Congratulations to Everyone

Hi,

I am also new to this site and I was pretty impressed it hasn't taken me long to get into the swing of calorie counting and updating my exercise diary. I have only used it for a week but it has been very useful in making me aware of what I eat.

Brianna

Calorie counting seemed like the gateway to OCD, but it's actually a very helpful tool when trying to lose weight and be healthy. It holds you accountable for the foods you eat and aware of what you are actually eating. My advice to any newbie... always be honest with yourself (post ALL your food) and don't beat yourself if you go over, use your "over calorie" days to motivate you to do better.

And always consult the community for support! These supportive little strangers are very helpful and nice

Hi MHaggard and Brianna, 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!
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.
Before coming here, I had tried just about EVERYTHING out there, including hypnosis, TWICE, and nothing really worked until MFP!
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!
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!