary about a gym. Really, people are there for themselves; no one will even notice you doing your own thing. Relax!0
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Weight loss is mostly diet. Enter your stats and set your goal at 1 pound per week, and MFP will give you your calorie goal. Try to eat as close to that goal as you can, not too much under or over. And move more. If you need to, keep it as basic as that!
Other basic things to remember: Log everything you eat and drink, no exceptions. It is the only way to know for sure where you stand. To log accurately, weigh and measure, don't eyeball or trust serving sizes. Don't get too caught up in food rules! What matters for weight loss is being in a calorie deficit: more cals burned than eaten. Good luck!0 -
Add me & message me. I know what it's like to be too stressed out & overwhelmed to even start the weight loss journey. I can help you tons!0
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I definitely know what it feels like to be overwhelmed. I have found that the best way for me to succeed is to pick ONE thing -- JUST ONE -- and start with that.
So, maybe it's calling your gym and scheduling a tour. You don't have to start going yet, just take the tour.
After that, maybe it's focusing on working your way up to eight glasses of water. Add a cup every couple of days until you're consistently drinking eight.
Once that's easy breezy, do the same ramp up with your freggies.
Bottom line, trying to change all your habits at the same time doesn't work for everyone and can lead to feelings of failure, so just pick one. While we're all eager to reach our goals, this isn't actually a race, so you can take it slow and build towards success.
Good luck!
C.0 -
I started by adjusting my calories without worrying about macros/healthiness and I didn't exercise. When I got that right I started worrying about macros and eating healthy. Now I've started c25k (running) and soon strength training.
So start with your diet (fastest results) and only that.
Also living alone is an advantage because you can choose what/when to eat, what to have and not to have at home and it's easier to weigh your food when you are cooking for one.0 -
If the gym scares you just forget about it for now. Once you feel like you've done a few things right you will feel more confident0
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Baby steps helped me. My first step was to start planning and pre-logging a day ahead, so I could alleviate the stress of logging on the go. Then after a few weeks I started looking more closely at my cals and healthier food choices. A few weeks later I started working on my macros some, although I admit they are still a struggle for me. And I got a Fitbit to help me keep moving, even it's just pacing up and down the house.
Also, I found out at my doctor's office that there's a free wellness program in our area that hooked me up with a nurse to track my bp and weight, and a nutrition coach who checked my food diary to see if she could offer any suggestions. They have both been very positive people to have on my team. :^)0 -
I agree with the above posters who said to pick ONE thing at a time and change it. Don't go into a crazy lettuce-and-celery-only frenzy! Slow, gradual changes are the best way to slowly overhaul the way you are used to eating and turn it towards a healthier way of eating.
It is the same with exercise; you don't need to become a gym rat right away to get in a bit of a workout! You can start by something super simple, like for example: "Every morning after I wake up, I will do TEN jumping jacks. No more, no less. TEN." <--- Then stick to that until it's a routine, then take it further! Best of luck!0 -
I definitely know what it feels like to be overwhelmed. I have found that the best way for me to succeed is to pick ONE thing -- JUST ONE -- and start with that.
So, maybe it's calling your gym and scheduling a tour. You don't have to start going yet, just take the tour.
After that, maybe it's focusing on working your way up to eight glasses of water. Add a cup every couple of days until you're consistently drinking eight.
Once that's easy breezy, do the same ramp up with your freggies.
Bottom line, trying to change all your habits at the same time doesn't work for everyone and can lead to feelings of failure, so just pick one. While we're all eager to reach our goals, this isn't actually a race, so you can take it slow and build towards success.
Good luck!
C.
Very sound advice ^^^0 -
I honestly believe this is why people struggle with weight. You realize things have gotten out of control and there's so much information out there and so much stuff you supposedly "have" to do to lose weight. The truth is, you can make it very simple. As others have said, set small goals aka baby steps. Make a list of the things you want to change and maybe even order them by priority if you'd like and work on one thing at a time. Whether it takes you days or weeks to master each step doesn't matter. Be patient with yourself, it will come in time.
