New & having a hard time!

lulabelle_dyan
lulabelle_dyan Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone, thought I'd introduce myself. I'm 31 and this is my first time ever having to really diet - I was always one of those really annoying women with a really fast metabolism who could eat whatever she wanted and not worry about it. Until the past year, that is, and especially the past couple of months. I've gained 17 pounds, and while I'm still in the "normal" range for my height, I don't like it, especially since most of it goes right to my stomach - I have gained only one inch in my hips but FIVE in my waist. The worst part is that most of my clothes no longer fit, and I'm currently unemployed, so I can't go out and buy new ones.

So here I am dieting for the first time - and it's hard! In the past week, I have had only one day that I didn't go over my calories. I started a week ago and so far I have GAINED two pounds... MAYBE muscle weight, but I was working out before, I just amped it up a bit when I started with this website last week. I am really enjoying running and thinking about doing a half-marathon in November... I want to see how the next couple weeks of training goes first.

My profile pic is from two years ago at what used to be my "normal" weight - that is my goal. I don't have a current one or I would post that too, I have to remember to take one. A "before" picture, you know, which will hopefully be very different from my "after" photo! But I'm going to have to acquire some willpower first... I'm going to poke around the message boards and see if I can't find any good tips...

Replies

  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    Well if you can open you r diary so we can take a peek and give you some tips it might help. Are you drinking lots of water?
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    Feel free to ask away, lots of us can try to help ya out. I would suggest, as did ChantalGG to open up your diary, or add me and I might be aboe to look and offer up some suggestions.
  • 2ht2hand1e
    2ht2hand1e Posts: 116 Member
    I have found so much support on this site. Add me as a friend if you would like, and there is a lot of inspiration in others' journeys. I really enjoy reading posts and blogs for what works and doesn't work for other people, then I try their ideas too to help me. I struggled a lot the first two months on here with going over on calories. It is a learned skill, so do not quit and keep making goals and trying different things to get there.

    You can't fail at this unless you quit!
  • mydeloo78
    mydeloo78 Posts: 328 Member
    Whenever you learn something new its always hard. Did you know how to drive a car the first time you tried? Or have you ever tried to learn a new language. Its hard. This is something new and it takes a while to get used to it, especially if you've never done it before. For some reason we expect to suddenly be perfect at weight loss and it doesn't work that way. Just dont' give up, remember its consistency over time that will win the race! Good luck!
  • CarolynB38
    CarolynB38 Posts: 553 Member
    If you are sticking to it 100% (or even 90%) of the time you should be losing weight. If you don't lose any weight in the next couple of weeks and your diary looks ok, then perhaps you need to speak to your doctor. A similar thing happened to me several years ago. I had always been skinny and suddenly I put on 50lbs in 6 months! I went to the doctor and it turned out I had an underactive thyroid.

    Let us see your diary first so we can just make sure there's nothing obviously wrong there, but if you're doing everything right your doctor might be the best person to talk to.
  • CarolynB38
    CarolynB38 Posts: 553 Member
    Sorry it double posted :/

    I misread your initial post. I thought you only went over on one day, not that you had only one day where you didn't go over. In that case it may be that you need to change what you are eating or perhaps you are not eating enough for your activity level. sometimes having a too low calorie goal can make it very difficult. If you're happy to open up your diary for us to see we may be able to help :smile:

    Feel free to look at my diary if you think it might help. It should be open. If you can't see it you can message me and I'll open it up for you.
  • bklyngirl71
    bklyngirl71 Posts: 381 Member
    welcome. don't think of it as a diet, think of it as a lifestyle change. take it one day at a time. u could do it
  • MayhemModels
    MayhemModels Posts: 367 Member
    Welcome and good luck, feel free to add me if your looking for support :flowerforyou:
  • lulabelle_dyan
    lulabelle_dyan Posts: 5
    Wow, everyone really is so supportive here - thanks!

    My calorie goal is hard. Without exercise, it's 1200/day. So I HAVE to exercise every day because there's no way I won't go over that! (That is for 2 lbs/week - when I saw how low it was, I tried changing to 1 lb/week, but then it was 1240 - what am I going to do with only 40 more calories?! So I changed it back.) When I work out, I can usually get it up to 1600... but then I'm hungrier!

    I made the mistake of eating white pizza yesterday. I knew it would be sorta bad, but I had no idea it was SOOO bad until I logged it here and found that the two pieces I had were over 1100 calories!!! It was like my entire allotment for the whole day! So I guess one thing I learned - check the calorie count BEFORE eating!
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,549 Member
    We really do need to see your diary but some suggestions I would have without that is to eat protein with every meal, eat every couple of hours so by the time you get to your next feeding time you're not ravenous. Do what you said and check out the calories in food before you eat it (if possible-not always I know!). When I first started MFP I did a modified Flat Belly Diet which allowed for 1600 per day and broke that up as 400 for each major meal and 400 for snacks. Once you start being aware of how much is in what you regularly eat, you will start spending your calorie allotment more wisely and try to get more food for the calories. Additionally, the first few days are REALLY HARD! Drink tons of water, keep busy to keep your mind off food and just try to get through it. I only lost 1 lb. the first 2 weeks and then it took off. Good luck!
  • CarolynB38
    CarolynB38 Posts: 553 Member
    Hi again! It's great that you are learning what's good and what's not so good by experience. Finding out through trial and error is a great way too learn. I have a couple of general guidelines that might help.

    Firstly you are having breakfast every day which is great and extremely important. You need fuel to get your body going in the morning. So you're giving yourself a good start. Maybe when you get used to it all a bit more you may want to look at alternative breakfasts that might keep you going longer or give you longer lasting energy, but for now you're doing fine.

    Generally it's a very good idea to eat plenty of fruit and veg. Perhaps concentrating on eating more fruit and veg would be easier than concentrating on what NOT to eat. If you fill up on these healthy goodies you will probably find you don't need to snack so much.

    If you eat bread, pasta or rice go for the wholemeal/wholegrain variety. They contain more nutrients and fibre (which helps keep you fuller for longer) and they also release sugar into the bloodstream much more slowly which means you won't get bloodsugar highs and lows that you get with more refined carbs and won't crave sugary foods so much.

    Try to avoid processed foods, but particularly sugary foods. Fruit is fine because our bodies handle fruit sugars much more sensibly than refined cane sugar. Dried fruit is a good snack if you feel you really need something sweet. I have actually found I have more energy since cutting right back on sugary foods.

    Later on, when you're getting used to the whole idea, you may want to look at how much protein and carbs you are eating. Don't worry right away, just concentrate on picking healthier choices, but later on you might want to look at increasing your protein a little and decreasing your carbs. Don't reduce the fat though. The amount recommended is right for most people unless your doctor has said otherwise.

    Drink plenty of water. try to get your 8 cups a day

    I hope I haven't overwhelmed you with all this. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. You're going to do just great :-)

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