First off let me start by saying hello to all! I am new on this site, and am so glad I came here. My name is Dani, I am 24, married to a wonderful man (who loves me just the way I am) with two beautiful children and ready to start my journey to get healthy! There are two things that brought me here, my desire to feel good about myself again, and the fact that I joined a "Biggest Loser" competition in my office. Unfortunately I am much like a spoiled child when it comes to food and weight loss. So before I ramble on anymore, I am asking for advice. This is sad I know, but I need somebody to help me, and I mean help me by telling me what to do. When it comes to weight loss, the thing that will help me the most is someone telling me what to do and when to do it until I can get to the point of doing it on my own. So if someone could tell me what kind of diet I need to follow, how much exercise, and any other tips I would greatly appreciate it. I work full time, but I have a gym membership that I would like to put to use, I just need some guidance!
Thats a tough question to tackle without knowing more about you. The idea is to eat less and move more. Any time you can opt to move instead of not is helpful. I think 30 minutes of activity a day is beneficial. Even if that is going for a walk or breaking it up into 10 minute intervals it is something. Depending on where you are starting from though. You want to push yourself a bit.
Have you thought about getting a personal trainer for your first little while. They can be really motivating and will answer food related questions usually too. At my gym they ahve a 6 week fat loss program that comes with a complete food plan that includes all the shopping lists and recipes and you get a personal trainer. It is not cheap but if you are serious about it and really have trouble starting out it could be worth it?
If not, try not to get too bogged down with the "right way" because there are so many opinions out there. Bob Green has that book that he made recently .. I cant remember what it is called... THe best life diet? I think that has exercise as well as food info in it. It might be a good one to pick up?
Thank you Bikini for your reply! I would love to be able to get a personal trainer, but unfortunately at this point in time I just can't afford it. I haven't heard of that book, thanks, I will have to check that out! I just need to get a routine going, I want this to be a lifestyle change, I just don't know how to get there! I need to find where I can get a diet plan, one that is fairly simply and doable, along with the shopping list! That is a great idea!
I count calories and that seems to be working well for me. You just have to watch what you eat and how much you eat. I eat several times a day too, so when I'm hungry, I eat...just enough to keep from feeling hungry. And if you want to treat yourself you can...you just have to make sure you have room for it. I would think starting out trying to cut back on what you eat and staying from sweets would be the best idea. And then make sure you are getting enough water everyday. I think that helps a lot. Water does flush out a lot of bad stuff in your body. Umm...about the gym...well, I think starting out slow..like 30 minutes of cardio 3 or 4 days a week would be fine and work yourself up from there. Then you could add weights. I haven't started weights yet, but I will be doing that soon.
Thanks Shauna! I think that will be my best bet, to count calories, I just have to figure out how many I can have. I was thinking maybe I could do 15min jogging, 30min walking, and 15min on the elliptical......
go to thedailyplate.com I use that website and it helps A LOT. i think there are a couple more that help with counting calories, but i like this one the best so far.
Hi Dani! Welcome to the site --- you've already STARTED! You're reaching out for help, and looks like you've already lost 7 pounds on your own!
I've just started, too, and though I'm twice your age, it's always a struggle to know the "best" thing to do. My main problems were that I don't like cooking (don't have a family and kids at home to worry about), and after a long day at school, fast food was the easiest thing! Sooo ...I started out by banning fast food altogether (for me, that's what it takes at this point). I make and take my lunch to school now - which avoids the secretary ordering out for me LOL!!
Water is also key -- if you don't like water (I used to hate it), use the crystal light packets to make lemonade or flavored water Before you know it, you'll be loving water!
Just try cutting back on the things you KNOW in your head are bad - lots of carbs, lots of sugar, lots of fat - don't overdo anything but use common sense. Eat smaller portions, or avoid seconds, cut out bread or dessert, whatever it takes for YOU to know you're making small changes. A "diet plan" doesn't work for me, because I'm not fond of fish or veggies and most plans insist that you eat those. I know i should be - but I'l lhave to get there on my own!
Exercise - just do something. I've begun taking stairs rather than elevator, parking a bit father away from buildings, walking a short distance on treadmill. It DOES make a difference!
The best thing is to stay in touch with your support system; I"ve found that reading the posts here is motivating, and gives all this a sense that you're not alone, and the success stories and pics here are incredible to read when you're feeling like you're a failure.! Best of luck DAni!
Dani-- first off I would like to say, I definitely feel where you're coming from. And as much as people want to say "eat less, move more" ... I wouldn't hang on to that necessarily. You have two kids? Obviously you move around quite a bit then! I'm a nanny and let me tell you-- by the time i get off of work, I'm exhausted and I feel like I've been running a marathon all day. I know that as my job as a nanny, I definitely get a decent work out. However... what I wasnt paying attention to is what I am eating and how much of it. You "taste test" while making dinner, you eat in the car when you feel you have a second to spare, picking at your child's plate when they dont eat it clean. A lot of easy, kid friendly foods we find ourselves munching on as well---and to be honest, they're terrible! Fruit snack here, hot dog there, grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese. It wasnt until I started keeping a food diary a while back that I realized... ate at nothing but crap! And my charges shouldn't be eating like that either! But it was easy and convenient... and thats really where you have to stop and think.
Just a thing that REALLY helped me adjust what I was taking in was evaluating what I ate, when I ate it, and what the kids I was with every day were eating. Kwim?
SHAUNA - Thank you, I just signed up there! Hopefully I can use that daily!
ALI - Thanks so much for the warm welcome, and the helpful hints! I am already excited, I think I can do this! Good luck on your journey as well, you are well on your way!!!
AMBER - I will have to check out the success boards! I read one just a little bit ago that was absolutely amazing and truly inspiring. I signed up at Daily, I just have to use it now!
I am so glad I came here, you ALL are exactly what I needed! I will keep you updated on my progress, keep your fingers crossed that I can do it!
BLONDE - You are exactly right! It is hard sometimes because I work all day then I get home and am taking care of the kids, so I don't pay attention to what and how much I am eating. Another problem I have is that I HATE cooking, my husband does all the cooking, and I can't resist! It is hard to eat good when your family is used to eating certain things.
Help - I Need Somebody......