Start with the basics. IMHO, getting used to logging can be tough in and of itself if you're not used to it so just write down your food consistently for a while. I think once you start doing that, being mindful of choices just naturally follows. You've already started eating better and can continue on from there as you learn about healthier eating.
Then I think the next goal should be to get to that gym...you're just flat out wasting money that you could probably spend on something much more practical if you think about it. As someone else said, if you haven't had the tour yet, start there. Don't let them pressure you into signing up with a trainer unless you want to. Start simple, pick a machine you're most comfortable with or join a class that looks fun and just do that for a while. If there's another machine/class you're interested in, ask the staff to give you a quick run down of it or ask someone else there who uses it a lot. And trust me, no one really cares about how you look working out - all of those worries are just in your head. Even the really fit people had to start somewhere!
Best of luck!0 -
thefitcouchpotato wrote: »So, I need some advice, I've been on MFP for a while but have never really committed myself. I've decided it's time to commit to losing the weight, but I feel so overwhelmed, where do I even start? I've lost weight before, but that was in high school and now I'm living on my own, dealing with the stresses of being an adult.
Any tips or anything are much appreciated? I've been trying to drink more water, eat more fruits and veggies and I joined a gym, but I have yet to go because I'm scared senseless of it.
Thank you!
Wanting to start is step one - Good job! Step two is figuring out your BMR so that you can get a calculation of how many calories you should eat at a maximum. MFP does this for you when you set a goal. Next, and most importantly, log food - accurately. You need to log what you're eating, and you need to be accurate and honest about it.
Yes, exercise is great, but it's not a necessity. You can lose weight by simply eating within you calorie limit. I haven't gone to the gym once since starting thirty days ago, and I am dropping a lot of weight just by staying under my calorie intake for each day.
Here is a great article about calories and losing weight;
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/eating-back-calories-burned/
And since you're bound to hear people telling you that if you eat too little that you'll go into starvation mode, here is another great article regarding that myth;
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
Best of luck to you!0 -
All great advice above.. I would only add start making small changes, one at a time and before you know it they become second nature.. For example.. I started cutting my sweet beverages out... now it is second nature, I now love the way I feel after drinking water and if I need a little taste I add lemon, or Crystal Light... they have some awesome flavors
YOU can do it...0 -
All great advice. I'd just let my inner cheapskate come out and add one thing: Girl, do not pay for a gym and then NOT GO. If you pay 'em, make 'em earn it.
At least use the machines. They're easy. Get a trainer to show you once how to do it -- which is the trainer's job, they HAVE to do that and you're already paying them for that -- and then the machines won't seem so blasted intimidating (which they do at first) and you'll barely have to work hard at all. Just sit there and push. Weight machines are a great workout for couch potatoes. I should know, LOL; I'm a very dedicated couch potato.
Otherwise, save the money. You can still lose weight eating in your calorie target.
But none of this stuff is intimidating after you're used to it. Including adult life. Welcome to the club; we've all been there0 -
You've gotten excellent advice so far: babysteps, one new thing at a time, you don't need to exercise to lose weight but it's great for fitness. I'll add a couple of things:
Start by just logging what you're eating right now. It's that simple. Get used to entering every single thing you eat or drink into MFP. Don't necessarily worry about eating the right things, just eat normally. I think you'll be very surprised by how many calories are in the foods you eat on a regular basis. You'll also start to see where you can make some very easy changes that will have a big impact. A 20 ounce bottle of Coca-Cola has 240 calories. If you drank a big glass of water instead of one of those every day you'd drop about 1/2 pound per week just from that change alone! After you've made your first change a habit (a week or so) pick something else to change.
Buy a food scale if you don't own one and make sure you have a good set of measuring cups. Get into the habit of weighing solid foods, and even some liquid ones, before you eat them. It's very difficult to accurately eyeball food portions. What you think is 4 ounces of chicken might actually be 6 or 8 ounces. A tablespoon of peanut butter is not as much as you might think. This will be another big eye-opener. For whole foods, look for entries in MFP that do not have an asterisk because they are from the USDA database, not entered by another user.
Underestimate your calorie burns from exercise and overestimate food portions when you aren't absolutely positive. Fudging amounts and choosing the food entry with the smallest amount of calories only hurts you in the end.
