Your #1 tip for a Noob?

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ditsyblond17
ditsyblond17 Posts: 155 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am ready to change my life.

Can you help me? What are some things you would suggest for a beginner needing to lose a substantial amount of weight? Any cool tricks and tips from experienced weight loss experts?
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Replies

  • anndelaney67
    anndelaney67 Posts: 35 Member
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    i found removing food from my diet gradually.e.g less sugar in coffee and less fizzy drinks more water intake,and i found writing everything i eat and drink down ,you'll be surprised what you do consume ,and it also makes you think do i really want it,and if i want a treat i go for a walk so ive burnt calories to have it,hope some off the tips work.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Stick to the amount of calories MFP gives you and do not try to stay under.
    Log everything.
    Use a food scale, do not estimate, do not use cups for solids, do not trust packages for what a serving is.

  • MissElectricEyeliner
    MissElectricEyeliner Posts: 122 Member
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    The thing that helped me lose 60lbs so far was eating chicken almost every day as my main meal. It's low in calorie and fills me up because I have to feel full. An example is you could have one pack of ramen noodles or an 11.4 oz piece of chicken for 400 calories. It would have took me two packs of noodles (800 calories) to feel full versus the chicken. I've also been drinking more diet soda versus regular to cut calories. When I was in high school about four years ago I was drinking over 1000 calories just in soda alone every day, at this time I didn't understand calories. I've had people tell me not to eat certain things over and over, but I find moderation is key with me. I refuse to go cold turkey on anything as it causes me to relapse and go on a binging spree.
  • britishbeau
    britishbeau Posts: 60 Member
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    dont buy into the pills and quick fixes
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
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    Treat your calorie goal like a budget. Some days may be over, others under, but so long as it balances out at the end of the week, you'll lose weight. You'll find some things are too "expensive" to have all the time and others (veggies, etc.) are very cost effective. Eat what you want, but just keep your budget in mind.

    Otherwise, be calm, weigh your food, and trust in the process.
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
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    1. Be Patient. Many times you will feel like you want the weight to come off at once, just be patient.
    2. Use a food scale and weigh everything you put in your mouth.
    3. Don't deprive yourself of the food you love.
    4. Don't eat to little at the beginning, or you will probably end up binging and gaining the weight back.

    Best of luck. It takes time to lose weight, but I promise you that if you use MFP and don't cheat yourself you will lose it.
  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
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    Don't quit.
  • mw442
    mw442 Posts: 8 Member
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    First two things I did. Stop eating and drinking crap. And get moving. Anything at all to begin with....
  • dinosaurparty
    dinosaurparty Posts: 185 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Motivation is overrated. It's awesome if you actively want to do something, but no one feels that way 100% of the time. Eventually you won't want to stick to your diet or get up and exercise - it happens to literally everyone. I think in that situation it's really tempting to be like 'I don't wanna', and sit back to wait for the Motivation Fairy to come along.

    In reality, that's probably not going to happen. That's how you get complacent and discouraged, and that's so much worse than just not feeling motivated.

    Keep going when it sucks, and soon it won't suck anymore. A bit of discipline is going to be 100% more important to you in the long run.


  • ditsyblond17
    ditsyblond17 Posts: 155 Member
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    Thank you all for the great ideas!!! Motto of the day..."Don't give up!" And take it slow :)
  • kahicky
    kahicky Posts: 11 Member
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    Don't buy into supplements, and all the suger free or low calorie stuff, it always made me feel crapy and bloated, and it was hard on the wallet get most of your nutrition from whole foods. Good luck
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Everything in baby steps.
    Learn to say "no". It's ok to tell others and yourself No.
    Self control and patience
    Learn to don't obsess about the scale.
    Take monthly pics of your progress. It helps with getting to goal.
    Weigh your food. Trust me. You wouldn't believe how much a serving is of some thing...
    Learn to incorporate your calorie limit into every day life. Adjust for it. If you are going on with friends one evening, work out more in the morning or limit what you eat early.
    Don't have too large of a deficient. Slow and steady wins this race and won't make you feel like crap.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    The only 'tip' for weight loss I can give you is this: Eat at a sensible calorie deficit. Track and weigh your food and trust the process. You can do this :)
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    It's two tips really:
    1. find a way of eating which makes maintaining a consistent calorie deficit as easy as possible for you - this may take some experimentation and may well be different from other people
    2. never give up
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Same as it was 18 months ago

    Eat at a calorie defecit across the week
    Move more

    Read the beginners threads

    Ignore all the woo in your head - avoid your next big weight loss idea - don't go from IF to low-carb to the next thing

    focus on calories and calories alone
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
    edited November 2015
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    1. Buy a food scale and measure obssessively
    2. Buy a weighing scale and weigh yourself once a week(or however frequently you want)
    3. Don't go below 1200 calories net a day
    4. Keep coming back to the forums and shouting out for help if you find yourself slipping
    5. Add a lot of friends. You need two types of friends - ones who're similar to you and then those who've been there and done that.
    6. Set mini goals. 10 is a much smaller and a more attainable number than say, 50.
    7. Celebrate mini goal achievements with non food rewards(pedicure, new purse, haircut, new sweater etc)
    8. At the end of the day, it's calories in vs calories out. Don't stress out over your macros right now because it's not that important until you get to low BF%(protein is way more satisfying, in my experience)
    9. Exercise if you feel like it. It'll allow you to eat a bit more and maybe help your depression.
    10. There is no need for supplementing unless your doctor tells you to(I have to take a bunch of supplements unrelated to weight loss because I'm severely deficient)


    I got carried away there! But those are my top 10 tips!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Eat less, move more. How you go about getting there is mostly personal preference, though you need to commit to making it happen.

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  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Decide on a goal that you want to try.....whether it's a certain amount of exercise. ....a certain type.....a certain calorie limit.....whatever.... make a decision and GIVE IT TIME. nothing works overnight
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    ditsyblond17 wrote: »
    I am ready to change my life.

    Can you help me? What are some things you would suggest for a beginner needing to lose a substantial amount of weight? Any cool tricks and tips from experienced weight loss experts?

    No cool tricks, sorry.. You just have to eat less than you burn.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    Be patient.
    Be consistent.
    Be realistic.
    Don't compare your loss to others.
    Use a food scale.
    Baby steps when it comes to exercise, especially if you haven't exercised in years.
    Lift some heavy *kitten* weights.

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