I need help ASAP

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Storytella100
Storytella100 Posts: 141 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys today is my first day on here and my goal is to loose 100 pounds. Right now I'm 379 and I'm a single dad of a son that's 4 years old. I took him to Lego land yesterday and wasn't able to get on any rides with him because I was to big. It's time for a change in my life and it has to happen now. I could really use some help from some passionate motivated people who can get me moving in the right direction. and I'll do my best to do the same for them. I'm not going to give up until I reach me goal. pbdgdzgm0dwp.jpg
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Replies

  • mdashburn
    mdashburn Posts: 5 Member
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    Congrats, first of all. It's going to be a long road, but if you're committed, you can definitely do it.

    Weight loss is all about eating fewer calories than you're expending. 3500 calories of a deficit equals one pound. Start by downloading a diet tracker like MFP and tracking what you eat during the day -- I'd also recommend starting with a walking regimen every day, a half hour or more if you can do it. Start slow, build up your capacity to work out, and keep your diet level and normal. Accuracy in tracking will be a key, since we often snack and think "well, that doesn't count" -- believe me, it does.

    Welcome aboard.
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
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    Hey good for you taking the first step. This could be the big step that changes your life in a huge way. My biggest advice is to be consistent and if you mess up, don't make it be a snow ball effect. Log everything whether you want to or not. I'll send you a FR if you'd like to be friends here.
  • Storytella100
    Storytella100 Posts: 141 Member
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    Wow I never new any of that thank you very much and I am going to do my best to follow what you said cause of I get any bigger who know how much longer I'll be around
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    OP: your son is adorable!

    I suggest investing in a food scale so you can measure everything. It comes in pretty handy. Don't beat yourself up too much when you have a slip up. I'm almost 2 years into this and I still make mistakes along the way. Make sure you are staying properly hydrated, it doesn't have to be just water.

    Good luck :)
  • Storytella100
    Storytella100 Posts: 141 Member
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    Wow thank you everyone for your great words of wisdom. I'm not gonna lie tears came out of my eyes when I wasn't made fun of and people actually cared to encourage me.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    OP, good for you for taking that step. You've gotten some good advice above.

    My biggest advice to you is to make little changes as you go rather than changing everything all at once. Be consistent with your logging, and most of all be patient! It'll take some time, but you'll get there.

    Best of luck to you!
  • Storytella100
    Storytella100 Posts: 141 Member
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    Thank you very much. I'm about to go log my first breakfast meal which is going to be Cheerios and 1% milk I just don't understand the serving size how do you know what one serving sizes or eight serving sizes how do I measure that when I pour my cereal
  • Storytella100
    Storytella100 Posts: 141 Member
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    I'm so confused right now but I got to do something to change my lifestyle and fix my wait
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    PocketAces760 wrote: »
    Thank you very much. I'm about to go log my first breakfast meal which is going to be Cheerios and 1% milk I just don't understand the serving size how do you know what one serving sizes or eight serving sizes how do I measure that when I pour my cereal

    For the milk, use a measuring cup. On the back of the milk, there will be a nutritional label that will say how many ounces or mL a serving is. For the cereal, when you get a food scale, use the scale to measure out the proper serving in grams. Until you get a food scale, you can use a measuring cup. It won't be as accurate, but it will be closer than guessing.
  • gdljjj
    gdljjj Posts: 10 Member
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    The serving size will be listed on the box, so you can weigh it if you have a scale, or measure with a measuring cup. The milk will need to be measured with a measuring cup. Then enter the amounts into mfp and it will show you how many calories you just consumed.

    My suggestion is to remember that you can eat anything at anytime, as long as you stay under your total calories for the day. Don't fall for the gimmicks like pills, starvation mode, etc.

    Also, focusing on protein and fat (vs. carbs) will help you stay fuller longer. So the little pie chart here on the mfp site that has your percentages in it, don't get obsessive, but try to have every day be closeish to those recommended percentages.
  • Tobiwan72
    Tobiwan72 Posts: 1 Member
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    So on your cereal box, it should have a serving size. It is usually like 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup. You can get cheap measuring cups from any store (Grocery/Walmart/Target etc). What I do to make it easier and faster, is pre-measure each serving and put it in a ziplock bag (like the snack or sandwich size). That way in the morning, I just grab a bag out of the box and it is already ready already. It only takes a few minutes to measure out each bag and then you should be set for the whole week.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,712 Member
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    PocketAces760 wrote: »
    Thank you very much. I'm about to go log my first breakfast meal which is going to be Cheerios and 1% milk I just don't understand the serving size how do you know what one serving sizes or eight serving sizes how do I measure that when I pour my cereal

    Do you have measuring cups? Or, do you have smaller sized glasses? Ultimately, you want to get a food scale. You can get one for $20 at Wal-Mart. But, since you are just starting, don't overwhelm yourself. Start with logging your food here, to the best of your ability. Start eating much smaller portion sizes of what you've been eating. Drink a lot of water. Cut down on any sugary drinks like pop and juice.

