Advice before I start

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claire76marie
claire76marie Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so the new me starts on Monday am currently getting myself into gear ...I have read that to see a difference it a good idea to measure yourself ...which bits do I measure...I'm guessing boobs ,waist ( if I do d it ) , thighs..am I right in this ..I've taken the picture of the before ,the exercise bike is here ,the healthy shopping is ordered and most importantly I'm ready ...thanks in advance
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  • danhib
    danhib Posts: 290 Member
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    Best advice I can give you is have a good breakfast even if you don't like breakfast like me lol. I normally go for oats or eggs on toast. You will eat a lot less throughout the day if you just do that. Best of luck to you!
  • kendahlj
    kendahlj Posts: 243 Member
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    How bad do you want it? The key to your success is staying motivated. Don't start unless you're seriously dedicated or you'll fail. But...you can do it!! Just don't get discouraged. It's tough...
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
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    A good attitude towards it all is a must, as soon as you start to dislike doing things (clean eating/exercising/logging) you'll start finding reasons to avoid doing it, and justifying those reasons! If something isn't working for you instead of going down the avoiding spiral, address it head on and change it for something else (ie at first you planned to get up and do a work out DVD every morning but it's killing you, try yoga instead or moving your sessions completely).

    Good luck :heart:
  • Tricia7188
    Tricia7188 Posts: 135 Member
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    Make this YOUR journey, if it works for you and keeps you in a calorie deficit, do it!
    Other thibgs I've learned along the way are:
    As said above a food scale is your friend and ultimately makes it so much easier to be patient with the weight loss process.
    If you know, *for a fact* by logging every bite and sip, that you're in a calorie deficit then it's just a game of consistency and paaaatttiieeeence.
    Patience, patience, patience. #1 lesson I've learned. It reeeeeally helps when that scale won't budge, you just have to wait it out!!

    Don't try to tackle too many new things at once. Took me since Jan of eating well and getting into that habit (weighing, cooking, making meals) and being able to not really stress as much about that to finally start incorporating exercise! I didn't want to have to worry about 2 huge changes as once and risk quitting again.
    Again, its individual, I did that because I previously hated excercise and wanted nothing to do with it haha. For YOU, if you're already used to the occasional work out, great you're ahead of the game!

    Lastly, food!! This was/is huge for me. Don't try to overhaul your current ways. Look at how you eat now, and make small tweaks and adjustments. I used to eat 2-3 of the instant oatmeal packets for breakfast. Those aren't necessarily bad, but they have alot of sugar and I now like to eat more for less calories so cutting the sugar from that was big. Logging showed me how changing to plain oats with some stevia, cinnamon, raisins, apples, etc could save me 100+ calories, which I could then use for eggs or nuts or fruit, etc AND have it be much more filling.
    I told myself when I started this new healthier life I would never eat a food i didn't like just cause I "should" , BUT I'd go out and buy a bunch of veggies I hadn't tried in a while and try cooking them in new different ways. If you like them great!! if not, you experimented and tried!
    (Side note, roasting veggies is the best thing ever, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potato! Yummm haha).
    A huuuuuuge part of how I don't get bored in this, is always finding new healthy recipes to try for making my lunches. And the recipe builder in the app makes it easy to do that. Right now I have a few different meals always ready to go in the freezer and I know exactly what's in them, calories, protein, etc. I like stir-frys, soups, turkey meatballs, taco meats with chicken and ground turkey, chicken and veggies, cooked chopped and pre-portioned chicken breast... the list goes on!!
    Good luck, hope this helped. add me if you want
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    For measurements I would go with standard (which I take every 2wks):
    Chest
    Waist
    Hips
    Thighs
    Biceps
    Neck

    Food scale is a must. You wouldn't believe how bad people are at eyeballing serving size (raises hand).

    Don't drastically change your diet, unless your diet is all junk food. Stick with things you know you will love eating long term. Don't go out and buy expensive "health" food just because it's been labeled a "superfood" (there's really no such thing). You want this to be sustainable for life. Not some "fad" diet where you'll gain it all back once you start eating normally again.

    Try to get adequate protein, carbs and fat. None of them are bad unless you have health issues. No matter what people say. And protein and fat can help you feel full longer which means you won't be snacking all the time because of hunger.

    Be patient. Don't freak out if the scale doesn't budge much or suddenly stalls. Weight loss isn't a straight line. There are lots of ups and downs. And water weight can mask scale loss for days, sometimes weeks (this is why we take measurements).
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    edited June 2016
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    danhib wrote: »
    Best advice I can give you is have a good breakfast even if you don't like breakfast like me lol. I normally go for oats or eggs on toast. You will eat a lot less throughout the day if you just do that. Best of luck to you!

    Not necessarily. One should eat at any time(s) which keeps them on track. My hunger throughout the day is the same whether I eat in the morning or not. If I follow my hunger after having breakfast, I will have eaten too much.
  • chimaerandi
    chimaerandi Posts: 153 Member
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    If you're having trouble, mix up the times and macro level you eat at. I do best with a form of IF--I eat a very small lunch, more like a snack, a very large dinner, and a late night snack. This works best for me. Some people do best on 3 evenly spaced evenly caloric meals. Don't be afraid to try new approaches to control hunger!
  • dmariet116
    dmariet116 Posts: 530 Member
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    Keep it simple to start. Weigh and log every bite. Don't worry too much about when you eat or what you eat. Just stay at your daily calorie goal. After a few months, then you can tweak your diet more. Notice which foods satisfy your hunger and which ones leave you hungry an hour later. Take notes as this will be the key! Good luck!
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
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    Here is my story--http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10373426/how-making-choices-has-helped-me-lose-over-80-pounds/p1
  • bmayes2014
    bmayes2014 Posts: 232 Member
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    Log calories, weigh food, find some type of exercise you enjoy! Educate yourself about the process!!!! Come on MFP to log and read and to see success stories. #1 thing: be in it for the long haul. This is about being healthy and reaching your goals for weight loss and fitness for the rest of your life. All the best
  • zoink66
    zoink66 Posts: 116 Member
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    Why are you waiting till Monday?

    Maybe start right now if you're really serious about it.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
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    danhib wrote: »
    Best advice I can give you is have a good breakfast even if you don't like breakfast like me lol. I normally go for oats or eggs on toast. You will eat a lot less throughout the day if you just do that. Best of luck to you!

    I find that having breakfast makes me ravenous all day long! If you are a breakfast person, by all means have at it, but don't force yourself.
  • claire76marie
    claire76marie Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks one and all ... :)

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