Losing weight for the first time, tips?

genarrowe · February 2012

Hey everyone! I'm really trying to lose weight for the first time this year. I've never had to lose weight before and have never had the experience of seeing any weight come off. I've gradually gained weight over the past 4 years after I got married and have realized that I really need to make some changes! I would like to lose 20-30 lbs. but as much as I read about weight loss, I still feel totally lost. What are some tips or things to keep in mind to kick off this weight loss process? What kind of time frame would be reasonable to lose that amount of weight? Any tips for this beginner would be great. Thanks!!!

jlc1243 · February 2012

Consistency and patience!

AmandaLymer · February 2012

You have to remember to eat lots.. really stick to the amount of calories you are supposed to eat a day. And eat like every 3 hours stops you from getting off track.

I looked up alot of meals from calorie wise books and how to get the most out of the calories I have.

Cardio is great for dropping weight. Try and get as much in as possible.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mlosesweight · February 2012

Just try really hard to exercise at least once a day. You can just walk instead of drive or do crunches at home or whatever, AS LONG AS YOU ARE MOVING. Also try to not go over on calorie intake, unless you absolutly can't help it one day which is fine. Also just stay positive and happy. Good luck and feel free to add me

psuLemon · February 2012

Don't try to get too aggressive in your weight loss. The close you are to your goal, the more you need to eat. And believe it or not, eating too little can be just as bad as not enough. Food is fuel, so treat it like that. Below are general guidelines on how much you can aim to lose per week.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

shannonc1115 · February 2012

Patience and tenacity. Keep logging what you eat (even if it's bad) and how much you exercise. Also, don't weigh yourself more than once or twice a week. Weight fluctuates and it can get frustrating, thinking one day you are up 2 pounds, next day down 3, and so on. And BE KIND to yourself...
I think I heard someplace something like: it takes 2 weeks to start feeling better; 4 weeks to start noticing a difference; 8 weeks for friends notice; 12 weeks for everyone else to notice. Just keep it up!!!

Good luck!!

BaconMD · February 2012

Don't give up.
Don't expect instant results. Make small, impactful changes that you can maintain for the rest of your life. If exercising every day is too much, as it is for me, do it every other day, in amounts you can handle.
You don't have to be insane to lose weight and drop it all fast, because it's harder to maintain the loss.
Eat the appropriate amount of food for you, and don't get discouraged if you don't lose anything every time you step on the scale (I gained 0.5lbs this week, but I lost 4.5lbs last week, and I'm not beating myself up over it).
Celebrate your small accomplishments, and don't focus on your long-term goal. The first time I ran for 30 seconds at a 9.0 on my treadmill was an amazing feeling. Then I did 30 seconds at 10.0 incline 5%, and that was even more amazing a feeling. Buying smaller jeans. My wedding ring falling off and in need of resizing. Going down a notch on my belt, and then another, and then another. This stuff will happen, and this is the stuff that can make or break your confidence. Just be sure to give it time.
Don't give up.

jadedone · February 2012

Aim for 5 pounds a month. Slow and steady wins. Stick with making small changes and mastering them instead of going whole hog and burning out early.

Set concrete and actionable goals. Instead of saying I want to lose weight, say:
I want to eat protein at every meal
I want to eat 7 servings of produce daily
I want to eat whole grains daily
I will exercise 3 days a week for 30 minutes (or whatever)
I want to run for 30 minutes straight, working my way up
I want to complete a 5K by summer (and I will do the couch to 5k plan)

...........

genarrowe · February 2012

Thanks for responding! My biggest thing with all this (and life in general) is that there just seems to be soooo many options/opinions to sift through. How did you find the methods that worked best for you guys?

Right now, I'm trying to consistently log my calories to even get an idea of how much I'm consuming and I'm also trying to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week. Harder than I thought it would be, especially in the cold winter here in Ohio when I don't want to leave the house! lol. I've added a yoga app to my iPhone that I'm excited to get using.

Feel free to add me!

Chibs82 · February 2012

Calorie defecit with and as much cardio as you can stomach, BUT start slow. Setting 1 on the machine or justgetting out walking .... it's better than the guy who decided to lie on the couch! Click excercise above and play about with the different activities, they aren't 100% but it would surprise you how effective consistently walking can be.

Log in here, everyday.

