If you could give any advice...

Sheseeksstrength
Sheseeksstrength Posts: 138 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
So I am "officially" starting tomorrow. I have let it get a little out of control and I need to readjust my lifestyle. I am excited to start fresh tomorrow with a new outlook and attitude. However, I need some tips and just advice.
What advice would you give someone starting their fitness journey?

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    Don't quit.
  • Equus5374
    Equus5374 Posts: 462 Member
    DO NOT expect miracles. Slow weight loss is permanent weight loss. Don't get frustrated if you don't see any "results" in two or three weeks. Get a food scale and weigh/measure everything; don't just go by package caloric counts. Don't set an overly aggressive weight loss goal initially, that may leave you frustrated. Start with a pound a week and see how that sits with you. Do stay positive, do think long-term lifestyle change, do find some form of exercise you find enjoyable (even a daily walk is just fine!), do read the postings here on MFP, especially the saved ones -- you will learn a lot. Don't starve yourself or feel you have to permanently stay away from certain foods; eat within your caloric budget and you will lose weight. Good luck!!!
  • cjsgrimlin1
    cjsgrimlin1 Posts: 64 Member
    Ask questions.
    Drink Water.
    Little things count.
    ONE DAY AT A TIME.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Start today.
    Get a food scale.
    Perseverance is key. You've got this!
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    Read the most helpful posts.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260537/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
    Have more questions, ask them, knowing that some will give you really helpful answers and others not so much. Lurk in the forums and read about topics that interest you. You will begin to recognize posters who are supportive, informative, and brutally honest.
  • barryplumber
    barryplumber Posts: 401 Member
    Complete your diary daily and leave it open it will make you more accountable. Add a few friends that will offer support. Most of the info above is correct. Food scales are very important to accurately measure your food guessing just don't work.
    I've lost a total of 75 lbs so I figure I must have did something right. Feel free to add me if you like.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    barryplumber wrote: »
    Complete your diary daily and leave it open it will make you more accountable. Add a few friends that will offer support. Most of the info above is correct. Food scales are very important to accurately measure your food guessing just don't work.
    I've lost a total of 75 lbs so I figure I must have did something right. Feel free to add me if you like.

    I'm not so sure about the first sentence. I had to close mine because I was omitting things to make myself look better, so I'm more accountable with it locked. Everything else, yes.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    Sheseeksstrength wrote: »
    What advice would you give someone starting their fitness journey?

    Thanks in advance!

    Assuming you mean fitness as in working out. The first week is going to hurt, it gets easier and after about a month you will realize that you've never had so much energy and felt so good in your life.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Eat right, exercise and get enough sleep!
  • Redonelw
    Redonelw Posts: 4 Member
    edited November 2015
    Getting enough sleep is imperative. It boosts your metabolism, and keeps you energized. Also, watching what you eat is equally, if not more important than exercising. Try a meal plan.

    Good luck!

    [Edited by MFP Staff]
  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
    edited November 2015
    Don't fall for miracle pills like fat burners, garcinia cambogia, green tea extract and other such hooey. If it was that easy we'd all be popping pills and looking like models.

    Don't buy into mlm scams or overpriced supplements like Advocare, Shakeology, Nutrisystem, etc. You can buy little plastic bowls at the dollar store for a lot less than these scams diet plans cost and less expensive, better tasting protein powder than some of these plans offer.

    Don't try every fad diet out there or believe b.s. "documentaries" like "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead".

    Don't think you need to cleanse or detox your body. Your body has been doing it 24/7 since the day you were born. Drinking green glop for 3 weeks and having consistant diarrhea doesn't detox anything.

    Learn who Drs. Oz, Lustig and Hyman are and mock them with glee. Especially Hyman because...Hyman.

    Don't demonize foods. Sugar seems to be the current evil food on the mfp forums. There is nothing wrong with sugar or any other food. Some foods are more nutritious than others but that doesn't mean less nutritious foods are the enemy.

    Don't make it harder than it is!


  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    Don't obsess over the numbers on the scale. Look at the big picture. Rome wasn't built in a day.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    This will sound too elementary, but it's the key for me: pick something like what you'd love to have, but with fewer calories. (Or do smaller portions if that's your particular problem.) But I was amazed by how easy it was to cut like 200 calories off of something and have it still be something I'd love eating just the same.

