Joined Premium, bought a scale, and got serious. Feeling gross. Hi.

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flibberdigibit
flibberdigibit Posts: 9 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, community. My name is Penny and I'm in Ohio with my husband and two dogs. Over the last few years, we've gained a lot of weight (not the dogs, just the humans) after leaving a walking-heavy city for a sedentary one. He works from home, I drive everywhere, we LOVE to cook and eat.

We're feeling bummed out about how we got here, what the scale says, and how to begin. My goal is to lose about 45 pounds, my husband needs to lose probably double that. He has high blood pressure, I have a bad back. We're out of shape, to say it plain. We're feeling overwhelmed today. Our first healthy grocery trip is planned for this weekend and then we'll sit down and meal plan for each day, and our MFPs are synced and ready to go. That's about all I've got at the moment.

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  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,718 Member
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    You've got a plan. You will get plenty of support and encouragement here. It's a great community! Welcome!
  • susanpiper57
    susanpiper57 Posts: 213 Member
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    Hi, Penny! I'm in Ohio as well. We left Columbus a couple of years ago for a rural area. Good luck with MFP, you got this :)
  • BunnieMommie
    BunnieMommie Posts: 680 Member
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    Welcome Penny, to you and your husband! You are on a great start! Good luck on your first healthy grocery shopping trip. Remember, small changes adds up to big loses. You've got this!!
  • dra760
    dra760 Posts: 55 Member
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    welcome! how do you like your premium account?
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
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    Log EVERYTHING.
    Don't JUST weigh (with a scale is best) everything you eat, also 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, OMG I am so damn sick of this crap I want to throw the whole plate out a window, etc).
    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).Are you starving an hour after dinner?Maybe more fats during.
    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".
    Break things down into individual behaviors and habits. Instead of looking at this as an all at once, or all or nothing proposition, find ways to break things down into smaller and more sustainable habits. That makes it much easier to pinpoint where something is not working, and fix it, rather than staring at the whole jumbled mess of NOT WORKING. Plus, when you do backslide, you are less likely to drop everything, just one or two habits, that can then be fixed again. Otherwise, trying to everything at once, means that you are likely to leave out something important (like weighing food), and pay excessive attention to things that aren't. (Like fiber drinks and vinegar)
    Don't demonize foods that don't actually make you feel bad. Obviously if you have food sensitivities avoid those things, but don't cut out all your favorite goodies because they are not "healthy". Think of your calories as a type of currency. You should purchase the nutrient rich stuff first, budget for regular treats, and don't waste any calories on stuff you hate, even if it is theoretically good for you.

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