- new here and could use a little motivational support! als

cordova_chick6
cordova_chick6 Posts: 11
edited September 20 in Introduce Yourself
hello,
I am kind of new to this site (played around on it a bit and now I am finally getting into it)
I am only 24 but about 5 years ago I weighed 110lbs, now I am up to 140lbs. I think could be happy around 120lbs. but I am having such a hard time losing this weight. (I had a kid at 22 so I can't really blame it on baby weight.)

I want to get in shape really bad. my problem is.. staying motivated. its just so easy to sit on the couch and watch tv or play on the computer, ect.. (anything but exercise! lol). and well the result as I think a lot of people know isn't quite ideal. I don't need to lose a ton of weight (thank god) and I figure I should try to lose 15 - 20lbs now rather than 100lbs later.
any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have never been the kind of person that exercises or diets so I am finding it really hard to figure out what I gotta do. I used to be one of those non athletic skinny people that could eat *anything* that everyone hates, until I had a kid... I put a * by anything because I am a very picky person. I don't like alot of foods and what I do like isn't the healthiest for me. which is most likely why I gained weight. (besides being lazy) I feel like I don't know how to eat healthy and I don't know what kind of diet I should be putting myself on or what kind of foods I really should be eating. (metabolism boosters?)

I'm not much of a runner/jogger/walker or exerciser of any kind, but I recently got an elliptical machine (free and it works great! someone was throwing it out!!) I also have a home gym, and an exercise ball. oh and a wii fit that I used the first week I got it and is now collecting dust behind my tv. like I said I need motivational support lol. I really like my elliptical and I put it in my bedroom so I will hopefully be more likely to use it everyday. (I have a tv in there too, so I think it helps..)
I ride dirtbikes and I have discovered just how out of shape I am. so I have decided that I have got to change!

Thank you! and please any advice on how to stay motivated or good exercises, foods, diets, ANYTHING! greatly appreciated!

Nikki

Replies

  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,194 Member
    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
    Welcome,
    Why don't you start slow and not try to become healthy, motivated, etc all at once.

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: Log the food you ate today on your food diary so you can see what your eating looks like so you can begin making healthier choices
    :flowerforyou: take a walk and log that on your exercise diary so you have something to start with
    :flowerforyou: read some of the posts about nutrition and see what suggestions you can find
    :flowerforyou: drink more water:drinker: :drinker:

    Take it one day at a time
    Take baby steps

    Don't try to remodel your whole life in one day
    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • LadyLouise
    LadyLouise Posts: 2
    Nikki,
    I would recommend goggling up some Heart Heatlhy meal plans. There should be sites like the American Heart Association that can list good foods to eat and in what proportions. the main things to eleminate are processed flours and sugars and foods made with them. Add plenty of fresh fruits and veggies and lean protien. If you eat a lot of high fiber, low fat foods, you will feel fuller and snack less. But you also have to get active to boost your metabilism. You can start by walking briskly 30 minutes a day. I don't know how effective the eliptical machines are, but being up and active is the main starting point.

    with this website, you can enter your current weight, and how many pounds you need to lose, plus your expected exercise and it will tell you how many calories you should be eating in order to lose the weight. A reasonable rate is 1 pound a week, but some weeks you may gain a pound and others you will lose a couple, depending on the time of the month.

    I have also been sitting in the recliner, snacking and watching TV or surfing the web, much like you. My "baby" is now 34 and I've gradually gained a few pounds a year since he was born. I now am working to lose 25-30 pounds to get back to a reasonable weight for my age. I joined a weight loss class at a local college that meets twice a week for an hour of vigorous circuit training - rotating from one exercise to another every couple of minutes. I'm already seeing results after only 3 classes and look forward to continuing. If you have a local fitness club or college close by, you might check into some programs, whatever you can afford, and try to team up with someone there to help keep you accountable.

    good luck with your decision to get fit.

    LadyLouise
  • princessjade22
    princessjade22 Posts: 33
    Hi Nikki

    Welcome to MFP! I had a baby a year ago and was not very motivated to change either. I hate having all this extra weight on from having babies too. This is my second week on here and I have to say it is the best thing for me because I really have to be honest with myself about what I am putting in my mouth. I went to the store and bought lots of vegetables and fruit and other things that I might like to snack on and its been working great. If I can't or don't want to eat something I don't bring it in the house, like soda, cookies etc. I have a weekness for oreos and hot tomales candy. Every Saturday my hubby and I have a sort of cheat day, but we stay within our calorie limits for the day because I don't like to feel like I am depriving myself from foods I enjoy completely. That is what works for me. I also get up and excersice for 30 minutes right now at 5am before my kids wake up, so I am not interupted. I also walk my kids to the bus stop. I don't want to workout in the mornings but I make myself and I don't give myself any excuses. I agree with one of the ladies that says start off slow. You will do great Nikki, good luck and we are all here if you need any more support :happy:

    Rene
  • cordova_chick6
    cordova_chick6 Posts: 11
    lol thank you very much! as much as I wish I could remodel my whole life and habits in one day I know that is impossible :o( wish I could though, it would make things alot easier. lol

