Feeling a little helpless like I can't do this

KrissyMaree987
KrissyMaree987 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 20 in Getting Started
It's not an easy thing to stay on track with your exercise and healthy eating. So I would lo e any friendly tips

Thanks

And good luck everyone

Replies

  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,179 Member
    It's not an easy thing to stay on track with your exercise and healthy eating. So I would lo e any friendly tips

    Thanks

    And good luck everyone
    Thats easy.
    Do 1 meal a day. and do one exercise a day. Just keep track of that, for 1 week.
    then on week2 , do two meals and 1 exercise..

    One you start to make it a habit. then it wont be so hard.

  • KrissyMaree987
    KrissyMaree987 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks for your reply. It means a lot. Tomorrow is a new day. I need to definitely take your advice on the ecercise
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    It's not an easy thing to stay on track with your exercise and healthy eating. So I would lo e any friendly tips

    Thanks

    And good luck everyone
    Thats easy.
    Do 1 meal a day. and do one exercise a day. Just keep track of that, for 1 week.
    then on week2 , do two meals and 1 exercise..

    One you start to make it a habit. then it wont be so hard.

    Interesting?
  • debbysatit
    debbysatit Posts: 125 Member
    I agree with you it is hard, when I really get motivated I start to obsess about when and what I am going to eat. What to buy, what to cook, how many calories, how much of a portion I can have. Oh, then need to exercise and try to drink water. Before you know it I stop, get frustrated with myself. I do like the idea of one meal and one exercise for and week and slowly build up. And I will have to add something and out water because I and out a terrible water drinker.
    Krissy, I also found it is easier to keep coming back and trying again because of having friends who post on there feed or who make comments on my feed.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    The best advice I was given when I started was to remember that you are not making a big change in your life, you are making a series of small changes. Change one thing, make it a habit, add on another, make that one a habit, etc., always building on what you have already changed.

    How you do this depends on you. I had a lot to lose so I started by eating regular meals of nutrient dense foods. I didn't weigh, measure, count, or anything. I wanted to get into the habit of eating regularly and eating better quality foods. Then I started counting calories and logging. Then I started counting macros in addition to calories. Next was to start exercising. I took a water aerobics class 3 x a week. Then I added short walks on the off days. Then I added walks every day, and started going for longer distances. Later, I added in lap swimming.

    @Commander_Keen has the same idea, just a different way of making those small changes. Whatever works for you.
  • Zara11
    Zara11 Posts: 1,247 Member
    one day at a time! find a workout you love. i find my eating is better when i work out consistently. also - keep healthy foods around you, and pre-log your food. maybe get a pinterest account to organize meal ideas.
  • greaseswabber
    greaseswabber Posts: 238 Member
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    It's not an easy thing to stay on track with your exercise and healthy eating. So I would lo e any friendly tips

    Thanks

    And good luck everyone
    Thats easy.
    Do 1 meal a day. and do one exercise a day. Just keep track of that, for 1 week.
    then on week2 , do two meals and 1 exercise..

    One you start to make it a habit. then it wont be so hard.

    Interesting?

    I read that as "log one meal per day....then log two meals per day...until logging/tracking food is more of a habit" Useful advice if someone is completely new to logging and weighing their food.

    OP - if your goal is to lose weight, then meeting your calorie goal is most important. You may not see results right away, but keep at it for at least a month before changing things.

    That being said, I don't think about more than a day or so ahead. At first, it was overwhelming to think about how long I would need to track food and eat at a deficit. So I focused on meeting my goal for the day. That was something manageable that I could accomplish almost every day. And if I messed up or had an intentionally high calorie day because of life, I knew I could get it right the next day. As long as most of my days were at or near my calorie goal then I would be making progress. And that is what has happened.

    Good luck!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Everyones journey is different. You dont really give any details, but plenty of people would benefit from worrying less and doing the basics well. Be patient, determined and consistent.
  • yorkshiregirl67
    yorkshiregirl67 Posts: 14 Member
    I have set myself small goals, exercise for 10 minutes a day 5 days a week, try to cut out potatoes and bread, and log my foods for a month. The idea behind this:I am setting small goals which will create new habits. When logging my foods it shows me what I am currently eating so I can assess what to change. I have changed my lunch and now eat healthier at lunch time but also watch what I eat at other times. This way seems to be helping for me I feel like I am creating new habits and it has been easier than trying to do everything at once. I have reached my exercise goal so I am increasing that this week. My intention is to form new habits before worrying about the weight loss so that it will last and I will not put it all back on once I stop "dieting". I feel better in myself and my clothes fit a bit better after 2 weeks. After a month I intend to weigh my food so I get a correct calorie count and hopefully the weight will move quicker. Use this web site, join a group or 2 on here and get some friends from here. I have friends on here and I post a blog everyday that has helped because I feel I am been held accountable to other people. Good luck and remember new habits take a while to acquire.
  • JoshLibby
    JoshLibby Posts: 214 Member
    I found that if I have some precooked meals in the fridge in case I get lazy helps me stay on track with marcros.

    Also, I watch something that gets me motivated like a speech on YouTube of someone who had done a lot in life or maybe a song that pumps me up.

    The thing that works best is I looking back at a picture of me that I do not like, that helps the most, or looking at my son and knowing not only is this for me but it's for him too.

