I'm really wanting to lose weight but I just don't know where to start.

CaitiCat2016
CaitiCat2016 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I'm new here. I had my child a year ago. Since then I haven't lost any weight except the initial baby weight. I'm a stay at home mom that lives out in the country we have no side walks to go walking or any parks near by. I'm so addicted to chocolate I have to atleast have one a day because I crave it so bad. I just don't even know where to start on losing weight. I feel like I will never look the way I want.. I could really use some tips..

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    To lose weight you have to eat less (less than you burn, less than you do now, less than you expend). You don't have to exercise. You can eat anything you want. If you don't want to eat chocolate every day, just stop eating chocolate every day. Nothing bad will happen, I promise. When you stop eating it often, he cravings will diminish. Who buys the chocolate? If it's you, then don't.
  • barni71
    barni71 Posts: 30 Member
    I would find foods you like to eat and make them fit into your calorie goal for the day so that way you don't feel like you're depriving yourself of anything. You don't need to exercise, I only do it so I can eat a bit more but I don't do a lot. My main exercise is using a stationary bike - I usually put a half hr/40 minute tv programme on and watch that while I cycle, makes the time pass quicker too.
    Good luck with your weight loss journey.
  • CaitiCat2016
    CaitiCat2016 Posts: 10 Member
    So I can eat anything I want as long as it fits into my calorie intake? Will I really lose weight that way?
    Thank you for all the tips.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    If you don't want to be flabby and weak after you lose weight, exercise is necessary.
  • CaitiCat2016
    CaitiCat2016 Posts: 10 Member
    edited November 2016
    I have a very big yard its kind of bumpy and has fire ants but will walking around 2 acres a couple times a day with a stroller help anything?
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Check youtube...there are many walk in place videos that you can do inside.

    I use them when the weather doesn't cooperate...too hot/cold/rainy.

    Also on youtube google "baby and me workout routines".
  • barni71
    barni71 Posts: 30 Member
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    So I can eat anything I want as long as it fits into my calorie intake? Will I really lose weight that way?
    Thank you for all the tips.

    Yes, I eat pizza, chips (fries), crisps (chips), waffles, pasta etc and manage to fit it all in my calorie goal, it's just not huge portions. Also manage two bottles of wine and a family size bar of chocolate at the weekend and have lost 20 lbs since Jun 1st. I cycle for about 30 mins 3 times a week and I walk a mile 5 days a week (work and back).
  • PuppetPrincess
    PuppetPrincess Posts: 22 Member
    What kind of chocolate do you eat? Super dark chocolate is actually good for you and has been found to curb the appetite. By super dark I mean 75% cocoa or higher. The higher the cocoa percentage, the lower the sugar content. Which is rather bitter of you are used to milk chocolate. However, letting a very small piece of dark chocolate melt on my tongue tends to satisfy cravings for sweets immediately.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Also...

    I like...I mean really like cheese crackers. I can eat the whole box in one sitting.

    What I have discovered...I won't die if I don't get to eat any one day or even for a week.

    What will happen if you give up your chocolate for one day???
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    So I can eat anything I want as long as it fits into my calorie intake?
    Yes.
    Will I really lose weight that way?
    Yes.
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    I have a very big yard its kind of bumpy and has fire ants but will walking around 2 acres a couple times a day with a stroller help anything?
    Anything that increases your heartrate will help you lose weight. If you do it often, it will have an impact.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    Best place to start .....Just do it. Your an adult you know that eating smaller portions and cutting back on snacks and moving more is how you start. Just do it.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    I have a very big yard its kind of bumpy and has fire ants but will walking around 2 acres a couple times a day with a stroller help anything?

    Please dont take your kid near fire ants O_O
  • CaitiCat2016
    CaitiCat2016 Posts: 10 Member
    In a stroller. It is winter now so they are dead. That's what you have to deal with in the country. I would never let my son play in that he has his own outdoor play area away from them.
  • kam3190
    kam3190 Posts: 157 Member
    You can eat anything you want. I try to eat my yummys. I have at least one sweet treat a day. but I try to experiment and find things I also like that are less calorie dense as well. So instaed of a burger with a large fry and coke. I eat the burger and some cucumber ( I love em) and about 5 fries. I think a good tip for you ould be to get some friends and look at what they are eating. You can see they logged that ice cream sandwhich, or bag of chips and still stayed with calorie goals. ALl you have to do is log your food daily and stay within the goal MFP gives you. Anything extra is a bonus
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    So I can eat anything I want as long as it fits into my calorie intake? Will I really lose weight that way?
    Thank you for all the tips.

    Yep, weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance comes down to calorie intake. No need to make drastic and unsustainable changes to the kinds of foods you eat, you just need to learn how to eat them within your calorie goal. This is where measuring out portion sizes on a scale, set to grams, and a bit of pre-planning goes a long way. Then you can enjoy your chocolate, knowing that you're still hitting your calorie target :)
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    I have a very big yard its kind of bumpy and has fire ants but will walking around 2 acres a couple times a day with a stroller help anything?

