I need help

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jacintovillarreal77
jacintovillarreal77 Posts: 4 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I just don't know where to start I wanna lose weight but I don't know what I should be doing at the gym I'm 390 pounds I've gained 140 pounds

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  • dmgday
    dmgday Posts: 17 Member
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    Hey....you have taken the first step..what do you enjoy doing? I like exercise that is fun...so I take dance classes and I love hiking. You want to enjoy it or its going to feel like a chore
  • kenziebarney300
    kenziebarney300 Posts: 8 Member
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    Loosing weight is 70% diet and 30% excerise. I think focusing on your food intake is more important in the beginning then going to the gym. You should find fun activities that you enjoy like @dmgday mentioned above. Don't stress, just take it one day at a time! You got this girl
  • kelseyavaughan
    kelseyavaughan Posts: 21 Member
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    Start by coming up with a meal plan that works for you! Go online and find recipes for things you'd love to try. If you're excited about the food you cook you'll be more motivated to try new things. Then make a grocery list of all the healthy things you need and want to try. Getting started is hard but you'll be able to stay motivated once you get into a habit!
  • dmgday
    dmgday Posts: 17 Member
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    kenziebarney300 wrote: »
    Loosing weight is 70% diet and 30% excerise. I think focusing on your food intake is more important in the beginning then going to the gym. You should find fun activities that you enjoy like @dmgday mentioned above. Don't stress, just take it one day at a time! You got this girl

    Exactly you can't out train a poor diet
  • dmgday
    dmgday Posts: 17 Member
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    kelseyavaughan wrote: »
    Start by coming up with a meal plan that works for you! Go online and find recipes for things you'd love to try. If you're excited about the food you cook you'll be more motivated to try new things. Then make a grocery list of all the healthy things you need and want to try. Getting started is hard but you'll be able to stay motivated once you get into a habit!

    I love finding recipes on pinterest that will keep my family satisfied but is healthy too
  • laydeetea02119
    laydeetea02119 Posts: 2 Member
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    I would love to join you in this journey!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    Start small. Don't try to change everything all at once. Try different types of exercises until you find something you enjoy. Plug your numbers into MFP and, for now, focus only on eating the number it tells you. Everything else you can tweak and figure out as you go.
  • jacintovillarreal77
    jacintovillarreal77 Posts: 4 Member
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    dmgday wrote: »
    Hey....you have taken the first step..what do you enjoy doing? I like exercise that is fun...so I take dance classes and I love hiking. You want to enjoy it or its going to feel like a chore

    Well I would do anything I would dance run walk whatever I need to do to get this gut down I tell my girlfriend that we should go do some kind of class because our gym has that
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Welcome to MFP @jacintovillarreal77. As another poster on here stated most of weight loss is about diet. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week because I like it...but my weight loss is very slow and at times nonexistent because I struggle to master the eating side of diet.

    My best advice is to take this weekend to really just log everything you eat. Make sure you weigh and measure your portions to get an idea of how much you are actually eating. I have to do this with some foods even after 2 years of logging my food since I can make 2 cups of rice fit in a one cup measure. I wouldn't even worry about trying to eat lower calorie for this weekend. First, get a handle on what and how much you are eating. It can be eye opening. Then start with a strategy for next week. Maybe pre-cook some foods that you can fall back on for meals.

    Make sure you have good choices available in the house. I fail the most often when I've neglected my grocery trip. Were it me, I'd (and I wish I had done this originally) I'd make eating at the calorie goal MFP sets my only concern for the next month or so. Once you get this down it becomes easier to add in exercise. Exercise is not necessary for weight loss, but it does help and makes you feel better.

    Get some friends with open food diaries so you can peep what other people eat for ideas. Don't over think it. There is no need to cut out whole food groups or the occasional (daily) treat. Just eat to the calorie limit set by MFP. I promise the weight will start to drop off if there isn't some medical reason.

