What's the first healthy thing you did on your weight loss journey?

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Replies

  • Meghanebk
    Meghanebk Posts: 321 Member
    Everyone's definition of "healthy" is different.

    I decided that I did not want to gain any more weight. Then I found Sparkpeople and MFP and started logging what I ate.

    I also decided that small, sustainable changes work best for me - no huge calorie deficits or sudden massive exercise programs.
  • twinkles4
    twinkles4 Posts: 124 Member
    Started splitting meals into more servings. A dinner for 2 became a dinner for 4.
  • Stefbomb2020
    Stefbomb2020 Posts: 289 Member
    I stopped my daily coffee. :s used to drink a mug full
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    I decided to pick one thing a week. First I added a walk after dinner every night. Then, I quit swapped white with wheat (it was all the rage, I didn't know better!), and some where along the way added MFP in.

    I should get back to the basics of one habit a week. I'm almost done breastfeeding and am having a really hard time with the calories in aspect these days.
  • EatingAndKnitting
    EatingAndKnitting Posts: 531 Member
    aeloine wrote: »
    This is going to sound like the worst thing possible, but I started weighing myself every day.

    I don't have a weird mental block around daily fluctuations, it's just a tool for me.

    I try to weigh daily. I sometimes forget, so I put a note in the bathroom.

    I look at it as just data collection. Data is neither good bad, it is IS. I use Happy Scale to see my trend and don't worry about it. I wouldn't know about Happy Scale (or Libra, which I used on my Samsung) if it wasn't for these forums.

    So the second/third thing I did was lurk here. I read a lot of threads. Still do.

  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
    On this particular weight loss journey (because we all seem to embark on a new one every few years lol) I had a pretty big life event to help me jumpstart back in June.

    We were going on a 2 week vacation to Japan in June so before we left we made sure to eat all the food in the house/pantry. When we came home (we already lost a few pounds from all the walking on the trip) to a house with no food we were able to start on a completely clean slate. That was the first big step we took. I've lost almost 20 pounds since then.
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    When I graduated college I was at my highest weight and realized I needed to make a change. being active was never my problem, I have always liked hiking, walking, biking etc but I never watched what or how much of what I ate. I was queen of the excuses in college so I could never lose weight because "I'm stressed" or "the dining hall doesn't have many healthy options" etc. Once I stopped letting myself make excuses I lost 80 pound and it felt great!
  • FX2WSL
    FX2WSL Posts: 3 Member
    First I got honest.
    I looked back on years of what worked and what wasn't.
    I have always tried to use transportation to work (ride or bike) and school as a way to sneak in a workout.
    This time around, I am trying to return to who I know I can be, got up after a pit fall into depression/smoking/alcohol. STOPPED ALL THAT. Got my thyroid tested.
    Bought a bicycle, started riding to work.
    Rescued a dog in the woods, and didn't have the option not to walk her everyday. (My little dog, and giant dog didn't need the high energy runs).
    Got a better pair of shoes.
    Read books that work to inspire and educate me on my body and mind.

    Found myself stuck, asked for help, a friend mentioned this site and here I am!
  • mktom29
    mktom29 Posts: 57 Member
    I made a commitment to myself to get healthy!
  • garber6th
    garber6th Posts: 1,890 Member
    Besides the obvious (MFP, better food choices, exercising, etc), I decided to go to therapy because I was pushing 400 lbs and I knew I had to get my head right or I wouldn't get it together physically. One of the best decisions I ever made.
  • murph155
    murph155 Posts: 116 Member
    murph155 wrote: »
    I quit eating sugar. Although, it was because I'm a diabetic and sugar seems to make neuropathy worse.

    As someone who works in healthcare this makes me very happy

    @Agent_Freckles, can I ask you something? Do you know if sugar consumption always affect neuropathy, despite the cause? I have it in my hands, but not from diabetes; it's from chemo. I've never heard / been told about an association with sugar. Just curious.

    This is a complicated question, but if you have CIPN, sugar can affect your nerves and *can* make the pain worse. Alcohol can also make it worse, and can do damage to your nerves. But if you're not diabetic or pre-diabetic I wouldn't overthink the sugar aspect, but also don't go over recommended daily sugar allowances.

    For those who are diabetic, yes, high blood sugar (anything over 140ish post meal) is definitely going to make the neuropathy worse.

    Thanks, @Agent_Freckles !
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Started eating more veg and fruit...wasn't getting anywhere close to the recommended servings.
  • murph155
    murph155 Posts: 116 Member
    The first (and best) thing I did was face reality! I had been in denial for years about the weight I had gained, refused to weigh myself, etc. Once I opened my eyes and faced it, I researched the best way to go about changing it. And once I make up my mind to do something.....

