New and looking for some help on how to get started
Hello all,
Wow, this website is rather over-whelming!
I'm 250 lbs--the most I've ever weighed in my life and I am ready to make a change. I know I have allot of negative thinking to try and switch around to end up being successful. As I said I'm feeling overwhelmed with even where to start this journey and I'm looking for someone to tell me the first things I should do to start this right. We have moved out into the country and I have no friends or family for support and I have tried this many times before but have failed every time.
I seem to find starting the hardest thing in the world to do even though getting thin and healthy is what I want the most.
So many of the posts I've read everyone has a plan, they know what they are doing but I am lost. I don't know where to start so I don't start. Someone please push me off the diving board and into the pool!!!
First of all, welcome...I am fairly new myself. There are several plans to fit everyone but I myself am doing weight watchers from home. It's easiest for me to count points and I need something structured in that way. On this plan you can eat real food but in moderation. You can use so many points according to your weight and then you add in exercise. Alot of the other people on here simply count calories and that works for them and I'm sure they will give you more information in other posts! Good Luck on whatever plan fits you best!
How about taking a look through Diet Central to see if any plans there intrigue you or may work for you. You may have to try a few plans to see what works and what doesn't.
Straight up Calorie Counting might be a good place to start. Even just to see where your daily calories are ending up.
If you don't have many people in person who know what you're going through, don't hesitate to use 3FC and other online groups to help support you. We all know what you're going through with weight loss. The great thing about 3FC is everyone has been there!
One other suggestion to keep from feeling too overwhelmed. Start small. Even a few little changes will help improve your health.
And, of course, ask as many questions as you need!
Def check out the Diet central section and see if anything floats your boat.
I can't tell you what to do, but I got the book YOU On A Diet and read it. I use fitday.com & Thedailyplate.com (both free) to log my calories & Fitness. I like The Daily plate better. it offers more in my opinion. That's all I do is count my calories, exercise and watch my carbs. I cut out most sugar, white bread and processed foods as much as possible. We are on a limited budget and sometimes I have to eat what we can afford, in moderation. I go to the community center's GYM 3 day's a week and walk/jog for 30 minutes (Couch to 5k<-----Google it), and the 2 to 3 day's a week I lift weight's at home and do ab work.
I eat A LOT of veggies, protein, fiber, whole grains, and my carbs are usually obtained by fruits and whole grain breads. Frozen veggies are fine. Ya gotta allow yourself a spluge every now and then because once foods become "forbidden", it's all you're gonna want and you'll obsess. Also, when ya slip up and ya will, because we all do, don't beat yourself up, just get back on the train and continue doing what youknow is right.
My Plan: Counting Calories & Exercise
Calories: 1300 to 1750 a day
Carbs: 150 to 200 a day
Exercise: 30 minutes to an hour 1/2 5 days a week.
Thanks for responding...I was actually getting discouraged because I thought no one was replying to my message but I didn't realize I had to manually subscribe to get notifications of replies. Whew!
I haven't been a very nutritional eater as far as veggies and fruits go. I've always been more of a meat an potatoes kind a gal which I guess is the one of the major problems.
So first steps are probably to remove temptations and not by eating them right????
I'll check out the areas mentioned and thanks for the direct links to find a food plan I can ease into and track my food & exercise!!!
I wanted to ask also is there a way to look for people that might be local so I could find a work out buddy? I hate walking into a gym by myself---it always seems like it's only filled with thin people!
Thanks again for replying-I really don't think I can do this without someone knudging me thru the first week. If I can do it for two weeks I think I can maintain it. So that is my first goal I think: Getting thru the first week. Start small dream big right?!
You've come to a great place for support. What I did when trying to find something to work for me was just monitor my calories for a week. I used www.fitday.com to see how much I'm consuming and then just cut my calories down from there. As I went along I could then tweak it to make sure I'm getting in more fruits and veggies, etc. Exercise too is a great thing you can add.
I don't work out in a gym - the cost for one, and traveling there - I am just as likely not to go. Especially if the weather is bad.
I rotate different workout programs such as The Firm, WATP, Slim in 6 and I have a Bowflex. When the weather is nice - I love to ride my bike (come on Spring!!!).
I understand about the veggies. I really don't like that many, but I eat those few every day. If you try pureeing some cooked veggies - you can add them to different dishes to sneak them in.
