Don't know where to start or how!
 

Hi everyone, My name is Cyndi and I know it may sound dumb to say I don't know how to lose weight, but.... I don't. I am 40 yrs. old, gained most of my weight in the last 8-10 yrs. and now I don't know where or how to start to lose it. I feel almost desperate and my self esteem has dropped dramatically since turning 40 and I know I'm not suppose to feel this way, can someone please give me some advice?

Hi Cyndi! Welcome to the forum!! This was a good start, to come here and ask for help. We all have to start somewhere and you picked a good place to come. I am pretty new but love reading the posts and have learned a ton just by doing that. I bet if you look around some you will figure out what to do and how to go about feeling better and healthier. I turned 40 in November and totally understand what you are going through. Good luck in your journey and know you made a good decision by starting here!!

Hi there!

:wel3fc:

Losing weight can seem like an overwhelming and very confusing task in the beginning.

I suggest you start slow, make small changes that you can live with, and commit to the changes.

Take drinking water, for example. Replace most of the things you drink during the day with a glass of water. It's a small change, but it's a step in the right direction. And if you commit to it and keep at it, drinking water along with future small changes add up to permanent weight loss.

Right now, have a look under Diet Central. Maybe find a food plan that you think you'd enjoy and be able to work with. Or look under the Exercise area and find an activity you'd like to start doing regularly.

No need to do everything at once. Go at your own pace. :)

And keep posting!

Hi Cyndi, Im new to this site too! The best part about being here is you find out that you are not alone and that other people are feeling some of the same feelings. There is alot of information here and I have found that the people are really supportive. Take a deep breath and dive in. Good Luck.

:wel3fc:

I started by walking the dog and counting calories. Find a plan that fits you - and RAWK it! :D

Hi Cindy :balloons::welcome::balloons: For me, I started with eating healthy, all the common sense stuff - no chips, cookies, white bread, soda ... thrown all of it OUT! I also had a gym membership that I didn't use - and started using it. Started on the treadmill, elliptical and then hired a trainer so I would learn how to properly lift weights...I started slowly, moved at a pace I felt comfortable with and vented here daily when I felt disappointed in myself or when I wasn't feeling or seeing results.

These people on this board are wonderful (I really mean that)...your never alone and there's always someone who understands all that your feeling...

Keep us posted on how your doing!

What helped me was to not call it a diet. I like to think of it as a change in my lifestyle. Everything that I am doing is to improve my life. The changes that I have made are for the rest of my life, not just til I lose enough weight.

Hello Cyndi, although I am new to the site I am not new to dieting. I have learned over the years that I need to keep allowing myself to have what some people call forbidin foods. I limit the amount but I don't deprive myself otherwise I seem to keep craving them. I follow the WW plan and still am able to eat chocolate, pizza etc. I just limit the amount of time I eat them.

my first steps are usually to pamper myself with all my healthy favorites...try to eat less than I normal would...that usually gets me to feeling better then I try to tackle a bit more...I am no mood to start an exercise regime yet so when I did wash i didn't use a laundry basket....this made it so instead of one tirp up the stairs I had to make 4..little things like that.....I just start small...the great thing is I start feel better then get more motivated make bigger changes.

oops one more thing I start writing down everything I eat....I mean everything..if i swallow my gum ..i write it down...this helps me see where my problem foods are and work on avoiding them or replacing them...

sparkpeople.com has great tools or tracking your diet and fitness. It's free!!

That site combined with 3FC is my suggestion for success!!

A Plan
 

I decided on the first of this year I needed to come up with a new me. In order to do so, I had to come up with a plan. My plan was to join a weight loss program and stick to it. I have fought with weight issues all my life, I have probably lost my self in weight 3 or 4 times. But this year, my plan is to keep it off. That means I had to give up a few of the things that I thought I couldn't live without. Guess what, I am doing just fine without the potatoes, pasta & rice. I am on Metabolic Research Center, which basically raised my healthy protein intake and reduced my bad carb intake. I already fee healthier. Make your plan and stick to it. You can do it. There are alot of free sites, as you probably noted on some of the other posts. Just remember, you didn't gain it in just a few weeks or months, so it takes longer than that to get rid of it. Good luck hun! Huggers :hug:

Hello, and WELCOME!!!

The biggest part of this entire journey is to set your goal and stick to it no matter how long it takes. Tell yourself you are in this for the long haul. Weight loss does not take a few weeks or a month. For some it can take years. But if you mark your small successes along the way, it will help you to stick with your plan.

There are a lot of great people here who are more than happy to share encouragement and tips. Some are even looking for a "Diet Buddy" - someone to walk this journey with - because lets face it - in the real world, not everyone is ready to cheer you on or join you in this journey. That's why we log on here - to keep our minds set to our goals.

If you look at the before / during/ goal photos that people have posted on this site it will help you to know that it IS POSSIBLE for you to get where you want to be! You CAN go from wearing extra big sweat shirts that hide the love handles to one day wearing something that makes you feel totally slim and sexy!

Visit often. But don't forget to step away from the computer and get some exercise too! It will be difficult at first, but if you mark your progress, week by week those exercises that totally wipe you out in week one will seem like a breeze by week 4! All you have to do is stick with it!

Good luck on your journey! I look forward to hearing more from you. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Hugs,

Sarah

Start at the beginning and take it one day at a time. It's true, making small changes can make a huge difference, it's all about lifestyle, and what is realistic for you and what you can stick with for the rest of your life. What has helped me is focussing my efforts on movement, then food. Go for a walk, take a fitness class, use this time to find different physical activities that you actually enjoy and aim to do them at least a few times a week. You'll get there!

I'm a newbie, too, and I really appreciate all of the terrific advice. Best of luck to you Cyndi - I know we can do it!