I want to lose weight but I am out of shape and lazy but I want to change that

Jadetoni1
Jadetoni1 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I am tired of seeing this sized person in the mirror, I also want to look good in clothes I like and not have to wear t-shirts and long pants all the time

Replies

  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
    It's fine to want to change, you're here now. Start logging, make some supportive mfp friends and go for it.

    I didn't like who I saw in the mirror in January. I've made slow but steady progress. It would be awesome if I could click my fingers and magically become a toned 9 stone. Alas, that's not how things work. Give me another few months or so though and I'll get there.

    Join us, give it a go, no magic pills or spells, it's all calories in being lower than your calories out.
  • MiniMexxxxx
    MiniMexxxxx Posts: 43 Member
    I think it's very hard when you look in the mirror and know how much you want to lose. It's so easy to think it's too much of a mountain to climb. It'll take too long. It's just too much effort. How am I doing so far?

    I found it easier to break it down into smaller targets. For example losing a pound this week just to get me started or half a stone by this event or that date. Treat yourself to something when you get to those goals. Not food but something else to mark the moment.

    Do not beat yourself up when it doesn't go 100% to plan. Life is not like that. The important thing is to get back on the wagon after you have fallen off.

    The other thing I found helpful was to visualise myself as I wanted to be. The things I could wear and how much better I would feel.

    Good luck. You can do it!

  • GCPgirl
    GCPgirl Posts: 208 Member
    I know that feeling! Everytime I see a photo of myself I cringe. Start out small...keep up with MFP, take the stairs, park farther away in the parking lot, eat fruits and vegetables everyday, drink a glass of water before every meal (I am still working on that last one myself). I am losing at a snail's pace but the way I look at it, at least I am not gaining!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Also have a WRITTEN PLAN OF ACTION. People are unsuccessful at this because they lack the knowledge on how it to do it correctly and consistently. Here's some help:


    1. Write it down and keep records (daily if possible)
    Goal
    Milestones
    Daily schedule
    Month to month schedule
    Research to go to if you need help

    2. Be specific in your planning
    Know how you're going to achieve your goal
    Set achievable way to do it
    Implement plan consistently

    3. Set measurable milestones
    It may be weight loss per week (though it's not linear), it may be how much weight you can lift,
    how far you want to run by then, what your clothing size is, etc. Don't get overzealous though.

    4. Schedule how your day goes
    If exercise is going to be part of it, MAKE A SPECIFIC TIME for it. Same with sleep, work, and
    time with family or hobbies.

    5. Put timelines on everything.
    Don't lollygag on something like watching TV too long. It's easy to get lazy if one spends too much
    time on not doing something conducive towards their goal.

    6. Celebrate your successes
    Small ones matter and help create confidence on other harder goals.

    7. Know that there will be obstacles and deterrences and have a back up plan
    Things aren't always in your control, so have options available in case this does happen. My kid
    hasn't stayed home sick for a long time (almost 5 years now), but I do have a plan set aside if she
    does. Same with party invitationals and eating out.

    8. Don't stop till you make it!
    If you follow your plan consistently, you should reach your goal. Even if you don't meet it at the
    proposed timeline, DON'T STOP till you do!

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Also have a WRITTEN PLAN OF ACTION. People are unsuccessful at this because they lack the knowledge on how it to do it correctly and consistently. Here's some help:


    1. Write it down and keep records (daily if possible)
    Goal
    Milestones
    Daily schedule
    Month to month schedule
    Research to go to if you need help

    2. Be specific in your planning
    Know how you're going to achieve your goal
    Set achievable way to do it
    Implement plan consistently

    3. Set measurable milestones
    It may be weight loss per week (though it's not linear), it may be how much weight you can lift,
    how far you want to run by then, what your clothing size is, etc. Don't get overzealous though.

    4. Schedule how your day goes
    If exercise is going to be part of it, MAKE A SPECIFIC TIME for it. Same with sleep, work, and
    time with family or hobbies.

    5. Put timelines on everything.
    Don't lollygag on something like watching TV too long. It's easy to get lazy if one spends too much
    time on not doing something conducive towards their goal.

    6. Celebrate your successes
    Small ones matter and help create confidence on other harder goals.

    7. Know that there will be obstacles and deterrences and have a back up plan
    Things aren't always in your control, so have options available in case this does happen. My kid
    hasn't stayed home sick for a long time (almost 5 years now), but I do have a plan set aside if she
    does. Same with party invitationals and eating out.

