2016 Adopt a Noob Official MFP Thread

Anyone like to adopt me?? Haha - I'm just starting out, have been logging for a week and lost 4lbs so far.

I am trying to get back to the me of 3 years ago - I have been steadily gaining weight since I moved to London and took a permanent 9-5 desk based job for the first time in my life. I've also struggled with consistently building exercise into the stressful schedule I have now, having in my previous life worked evenings and done gym classes during the day.

I've recently been confirmed as having PCOS, something I have known myself for a number of years. I was able to outrun most of the symptoms by losing weight and getting super fit and healthy last time (I lost quite a bit 5/6 years ago) but it's back with a vengeance and I'm finding it harder this time to stick to the healthy lifestyle I know I need.

I know what works for me is to cut out processed foods, grains and dairy and avoid sugar -somewhat Paleo I guess although not to the letter as I am still eating pulses, and plan to have alcohol now and then.

Would appreciate any tips for the app or support/motivation from pros out there, especially in relation to macros as this is something I'm only just getting my head around!

I am new and looking to be adopted. I am a 43 and deal with anxiety and back and knee pain.i am working with a physical therapist on my back and knee. I need and want to lose 75 pounds and need someone who can help me with nutrition and exercise on a very tight budget. My biggest problem is that there are many foods I do not eat and habits I need to break or fix. If you are willing to take me on......message me.

Nova wrote: »

Welcome to the 2016 Adopt-a-Noob Discussion!

New members

Please review the short paragraphs of the members and feel free to PM them or send a friend request (you should include a little bit about yourself as many members won't accept blank friend request). Hopefully, you will utilize this as a mentoring tool to increase the chances of success.

Keep in mind, that mentors are NOT obligated to accept new members if they do NOT feel it's a good fit... especially if you PM them with a creepy message or their plate is full. 2015 discussion here

[/list]

Reposting as reference given a number of new requests.

I just started today myself !

looking for a friend who knows how to use this app well ... my profile says everything I want to say for now and I am looking for every advantage to make the most out of the years I have left.

I'm looking for a female mentor. I'm 38 and need to lose about 50 pounds. I've been in decent shape most of my life until meeting my husband 6 years ago
Anyone available?

Thanks,
Katrina

kits3n wrote: »

I would really love a mentor. I've been struggling a lot with the urge to binge.

Feel free to add me:) I was a former binge eater of 4 years, it sucks I understand. Here are some general start tips, to help you get your freedom back. Over time we can get you on the road to a healthy relationship with food.

First, admit there was a problem. For three going on four years, I blamed externals, my drive, and my dreams for my actions. Ignoring people in my life hinting at me that I may have a problem, including family, close friends, and girlfriend. I lied to myself, rationalizing it with the mask of a cheat meal. As the punishment for binging increased so did the amount of times I binged. At first once a week, then every couple days, every other, until it consumed my thoughts. At times I would drive to Walmart just to eat it all before coming home. Chances are if you are reading this it is because you are looking for help. Good for you, you are lightyears ahead of where I was!

Second, I learned to love myself for me, as a matter of fact I am still learning how to do this. Today, the emulated physique is seen as happiness. It is published on social media, magazines, and posters as the symbol of happiness. I believed it, I chased it and chased it. I had it for some time and I was still just as miserable. How you look will not make you happy! Now don’t twist those words as an excuse to just let ourselves become overweight. Chances are you will break step 1 which is lying and rationalizing it. We have to learn to accept our imperfections. We all have them and everyone tries to hide them. Here are my flaws (some I can fix, others are what they are):
Relationships: I am aweful. I wrecked a 15 year friendship with a highschool sweetheart, I was selfish and an *kitten*. I can also be abrasive and brutal with little to no compassion. However ever since I shared this personal story, I have gotten better. Although I am by no means finished working on this.
Skin Damage: I never wore sunscreen as a kid. Now I have moles, freckles, and scars. Some I wish weren’t there. Some girls won’t talk to me because of them. I am not “sexy” enough. They aren’t “interested”.