    Good Luck. You can do this.
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
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    Walk for exercise and walk away from large portion sizes. Eat less of normal foods. Get in the habit of logging every bite, (sometimes that alone will keep you from eating too much).
  • Arathels
    Arathels Posts: 6,883 Member
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    Good for you! I'd start by walking on the treadmill or outdoors :)
    Be sure to get good shoes, you'll need them. Don't just stop eating like you're used to, you've gotta change what you're used to eating in small portion.

    Start by cutting out all sodas with water or black coffee/green tea if you're getting your caffeine fix from sodas.
    When you're not craving sodas anymore, cut out candy, crisps and stuff like that. If you feel like eating candy, have a nut mix or a dried fruit or something like that.
    When you feel good about you're lowered sugar intake you can start working on eliminating stuff like bread and junk food and so on.

    You're aiming to change you're lifestyle so that you won't quit your diet and gain all the weight you lost back. Lifestyle changes happen over time and you have to give your self time to correct the unhealthy lifestyle you've been maintaining.

    It won't happen overnight and it won't be easy but if I could do it, then so can you!!! :D
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    I weighed ~530lbs when I started, and I felt kinda lost too... I thought, there was no way I could change. So I decided to choose some very easy focus goals. All dietary to start.
    My first two goals were to make at least 70% of my diet compromised of foods that had at least 3g of fiber per 100 calories, and to get 100oz or more of water a day. I didn't focus on cutting calories or anything in the first couple weeks... I focused on being more *conscious*

    And you know what? After a couple weeks of conscious shopping, I realized that the foods I reached for weren't very fiber-rich, and that usually goes hand-in-hand with low nutrient density. As I paid more attention to fiber, I became more aware of my calories and other things like sodium... after all, it's hard to miss it when you force yourself to look at every label! I started wanting to move more, because I had a little more energy and slept just that little bit better. I didn't jump feet first. I didn't do all these cutting of candies and chips and all this... It felt too daunting and too much... but as my choices overall got better, and my energy and such improved, I found myself losing weight, even while eating the chocolate and chips and having a fast food burger here and there.