    8. Don't stop till you make it!
    If you follow your plan consistently, you should reach your goal. Even if you don't meet it at the
    proposed timeline, DON'T STOP till you do!

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    This is such amazing advise. I love MFP but I'm a visual person, I have a planner where I plan out cuts, calories, diet breaks and check in points. I love writing it out and seeing it physically.
  • jayrocker97
    jayrocker97 Posts: 2 Member
    Fascha i just wanted to quickly say thank you. Thanks to you i just downloaded the google fit app to track the number of steps i take a day. I'm trying to walk 8,000 steps a day for now. Im only 19 so hopefully my youthful metabolism will help me some more in my weight loss journey. I've been weight lifting but havent been able to do extreme cardio. This new app surely will aid me in my journey :).
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    jayrocker97 wrote: »
    Fascha i just wanted to quickly say thank you. Thanks to you i just downloaded the google fit app to track the number of steps i take a day. I'm trying to walk 8,000 steps a day for now. Im only 19 so hopefully my youthful metabolism will help me some more in my weight loss journey. I've been weight lifting but havent been able to do extreme cardio. This new app surely will aid me in my journey :).

    I've never in my life done extreme cardio! I'm glad you got the app, upping your NEAT/activity just by moving your body is so overlooked. Feel free to add me as a friend :)
  • jayrocker97
    jayrocker97 Posts: 2 Member
    edited May 2017
    Lol sorry not "extreme cardio" more like "I'd rather be watching netflix all day XD." I just want to move around more and didn't have the money right now to buy a fitbit so i had to improvise :). Thanks again for your advice.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited May 2017
    Jadetoni1 wrote: »
    I am tired of seeing this sized person in the mirror, I also want to look good in clothes I like and not have to wear t-shirts and long pants all the time

    The best advice I was given when I first started is that weight loss is NOT a big change in your life, it is a series of little changes.

    I was fat, terribly out of shape, and recovering from a bout of severe anemia. Here is how I got started:

    1) Start by eating actual meals made up of predominantly nutrient dense foods. Don't worry about the calories or macros for now, just get into the habit of good food choices and regular meals rather than grazing on whatever. After a couple of weeks, start actually weighing and measuring and logging your food working towards hitting calorie and macro targets.

    2) Do what you can right now as far as activity. I was unable to walk even a city block so I found a water aerobics class which really helped my back. After a month I was able to walk a block. I bought a fitness tracker to monitor my steps (ones with heart rate monitors really aren't necessary for most people) and set it originally for 2500 steps per day. This meant I had to either go to the water class OR walk some every day. There are good ones you can just download to your phone too.

    3) Read all the stickies on MFP and read the forums. Stay away from any threads that promote any specific way of eating (keto, high carb, low carb, etc) until you have a few weeks of logging under your belt. Best to see how you feel with what you are eating before deciding that you need to go to any kind of extreme. In time, you will see if you are more satisfied with higher carbs, lower carbs, higher fat, plant based, etc. or if you are happy with moderate everything.

    4) Get a food scale when you are ready to log. It is the most important tool you can have. Weigh all solids and semi solids and measure liquids. Start out by using the serving size on the label so you can get a good idea what a serving actually is. This will help you later when you eat out or at someone's home. You can get pretty good at guestimating if you practice daily at home.

    5) If you have health markers that need improving, focus on one and work to get it better. High BP, lipids, high blood glucose, etc. Mine was being diagnosed T2Dm. Lowering my blood sugars became my focus. I was able to get off the meds in 8 months and have maintained good numbers ever since.

    Good luck. Time and patience and taking baby steps.
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    edited May 2017
    FYI you can still lose weight healthily while still being "lazy". As long as you maintain a calorie deficit (don't exceed the number of calories you need to exist) you can lose weight. Check your MFP dash board under goals to see what that would be for your age, gender, height and weight.

    For me as a 187+ lb 5'6" woman (last November weight), that calorie deficit is 1400 calories per day to lose 1 to 2 lbs a week. That is also my "maintenance" calories. I didn't want to lose too fast because as an older woman, my skin is not as elastic as it once was and I was trying to minimize a dramatic weight loss. If you have a lot to lose, my recommendation is to go slowly to minimize excess hanging skin. I am not trying to get down to a certain size / weight that I wouldn't be able to maintain long term. I am merely restricting calories and watching to see how it goes. My weight last night was 157 lbs.