    We are here to encourage and help, so keep on posting!
  • ladieofthebees
    ladieofthebees Posts: 51 Member
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    Hello!! Welcome to MFP, I started this at Christmas with about 90lbs to lose, I'm about halfway there now, so it does work if you stick with it!!!

    I found this thread to be an awesome help when I got started and I still refer to it:

    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

    Its quite detailed, so set aside some time to read through it, but it should answer a lot of questions about how to count calories.

    Best basic advice that I can give from one beginning to another? Buy a food scale, don't be hard on yourself, and take it a day at a time! Getting friends and building a community on MFP really, really helps too! Add me as a friend if you want :smile:
  • serenity1097
    serenity1097 Posts: 135 Member
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    Congrats on the first step & welcome to the journey :-) Buy a food scale, weigh & log everything that you consume, and make sure you are eating at a deficit. Don't worry if it takes some time to get used to it, I'm a little over 100 days in and I still get frustrated. The thing is to keep at it & don't worry about the missteps along the way, it will be worth it in the end!!!!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,712 Member
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    PocketAces760 wrote: »
    Wow thank you everyone for your great words of wisdom. I'm not gonna lie tears came out of my eyes when I wasn't made fun of and people actually cared to encourage me.[/quote]

    Oh, hell no! From now on you decide that anyone, whether here or in real life, is the kind of person that makes fun of someone else strictly due to their size that that is THEIR deficiency, NOT yours! If someone says something to you, take a breath and say to yourself, "That person must be really miserable. Or maybe they are having a bad day. Too bad they are so small-minded." Then let it go and move on with your day!
  • Zx14chick
    Zx14chick Posts: 255 Member
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    Troutsy wrote: »
    PocketAces760 wrote: »
    Thank you very much. I'm about to go log my first breakfast meal which is going to be Cheerios and 1% milk I just don't understand the serving size how do you know what one serving sizes or eight serving sizes how do I measure that when I pour my cereal

    For the milk, use a measuring cup. On the back of the milk, there will be a nutritional label that will say how many ounces or mL a serving is. For the cereal, when you get a food scale, use the scale to measure out the proper serving in grams. Until you get a food scale, you can use a measuring cup. It won't be as accurate, but it will be closer than guessing.

    Yep ^^^ this! Good for you starting your journey and asking for help - it won't always be easy! I will warn you, you are going to be absolutely shocked when you realize just how small most portions really are. I know I have been surprised. And the suggestion to take it slowly and change one thing at a time could be a key to your success. We get so eager to see results that we aim to do it all at once. We can wind up failing because of that excitement. Welcome to the community and I wish you all the best along the way!
  • yourradimradletshug
    yourradimradletshug Posts: 964 Member
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    Congratulations on being brave enough to take this first step and bravo on being a dad and doing this not only for you but for your son.

    My best advice is take baby steps. Also, do research/ask for help. We have all been new to this before so never be afraid to ask for help. If you don't understand serving sizes, just ask or google it. There are tons of resources out there. Also, a food scale will help. Trust me, it sounded silly to me when I joined but honestly it does make you think about how much you are eating.

    Also, any activity you can get in, do it. Even something as simple as walking around the block. You'll be surprised how little things like that can add up!

    Best of luck! Don't give up!
  • ElisaMicciulli
    ElisaMicciulli Posts: 41 Member
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    A serving of cereal is usually either 3/4 cup or 1 cup. I think Cheerios serving size is 1 cup (28 grams). If you're like me, I can fill up a large bowl twice and eat it and consider that my one serving....but it's not, it's probably more like 7-8 servings. I agree with everyone above. Log what you eat regardless of what it is. You should also take notice if you eat when you are hungry or bored, etc. You really should eat something small every three or four hours as this keeps your metabolism running. If you wait until you are very hungry to eat, you're likely to make bad choices. Also, a big recommendation is to plan the meals for the entire day/week if poosible. Planning is very helpful. Lots of luck!!!! You can do it!
  • moesis
    moesis Posts: 874 Member
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    Welcome to MFP and congrats on taking that first step. You have a long road ahead of you, you will hit bumps along the way; motivation, paleaus, etc. Keep your head up, dig in and keep moving forward.

    My advise, weight only provides a piece of the picture. I suggest you track your body measurements on at least a monthly basis. Here is some information about that:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10059120/body-measurements-water-tracking

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/242532-how-to-measure-inches-for-weight-loss/

    Good luck in your weight loss.

    "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
    Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
    Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    You've gotten some good advice on measuring/weighing/logging. Have you filled out your MFP profile and gotten your calorie recommendation? Starting larger, you are one of the few people who can probably go with a 2 lb/week goal at first, and even at that, you calorie allowance will still be pretty generous. You don't have to overhaul your entire diet right off the bat or aim for too low of calories, just track carefully and stop when you reach your limit. As time goes on, you'll probably learn that certain foods offer more "bang" for the calorie buck and start slowly changing your choices. Remember, you've got a long time to do this :)

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