anybody else just getting started?

Good Luck man, stay focused and the results you looking for will come. I'm pretty much in the EXACT same boat as far as weight and age. I've done this before loosing 140lbs in the past, and of that 30lbs has crept back in. I'm getting back into my focused mode where my health was really taking a front seat.
I've had an account with this site for years but never used it, i was recording my food with pen and papter. I"m going to start posting online, because in the past recording what I ate was a real key to me staying focused and on task.

Hi, I'm Jen, I'm 27. I am new here too (well, I started in March, lost 24lbs, then decided to quit smoking and put it all back on again) I let myself though, as to me quitting smoking was more important. I am now back on the wagon, and hoping I can achieve both my goals - weight loss, as well as no smoking. Have been a non-smoker sonce 10th August

Feel free to friend me one and all

Welcome aboard and best of luck with your goals.

I am new to all of this also and I am looking for motivation and support as well. I am always up and down weight wise, and recently been more up due to quitting smoking but I am ready for more lifestyle changes to just keep getting healthier! I am looking for friends on here to help keep each other motivated and moving. good luck to you all!

Ryan, I have learned that snacks are your best friend. I may sound a little tedious however, take like a box of rice cakes, or wheat thins, grapes (my fav) or whatever your fav snack may be and actually bag them into their portion size. People don't realize you can consume 3 to 4 serving sizes if you don't pay attention. Hope if helps

Hi Ryan - my name's Dawn. I'm told that if you're feeling 'hungry' (and think you're possibly not) you should drink a glass of water slowly. Then, after an hour if you're still hungry you should eat something. It may be that just a small low cal option will help?

As someone that just started on November 7th - I have to tell you how EASY this is if you just do exactly what they tell you. I have already lost over 7 pounds!! It's amazing. I never feel hungry, I love working out, but not killing myself to do it, and I'm feeling great. Stepping on the scale this morning was so rewarding and exciting. Good luck!

My name is Belle and I just started Tuesday. SO far so good. Makes you think about what you are eating

Hi, Ryan.

I registered here a few months ago but have not been active, and have not been actively controlling my diet, so in a sense I am just getting started (or re-started) today.

Now, I have to qualify that by saying that over the last year I have dieted successfully - I lost 50# very comfortably from Oct'10 thru about March'11 (from 380# to 330#). I was stable at 330 through the summer, discovered myfitnesspal, was all gung-ho, and then started slipping to where I am now at 350#.

I wanted to post not just to say that I am (in the sense of re-starting) just getting started, but to also comment on the growling stomach issue. On that specifically, my feeling is that a big factor in the success of the loss of 50# last year was in allowing my stomach to shrink. That's not just my waistline getting smaller, but the actual stomach - the organ - actually shrinking.

There are two effects involved here.

First is hunger signals. As you eat, the wall of the stomach is stretched. Afterwards, as the stomach passes food on to the intestines the wall of the stomach relaxes. There are sensors in the stomach wall that send signals as the stomach wall relaxes that can induce feelings of being hungery. So, one objective is not to stretch the stomach too much at each meal/snack.

Second, there are sensors in the stomach wall that as the stomach fills send signals of fullness. Once the stomach has been allowed to shrink these sensors will kick in more quickly, on much less volume of food ingested.

So there is a period, and it's not as long as you might think, wherein if you can reduce intake (in terms of bulk per meal), you can shrink your stomach. This will provide two benefits resulting from the two effects noted: 1) You will not experience such strong hunger pangs between meals; and 2) you will feel full on much less volume consumed per meal.

Now, to be fair, I have to qualify all of that with a bit of personal history. My weight loss success last year was kicked off by an automobile accident that dislocated my right hip. As I weighed 380# at the time, the orthopedic surgeons who put me back together gave me strong directives to lose weight. Plus, the nutritionist at the hospital put me on an 1800/day ADA diet, and the nutritionist at the rehab hospital continued that for the full month I was in hospital. And the physical and occupational therapists had me working out three days a week. So I went through what was essentially, effectively, a four week enforced fat camp regime. I came out of that with a very small stomach. I got by on very little food and was very comfortable.

What happened over the last six months or so is that I have gradually - by gradually allowing meal portions to get bigger and bigger - I have gradually stretched my stomach back out so that I get frequent feelings of hunger and urges to snack. What I have to do now is recreate that fat camp experience by enforcing on myself small portions while keeping an eye on the calorie count.

The short version of all of that is that I would suggest allowing some snacks between meals in a grazing-like mode, while keeping an eye on calorie count and seeing that intake volume per meal is kept relatively small.

So, a long winded reply, and perhaps too much personal info, but I do feel like I am right there with you. I don't say it's easy unless you get your hip dislocated, undergo surgery, and spend four weeks in rehab, but the way forward is clear: count calories, and keep meal volumes relatively small. Soon your stomach will shrink and you'll find that amazingly small portions are surprisingly satisfying. At the same time be sure you're getting a good balance of vitamins and such.

Good luck. Hold on. Stay the course. I'll be right along there with you.

I wish you the best and feel free to add me as a friend. Oak i am an encourager.