I just joined and could use some help!

MandyL1981
MandyL1981 Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
Hi,

I turn 31 this year and am at the highest weight I've ever been - 195 lbs. It doesn't help that I recently saw some pictures of myself from when I was 21-24 years old and weighed around 140 lbs. I would like to get on track and get healthy. I've tried various weight loss programs in the past with no success but feel like I could be successful with myfitnesspal. It seems like a manageable, unrestrictive plan to really evaluate what you consume daily.

I'd love to hear success stories, tips and tricks and even your struggles to help get me motivated and stay motivated. Please feel free to add me and maybe we could all do this together.

Thanks!
Mandy
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Replies

  • carlie393
    carlie393 Posts: 3 Member
    Hello And welcome to MFP! I just started last weekend and this is so easy to use and record your food and exercise that it almost becomes a game! I am down 5 lbs so far and have alot to go but I really think this will keep me on track! Good luck!
  • BabeedollB
    BabeedollB Posts: 161 Member
    Good Morning!! i just joined last week and I have to say, this website is awesome. SO wish I had stumbled upon it earlier!! I have a long ways to go, as I want to be down 50 pounds. This tool will definitely make it easier!! Any tips, pointers, would be greatly appreciated!!
  • MandyL1981
    MandyL1981 Posts: 6
    Hi, thank you for your response! Congrats on being 5 lbs. down! It does kind of feel like a game to me, too. I just hope I'm on the winning end of it, lol.
  • beyg
    beyg Posts: 212 Member
    you can add me. I feel mfp works by gaining education and having worldwide web encouragement. Really I have learned more about my eating habits than ever before, and I had some food and diet knowledge.
  • itsmeangelia
    itsmeangelia Posts: 11
    hi! :smile: I just joined yesterday. So we are starting together. I have have over the last year and half lost 46lbs. I gained some of it back :( So I am kicking it back into gear! I am on several sites. Found this one yesterday while researching the "Fitbit". So I signed up- love to make new friends with common interest!

    Angelia
  • jplucheck
    jplucheck Posts: 275 Member
    Feel free to add me if you would like. I have been here since sept. 11, only down 20lbs but hey I haven't deprived myself of anything I am losing weight eating ice cream and other goodies! Moderation is key
  • sspetter
    sspetter Posts: 20 Member
    Hi everyone! I joined Jan 8th and am down 23 lbs, and I agree, it does feel like a "game". I love this, the ease of finding the accurate calories to count and knowing exactly where you are on the count instead of 'guessing". Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like! I love the support of MFP members, and it's so encouraging to see others success and the ability to talk out our challenges!
    Good for you!

    Stacy
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I think the best part of this website is.. it allows you to learn vs simply telling you to not eat this or not eat that (which is what a lot of "diets" do). You want this to be a lifestyle change and not a diet. You want this to be something you can do for the rest of your life and not something you do for a few weeks, hit a goal weight, go back to your old habits and re-gain all the weight again.

    I think the most important part of this journey is learning about serving sizes. We are a society of HUGE portions. It takes a lot to learn that those huge platters of food they hand you at most restaurants? Well, that is 2, 3 or even 4 servings and we are consuming it as one meal. No wonder obesity is such a problem.

    Read labels. Measure food (even get a food scale!). Log your food HONESTLY. If you eat 4 cookies, log 4 cookies. It'll help you to understand what you're really consuming. You can lie to your food diary, but your body knows what you really ate!

