Ready, and trying to be willing

Hello!
I need some help! I'm new to this website, and new to forums in general. I've been lacking motivation to use my expensive gym membership and get outside to take advantage of the last decent days of Wisconsin weather. I work 3rd shift. It definately has taken it's toll on my waist line, as well as my social life not just with friends but family as well. If anyone has some advice, pointers and helpful hints on how to bust away the pounds and get some motivation back, it would be much apperciated!!!!

I love how everyone is supportive and besides my awesome sister (she's lost 23 pounds!!!) it is something I could use!

Thank you so much!

MP
~One week without laughter makes one weak.~

Hi, 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 far as exercise goes, 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 have 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!

I just want to put extra emphasis on what she said about exercising not having to be awful. In fact, if you feel like your sucking wind and are exhausted, you're working out too hard.

I am actually a lifelong athlete (I played soccer in college, used to be a wildland firefighter, have run a marathon and am currently playing competitive soccer on a men's team). In spite of all that, I've always been 20 to 30 pounds overweight. That's because it is possible to exercise "too hard," meaning you move from the aerobic heart rate zone to the anaerobic heart rate zone. When this happens, you are really strengthening your heart and cardio shape, but you're not losing as much fat as you could be (which is great if your trying to be a faster sprinter for soccer, but not if you want to shed some pounds). You actually want to keep your heart pumping at only 60%-70% of its max to burn fat, which means you don't need to be sucking wind.

Since i started here with MFP, I've been really trying to balance my workouts more. Because I'm an athlete, I do two really tough workouts a week with lots of uphill interval running. But the other four days a week, I tell myself all I have to do is go on a 30 minute walk/jog (I walk for 20 or 30 yards, then jog for 20 or 30). You burn more fat if you change up your pace a bit (but don't go too fast or make it too hard!). And 30 minutes is a good mimium goal. Just walk in one direction for 15 minutes, then head back. And I know about winters, I'm from Idaho, so you could do this same sort of workout on a treadmill (where you can also vary between walking on flat and uphill surfaces). While you're first starting out, don't bite off more than you can chew with working out, or it'll get hard to motivate yourself to go very quickly. Keep it simple for the first while.

So how do you make sure you don't work out TOO hard? Well, while you're working out you should be able to comfortably carry on a conversation. If you can't because you're gasping for air, you're going too hard. What I typically do when I try something new, though, is stop mid-workout and take my pulse for 10 seconds. I'm 27 years old, so my pulse should be between 23 and 26 beats per 10 seconds if I want to be in the fat burning zone. If it's getting too high, I walk slower for a bit. If it's too low, I try to pick up the pace. Check out what yours should be here: http://www.strength-training-woman.com/target-heart-rate.html.

Good luck!