    I started out just logging my food diary here and there over the last month or so, and last week when I got my elliptical I started logging exercise again, I did a little bit about a month ago i think too but, skipped a few days then lost all motivation. (which is usually my biggest problem) I do really good and stay motivated longer if I keep on it every day. I feel like if I skip a day it all went to waste then I am less likely to do it. I am hoping that by using the elliptical I can eventually venture out side and feel comfortable enought to jog (and hopefully not stop and collapse 5 feet after I started!) I used it for 15 minutes last night, (moderate pace) and I didn't feel like I did anything so I upped todays workout to 25 minutes with a 3-5 minute break at about 10 minutes (oh ya.. feeling it now)

    same with eating, I was eating pizza everyday for lunch. (I like it and surprisingly enough didnt get tired of it) I finally decided that this wasnt the best meal choice for me so I eliminated it from my diet all together. I haven't eaten pizza in about 3 or 4 weeks. (sounds like I quit smoking lol) I really want to change my eating habits because I know that is my biggest downfall. I eat a lot of salt. I switched to sea salt (don't know if that makes any difference) and have tried to cut back some by not putting as much on my food. (cut back about 60% most times, sometimes I forget, bad habit) but I know I still consume a lot of salt. being such a picky person has some advantages though. I don't like pop very much (root beer is the only one I will drink) and I usually drink lots of water. i also refuse to eat most meats from fast food chains or resturaunts (it just grosses me out). (steak is the exception in some places) but I love junk food and that is alot of what I eat. its like I forgot what real food is. My husband and I have been trying to cook at home more. I can cook, I just don't know what to cook! lol texture, appearance and flavor gets to me more than anything. (trust me, it sucks) veggies can't be cooked, no bruises on bananas, yadda yadda yadda. I hate it and have delt with it my whole life.

    I have some motivation now I just want to stay motivated! lol its too easy not to exercise. (there always something "better" to do) so hopefully I can exercise everyday and keep it up and in the process get healthier. not just for my sake, but my families too. (what i eat.. they eat lol)

    Thank you so much! (and congratulations on your weight loss! you look great!)
    definately going to take things one day at a time!
  • cordova_chick6
    cordova_chick6 Posts: 11
    unfortunately I can't afford any classes right now. (as much as I would love to join one.) I do hope to come up with a good fitness routine. I'm not much of a morning person (I do wake up at 5:30ish every morning but thats even a stretch for me!) so I save my workout for after work. I was very surprised after using this site a little more how many calories I wasn't consuming. a nice surprise for myself I guess. lol. and according to MFP 25 minutes on the elliptical is approximately 235 calories (YAY ME! lol) I don't like treadmills very much so this is a good alternative i think. It will be nice to see results but I think I will enjoy the energy even more (luckily that seems to come a little quicker I think). It will be nice to come home from work and not sit down and watch tv but actually want to do something.
  • xeniasimms
    xeniasimms Posts: 72
    I have very low motivation for working out and eating healthy. One thing that has REALLY helped me is joining 24 Hour Fitness and taking the Group X classes 3 - 5 times per week. The classes last an hour (so you get a good workout), they are fun, you meet cool people and doing it in a group keeps you motivated and moving because no one wants to be the loser who gives up half way through the class! LOL. And after you leave you feel good and want to eat good because you put so much work into being healthy. It is a proud feeling! :happy:
  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
    Hello and welcome to MFP, the best website ever!!! You will love this site if you don't already. I love this site. It is so motivational, supportive, helpful, easy to use, and everyone is so nice and friendly. I just wanted to wish you a lot of success on your weight loss journey. You can do this!!!!!!!!!!!! :smile: :flowerforyou: :smile: :flowerforyou:
  • cordova_chick6
    cordova_chick6 Posts: 11
    thank you! I really like this site and I am learning new things on it everyday. I even added it as one of my homepages so I will hopefully be more likely to log everyday.
  • startingnew09
    startingnew09 Posts: 13
    It sounds like we have some of the same problems! I myself am a very picky eater. My taste lies in pre-packaged meals, sugary cereal, chocolate and bread! LOL. But I have learned to take new steps. It wasn't easy. But by the support of mostly this community I have made some progress. My goal is to be 135 because I'm 5'6". So, I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but I want to lose it all the same! You can do it girl! It's worth it! I will try and check in on you and see how your doing!

    Best of Luck!
  • cordova_chick6
    cordova_chick6 Posts: 11
    I have mainly been trying to stay within the 1200 calorie boundry, trying to eat a little healthier, and trying (really trying!) to do at least 15 minutes on the elliptical every day. (I didn't do so good last weekend though)
    I did think up a good way to make it a little more fun. I hooked up my wii fit and set it on the running exercise then I use the elliptical for that part of the exercise. it works awesome! I only did 10 minutes of it last night (that was the first night I tried it) and I felt like I did 20! (my daughter may have turned up the resistance now that I think about it...) it makes it a little more mindless, but you have your "running parter" to keep up with. my wii fit is my only scale I have at the moment and it is saying 135.7, I wish I would have weighed myself on it before so I had a better comparison. its on carpet so it is probably off a little. (oh ya make your self feel really good and put your bathroom scale on carpet. instant weight loss lol)
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