    The best advice I can give is always feel like you accomplished something mentally or physically, maybe one day you didn't feel good, but went to the gym or exercised regardless, that is a huge mental gain! Instead of going all out try walking to relieve stresses in your life, maybe you need to relax it's OK to slow down once in a while to get some needed recovery time, too many people neglect recovery and are too stressed stress = cortisol and that is not good!

    Exercise is more mental than anything!

    You got this!
  • headwind2015
    headwind2015 Posts: 69 Member
    what specifically are you having trouble with?
  • punkrockgoth
    punkrockgoth Posts: 534 Member
    I dunno. I'm also feeling pretty helpless and useless. I know what I'm doing wrong. I know what all the advice is going to be. I'm not where I started and nowhere near where I want to go, but now I'm just kind of floating with no place to go. I don't fit in with the fat community, I don't fit in with the fir community, so I'm just floating.
  • GalliG1
    GalliG1 Posts: 1 Member
    I cylce to work every day. That's an hour and ten minutes of exercise per day. I then have joined a drop in group for aquafit at my local community center 2 days/ week. You can do it.
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
    I dunno. I'm also feeling pretty helpless and useless. I know what I'm doing wrong. I know what all the advice is going to be. I'm not where I started and nowhere near where I want to go, but now I'm just kind of floating with no place to go. I don't fit in with the fat community, I don't fit in with the fir community, so I'm just floating.

    I actually relate to this a lot. I started at about 300 pounds, and now I'm in a middling range on the heavy side. I'm not thin nor am I terribly fit (with no real plans to be). I end up in this weird place where I don't really belong to a community that was mine for my entire life, and it's really disorienting.

    To both you and the OP, I'd just say: focus on one thing at a time like everyone else has already said. You can't control many things in life, including where you "fit," but you can make small changes and meet your personal goals. I feel like we fit into boxes naturally -- trying to force ourselves the one that we're supposed to fit into leads to a lot of frustration. (Or at least that's how I'm trying to tackle the issue in my life.)
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    I agree. make small changes. you will be more likely to stick with them

    if you can, use the app. I find it easier than getting on a computer and doing it.

    track all your food. hold yourself accountable

    you can do it.
  • smcclaycouffer
    smcclaycouffer Posts: 104 Member
    What works for me is I log my food for the whole day in the morning. All the way to dinner and even dessert. I've noticed if I do that I tend to stay on track better and I know how many calories I've logged for the day and how many I have left.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Start with small changes, as noted above. Make sure your daily calorie allowance is sufficient. Don't be too aggressive in your weight loss goals. Slow and steady is also sustainable.
    Weigh and log your food. If you're having trouble staying within your calorie allotment, check to see that your goals are set well and, if so, check your diary to see where things are going off the rails.
    It takes time to find what works. Keep trying.
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  • ashdawg8790
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
    Like others have said, take it slow. I like to pre-log as much as I can. As for myself, I don't generally love exercising, so I try to find things that keep me active that don't feel like "working out" - basketball, dancing, and boxing for example. I also garden and I've been doing a lot of work on my house. I use fitnessblender.com for my actual "workouts" because they fit my lifestyle. I try to cook a bunch of food up ahead of time to have for at least 2-3 days so I don't have to scramble to find something to eat. Lastly, I've found that looking at my food as a weekly goal, rather than a daily goal, it's easier to accept those days that I've gone waaaaaay over my goal (or waaaaaay under!) - I feel like it's more satisfying to see a weekly deficit than a daily one, but that's just me!! :)
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    i think maybe im a weirdo.
    I LOVE waking up everyday and getting to see what foods i can fit into my day and the portion sizes.
    I love logging everything i eat. :)

    I am like that too. I love crunching numbers and seeing where the pieces fit, so logging and playing with foods to get the right balance of macros and calories each day is right up my alley.


  • momthenurse
    momthenurse Posts: 38 Member
    Great advice!
    earlnabby wrote: »
    The best advice I was given when I started was to remember that you are not making a big change in your life, you are making a series of small changes. Change one thing, make it a habit, add on another, make that one a habit, etc., always building on what you have already changed.

    How you do this depends on you. I had a lot to lose so I started by eating regular meals of nutrient dense foods. I didn't weigh, measure, count, or anything. I wanted to get into the habit of eating regularly and eating better quality foods. Then I started counting calories and logging. Then I started counting macros in addition to calories. Next was to start exercising. I took a water aerobics class 3 x a week. Then I added short walks on the off days. Then I added walks every day, and started going for longer distances. Later, I added in lap swimming.

    @Commander_Keen has the same idea, just a different way of making those small changes. Whatever works for you.

  • momthenurse
    momthenurse Posts: 38 Member
    Great advice!
    earlnabby wrote: »
    The best advice I was given when I started was to remember that you are not making a big change in your life, you are making a series of small changes. Change one thing, make it a habit, add on another, make that one a habit, etc., always building on what you have already changed.

    How you do this depends on you. I had a lot to lose so I started by eating regular meals of nutrient dense foods. I didn't weigh, measure, count, or anything. I wanted to get into the habit of eating regularly and eating better quality foods. Then I started counting calories and logging. Then I started counting macros in addition to calories. Next was to start exercising. I took a water aerobics class 3 x a week. Then I added short walks on the off days. Then I added walks every day, and started going for longer distances. Later, I added in lap swimming.

    @Commander_Keen has the same idea, just a different way of making those small changes. Whatever works for you.

This discussion has been closed.