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

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Replies

  • jutymo
    jutymo Posts: 162 Member
    I saw the Special K ad about losing 6 pounds in 2 weeks. Figured I could do anything for 2 weeks. Pulled their "diet" and bought all their foods and got started. Found MFP about 2 days later, logged all my Special K crap. After week 1 quickly discovered it's way too much processed food for my tastes but I had 2+ weeks of product. So started adding in "normal" non processed food in week 2 with a few of the Special K stuff as snacks. Moved on quickly to real meals, real food and tracking everything on MFP. I stopped drinking soda which was probably the hardest thing I did.

    I've started exercising but still don't have near enough activity. I'm losing slowly (averaging 1-1.5 lbs per week loss), but still losing and I've never lasted this long on any weight loss attempt. I'm currently eating at the maintenance level of my goal weight and hope to do that FOREVER so that when I hit goal, I'll already be eating maintenance and won't have to adjust anything.

    I also plan my meals a week in advance so I just have to flip open my binder to see what I get to eat each morning. I shop every Saturday for the next week getting only what I need to make my meals. Then I pack breakfast and lunch each day before I leave for work. It's easy because I know what I get to eat, I have what I need to make what I get to eat, and I can pack it up quickly and get out the door. Meal planning and food tracking are critical to my success....
  • NiemaThomas
    NiemaThomas Posts: 2
    I bought myself a pair of skechers shapeup sneakers, and i joined the ymca. I also went food shopping, and purchased only healthy foods. I was realistic about losing weight. I knew that i had to work hard, but i would lose just inches first. I spoke with a wellness coach, and she gave me an evaluation. She then showed me all the machines that i needed to reach my goals. I started on the treadmill, and worked my way up to strength training. I was also willing to take advice from others in the gym that had been working out way longer than me. I realize now that, this was the best decision that i have ever made!
  • talzybob
    talzybob Posts: 80
    my biggest kick start was accidental when i was told was allergic to gluten and dairy. when i swapped my diet to accomadate the weight fell off and ive loved it ever since and when i felt ready i went to the gym and loved that to. im not massive on going to the gym as i prefer to workout in other ways but ive really enjoyed it so far and have seen some awesome results so far. just wish my podge would get lost so i can appreciate the way i look a bit more.
  • asafcat
    asafcat Posts: 16 Member
    What triggered it for me was the owner of the local fitness center had emailed me a "diet plan". It basically broke the day down into three meals and three snacks. This was how I was introduced to "ezekial bread" which is part of my staple now. I went to the local "trader joe's" and just stocked up on healthy meal options. I started using MFP to calculate my calories. I take a "body sculpting" class once a week and walk/run three times a week. I feel so much better eating healthier and of course seeing the weight come off of me is a big motivator.

    This is the most "on track" I have been in years, probably since before having my first child 9 years ago! I make sure that I have a lot healthy food options in the house which is key for me because it's hard when I have to prepare higher calorie meals and snacks for my husband and two kids!

