Hey everyone,

I am jumping back on the weight loss bandwagon, but I have to say that I'm feeling overwhelmed by all that I need to do to lose weight. I mean, I know HOW to do it . . . it's just that there is so much to change, I almost don't know where to start. What are some good "baby steps" I can take to get back on track?

TIA,

Glib

Hi. Do you have a plan that you want to use to lose weight, like calorie counting or low carb or Weight Watchers?

For me, I use calorie counting. When I first started out I focused first on splitting my meals into 5 smaller meals a day without changing anything I was eating. Then, I started writing down everything I ate without changing what I was eating. Then, I did some research and got a calorie limit that works for my body and activity level and started trying to stick to that calorie range while keeping my eating at 5 times per day. I started with small steps and worked my way up to bigger steps. Each time I added a step when I felt comfortable with the steps before it. Maybe start by adding a walk to your day and drinking more water. Or start by tracking how much you're currently eating right now.

I know it seems like a big task but you can do this.

Maybe nothing to start -- not really -- but have you tried writing down everything you eat for the day -- then that night calculate your calories -- that was a real eyeopener for me -- I was eating about 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day -- my god, I could feed four small children with that!!

From their, I started consciously making better choices in my food, drinking more water and exercising as much as I could comfortably (without causing myself to dread it) and a month ago was finally ready to attend a Weight Watchers meeting -- and since I had "prepped" myself, I don't feel punished or dread but am excited to finally be taking care of myself.

There are a number of options, but don't feel overwhelmed by the number of baby steps there are either! Since the whole point of baby steps is to not feel overwhelmed. Select just one or two things that you're confident you can do.

It could be drinking water, it could be adding in fruits & vegetables during the day, it could be writing down what you eat, it could even be starting a little exercise routine for 5 minutes a day. Nothing big, all attainable. And the great thing is, that if you start small and make it a habit, that you might find it easy to build up whenever you're ready to do that!

Baby steps are the way to go! I think if you change everything all at once, you may give up after a few days. But a few steps at a time you CAN do.

Start with adding more water, fruit, and veggies every day, and setting a goal of maybe 2 hours of exercies a week. Walking is an easy to start, or whatever you think you would enjoy. After a week or two, add a few more goals.

You CAN do it! And keep us posted on how you're doing!
Beth

Thank you everyone! I had a food journal over at fitday.com -- might be time to dust it off and get back to calculating my food!

That sounds like a fantastic start. Let us know how it goes!

Just one day at a time, one hour and sometimes one minute. I too get so overwhelmed when I think of how much I have to lose.