    Please dont take your kid near fire ants O_O

    F those ants!! Death to fire ants!! Yes, I take a 20 minute walk on my lunch break. A little bit of exercise is better then no exercise.
  • ekim2016
    ekim2016 Posts: 1,199 Member
    just stay under your caloric ceiling per day.. no cheating... stay the course. I lost 40 pounds since I started here May 17. I made a choice and it boils down to choices. I choose to control what I put in my mouth. Simple for me now that I made that choice. Good luck... if I can do it, you can do it....
  • akmomof7
    akmomof7 Posts: 162 Member
    I am a stay at home mom too, to my 3 year old and 14 month old twins. I sneak in exercise while the twins nap. I do my treadmill, or an exercise video, or today I walked up and down my stairs (stair walking is part of a challenge for this week in a group I am a part of in the challenge board). Monday it was warmer out (right around zero, today is -19) so I took advantage and dragged the twins around the yard in their sleds chasing the 3 year old. Every little bit helps! Join a challenge here, there are some great groups who will encourage and push you to stay active! I'm very close to my 140 pound goal now. I have lost 25 pounds since August.
  • melaniedscott
    melaniedscott Posts: 1,453 Member
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    I have a very big yard its kind of bumpy and has fire ants but will walking around 2 acres a couple times a day with a stroller help anything?

    Ants hate cinnamon. You might dump a little here and there where you really want them gone from...or get some oil and paint it around the edges of your shoes...let it dry. You won't smell it but they will. Will need to be refreshed every so often.

    Is there any way you can level part of it? Borrow a roller thing or get fill dirt to tamp down? Be carefull of fill dirt, though, I have found screws, nails and broken pottery on occasion.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    A good rule for losing is to pick a reasonable goal (1 lb a week is plenty, less if you have less than 20 lbs to lose), try to get your 5 daily servings of fruit and veggies, and meet your protein and fat goals.

    Personally though, I can't spend more than 20% of my daily calories on non filling foods, or I get too hungry (that includes bread, chocolate, cookies, etc). But once you start logging your food and realize what fills you the most for the calories, you can make better choices so you don't get too hungry.

    For weight loss though, calories is all that matters, BUT you'll never stick to it if you're hungry all the time, so eating a good amount of protein, fat, and fiber, is necessary IMO (for me 40% carbs 30% fat and 30% protein was a good balance when losing).
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    edited December 2016
    lorrpb wrote: »
    If you don't want to be flabby and weak after you lose weight, exercise is necessary.

    its these types of comments that bother me , its like if you dont exercise dont even bother losing weight .

    good luck
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,740 Member
    You might try Leslie Sansome videos - it's walking + knee lifts +sidesteps and kicks. Or just put on good music and dance. Exercise may not be required for weight loss, but it will make you healthier and more fit and will help keep the weight off after you lose it.
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
    You asked where to start. My advice: Begin by buying a digital food scale and start weighing and measuring all of your food - every last morsel, including the chocolate, - and track your calories in MyFitnessPal. That's the starting point. Because you cannot set and reach weight loss goals if you do not know how much food you are really consuming.

    Where the vast majority of weight loss failures happen is with inaccurate calorie logging. You have to know how many calories you are consuming.

    Next: Use a TDEE calculator to figure out how many calories per day you burn. Do not factor in exercise here (set it to sedentary); you just want to get a baseline for how many calories you would burn if you were just sitting on your butt all day long. Here's a decent calculator: http://mytdee.com/

    Calculators like the one I linked to, and MFP, will then give you some kind of goal calories to shoot for every day to lose weight. Generally speaking, shoot for a 1-lb. per week weight loss. Anything more aggressive will be more difficult to maintain, and since you already admit a soft spot for chocolate, I'd suggest choosing a less hardcore approach to weight loss.

    The trick here is finding something you can stick with, day-in and day-out, because consistency is the real magic to this equation. You cannot count calories one day and then eat off-script the next and expect to lose weight. So this has to be something you can adhere to seven days a week.

    You're a beginner to this, so the only thing that really matters here is calories. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, every day, you will lose weight gradually over time, and that's how you want to do it.

    You can eat whatever foods you want, however, there is a big caveat to this: some foods will satiate you more than others. When you are restricting your calories, it will not take you long to figure out that the chocolate bar you just ate was about 250 calories, and it didn't even make a dent in your hunger. Meanwhile, you could have made a filling meal instead for the same amount of calories. As you progress on this journey you'll begin to figure out what kinds of foods you want to spend your calories on. You will be operating on a calorie budget, and so you want to spend it wisely.

    At any rate, that's where you start. Where you go from here depends on you :)

  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    CaitiCat2016 wrote: »
    I have a very big yard its kind of bumpy and has fire ants but will walking around 2 acres a couple times a day with a stroller help anything?

    Yup...any exercise helps :) so will playing with the baby and cleaning up, so long as it's more than you used to do and you meet your calorie goal.
  • kam3190
    kam3190 Posts: 157 Member
    anytime you can stand up or move around, rather than sit down, is so much better for your health.
  • the_new_mark_2017
    the_new_mark_2017 Posts: 149 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Hi, this site is full of tip! I suggest you check out the sticky posts at the top of this forum. They contain all the basics. Use your MFP profile to input your stats--start with activity as Sedentary and weight loss goal of .5-1 lb per week. MFP will give you a calorie goal. Then get a digital food scale to weigh your food (sticky posts explain how). Then log in MFP.

    The best deal for chocolate is to buy 85%+ dark chocolate bar and have ONE square per day. It's only 60 cals and very satisfying. I lost 148 lbs while having chocolate every day!

    I would think you could find a country road to walk on that doesn't get too much traffic.

    The good thing about dark chocolate is if you do overeat it, it makes you feel sick. For me anyway. If I have milk chocolate, I could easily eat a block, a family size block in one sitting. 85%+ limits that feeling to overeat it. :)
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