    Had heard about MFP, from my brother, I think. Started logging, seeing what actual portions looked like, etc. Found it pretty simple. But I'm sort of a math geek, so that aspect of it appealed to me.
  • kmetz713
    kmetz713 Posts: 1 Member
    I decided I needed to go back to working out with my personal trainer - it holds me more accountable. I was also able to convince a friend to be my new workout buddy, my previous one ditched me, and even though we're only 2 sessions into our training, she loves it!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Started walking 10k steps a day. Gave me lots of time to strategerize on meal plan and goals and got me out from in front of the TV
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,365 Member
    jesslla wrote: »

    I'm also curious to know this. I have mild neuropathy in my feet. I'm on Topamax for it and appetite suppression (to counteract the psych drugs in on for bipolar disorder, what fun!). It's so mild that I only noticr it when I think about it, like now. :grin:

    I am diabetic, but haven't been great about sugar. I have recently given it up except for very special occasions (birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and major celebrations). I haven't noticed a correlation, but I haven't looked for one.

    Are you sure it's neuropathy and not the Topamax tingles? I don't know what neuropathy feels like, but I used to get tingles, almost like when your leg goes to sleep, when I was on Topamax. I ended up having to adjust my dose. I believe that's actually the second most common adverse side effect, right after the infamous Dope-amax foggy feeling.
  • EatingAndKnitting
    EatingAndKnitting Posts: 531 Member
    COGypsy wrote: »
    jesslla wrote: »

    I'm also curious to know this. I have mild neuropathy in my feet. I'm on Topamax for it and appetite suppression (to counteract the psych drugs in on for bipolar disorder, what fun!). It's so mild that I only noticr it when I think about it, like now. :grin:

    I am diabetic, but haven't been great about sugar. I have recently given it up except for very special occasions (birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and major celebrations). I haven't noticed a correlation, but I haven't looked for one.

    Are you sure it's neuropathy and not the Topamax tingles? I don't know what neuropathy feels like, but I used to get tingles, almost like when your leg goes to sleep, when I was on Topamax. I ended up having to adjust my dose. I believe that's actually the second most common adverse side effect, right after the infamous Dope-amax foggy feeling.

    Oh yes. I had neuropathy for years before going on Topamax. I actually had neuropathy before being diagnosed diabetic. But like I said it's mild, the Topamax takes care of it so I don't think of it much.

    The Topamax was for appetite, the neuropathy help was a very pleasant surprise. I didn't get the Dopeamax side effects either, I got very lucky and tolerate it very well.

  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    edited September 2017
    When I first decided to get serious about losing the weight I'd gained back I used calories counting and my Fitbit activity without any changes for 2 weeks to assess where I was at and what changes I needed to make to get back to my former healthy active self. I was eating 2000-3000 calories a day and averaging 4000-5000 steps without working out anymore. No wonder I was gaining!
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,799 Member
    I was already eating "healthy" so started weighing & logging everything & was surprised how much calories the portion sizes contained, so I cut down. The next thing was eating throughout the day instead of my 2 large meals a day, which helped & helps me not to over eat
  • lizziekay289
    lizziekay289 Posts: 4 Member
    The first thing was to say "that's enough!" I lost 30 lbs ten years ago by walking and cutting down empty calories and walking, so I know I can do it. So I downloaded this app and the mapmywalk app and went for a 2.7 mile walk. That was 9 days ago. I cut down alcohol and empty calories and track food. I am not going to be nuts about it, but certainly sensible. Down 4 pounds so far.
  • LynnJ9
    LynnJ9 Posts: 414 Member
    I stopped eating fast food. I would not eat lunch then literally stop at two fast food places on the way home from work. Yep two, one close to my work to eat in the car, then one by house to eat when I got home.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    Made a journal/log Wrote a few 'rules' and 'promises' to myself. In the journal I record everything I eat, every workout, my daily weigh ins etc. It is by far the most important thing I did. Looking back on it, keeps me motivated and seeing the success in print is very rewarding!
  • belleflop
    belleflop Posts: 154 Member
    edited September 2017
    The first thing I did was stop putting food into healthy/unhealthy categories. That took a lot of stress off the "restriction" part. Then I started eating less calories than I burned in a day.
  • Spiderpug
    Spiderpug Posts: 159 Member
    Weighing and logging - stopped deserts first
  • Niki_Fitz
    Niki_Fitz Posts: 951 Member
    So many things at once. Buying a food scale was a big one.
  • I switched to a whole foods plant based diet. I went from 207 to 135 in a year. Best decision I ever made
  • CrystalConsults
    CrystalConsults Posts: 67 Member
    Asked myself What's different this time? What's your why?
    Answer: I want to get live light and healthfully for:
    1. Comfort -- every night when my head hits the pillow, every morning when I wake up, every time I walk out of a movie theater or restaurant I want to feel comfortable, physically and emothionally.
    2. Vanity. Yeah, I'm that person. ;-)
    3. Health -- Fair pushback to suggest that should be #1 reason, but I needed that immediate gratification of #1 to get on the path to good health.
    4. Immediately started weighing with a scale and logging every bite. Beautiful array of healthful, colorful foods are low cal naturally. Yummy, too!
    P.S. It's been working like a charm!
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