You don't need a gym membership to lose weight. If you can't get yourself to go, stop paying for it if you can. If you're locked in, then get in there and use the treadmill or elliptical trainer at the very least. I'd suggest strength training over cardio, though. When you lose weight you lose muscle along with the fat and water. Less muscle means a slower metabolism so you really want to try to maintain your current lean muscle mass. The weight machines are very simple to use. Sit down and try it at the lowest weight. If it's too easy try the next weight up until you can only do one or two movements on it. Then go back to the weight level before that one and do it as many times as you can without failing (reps). Wait a minute and do that same number of reps. Wait one more minute and do the same number again. You've now done 3 sets of X reps. Move on to the next machine and repeat. The next time you go in, see if you can do one more rep at the weights you used the last time. When you can do 8 reps for 3 sets without failing and with good form bump up to the next weight and start over.
Cardio is great for overall fitness and gives you more calories to eat. I personally run 3 or 4 days each week and lift weights on the days between. If you don't like running (I didn't before I really got into it), find a cardio exercise that suits you. Make it something you enjoy at least a little.
So, that ended up being a lot longer than I'd planned. The main point is, take it slow, add new things one at a time, and try to make your changes sustainable for the long haul.0 -
Weight loss is mostly diet. Enter your stats and set your goal at 1 pound per week, and MFP will give you your calorie goal. Try to eat as close to that goal as you can, not too much under or over. And move more. If you need to, keep it as basic as that!
Other basic things to remember: Log everything you eat and drink, no exceptions. It is the only way to know for sure where you stand. To log accurately, weigh and measure, don't eyeball or trust serving sizes. Don't get too caught up in food rules! What matters for weight loss is being in a calorie deficit: more cals burned than eaten. Good luck!
+1
Loosley speaking;
80% of losing weight and keeping it off is through diet alone. Make sure you are eating fewer calories than you're burning and you will lose the weight.
20% is exercise. I find exercise goes hand in hand with diet for a number of reasons a) it is an obvious commitment to a better lifestyle b) you get to eat back your exercise calories, providing you log them accurately c) it will improve your overall health d) you are less likely to have that chocolate bar if you know you have to run for an hour to burn half of it off etc etc etc.
Don't ask yourself how, just do it. Small changes everyday.
Eat more fruit. Eat more veg. Drink more water. But eat fewer calories overall or its all in vain.
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thefoodaddict wrote: »Add me & message me. I know what it's like to be too stressed out & overwhelmed to even start the weight loss journey. I can help you tons!
Same here, I am more than willing to help too. You are more than welcome to add me, I love new friends and am always happy to be supportive.0 -
You don't *need* to join a gym. I've always been someone who enjoys just walking and that alone does the trick for me. I also recently realized that my body type *shouldn't* be pushing myself too hard, which was awesome news.
Back to your situation. I wholeheartedly agree that we should do things in babysteps. Otherwise, you'll feel that the goal isn't reachable and give up.
It's awesome that you are starting w/water & more fruits and veggies. That will lead you to wanting to make better decisions elsewhere with your diet. Slow, steady and strong. Maybe just stick w/your suggested calories, *then* see what exercises work for you, etc. Scheduling things also can help, as someone else said.
Best of luck.0 -
I had a gym membership that went unused too, until I came to the realization that we were all there for the same reason! If someone has something negative to say, they obviously have something they're insecure about!
To start, simply log. It sounds too easy, but thats all it is. Once you feel comfortable, add a workout, walk, get moving. I have a fitbit too, and it has definitely helped!!
Feel free to add me, I love to motivate, and could always use more!!!0 -
misskittyninja wrote: »I agree with SO many posters. You need to really take baby steps. Start with logging everything you eat and staying under your goal.
I concur. When I started, I actually spent a month just logging all my food (I set my goal to something like 9000 calories so I wouldn't be bothered by how much I ate) and tracking my weight each morning, to build a habit, before I made any other changes. As a bonus, it also let me know what my actual maintenance calories were -- instead of blindly following a guesstimate spit out from an online calculator's formula, I knew with complete confidence exactly how many calories I needed per day.0
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