What is your best piece of advice for a newbie

healthyfictionreader28
healthyfictionreader28 Posts: 5 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi there, I'm Heather and am about to start healthy living at the age of 28. I started noticing I was getting out of breath when I walked up stairs so I started taking the lift......cause that's going to solve my problems. So, after a few days I decided I was going to take back control, so I came here.

I am hoping to lose around 5 stone in total, but ideally I would like to reach 2.5 stone loss by October when I celebrate my first wedding anniversary.


It would be great to get a number of people who will support, motivate and kick me up the backside when needed, and of course I will be happy to do the same in return. Feel free to add me and let's do this journey together.


One more thing - if you had one piece of advice for someone who is completely new to the whole MyFitnessPal, food tracking and even healthy weight loss type of living, what would it be?


Looking forward to meeting and talking to you all :)

xxx

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    get a food scale

    work to your weekly goal

    find some exercise you like

    don't worry if you have a day or a week where you over eat, just get back to your deficit.

    a weight trending app can be helpful

    if you have a period chances are you will have weeks where you don't lose or even gain weight... don't worry!
  • hypocacculus
    hypocacculus Posts: 68 Member
    My number one tip is to accept calorie counting as the way to go, get a scale and weigh your food.

    You don't have to do it forever, but there is no better way to understand the implications of what you are eating.



  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    Be honest and compassionately critical of yourself, no cheating, no excuses.
    Research how to change habits. Focus on triggers and responses.
    Don't diet which has an end. Change how you eat and exercise for life.
    Don't depend on fads or gimmicks. There are no short-cuts. It takes time. You have the rest of your life.
    Don't depend on anyone except yourself. Particularly those with a financial or other self-interest.
    Your control...
    ...weight using calories
    ...strength and endurance using exercise
    ...health using nutrition
    Make a few MFP friends that are like you and some you want to be like.
    Learn your weaknesses by analyzing your setbacks and figure out how to overcome. For me planning became too time consuming so I subscribed to platejoy.com
  • hypocacculus
    hypocacculus Posts: 68 Member
    Funny how nobody can stick at one! :-D
  • healthyfictionreader28
    healthyfictionreader28 Posts: 5 Member
    Indeed :D but the more the merrier :D I love all the advice guys and I really appreciate it xx
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    Consistency is key - be consistent on eating and on exercising and you will see consistent results.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    When starting a new exercise program, go slow, slower than you want to at first. On days when you're too sore to work out, do a short warm up and then just stretch for 30 minutes as your work out (there are guided stretching videos on line, I like fitnessblender).
  • susanpiper57
    susanpiper57 Posts: 213 Member
    Hey there. Remember that you are doing this for yourself, so be completely honest with your log and log everything, even if you end up downing $20 worth of Taco Bell (my favorite unhealthier food). You're only hurting yourself if you aren't accurate with your logging.

    As everyone will say, weigh and measure your food whenever possible, and use the most accurate entries in the database, some are wildly low.

    See if your husband is down with eating the same healthy foods you will be eating, because it will be a lot easier if you aren't surrounded by temptation.

    Don't cut calories too drastically, because it can be unhealthy and hard to sustain. Everybody is different, but I'm on the smaller side and 1200 calories a day is still way too low for me personally, so don't automatically think that is what you have to do. Find a daily calorie goal that works for you.

    And my favorite for mental health...find a way to exercise that you end up enjoying, whether that is weight training, walking, running, tennis, etc. You may find an athlete inside yourself that you didn't know existed! It's true that diet is the key to weight loss, but exercise is great for general health, and it may give you a couple hundred calories extra to play with.

    At the end of the day, play with it and find what works for you, and stick with it. Be kind to yourself and to the process, and reach out for support if you need it.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    First and foremost, get your calories under control. Buy a digital food scale and weigh and measure everything you eat and drink. Try to stay at your daily calorie goal.
  • BattyKnitter
    BattyKnitter Posts: 503 Member
    Another vote for getting a food scale and USING it!

    I was running out of time for breakfast one morning and asked my husband to put 15 grams (1 serving - 95 calories) of peanut butter on bread for me. He couldn't get over how small an amount it was! Next time he made his own peanut butter bread he weighed it and his 2 breads with PB were over 600 calories! Now he is bulking and needs the extra calories, but I do NOT!
  • stricklee11
    stricklee11 Posts: 218 Member
    edited February 2019
    -Get a food scale! You don't have to weigh everything in the beginning but weighing items like meats can be quite beneficial.

    -Try to figure out what mix of foods you enjoy that gets you full without going over your caloric goal. Don't follow someone else's nutrition plan (even if it was designed by a dietitian) because what may work for them may not work for you. Then you'll get frustrated or feel super hungry at the end of the day and quit.

    -No cheating! Last time I tried using MFP to lose weight, I was not honest with the calories I consumed, skipped logging in food when I knew I overate and sure enough, I did not lose a pound. Even if you eat way over your daily goal, log it. It's good to have historical data and if you lose less than your goal (or even gain), you'll be able to pinpoint why.