    MFP has been great. I love reading the posts form other members and knowing that I am not alone in my goal to lose weight and live a healthier life style!
  • Boz1625
    Boz1625 Posts: 12 Member
    I started by exercising first. I signed up for a half marathon that gave me 5 months to train and began running using the Couch to 5K plan. After a month of exercising and adjusting to my routine, I started changing the way that I ate. The difference was that I needed to fuel my body with better foods for better runs, and each week it became more of a habit and less of a change.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    I could probably say I had 50 'ahah' moments but I never acted on them. They just stuck in my mind eating away at my self-esteem.
    I'm not sure what happened but on Christmas Eve I decided to start walking. By New Years Eve I realized that I was going to keep doing it and I needed inspiration. I thought of my former babysitter's little boy Carson, who has an inoperable brain tumor. I feel helpless about his situation so now I'm walking 1,000 miles in honor of the little guy for St. Judes. I have donors who are giving me 1 cent per mile and my goal is to raise $2,500.00. So far I'm up to 360 miles for the year and my goal to finish is Halloween because we always have a huge party and the little guy attends it.
    After I started walking I noticed that I felt a little better and I started to cut out some of the unhealthy foods in my diet. A niece told me about MFP and I joined. That was enough to motivate me to entirely change my life.
    I'm down to 147 from 179 and I thank everyone on here who has helped me along my way. Big <hugs> to all!
  • zombilishious
    zombilishious Posts: 1,250 Member
    I started (briefly) the usual way. 1200 calories. That lasted about 10 days - I was miserable, tired and weak. Of course, I dropped 8lbs - I'm guessing water weight and muscle. I found MFP, went to 1500 calories and changed my macros to ensure I got enough protein, joined a gym, and went to work slowly building cardio endurance and weight training. I was losing 1-2lbs a week. Now, a mere 4 months later, I'm eating 1600-1800 calories a day and still losing 1lb a week. I lift 3 days a week, and do cardio on non-lifting days. I try to walk for 30 minutes 4-5 days a week, usually on my lunch hour (but thanks to severe seasonal allergies, right now I can only walk and indoors at that because anything else causes a runny nose and coughing fit).
  • d3mon4ngel
    d3mon4ngel Posts: 242 Member
    The thing that kicked me into changing was finding a bright red stretch mark running right down past my belly button :cry: I've not had a new stretch mark before that since late teens / early twenties when my body was still finding its shape.

    I found MFP, started logging everything that I ate and upped the amount of water I was drinking. I've also found that I'm more likely to stick with my exercise routine if I do it first thing in the morning or on the weekends, rather than after a full days work when I just want to sit down.

    I also started Couch to 5K running, but that's more for my fitness than weight loss.
  • DrGeriK
    DrGeriK Posts: 61 Member
    There are several things that kick started my weight loss. They are:

    1) Knowing I HAD to exercise
    2) Realizing that I have 'tried' to lose weight for a long time & wasn't truly working on it
    3) Logging in calories on this site
    4) Finding exercises I LOVE doing
    5) Promising my Daddy before he died that I would take care of my weight.

    I have lost about 17 lbs total since I actively started to take charge of my weight. I am so looking forward to reaching my goal of 105 lbs and I KNOW I will attain that goal. When my children are out of school, I will be training for my first 5K race. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would want to run. Having had asthma as a child, running was not one of the things I wanted to do. Now because of chiropractic care as well as building up my lungs through exercise, I am able to start training. Thank you all for your support on this site!
  • cestoby
    cestoby Posts: 9
    Stopped eating crap, started counting calories, and started exercising daily (just power walking at first).



    Congratulations on your accomplishment! What did you do towards the end, if not power walking, were you still counting calories? :smile:
  • rachaela06
    rachaela06 Posts: 167
    I found the 21 day No Junk Food Challenge, just to lose a couple pounds. After a few days of doing it, I figured I might as well start using MFP again and workout. A month and a half later, I can honestly say it is one of the best choices I have ever made!! I feel great and my body is really changing, for the better.
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
    Wow, these stories are really inspirational/encouraging and helpful to me too. Thanks for posting!!! :heart:
  • the1udreamabout
    the1udreamabout Posts: 4
    I stopped eating red meat and starting counting calories. The next month I joined a gym and started working out daily.
  • lhaas24
    lhaas24 Posts: 92 Member
    I began by cutting out soda and cutting portion sizes. I then started looking at the calorie counts of my fav restaurant foods and realized how ridiculously high in cals/fat/sodium they were.... even the "light menu" options. I found sparkrecipes.com and started cooking a lot more at home. Even if you are still eating a cheeseburger or pizza, if you make it at home you save hundreds of calories as opposed to the restaurant or take out versions!
    I also realized that it is incredibly difficult for me to stick to my efforts in dieting/changing my eating habits if I am not exercising. I feel incredibly guilty if I hit the drive thru for lunch when I just busted my butt the evening before to burn the amount of calories that I will consume in HALF of my drive thru meal. So not worth it. I learned that diet and exercise have to go hand in hand for me to stick with it.
  • CrazyBullies
    CrazyBullies Posts: 31
    i have stopped and started probably for the last couple months, first trying Visalus, while calorie counting then special k and calorie counting. now im just calorie counting, watching everything i eat, i have cut out soda for the most part, if i have one its about 1 a month, i try and drink as much water as possible, im eating more fruits and veggies and leaner meat. I've recently started turbofire and already feel a difference in my body than i did with wii zumba or wii fit. This is my first week with turbofire, so we'll see on the next weigh in. but i do know that i need to stick with something and this is it!