My number one suggestion for you, since you're just getting started, is to carry around a little journal where you write down EVERYTHING you eat. A lot of times we don't think we're eating a lot because we don't sit down and have the classic meal. I used to snack on M&Ms, venti white mocha frappucinos from starbucks, and have one meal...I wondered why I was gaining weight because I "never ate"! Well I sat down and figured out how many calories I consumed from my little "snacks" each day and it was terrible!! It really woke me up to what I was doing and showed me what I needed to change.
You also need to figure out how to get started exercising. Do you have dogs? I'm sure they would love a nice mile or two walk. Do you garden? That's exercise too.
Choosing a plan is so personal. Do you think you are the type a person who wants to weigh & measure & log everything? Then maybe calorie counting. If you don't want to count then maybe a whole foods or super foods plan is better.
What have you tried in the past. What worked...what didn't?
Finding a workout buddy is difficult since we are all scattered around the world, but, there are some wonderful threads out here, that allow some sense of accountability ( at least for me...), like the one Mesmerize has going sweating out clothes off... I am not much for copying and pasting the threads ( don't know how,). But, a thread like that is so inspirational, and so helpful for those of us who don't anyone close by to work out with. It takes loads of courage for me to walk into a place where the people around me look so fit and in shape and beautiful, but, heck, I can't get that way unless I make the commitment to myself that I CAN DO THIS! Which is why, even at my weight, I joined Tae Kwon Do, I am not looking like the sleek slim black belt my instructor is, but, someday, I will!!! Look to us for your accountability if you need, is what I am trying to say. We are all in the same boat, and everyone I have ever chatted with on here is so helpful and supportive, and genuinely wanting the best for each other!! It is one of my favorite sites out here on the Web!!
[quote=want2lose2bhealthy;2107561]I haven't been a very nutritional eater as far as veggies and fruits go. I've always been more of a meat an potatoes kind a gal which I guess is the one of the major problems.quote]
I'm exactly the same way!! I have a hard time eating veggies and when I do, I'm picky about them. What's harder is that I'm addicted to carbs, so I rarely ate veggies or fruit. Now I realized that the only way I was going to lose weight was to do just the opposite. I'm also new and on WW for the second time. Feel free to post whenever you need to. I'm not a face to face type person, so these boards are my support.
Everyone here is great with support!
I would love to be out in the country excercising!
I am currently starting to eat healthier and starting to walk. I am going to start jogging here soon.
There are so many good plans on this site!
So many great suggestions! For me, what seemed to (finallllllyyyy!!!!) work was letting go of the “all or nothing” mentality. So many (too many to count) times I’d research a great new plan, get all geared up for a great big change in my life, I’d commit to a ton of exercise, follow it all to the letter…for about 3 days and then give up LOL. You’d think after 5 or 10 times I’d figure it out but nooooooo hahahah
Once I hit 40 I realized the clock was tickin’ and if I didn’t want to DIE I had to do something. But I also realized that I’m a bit crazy and if I feel denied in anyway I’ll rebel and stop it! So I made a little tiny plan!
#1 eat breakfast
#2 eat more veggies
#3 walk 10 minutes a day
#4 knock off the diet cokes
Sounds ridiculous, but that’s where I started. I felt fuller after eating breakfast so I didn’t overeat at lunches…not drinking diet cokes meant I didn’t eat the junk that I’d normally eat WITH it… just little changes and not overwhelming so I didn’t have to go crazy and rebel against them and stop! I did that for about 2 months, and after that I started changing my normal recipes a bit, not putting quite so much cream or cheese in it etc., stopped eating out at lunch 3 or 4 times a week! Just little things and it was about 25 pounds that fell off me, so I thought hey this could actually work! So that’s about it, I upped the walking bit by bit, kept eating breakfast (making sure I had a nice serving of protein, that really helped), and if I had a bad meal I didn’t turn it into a bad day or a bad week. If I went crazy at the buffet and ate about 5 days worth of calories, well that night I’d have soup for dinner, and start all over the next day. I know this strategy doesn’t work for everyone, a lot of people need to follow something to the letter, but I can’t. I think I get anxious about being told to do something LOL. This works, and keeps on working, for me at least so I’m happy
New and looking for some help on how to get started
want2lose2bhealthy!
You've come to a great place for support. What I did when trying to find something to work for me was just monitor my calories for a week. I used 