Don’t let your imperfections stop you from loving yourself. You are the only you this world will ever see, embrace yourself. Perhaps the worst thing about this cycle was I hated myself, I hated my life, I did not want to look in the mirror, I thought I was a failure that I would never make it, I contemplated suicide. When I would binge, I would punish myself. Don’t do that we are human, life is meant to be enjoyed. Life is much too short to never treat yourself to what you love to eat whatever that maybe for you. Look yourself in the mirror directly into your eyes saying “I LOVE myself” at least 10 times a day, if not more. P.S. try not to smile when you say this (harder than you think).

Thirdly, there is no such thing as good food, bad food. Placing labels on food, leads us to ban them from our intake. We say, “No, No, No, No, No…” We push for the perfect diet, once we eat this food that does not fall into this neat diet box; we throw our hands up, saying we failed so now is the time to eat everything we can. This leads to punishment. Which leads to more restrictions. This is the vicious cycle we as binge eaters face. I used to believe it myself, that there was clean food and bad food. It simply is this manifested idea. If you ask a vegan, he/she will say animal based foods are not clean. Someone who is a vegetarian will disagree, and say it is just animal products that are not clean. Then a paleo guy runs in screaming about how meat is clean, but grains aren’t. So someone has to be right? They are all wrong. Instead, adopt my grandmother’s wise old adage of “everything in moderation.” AKA IIFYM:)

Fourth, going along the lines of moderation. You can eat whatever you want just not all at once. I believe I heard Layne Norton say this, I believe this, like the 11th commandment, in fact it should be an amendment to the constitution. When I first began to escape cycle, I would eat one “treat” at every meal. Nothing crazy, but it will allow you still get your “fix” but you won’t binge on it. Any action in the right direction gave me more motivation and encouragement to keep improving. The small wins kept snowballing into large victories later that slammed the door on binging. Disclaimer, it is wiser to eat this food item from a plate not from the container. Don’t test your will to fight binging if you do not have too. As the old saying goes, “work smarter, not harder.”

Fifth, no more crazy spreadsheets and tracking of nutrients line item by line item like an accountant. I did not worry about counting calories and the works. I would instead eat (3) meals, breakfast, lunch and supper possibly a snack if I was hungry. I would eat slowly, and as I began to feel fuller I would stop eating. You may be like me and scared that you’ll get fat. Well what is our other choice? We can keep binge eating which is not working, because you wouldn’t be reading this. Or we can reach out and try something new. I need to be conscious of my eating, instead of speed eating (still struggle at times).

Sixth, 180, 190, 160, 225, 200…what number was it going to be today I thought I as I closed my eyes scared to look down at the scale after a night of binging (these were all weights I reached during this cycle). You do not need a scale to help you. It’s about small wins, small wins, they add up trust me; I have been there too. Most people overestimate the damage of a binge. You need to eat in excess of 3500 calories over your normal intake to gain a pound of fat. It is not as bad as we create in our minds. Additionally, when we stand on the scale after a binge our body is bloated, full of food, sodium, and other goodies. This only compounds the guilt feeling.

It is your lucky day! I said six, but here is a seventh tip. So, what about eating at restaurants and parties? Parties were my kryptonite, the amount of food that I saw and I thought I had to eat three people’s worth of everything. What helped me to win at parties was I made this a game in my head (who cares no one else knows..plus now you know I did it). I am very competitive; I hate losing even if it’s go fish with a girlfriend (I will be a terrible father I will never let my kids win). Since eating slower and not getting seconds was a struggle at first. The game I created was to be the last one done eating, and the last one to get seconds. This helped me in many ways, first to help me eat slower I talked with people, this helped to repair the relationships I had damaged in the past, plus I was not over eating (win/win). Which is why I was last to get seconds, so often I would eat so quick that my stomach didn’t even know it was fed until I was already 4-5 plates of heaping food deep.

Make that eight, workout for fun! For so long in this process I trained for results no I do not mean goals; I simply worked out to look good that’s it! It was the complete wrong direction, it made training no fun, I dreaded every gym session, and was having a miserable time. It doesn’t matter if you are into bodybuilding, figure, physique, cross fit, powerlifting, strongman, marathons, etc. just train for fun, train to get better and challenge yourself. For me this was powerlifting.