    Edit: oh and i cut out fast food. we still eat out once a week, but i order light or salads.
  • the90daybody
    the90daybody Posts: 9
    I started setting a clear mindset and goal. Until a friend of mine recommended me the best foods for weight loss:

    Want to know what are they?

    In line with this is the right choice of best foods for weight loss. Here under are some of the best foods for weight loss management:

    Oatmeal
    When you hear that word oatmeal, what is the word that pops into your mind at the moment? Oatmeal is always relating to the heart. Eating oatmeal everyday helps you have a healthier heart. In addition, as oatmeal is rich in fiber then it is one of the best foods for weight loss management. The fiber content of the oatmeal helps you feel full and help you lower your appetite.

    Apples
    An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This juicy and sweet fruit has the ability to shed your body fats. Eating apples make you feel full for lengthy periods of time helping you to overeat. It is advisable to eat an apple before a meal. This will help you eat less but you feel fuller.

    Fish
    Eating fish than meat helps your success towards to healthy you. Fish is like tuna, sardines and salmon are rich in leptin. Leptin is which an effective fat burning hormone is. This is the one who decides where the food you will become a fat or an energy giving calorie.

    So why look for the bets foods for weight loss? With the 75% increase in the numbers of people who become obese since the year 1997 up to present. It has a great impact not only to one’s health but also to their financial handlings. Did you know that hundreds of dollars are being spent every year just to treat diseases due to over-weight?

    Aside from eating best foods for weight loss and doing exercise activities. Enjoy your meal guys..
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
    I started setting a clear mindset and goal. Until a friend of mine recommended me the best foods for weight loss:

    Want to know what are they?

    In line with this is the right choice of best foods for weight loss. Here under are some of the best foods for weight loss management:

    Oatmeal
    When you hear that word oatmeal, what is the word that pops into your mind at the moment? Oatmeal is always relating to the heart. Eating oatmeal everyday helps you have a healthier heart. In addition, as oatmeal is rich in fiber then it is one of the best foods for weight loss management. The fiber content of the oatmeal helps you feel full and help you lower your appetite.

    Apples
    An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This juicy and sweet fruit has the ability to shed your body fats. Eating apples make you feel full for lengthy periods of time helping you to overeat. It is advisable to eat an apple before a meal. This will help you eat less but you feel fuller.

    Fish
    Eating fish than meat helps your success towards to healthy you. Fish is like tuna, sardines and salmon are rich in leptin. Leptin is which an effective fat burning hormone is. This is the one who decides where the food you will become a fat or an energy giving calorie.

    So why look for the bets foods for weight loss? With the 75% increase in the numbers of people who become obese since the year 1997 up to present. It has a great impact not only to one’s health but also to their financial handlings. Did you know that hundreds of dollars are being spent every year just to treat diseases due to over-weight?

    Aside from eating best foods for weight loss and doing exercise activities. Enjoy your meal guys..

    How cool is this? Thanks for posting....these are among my favorite foods!!!!! Yay!
  • honeygirl0715
    honeygirl0715 Posts: 38
    I just cut out all soda and junk from my diet and cut down my portion sizes

    That's exactly how I kick started mine! I had no idea how many calories I was drinking instead of eating!
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