New to My Fitness Pal

Options
JakeI64
JakeI64 Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi Everyone-I am a 54 yr old male and want to lose 75 lbs. I am tired of the "I'll start Monday" on the new fitness and diet plan because I say that about every other week. I am going to do my best to log and journal my diet and fitness journey in hoping this will help. I need to prove to myself that I can set some simple goals and attain them. I read some of these success stories and others and think that is me and they are inspiring. There is a lot of info and stuff on this website and it looks great and that is why I chose this plan. Any feedback or suggestions....thank you! Time to go to work

Replies

  • Kar1us
    Kar1us Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    Hi Jake. Like you I started my fitness plan over and over again. I kept a health diary notebook this year, which helped, but this week I learned how easy it is to raise my awareness of calories using MFP. I think it will help me stick to my plan longer. Good luck to you!
  • JakeI64
    JakeI64 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    Thanks. Are you using any special type of diet like keto, low carb or paleo or are you just using the MFP calorie tracker? My plan is I am going to do a 2 week paleo type diet which actually looks like I can handle. I really like to cook. I also have recently joined Orange Theory Fitness and I really enjoy those workouts. The key for me, again, is accountability and sticking with it. I am going to use the MFP calorie tracker and journal my workouts and everything else. Thanks for the message back!
  • Kar1us
    Kar1us Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    You’re doing something like I did; recommitment to fitness using diet and exercise to break unhealthy habits. I lost 20# on keto diet but it came back. My progress this year has been slow but, I believe, sustainable. A recent breakthrough was trying intermittent fasting. I learned I could get past a little hunger and feel well while burning fat. Avoiding carbs most of the time and getting back on track after a disappointing day are key I think. Now I fast less often but eat more consistently better food choices.
    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide
  • Kar1us
    Kar1us Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    And journaling help me reassess, adjust, and stick with the work to make healthy changes.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    Options
    This thread is one of my favorites and really good to condense a lot of info
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10642346/weight-loss-frequently-asked-questions-infographic-answers/p1
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    Options
    Some things that I think are key to my success:

    1. Commit to a lifestyle change so you don't yo-yo. I don't care how long it takes so long as I'm moving in the right direction. When I hit goal, I plan to continue the good habits I've developed.
    2. One change I made was meal planning. I'm hooked on www.platejoy.com to make planning easy and food interesting. My past efforts failed after when I'd eaten grilled chicken breast for 6 weeks. However you do it, you need to plan everything you're going to eat the next day. If you're hungry and have nothing but junk handy, you will eat junk. For restaurants, I check out menu online before leaving home and go in knowing what I'm going to order, avoiding pressure and temptation
    3. Get a food scale, weigh everything, and log everything you eat. It is great when you log a day ahead because that means you have a plan :).
    4. A lot of eating I did was based on habits, (clean your plate and you can have dessert) that were root cause of my excess. Learning about and practicing 'mindful eating' helped that a lot. Logging helped me identify habit triggers I needed to change. (I don't watch cooking TV anymore).
    5. I've learned (a) calories regulate weight (b) exercise regulates strength (c) nutrition regulates health. There is some crossover to the other areas, but I've listed the primary levers you can control to change. In my new lifestyle I'm working on all 3, but mainly weight.

    I'm not there yet but I am amazed how much I've changed in 2018 and on target to hit my ambitions goal around April 2019. That will be 158 lb, 48% of my starting weight, lost in 16 months. My food diary is open to all, my profile is complete.

Categories