How did you kick start your weight loss? How did you begin?

When I started my "healthy eating", I started by cutting out junk food, exchange chips for popcorn, major difference, give up soda, coffee, etc, and drink nothing but water. Very hard to do, trust me I know. If you are addicted to caffeine like I am, get you some Crystal Light packets to go in your bottles of water, I use Wild Strawberry Energy. But only drink one or two per day, they are high in caffeine. I have also started the Couch to 5K program. My profile is going to say I haven't lost any weight because a friend told me about this website and I just logged on yesterday. But after I had my baby (he is now 7 months old) I was about 190lbs, I would say. Now I'm down to 174lbs. So I'm slowly getting there. But I know everyone has heard this before but it's very true. If I can do it, anyone can do it.

In reality I have lost 47lbs. before I come on here. I started the diet due to Freddy Kruger Gallstones. You eat fat and you are in pain. (Mine were so bad I likened it to the last stages of giving birth). So that was my incentive to lose weight.. No fat = no pain. When I had the gallbladder out, it became harder because I could eat anything and be ok. Unfortunately Freddy Kruger's gallstone twin, arrived and Laugh a minute kidney stones developed with a nice does of blood poisoning as the side dish It just made me realise that if I did not listen and take notice of what my body was telling me I would not be around long enough to enjoy old age. I don't like ww, but I knew I needed to record what I ate. I sometimes don't eat and then binge. To stop that I eat regularly and record everything. I record everything for a reason, cos if I do, and I count it, at least it won't make me feel guilty for eating it and half the time when you think something has a zillion calories in it, it has not. I also gave up chocolate for 3 months and now it does not bother me. It is a hard struggle, and I have had blips but I must keep going. I am a realist, I know I won't get back to my younger self, where I could get a size 10 (English size), jeans on (if I laid on the floor and pulled the zip up with a coat hanger!), or have a body like Claudia Schiffer, I just want to be able to walk in a shop and be able to try clothes on that I don't even look at, and the most important thing, be a much healthier person, and lose the weight. So that is my story

I have health issues (Fibromyalgia) and my aunt got me on these shakes to help with it because it helped a friend of hers. I figured after dealing with the pain for as long as I had what the heck, I'll try it. Well, the side effect was, I lost weight! That got me started here. I started logging everything I ate. I drink only water and I FEEL AMAZING. Quite a change for someone who didn't get out of bed most days until 2 in the afternoon. If I feel this good now, I can only imagine how good I'll feel after I get to goal weight

yes sodas have tons of calories .. I have cut down to diets .. i know they arent the best either because of the acids and such.. but no calories.. I cant cut out my sodas completely either.. lol. but coke zero is good and so is pepsi max.

Cut out ice cream (so sad), cookies, cake, pancakes, waffles -- you get the picture. I doubled the amount of vegetables, lowered the amount of meat. I allow myself to actually feel hungry before meals. I do allow myself to have dessert on Sunday so I don't go mad. I've been doing this since 3/20 and by last weigh-in have lost 10 pounds. Now, I really have to get moving and add in that part of the program. Add pals here and accept all the support and ideas they offer. This site really works! Good luck to you.

Oh, I've also cut out red meat almost completely, I don't miss it at all

Great advice! Just starting. Hope these posts keep me motivated. I have steadily gained weight year after year NOW I have to turn that trend around.

I have a question I noticed a lot of people cut out soda. Does it really help that much? I'm starting MFP and staying under my calories
about -800 almost a day.(I walk alot being a security guard) and I also walk for 50 minutes at the local park.

So does it really matter? I just can't give up both(portion control) and (soda) so I just limit my soda intake.