    I found myself, without effort, eating less of the "bad" and more of the good. It made the next steps easier, as I started walking more, engaging more here on MFP, and finding the habits that worked for me. I relied on the partnership with my physician to set my dietary goals. No one on here can tell you what will be good for you and what won't be. You don't have to aggressively cut out the things you love, unless you have a specific dictation from your physician to do so, or want to follow a specific plan. Make your initial goals simple and master them, set your expectations modestly, and don't think about the 140lbs... Think about the next 5lbs. Celebrate the little victories.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    Have you hit bottom? What I mean is have you truly decided that this it it, you want to lose weight? It is not always clear, for me, I had a mental "snap" that allowed me to focus and dedicate myself to follow the plan. If so, use MFP. Familiarize yourself with all the website tools and features and use them all. Build your profile, set a weight goal, set a weight loss rate goal, log on and use the diary EVERY DAMN DAY. Manage your net calories (that means log exercise and include calories burned from exercise in your available caloric intake). Walk alot. Find a way to make exercise part of your daily regimen (notice I chose the word regimen--from the latin regere or "to rule". AKA, self-discipline). I have found interesting podcasts that make long walks very enjoyable. Take "before" pictures and measurement now while you are here. Later, when you are thinner you will be so surprised at the difference and you will thank me for suggesting it. Go forth and enjoy the feeling that you now are on the right path.
  • kirstinethornburg
    kirstinethornburg Posts: 300 Member
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    Start by drinking lots of plain water. The recommended amount of water is half your body weight in ounces of water daily.
    For my workouts I combine cardio and strength training. I typically workout at my gym 4 days a week for 78 minutes each day.
    The Elipitical seated bike is my cardio and I do that for 33 minutes each time. The rest of the time is using weight machines.
    Start slowly and gradually work up. Keep a daily food journal either in writting or by using my fitness pal
  • Shane00000
    Shane00000 Posts: 14 Member
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    I would begin by dieting alone. You will loose weight as long as your calories are in a deficit. Set achievable goals. Don't take on too many lifestyle changes at once. Remember that you must learn to crawl before you can run. Hope this helps, add me if you'd like. I was 315 lbs when I began my journey in 2014, so I can tell you from experience what worked for me. Good luck.
  • dianeashley69
    dianeashley69 Posts: 1 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I don't go to the gym. There are plenty of exercises and things that you can do at home. My biggest thing was changing my lifestyle. I love sweet tea! Now I can't even drink without getting a bad migraine. I drink nothing but water, flavor water and Powerade zero cause it has no calories and it will keep u dehydrated too. I weighed 230 and kept losing and gaining weight back. When I started this I was 224. I dropped 10 lbs my first 4 days! Just by cutting out all sugar and all bread. I have slacked here lately with reunions and memorials services. I walk daily from one end of our road to the other. I didn't have the energy to do anything now I do and I'm down 16 lbs and it's still coming off. When u lose 10 lbs go down on your calorie intake daily. I didn't and the scale stop moving. Once I changed my calories it started going down again. I'm bound and determined to be smaller and healthier by my wedding day in September. My girls had gained lots of weight and they are losing more than me. Being able to use this app to record my meals and snacks helps me keep up with my calorie intake. I believe on here it may be another app I have where it shows u exercises to do at home. I haven't used it yet but hopefully soon I can start toning up my body.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
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    enterdanger wrote: »
    ...My best advice is to take this weekend to really just log everything you eat. Make sure you weigh and measure your portions to get an idea of how much you are actually eating. I have to do this with some foods even after 2 years of logging my food since I can make 2 cups of rice fit in a one cup measure. I wouldn't even worry about trying to eat lower calorie for this weekend. First, get a handle on what and how much you are eating. It can be eye opening. Then start with a strategy for next week. Maybe pre-cook some foods that you can fall back on for meals..

    Nailed it like a boss. The MFP will give you a nutritional overview which will give you perspective on what your putting in your body.
  • dmgday
    dmgday Posts: 17 Member
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    jacintovillarreal77 wrote: »
    dmgday wrote: »
    Hey....you have taken the first step..what do you enjoy doing? I like exercise that is fun...so I take dance classes and I love hiking. You want to enjoy it or its going to feel like a chore

    Well I would do anything I would dance run walk whatever I need to do to get this gut down I tell my girlfriend that we should go do some kind of class because our gym has that

    Awesome. I do cize live at our gym and Love it!
  • dmgday
    dmgday Posts: 17 Member
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    dianeashley69 wrote: »
    I don't go to the gym. There are plenty of exercises and things that you can do at home. My biggest thing was changing my lifestyle. I love sweet tea! Now I can't even drink without getting a bad migraine. I drink nothing but water, flavor water and Powerade zero cause it has no calories and it will keep u dehydrated too. I weighed 230 and kept losing and gaining weight back. When I started this I was 224. I dropped 10 lbs my first 4 days! Just by cutting out all sugar and all bread. I have slacked here lately with reunions and memorials services. I walk daily from one end of our road to the other. I didn't have the energy to do anything now I do and I'm down 16 lbs and it's still coming off. When u lose 10 lbs go down on your calorie intake daily. I didn't and the scale stop moving. Once I changed my calories it started going down again. I'm bound and determined to be smaller and healthier by my wedding day in September. My girls had gained lots of weight and they are losing more than me. Being able to use this app to record my meals and snacks helps me keep up with my calorie intake. I believe on here it may be another app I have where it shows u exercises to do at home. I haven't used it yet but hopefully soon I can start toning up my body.

    Good job....and congratulations on your upcoming big day....pinterest has some wonderful beginners exercises. Lifestyle changes are huge...it's amazing how much better you feel when you eat well.

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