    -Make sure those around you support your weight loss goals. It's weird how other people's insecurities creep up when you are actively trying to improve yourself. They will try to put you down or belittle your food choices for lunch, etc. It's easier to deal with when it's coworkers. It's a lot harder when it's a family member or a significant other.
  • J_NY_Z
    J_NY_Z Posts: 2,540 Member
    Yeah...I left off food scale. You absolutely need to get a scale.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited February 2019
    Welcome :)

    My biggest piece of advice, as someone who's been at this whole whacky and wild process for a long time now lol, is to keep it simple when you're first starting out. Don't try to make a bunch of drastic, unsustainable changes-that's only going to lead to frustration and ultimately failure.

    Start by working on small, doable adjustments that you can do with minimal fuss. Things like:
    -getting a food scale and measuring out portion sizes
    -practicing logging your food intake (either here or even on a piece of paper, which is what I did during my active weight loss phase)
    -making small changes to save calories. Things like switching from regular coke to diet coke, switching from regular salad dressing to lighter calorie dressing, making adjustments to what you're adding to your coffee etc.


  • jlynnm70
    jlynnm70 Posts: 460 Member
    Take it slow - you didn't get here overnight - and you won't lose it overnight. Make small changes one or two at a time so you can sustain them. Then add the next thing.
  • PWRLFTR1
    PWRLFTR1 Posts: 324 Member
    hypocacculus wrote: »
    Funny how nobody can stick at one! :-D

    1. Patience
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
    eat to live, not live to eat.
  • placeboBL
    placeboBL Posts: 62 Member
    Patience, consistency, food scale.
  • snowstormy8
    snowstormy8 Posts: 26 Member
    Understand that some weeks you'll do amazing and others not as much. There can be so many factors that change how that scale looks, but it's all about how you feel and look not the scale!
    Also the biggest diet killer for me was letting a cheat day go wild. So a reward or day off is so healthy sometimes but be careful to not let it be a cheat week, month, or year like I have before. One day off will not hurt you but letting yourself feel discouraged from it could.
  • NCK96
    NCK96 Posts: 146 Member
    View this as a lifestyle change, not a diet.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Take pictures (even if it hurts) as you go along, or take your measurements weekly and keep a journal.
    This because as you lose, you become the "new you" and forget how far you've come. When you hit a stall (happens to everyone, sooner or later) you can pull out that tape measure and see those 10'' you've lost, and it will give you the push you need to go on.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    If you are really craving something, if there's a particular high-calorie, 'unhealthy' foodstuff that you haven't been able to stop thinking about for days - just go ahead and eat it!

    Maybe fitting it into your calorie allowance will mean having a small portion, maybe it will mean making some substitutions or missing out some sauces, or maybe it will mean having smaller other meals. But you need to be psychologically satisfied as well as physically satisfied, and trying to eat a healthy salad while thinking of pizza just leads to misery and overeating. Have the gd pizza and be done with it!
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    If you fall off the wagon and have a horrible eating day that put you way over calories. Restart the next day. Don't let one bad day make you quit
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    My best advice is to commit to this (calorie counting, healthier choices, etc) for the long term. Tell yourself "I will be healthier and weigh less in a month and in a year" but don't beat yourself up if that means you lost 2 stone instead of 2.5 (for example). If you just keep going, you'll succeed.
  • anothermfpuser
    anothermfpuser Posts: 84 Member
    All good stuff that's been offered up.

    One thing I will add is to try assembling a good/supportive friends list for yourself. A good support system here can be pretty important over time. Realize people will come and go from your list. There will probably be a handful that are instrumental to you.

    I have a bunch myself and consider them paramount to my success.
  • justpeachy2274
    justpeachy2274 Posts: 147 Member
    Take pics and measurements so those times the scale won’t budge you can see results and not get discouraged
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited March 2019
    This content has been removed.
  • healthyfictionreader28
    healthyfictionreader28 Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks guys :D
  • docmase
    docmase Posts: 2 Member
    I'm a newbie as well. As others have stated, be honest with your intake. Be consistent. Excercise regularly, even if it's just for a short time. Having extra calories to consume because you exercised is one of the best paybacks I can think of. Drink lots of water. I drink warm water, cold water, sparkling water, ice water, lightly flavored sparkling water...so many different variations on this zero to low calorie drink.

    Recognize that it takes a long time to get to your goal weight and this is a lifestyle change. Once you get to your goal weight, you will need to maintain at that weight. Loosening up your diet to much will cause you to gain your weight back. You will need to monitor your weight and adjust accordingly on a regular basis if you want to maintain your ideal body weight.

    Just take things day by day. Some days you will exceed your calorie targets. When you do so, don't beat yourself up. Just hit your target the next day so that over the long run, you eat less than your target. If you do this week in and week out, you will steadily lose weight.

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