I'm a MFP noob! 29 year old female trying to lose the 20lbs that creeped up in the last decade. Hates exercise and also hates eating clean, so this should be an interesting journey! The photographer that took my profile picture photoshopped my waistline--I'm determined to be a size that doesn't need any photoshopping. Here goes!

Hey guys, I am an 18 year old college student here. I would really love to have a mentor to give me a clue of what I'm doing. I am trying to lose 20-30 pounds and bulk up. I have no idea when it comes to strength training and fitness. I could also really use motivation and advice. I am willing to put the time and dedication into this. Thank you!

Hey I'm a overweight girl in my 20s I'm 22 and I have always been overweight my while life I tried losing weight before then I moved and I diddnt care nomore I just need help

I am new to the community and am looking to be adopted by a lovely mentor on here. A bit about me I am 27 and have a trouble with losing weight due to the fact I have allergies to wheat, dairy, and eggs as well as thyroid issues. If I could have someone who will help me become a healthier person I would really appreciate it.

I am looking for a mentor. Here is a little about me:

I am 34 years old, single mom, started my journey at 281lbs and I am currently 260lbs. I started off slowly, so that I made lifestyle changes instead of quick dieting. I started by cutting ALL caffeine (coffee, soda, etc) and sugary snacks and drinks. Then, I cut all fried foods. I am now on to the next phase, which is eating 1500 calories or less per day. And, starting today, I am incorporating exercise into my daily routine. I am starting off with resistance bands for 30-40 minutes once per day, and 15 minutes of resistance bands after dinner. I am also going to start water exercises because I am in Florida and it's 90+ degrees and trying to run outside may kill me.

I have Graves Disease (thyroid issues) which are currently at normal levels (yay) and I have insulin resistance (which is why I need to get moving). I plan to reverse the insulin issue without meds, using exercise and lifestyle changes.

I am not entirely sure what I am doing, but I am trying to follow what I can. I am dedicated to losing 95 more pounds and it's okay if it takes me 2 years. I want it to stay off. I could definitely use someone to show me some tricks and give me tips for success.

Semi Noob looking for a mentor
I'm new to MFP however I've used calorie trackers before. I really like MFP though because I can also monitor my macros. I'm a college senior at 5' 3", 145 lbs and hope to get into the airforce and dental school next year!
Fitness wise I actually managed to lose over 10 lbs in a month two years ago, but gained it all back and more. My main goal isn't necessarily aimed at the scale though, I just want to be fit again and I feel like the numbers on the scale will follow! I'm a big fan of HIIT workouts and lifting weights. I hate running, but another main goal of mine is building up my sucky endurance so I'm trying to make running more fun. Started getting back into the game this month and now I'm working out 5 or 6 days a week alternating between HIIT and lifting and then yoga/pilates Sundays
The thing I'm currently struggling with is just meal prep, I feel like I might be eating a lot more than I should even though I'm under my calorie goal so in trying to find a way to prep meals in a college setting!
Thanks!!

Hello there everyone! I would be happy to be a mentor to a few noobs! A bit about myself:

I have been an athlete my whole life, just finished up my senior year of division 2 collegiate volleyball last fall since then I got very serious with my diet and training. I will be attending dental school in the fall but will manage my time so I can still workout. I am 5'2 and currently in a cutting cycle so my calories are restricted which sucks but is necessary.

I follow a macro counting style of dieting because this way if I am really craving something I can eat it and then plan the rest of my day around it. It keeps me sane! I also lift weights 5-6 days a week and do cardio 4-5 days a week depending on my schedule

I've been on here for quite some time so I would love to take a few people under my wing (:

Hello I am new to MFP. I've tried to lose weight several times before but just go back to being unhealthy. This time i know i am ready to do this. I do know i need someone to guide me through things. I have about 100lbs to lose. It's been 2 weeks already and i have been eating healthier. I do have a 3 month old daughter so for exercise i usually go out and walk. I would love to have a mentor that won't judge me. I am a stay at home mom so i have all the time in the world to be healthy. I just need that someone to encourage me even more.

Again, i am very new to all of this. I never payed attention to calories, etc. I know i'm ready to start losing weight