    I include some very nutrient dense foods (a protein shake* for breakfast and a "blended" meal for lunch along with some mushrooms and mixed greens along with some Greek yogurt and shredded coconut) to assist with supporting collagen and muscle maintenance. The added fat in these meals keep me from being hungry and are within my calorie limit.

    For the idea behind blended meals, see this website for details: http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

    Many people think that you have to make many life-style changes all at once and in my opinion, that is not sustainable. As a former over weight person, who got that way gradually due to aging, stress and slowing metabolism and menopause, the thought of exercising made me nervous because just walking more than a quarter mile would make me sick. I fiddled around with eating the same and just reducing calories and I was "hangry" (hungry and angry) and couldn't imagine "dieting" as a way of life.

    After several months of fits and starts and no results I kind of fell into Paleo / Keto (high protein / fat with low, low sugar and carbs) and I cannot imagine not eating this way pretty much forever. I am not hungry. I seem to be able to stay within my nutrition / calorie goals and I FEEL better. No aches, pains and I have lost almost 40 lbs almost without trying. (And, I am not always strict about eating no carbs -- I still occasionally allow myself some of the things that I like, {{{FRENCH FRIES}}} - just not more than once a week)

    I encourage you to look at food differently by thinking about high protein/fat/fiber and low carbs/sugar meal planning (Paleo or Ketogenic). See this website for a list: http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/

    Maybe after you lose some weight you might feel more "energetic" and could take on some more rigorous exercising, but, right out of the gate, just work on making small sustainable incremental changes. You will be more likely to be able to build on these small successes and make long term sustainable gains.

    * I make up my own from plain protein powder with no additives in an effort to "eat clean". I also don't eat many "prepared foods" out of cans or boxes. I have also noticed that even meat at many restaurants now arrive "pre-treated" with things to make them last longer in the freezer and I am working on eliminating these things from my diet also.

    Feel free to friend me.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Also have a WRITTEN PLAN OF ACTION. People are unsuccessful at this because they lack the knowledge on how it to do it correctly and consistently. Here's some help:


    1. Write it down and keep records (daily if possible)
    Goal
    Milestones
    Daily schedule
    Month to month schedule
    Research to go to if you need help

    2. Be specific in your planning
    Know how you're going to achieve your goal
    Set achievable way to do it
    Implement plan consistently

    3. Set measurable milestones
    It may be weight loss per week (though it's not linear), it may be how much weight you can lift,
    how far you want to run by then, what your clothing size is, etc. Don't get overzealous though.

    4. Schedule how your day goes
    If exercise is going to be part of it, MAKE A SPECIFIC TIME for it. Same with sleep, work, and
    time with family or hobbies.

    5. Put timelines on everything.
    Don't lollygag on something like watching TV too long. It's easy to get lazy if one spends too much
    time on not doing something conducive towards their goal.

    6. Celebrate your successes
    Small ones matter and help create confidence on other harder goals.

    7. Know that there will be obstacles and deterrences and have a back up plan
    Things aren't always in your control, so have options available in case this does happen. My kid
    hasn't stayed home sick for a long time (almost 5 years now), but I do have a plan set aside if she
    does. Same with party invitationals and eating out.

    8. Don't stop till you make it!
    If you follow your plan consistently, you should reach your goal. Even if you don't meet it at the
    proposed timeline, DON'T STOP till you do!

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    I wasn't quite this organized about how I went from a completely sedentary person who hated exercise to a person who's addicted to it, but this is pretty much how I progressed, OP.

    I started very, very small and broke things down into manageable chunks. The act of making small goals and achieving them is very motivating to someone who, like me, had been mired for years in a self-perpetuating cycle of self-loathing and inertia. I started out by walking to the corner of our street with a cane. A simple 3 minute walk.

    Two and a half years later, I now clock in 20K steps every day and start just about every morning with a 3 mile run.

    So yes, I'm a firm believer in setting small goals and not giving up on yourself. You have the power to make big changes by taking very small steps. It's okay to go slow. Life isn't like The Biggest Loser. None of us in the real world need to do anything drastic to make a big difference in our lives.
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