"It is not the rain's force that shapes the land, it is the consistency of it".

DBiddle69 · February 2012

Welcome!

Keep in mind none of us, well maybe most of us, are not medical experts so some of the inputs provided should not be taken to heart without consulting professonal help! :noway:

Read this article...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/exercise-calories-explained-206876

A couple of things I remind everyone about

1) Slow and steady wins the race

2) This is a lifestyle change not a diet...it will take some time

3) It takes three months to create a habit....many of us have created bad ones...it will take time to create new ones!

4) It has taken a lifetime to create who we are today so rules 1-3 need to be remembered everyday!!

In the end because we are all different do what works best for you!!

BaconMD · February 2012

Thanks for responding! My biggest thing with all this (and life in general) is that there just seems to be soooo many options/opinions to sift through. How did you find the methods that worked best for you guys?

Right now, I'm trying to consistently log my calories to even get an idea of how much I'm consuming and I'm also trying to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week. Harder than I thought it would be, especially in the cold winter here in Ohio when I don't want to leave the house! lol. I've added a yoga app to my iPhone that I'm excited to get using.

Feel free to add me!

What worked for me from March until the end of December was primarily working out with EA Sports Active 2.0 on my PlayStation 3 in my basement, with nothing more than some dumbbells and floor mats to protect my joints. I don't know what I lost during that time for sure, but my weight started showing up on my scale in mid-May, and I lost about 43lbs since that point and 20lbs since I started using MFP in late December. I've also done a lot of fishing in the warm months (a LOT of fishing), and I am now doing treadmill running/walking sometimes instead of EASA2 or whatever else, with free-form weights or heavy bag. Every other day, for about an hour. It's what I can live with. I also just tried to cut down the amount of food I ate, because portion control was something I had no concept of. I did OK, but I wish I had started with MFP back in March. Who knows where I'd be at now.

DBiddle69 · February 2012

Thanks for responding! My biggest thing with all this (and life in general) is that there just seems to be soooo many options/opinions to sift through. How did you find the methods that worked best for you guys?

Right now, I'm trying to consistently log my calories to even get an idea of how much I'm consuming and I'm also trying to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week. Harder than I thought it would be, especially in the cold winter here in Ohio when I don't want to leave the house! lol. I've added a yoga app to my iPhone that I'm excited to get using.

Feel free to add me!

I have a treadmill at home that I use so I cannot use the excuse of not getting to the gym

genarrowe · February 2012

I also just tried to cut down the amount of food I ate, because portion control was something I had no concept of. I did OK, but I wish I had started with MFP back in March. Who knows where I'd be at now.

This is also a HUGE issue for me. Food = fun has been my life for awhile. I'm a very social eater and I tend to eat a lot when I'm out and about with others. A big priority for me right now it resisting the temptation to eat junk food at work/home when I'm bored and eating large portions at meals.

I'm also looking for fun exercise activities that I can do outside the gym. What's everyone's favorite activity to do outside of a gym?

dls06 · February 2012

I'll keep saying it "get a food scale".:drinker:

genarrowe · February 2012

I'll keep saying it "get a food scale".:drinker:

I really do need to look into one of those! I have a good friend who lost a ton of weight simply by weighting/portioning her food out with one of those.

psuLemon · February 2012

My other biggest suggestions, lift weight and make it heavy. All the cardio in the world won't build muscle. Muscle is the most important thing in your body (besides organs) and there are several studies that support the importance of lean muscle mass and the prevention of disease and living a healthy life. Also, pretty much all of those things you hear from celebrities are false. Women can't bulk, so don't be afraid of muscle. Don't follow low fat diets as fat is very healthy for you (well except transfats) and fad diets don't work for long term results.

Also, exercise isn't for weight loss. Calories in and out is what determines weight loss. Exercise is fitness and fitness makes you stronger, faster and less likely to be injured in daily life.

ImaSongbird · February 2012

Right now, I'm trying to consistently log my calories to even get an idea of how much I'm consuming and I'm also trying to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week. Harder than I thought it would be, especially in the cold winter here in Ohio when I don't want to leave the house!

This is the best thing you can do. Just track for a week or two, then the changes you need to make should be obvious to you. Rather than focusing on calories, try to eating food as close to its original source as practical.

Losing weight for the first time, tips?

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