    It depends on what you've been eating to be overweight, of course, but I had lots of things I either ate simply too much of a day or that had 'extra' calories galore for no payoff. Like skinnier bread slices or light mayo instead of regular. It can make a huge difference once it adds up!
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    There are no shortcuts, magic potions and pills, or one weird trick that will get you results. Consistency of maintaining a sensible level of eating in balance with exercise will work, but it will take time.

  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
    If you do it right it's slow going, full of experimentation, you must do your own research, you must put in the effort and be smart about it. I guarantee you it will take you much longer than you want. You must be prepared to do this for real and for the long-haul. If you don't you're just messing around.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    Keep going - even when you find it difficult - the end results are worth it.
    Be realistic and remember you're human - allow yourself the odd indulgence (logged).
    Do not sacrifice your social life for the sake of 'keeping to plan' - make your plan fit YOUR life.
  • runrascal
    runrascal Posts: 53 Member
    Start little aim big. Too much exercise at the start will have you in pain and giving up. Cutting back too much food all at once might make you rebound binge. If you like to weigh yourself every day then set up a chart that has a trend line function - that way the daily ups and downs won't make you lose heart as the trend line will still show the downward trend.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Start now

    Tomorrow never comes

    Just log - accurately
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    Patience. Seriously, I don't care if you gained, lost, stayed the same, don't quit. Just keep doing what you are doing, more than likely you aren't doing it wrong, you aren't giving it enough time.

    And I know I'm gonna get some slack for this but weight 1x week, in the morning, after bathroom, naked. If you weigh everyday you'll get annoyed by the flucuations and come here complaining it's not working. It's working, you are just annoyed by the fact your body is normal.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Keep things simple. There is no need to go on a overly restrictive, complicated diet with a bunch of rules to follow.
  • JojoInTheForks
    JojoInTheForks Posts: 134 Member
    Take pictures and measurements! It's shocking how your brain works sometimes - and doesn't see any changes. Pictures and measurements will prove it, especially when the scale is not your friend.

    It's cliche, but the best advice I got when I started was: you didn't put it on in a month, so it's not gonna come off in a month. So be patient. 1-2 pounds a week adds up quickly.

    And, most of all, best of luck! Add friends on here, too. They can be your biggest cheerleaders throughout this process!
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
    There will be bad days when you slip up and eat like there's a famine coming, and feel like you've blown it all. But you haven't, you just pick up where you left off the next day and move on.
  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
    edited November 2015
    Don't let what the scale says make or break your day.

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  • H34v3nlySinsx3
    H34v3nlySinsx3 Posts: 65 Member
    My advice: don't wait until tomorrow. Do it now. A lot of people wait until tomorrow and "tomorrow" never comes for them.

    And stick with it. Even if you can get a buddy to walk your journey with you, just someone to keep you accountable, just anything you can do to stay on track and stay focused.

    Good luck!
  • Sheseeksstrength
    Sheseeksstrength Posts: 138 Member
    I am so thankful for all the feedback! Thank you, everyone!
  • samhennings
    samhennings Posts: 441 Member
    Be patient, it takes time

    Be consistent

    Be patient

    Keep it simple, no fads. CICO, exercise if you can/will, eat well but not obsessively

    Be patient

    Recognise the wins on the way, every lbs should be celebrated

    And if I didnt mention, be patient. Its a slow process.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited November 2015
    Sheseeksstrength wrote: »
    Hi,
    So I am "officially" starting tomorrow. I have let it get a little out of control and I need to readjust my lifestyle. I am excited to start fresh tomorrow with a new outlook and attitude. However, I need some tips and just advice.
    What advice would you give someone starting their fitness journey?

    Thanks in advance!

    Set your goals in MFP to lose a desired amount per week, weigh and log your food, stay wihtin your goals.

    The one requirement of weight loss is a calorie deficit, everything outside of that is either doctor's orders or preference.
  • Sheseeksstrength
    Sheseeksstrength Posts: 138 Member
    Thank you for the tips.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    Be patient.

    Be consistent.

    Be accurate.

    Realize that there are ups and downs and that they are normal.

    Realize that this isn't something you do and then it's over, you are changing your life. Weight management is an ongoing endeavor.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Use a digital food scale.
    Log everything.
    Don't let the fluctuations on the scale upset you. Weight loss is not linear.

    For me, exercise has been extremely helpful. I used to be an emotional eater and can now substitute exercise for that for a double win. I have knee issues and am always working around them, but it's possible.

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