    Also, you don't have to give up the foods you love to lose weight. Simply eat them in moderation. :)
  • MandyL1981
    MandyL1981 Posts: 6
    Thank you all for your responses! This already feels 10 x's better than any Weight Watchers meeting I've ever sat through, lol!
  • Cheryl943
    Cheryl943 Posts: 83
    You can add me. I've been on here a couple of months and had been doing really well. I'm in a bit of a slump but getting back on track as of tomorrow. We all need all the support we can find so welcome and good luck. Try not to get discouraged and keep going forward. Listen to your body as it will tell you what it needs. Sometimes it is barely a whisper and other times it will scream bloody murder. The trick s hearing both for what they are. Onward and upward (or downward if it is the scale).:flowerforyou:
  • thekarens
    thekarens Posts: 254 Member
    I second the food scale. We have one and it's a real eye opener to find out what a real portion size is. I think you'll really enjoy this site. Welcome!
  • Vickydl
    Vickydl Posts: 2
    That's my number too!! I'm working on losing 50 pounds. We can do this altogether. Just keep counting your calorie intake, exercise, and drink water. It's been almost a month for me and I've lost pounds. Honestly I expected to lose more than 5 or 6 pounds in almost a month since I've been working out everyday. But I keep reminding myself it took years to put all this weight on and it will take time to lose all the pounds. In the meantime I will just have fun exercising and meeting new friends who have the same goal and are going through the same journey.....now that's a huge perk!
  • bluedog007
    bluedog007 Posts: 2
    i just joined as well--how do you 'add' people? I think I need people to check in with on a weekly basis to help keep me on track. I'd like to have some people to be accountable to...
  • chele1028
    chele1028 Posts: 248 Member
    Hi Mandy, you can do this! I have lost almost 58 pounds since last Aug 2011, feel free to add me, I will encourage you! :smile:
  • IndependentGuilt
    IndependentGuilt Posts: 20 Member
    Hello and welcome to it. I joined about a month ago and I'll be honest, it's difficult to hold yourself accountable and track food/exercise on a consistent basis. Join me to be a friend and check up on one another? I think we have very similar situations...
  • ekeledo
    ekeledo Posts: 15
    Hey, I only signed up last week too. And I am at 192 pounds at the moment. I have set my goal to get down to 150 pounds at the moment ( as it seems achievable ;) ) I find this site sooo much better than Weight Watchers (which i have joined for 4 times at this stage) and the calorie counting here is better too (IMO). It is also great how much information you can get from others...for example I discovered that the reason I did not lose weight was cause I ate too litlle,.thats right- too LITTLE! so now that i have increased my calorie intake i actually start seeing results (havent recorded yet as i want to do it after 7 days and i have few days to go til then) ... anyway..feel free to add me :)
  • lucky_74
    lucky_74 Posts: 30
    Welcome Mandy!! Sounds like to you are taking steps to achieving your weight loss goals.
    I find tracking my food and exercises really helps keep me on track. These are some great tools here on MFP. Also - adding friends and being active on commenting helps keep me motivated as well :)
  • DiannaMoorer
    DiannaMoorer Posts: 783 Member
    I love this site!! I joined in January and I have learned so much! Add me if you want.
  • wendywwhite
    wendywwhite Posts: 24 Member
    I'm happy to help share any tips and tricks I've learned - feel free to add me!
  • DataBased
    DataBased Posts: 513 Member
    Welcome, Mandy! This site is a great tool, and you'll get out of it exactly what you put into learning how to live healthy. The best advice here is read, read, and read some more - then ask lots of questions and apply what you learn to your new lifestyle. You'll do great! :-)
  • Pizzagirl50
    Pizzagirl50 Posts: 112 Member
    Thank you all for your responses! This already feels 10 x's better than any Weight Watchers meeting I've ever sat through, lol!

    I hear that! This is WAY better :smile: and it's free!
  • Altruista75
    Altruista75 Posts: 409 Member
    Welcome and remember to just take it one day at a time!
  • dancermom11
    dancermom11 Posts: 13 Member
    Welcome! You did the right thing by joining because it really helps to have online support.I tried weight watchers and while it was nice to have access to recipies and all I felt the site was a bit busy and hard to navigate.I find that mfp is much simpler plus it is free.You can still chat with other people who are going through the same thing you are and pass no judgement. My biggest tip is that you must have a consistent form of excercize.Don't focus so much on the weight in the beginniing so much as the inches you lose.Focus on your waist measurement going down.We tend to beat ourselves up on the scale.Build muscle. As we get into our 30's and up that is really key.You will find lots of good advise on here.I ,too, used to be thin and healthy.In fact I was a professional dancer for years.That is why it is hard to look back at those pics and you are so mad at yourself.So I know how you feel.But you are not alone!! You got this! You can do it and you are still really young.Good luck!Christine
  • LucianaMilk
    LucianaMilk Posts: 86
    Feel free to add. I'm 31 years old too and I've tried everything to lose weight. So far, MFP is the only one that is working just fine for me.
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    Welcome to MFP!! You will love it here & probably become addicted to it...I am that is for sure!! lol...Feel free to add me & we can help motivate each other....Best of luck on this journey!! YOU CAN DO IT!! :)

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  • bstoetzer
    bstoetzer Posts: 96
    Welcome! I've been using MFP for about 3 months and have lost 15lbs. I feel it makes me more accountable for everything I eat and the support from my friends here is amazing. Anyone...feel free to add me. Good luck to all!!
  • lynn7298
    lynn7298 Posts: 18
    I am new as well! Just started about 3 days ago. This site is amazing and the support is simply astounding. You guys are right....this is so much more positive than a WW meeting. The last meeting I went to, the weight check lady scolded me in front of everyone for gaining .5 lb. I was so humiliated! I never went back. I have about 80 more lbs to go and so far have lost 5 (started watching what I was eating about 2 weeks ago, but just started logging) and I am going to do it this time! This site also has a great app for the android so I can log while I am on the go, AND quite possibly my favorite new toy....the bar code scanner....so I can log my food quicker!
  • bionicrooster
    bionicrooster Posts: 353 Member
    Feel free to add me, I just turned 35 and went through a similar response as you did when NI saw pictures form my early to mid 20's :-)

    However i am already down 26 pounds since I started in mid January so this place works!
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Some advice. Get Jillian Michaels 30 day shred dvd ($9 Target or Walmarts) 20 min daily workout awesome. Lots of water and keep food diary. It is amazing to really see what you put in your mouth. It keeps you focused. Eat 5-6 meals daily 3 larger 2snacks
    keep veggies/salad stuff on hand. Talipia/tuna/salmon to throw in your salad to add some much needed protein.


    Good luck
  • ricksnaustin
    ricksnaustin Posts: 439 Member
    I relate. I was the heaviest I had ever been when I joined. You will find some greats tools and good people here. Add me as a friend if you like.

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