Hello

Options
Hello, I am Shannon. I recently turned 40 and became a bit lazy. After looking at some pictures of a recent trip, i decided that I did not want to look like that again, so here I go.

Replies

  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    Options
    Hi Shannon! You've come to the right place.

    This is easy - here's all ya' gotta do:

    Cook smart, lotsa good filling stuff. Some fruits, lotsa veggies, some grains-cereals, some starchy stuff, some lean meat. Almost nothing fried (and certainly nothing batter dipped & fried ), and very very little pastry/cakey stuff.

    Count your calories accurately with the food guide here, and stay as close to your calorie allowance as you reasonably can. If you cook properly you shouldn't be too uncomfortable on the calorie allowance MFP will give you.

    Get a little exercise, or a lot, it's all good. Even if you just walk for a good 20+ minutes once a day, that's a huge help.

    And drink your water!

    That's it, piece o' cake. Wife and I have been doing it for about 7 months now. I'm down almost 60, she's down 45 and we're doing great. You can do it too. :happy:
  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
    Options
    Hello and welcome to MFP. This site is awesome, you will love it here if you don't already. I :heart: it here. This site is so supportive, helpful, motivational, easy to use, and everyone here is so nice and friendly. I just wanted to tell you that I wish that you have great success on your weight loss journey. You can do this!!!!!! :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou:
  • butlersr
    Options
    256476.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
    Options
    Hello, I am Shannon. I recently turned 40 and became a bit lazy. After looking at some pictures of a recent trip, i decided that I did not want to look like that again, so here I go.

    Hi Shannon, and welcome to THE best site on the web! :flowerforyou:
    Between the easy to use food counter (which by the way is SUCH an eye opener!) and all the wonderfully supportive members, you WILL be able to lose the weight that you want to, AND, it'll "almost" be easy doing it! :wink:
    I recommend logging ALL your foods BEFORE you have them, rather than later, as it tends to lead to better food choices. (not to mention you'll know if you've got enough numbers left to have a night time snack, like I ALWAYS try to do!) Some people also like to weigh and measure some things, such as meats, rather than just estimating and possibly being WAY off! :noway:
    Don't go making the mistake that if you have LOTS of numbers left at the end of the day that you'll lose even faster, because that DOESN'T happen. Feel free to read any info about the site in the "help" section at the top of the home page. And also, under "all topics", then "general", and check out the first few threads. They'll really help you understand how MFP works. :smile:
    Before coming here, I had tried just about EVERYTHING out there, including hypnosis, TWICE, and nothing really worked until MFP! :love:
    Also, drink LOTS of water, it REALLY DOES help! :drinker:
    As for exercise, it doesn't always have to be awful. For my exercise, I walk almost every day, (weather permitting!) I also dance to a fast oldies CD that my husband made up of all my favorite old songs. (Like "Love Shack", Wild, Wild West", "Mony, Mony", "Footloose", and "Gloria")
    It's free, (unlike a gym!) fun, and I can even watch tv at the same time, so I never get bored! :happy:
    I also recently aquired the Wii Fit, and jog to that, which is a lot of fun, and easy too! :smile:
    So, to make a LONG story short, make good food choices, eat in moderation, get some exercise, and you WILL lose the weight that you want to! :smile:
  • bettersusan
    bettersusan Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    You CAN DO IT, Shannon. I will be 39 in October. I've always been on the heavy side but was most fit when I was single and in my late 20's. I worked out 5-6 days a week, I biked. I hiked. I did 5Ks. I moved to Alaska when I turned 29 and although many wonderful things have happened in these last 10 years, my body isn't what it was. I find myself looking at old pictures and feeling like I've passed my attractiveness peak. After a (wonderful) husband, 3 moves and two (terrific) children, my weight was about 15 pounds higher than my normal weight. It was about 25 pounds higher than my best weight. It was about 47 pounds higher than my GOAL weight. I decided I am NOT going to give up on myself. We are STILL YOUNG. I want to be beautiful before my kids are grown and my hair is white. My sister is on here. She really inspires me. She too has always been overweight, even more so than I ever was. She did weight watchers and lost about 65 pounds a few years ago. She has kept most of it off but it has been creeping up over the past year or so. She joined MFP a few months back and is down 20 pounds now. She looks SO great! She is such an encouragement to me! I don't even like pictures of myself anymore and I want to feel better and look better. (My feet hurt!) If she can do it, you can and I can. ONE DAY AT A TIME!!

    Susan
  • bettersusan
    bettersusan Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    Shannon,

    I forgot this!
    254666.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter

    :wink: Susan
  • s3742e
    s3742e Posts: 5
    Options
    Thanks for the info. I am really going to have to be careful. i am going to school to be a pastry chef, so the temtation is right there...but i am determined to do this!!!
  • nobleps
    nobleps Posts: 95
    Options
    Hello and Welcome :flowerforyou:
    MFP is the greatest diet aid tool I have ever found. If I had to write all this stuff down....well..you know- I haven't got the time, much less remember. :noway: Keep yourself accountable. Look up calories in foods your not sure about. Processed sugars and HFCS high fructose syrup are bad! :explode: Stay away from fast foods unless you know how many calories and what kind are in them. This is really about changing your life and way you eat forever. Grabbing food for comfort or boredom is no longer an option! You must be aware of what, when and where you are eating. :noway: :grumble: :bigsmile: So get started! Get psyhced! Get pumped! Grab your water bottles for plenty of filling/flushing H2O!
    :drinker: :drinker: :bigsmile: :flowerforyou: