Don’t know how to start !

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independent_ownerale
independent_ownerale Posts: 2 Member
in Motivation and Support
I’ve been overweight all my life, I :/:/ ’m currently 27. I’ never thought it would get out of hand. But I’m at a point where I don’t know how to stop. I know I’m overweight, and I know I have a problem. I don’t know how or where .

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  • WifiresGettingFit
    WifiresGettingFit Posts: 1,773 Member
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    When I first decided to start MFP, it was back in January of 2016. I decided that I would first just log in everyday. After I did that for a little over a week, I decided I'd start logging my food - after about a week or two of that I made changes to how much I was eating and started logging my food and made a point to try to stay within my calorie goal and then after I got into the swing of that, I found a few things I liked to do (walking mostly) and decided I'd do that for 30 minutes 4 days a week.

    Starting is usually the hardest part. You're here and that's as good of a start as any :)
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
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    Welcome to the club. It's easy to mess up our bodies, alot harderto fix them. But I promise, it is doable. Just don't try to lose it all at once,or go on any miracle plans, because they never work for very long. The only thing that works long-term,is taking things slowly and changing your habits at a sustainable rate. Trying to severely redtrict calories, or go on some crazy restrictive eating plan doesn't take long to get old, and then stop working for you, because the body isn't made that way.
    I suggest logging for a while, even before making any serious changes to your diet.
    Weigh (with a scale is best) everything you eat, and write why you are eating it (i.e, lunchtime, hungry, kind of bored, out with friends, watching tv) and how you are feeling right before, right after and an hour after (hungry, comfortable, normal, full, very full bloated, drowsy).
    This gives you a baseline pattern for your normal habits and routine. From there, it's just a matter of experimenting. Are you very full after dinner? Cut back on a few things. Does lunch leave you bloated and gassy after an hour, try less or no mayo, and see if there's something you don't mind dropping each meal (fries, or cheese, or maybe only 2 tacos instead of 3).It's amazing how quickly these small and easily sustainable changes will add up to big calorie cuts. Only cut one or two things at a time, until they become habit instead if trying to do everything at once. That way they become individual habits instead of one big "diet". So when you backslide you won't drop everything at once, just one or two habits, that you can fix again more easily.
  • SparkleHorse224
    SparkleHorse224 Posts: 98 Member
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    I find that tiny little changes are the easiest. Find something you can do every day. Like log in to here. Don't have to put in your food just yet, don't have to log anything. Just...check in. Then start logging food. Start thinking about ways to cut calories. Gradually it will come together.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    Well, just joining MFP is a step in the right direction. Start today with a healthy breakfast and just go from there. Figure out how many calories you want to eat in a day and set up your whole day for success. Try to walk or get some exercise of some kind today and be sure to log that too. Start slowly and know that you can conquer this thing. You don't have to go to extremes, just eat less calories than you burn. You can do it!
  • susanpiper57
    susanpiper57 Posts: 213 Member
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    I started focusing on losing weight in 2012. I got a fitbit, and shortly after that I started tracking my food. I use MFP almost daily, and have it synced to my fitbit so that calories in/out are ridiculously easy to read. Just by those two things, I got down to a happy weight and have been able to maintain that weight for years by making little changes with logging food and being more active. It has kept me accountable. Good luck with your journey, we are all on your side!
  • brendanwhite84
    brendanwhite84 Posts: 220 Member
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    For a general piece of advice: consider logging your food (accurately) for a couple of weeks like people here have mentioned.

    For a specific, YMMV one: especially start paying to calories you drink rather than chew. These can be a hidden nasty.
  • Torygetsfit
    Torygetsfit Posts: 17 Member
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    Hi! I’ve struggled being overweight my whole life too. I started with MFP in November 2017. What has helped me a lot is drinking enough water everyday so I’m properly hydrated and then I’m less hungry/ eat less so I can lose weight. I’ve noticed often times when I thought I was hungry I was really thirtsy instead! I starting by drinking 60 oz of water a day, then kept adding till I’m now at 80oz a day. The days I don’t meet my water goal, I feel crappy physically and see the reflection on the scale. I need the water to balance sodium. Try increasing your water intake and seeing if that helps!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I just jumped right in. The first thing that hit me was how much I was overeating. No wonder I was overweight. If you log accurately meaning if you are going to be off then estimate on the side of being high on the calorie count not low to favor what you want. Then you got this if you beat your target. Then start having fun by making better food choices or adding fitness to make this a lifestyle something that you can keep forever.

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