For me it did. I was drinking a LOT of soda. Some diet, some not. I was wasting 260 calories every morning on a Mountain Dew and then any other number of calories depending on what else I had throughout the day. In the end, even though a good majority of what I drank was zero calorie, I decided that the calories were less important to me than the fact that it added absolutely no nutritional value at all. Basically I decided that my body deserved better. No judgement for those that don't make that choice - there are lots of things I decided I didn't want to give up that many others have. It was just my personal choice. It became a challenge that snowballed into other challenges. It also made me less likely to go for the candy bowl at work. So, yes, it has made a big difference for me.

I got OFF BIRTH CONTROL!!!!! :laugh: :laugh: ........I do everything I used to only difference is NOW I am losing weight & inches~

i cut out the soda. i think the calories you receive from the drinks are the most important. are the ones you forget to count. also if you don't drink soda you ll drink more water. the same with the alcohol and the high calories coffes. i didn't cut out the alcohol completely, just reduced it!! also i reduced the junk food. and last i started walking and going out for dancing (that's why i needed tha alcohol! :drinker: )

I did wii fit, 'payed attention' to what i ate. I was clueless, starved myself and ended up sick. Lost 45 pounds and not sure how i didn't gain it back. Then i bought a food scale, and started running, biking, hikng, rock climbing. I do some medicine ball exercises. My next goal is to start lifting, just waiting to be cleared by my doctor. Lost an additional 31.5ish pounds since jan 31.

Back in July of 2011, I started to feel really big. I had no idea how much I weighed at that moment, but I felt terrible and out of shape. I remember that over a few days I noticed that I was having a hard time getting off the couch (literally -- physically). I felt like a pregnant women in her 39th week.

So I bought a scale and saw a number that absolutely frightened me (373). The heaviest I had ever been. I started eating a little better and walking more. I ended up losing about 23 pounds by the end of November. But, I lost a bit of my focus and drive around the holidays. I ended up gaining about 11 pounds back (361) when I finally got the guts to weight myself again in February.

I decided I had to make a change for good. Not just "lose some weight." I needed a whole new life. I told everyone I cared about my plans so I could be kept accountable. I ordered Power 90 from Amazon and made a commitment to do that for at least 90 days (I'm almost at day 60). I joined MFP (a friend's recommendation) and I started making better food choices. I haven't completely changed my diet. I still eat some foods that aren't great choices -- but I keep tabs on my calories. I started walking on top of the Power 90. I have MFP post my weight check-ins to my Facebook to get the encouragement and (hopefully) accountability from my friends and family. I told my wife she has to push me and make sure I don't quit or get lazy or go back to old ways.

How did you kick start your weight loss? How did you begin?

The story brings tears to my eyes but I will make it short and sweet

I was 24 years old and getting ready to go back to school for my B.S. in Criminal Justice...It was awhile since I went to the doctor and was feeling light headed, short of breathe and had problems sleeping

I went to the doctors got on the scale and well it read 268.8 pounds and my doctor said you becoming a cop will be impossible and the next time I see you will be for medicine for high blood pressure, diabetes and etc

I went home and cried and said I would not let this stop me or get me down..I started exercising,eating right and now about 14months later

I started at 268.8
Now I am about 204.9

and about 15 pounds away from my goal...that's my story:)

I started by watching what I eat. Slowly working in working out.

To start my weight loss, I stuck to these principles:

5 fruits and veggies a day
Some form of exercise, even walking, for at least 20 min a day.
At least 8 glasses of water a day
If i'm hungry between meals, I EAT. But only high protein, low sugar things (string cheese, nuts, edamame, etc). If i have a sweet tooth I drink unsweetened flavored tea or chew sugar free gum.
Stick to your cal goal for the WEEK, not necessarily the day.

That's it! 6 lbs so far! I have to say that following these principles has basically cut out all fast food, all soda, most white/refined sugars/starches (i rarely eat any bread, will sometimes snack on one cookie). I also DON'T beat myself up if I slip up. I have one day a week where I usually eat more than I should. I jsut make up for it in exercise sometime during the week. I'm still leveling out what works for me. But like I said, 6lbs so far in 3 and a half weeks!