Hello I'm new to 3FC, and quite honestly I find these forums a little daunting. I've been overweight forever, but have really gained over the last few years. I will "celebrate" my 27th birthday next month, and don't want to be stuck in the same rut. I'm a single mom to a 3 year old who's starting preschool, and I myself am in my 3rd year of college with at least 2 to 3 more years depending on if I go to grad school. My main point being I don't have much cash flow. I looked into WW, but that is probably out of the question. So I come to those of you who have been there and triumphed.

My main problem is I don't know where to start. My eating habits are horrendous, and I want to get off to a good start. I bought a new exercise program that looks fun, and I'm excited about starting that when it arrives. I've started doing yoga as well.

I'm disgusted with myself, and can't even look in the mirror. I don't want to be sitting in the same spot next year, crying about how miserable I am when changing has been up to me all along. I want to play with my daughter without telling her I need to sit down.

What's my first step? I know I obviously need to eat better, and maintain exercising. But how about the calorie counting? Is that necessary, or is eating better enough? What's an optimum exercise routine? Do you find it better to exercise every day or 3-5 days a week?

I am going to lose 140 pounds, I might even go for 150 pounds. I know this time is different. It has to be. I want to be the best version of myself. I want to be healthy. I want to look in the mirror, and get through a day without crying because of how I look. Sometimes I feel that maybe I'm too emotional to get a solid footing at the get go. Do you have to cut yourself off emotionally and do it as a routine, a job?

I want to lose weight, but I want to do it healthy.

Thank you for your time. This was a long post. I just had a lot to say!

Welcome girl!

Once you start losing your weight, you are gonna wish you did this long ago! I do not pay a dime to do WW. I just looked up some of the guidelines online and asked friends who do it what they do. I got their patented formula online (it's free) and just use a plain old calculator to figure out my points. I do the flex program and am down to 20 points a day. I started out at 24 points a day and they weight just melted off. I honestly had a hard time for the first couple nights (that is when my will weakens and dessert sounds great). After that, no problemo. I have never had a diet work like this one has and the best part is that I haven't spent a dime. I did it all on my own. You can do it too. Just private message me and I can give you the formula and let you know what you need to know to start. Good luck!

I'd say you need to be sensible about what you eat whilst counting. Its probably the simplest weight loss method and I'm certain you can do it. You just need to get over this hating your body, start to love it and use that as your motivation for losing weight because negativity will slow you down. I really wish you well

Hey!

Yes, the number of forums here can be daunting, but on the other hand, there is a wealth of information and experience.

I'd say it's not enough just to eat better. That tends to be a little too vague. I gained quite a bit of weight eating healthy, organic foods in excess. So, I'd say if you don't want to follow the WW plan, formal calorie counting would be a good way to track your food. Fortunately there are computer tools these days that help make it simpler. FitDay, The Daily Plate, and many other websites have free tracking programs you can use on their site. With FitDay, you can also pay a fee and download the program and database to your computer. One advantage of this is that you can add foods to customize the database.

3FC has a forum for calorie counters. Go here:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=172

Be sure to read the "Frequently Asked Questions" sticky post at the top of the page--it has lots of basic information.

Increasing your activity is great! Be sure that you don't overdo it--start slowly and don't push too hard at first. Just make sure you do something 5 or 6 days a week, even if it's just a short walk.

Good luck! You can do this-- and good for you for getting started!

Jay

the most simple thing to remember in dieting in the beginning the middle and the end in my experience is calories in and calories out. take walks, climb stairs, clean, anything to burn calories, and watch what you eat...the cal/fat/sugar content of many foods will shock you, this is of course on the internet when you get used to it enough to explore more than the surface of all the info available to you. eat fruits vegetables and whole grains, drink lots of water and you should be on your way in no time!

welcome & good luck!! we are here for you

Hey Stacy & welcome!

Thank you for asking for the help or support in your new beginning. I believe you have taken the first steps.

I just want to share my thoughts or opinion on the emotional part you've mentioned In my opinion our emotions play an important part in our lives in this case with weight loss. No doubt about it emotions have a huge impact in our daily lives. Whether its uplifting or on a low we all deal with the emotional roller coasters on a daily basis.

Although we can't physically touch our emotions, but undoubtedly they effect our lives in almost a real kind of way ultimately effecting our choices we make for a healthier & active lifestyle (same goes for choices we make in the opposite direction).

In your case Stacy (was mine too at 1 stage), cutting yourself off emotionally in my opinion might do you more harm than good. In my opinion emotion goes hand in hand with an experience or a stimulation etc... in other words our 5 senses. We do it every day. We see something we like or dislike, we feel happy or sad. We hear soothing music we feel uplifted. We taste... we feel. We touch... we feel. We smell... we feel I hope you get my drift.

Sorry Stacy if I'm boring you hehehe I guess someone could write all day about emotions aye? I aint no psychology or a professor of some sort but we know ourselves too well in the way feel, think & act when it comes to weight loss. You said it perfectly
you feel: you think: you act: I believe you have gotten off to a good start..... WELL DONE!!!!!

There's no one size fits all when it comes to weight loss or getting fit or bodybuilding or whatever it may be we have to just listen and adjust to what our own bodies can or can't handle (of course someone outta shape, unfit or a total beginner wouldn't be running 8-10 miles his/her first day).

Sorry to cut it short gotta run. hope I've helped in anyway. I'll hopefully post some exercising & some nutritional stuff tomorrow I've tried & some I have'nt tried that you might like to try.

All the best Stacy

p.s. we are all here for one reason....SUPPORTING EACH OTHER!!!! you are not alone.

Welcome Stacy! Since you mentioned money being tight, I wanted to point out the library as a good resource for cookbooks, calorie counting plans, and other motivating materials.

Regarding the emotional aspects of losing weight -- I do believe that what seems so hard in the very beginning (making it through just 1 solid day of healthy eating!) does eventually become habit and is not such a monumental task!

You CAN create new healthy habits for yourself, habits you will eventually actually enjoy (believe it or not) but the beginning period where you transition from being "out of control" to your new healthy lifestyle can be emotionally difficult and challenging. Your "inner child" will throw a fit and use any and all rationalizations for going back to old (unhealthy) familiar ways. So it helps to have a detailed plan to follow and to KNOW that it WILL get easier if you can just stick strictly to your plan.

Post often, there is lots of support and information here! I wish you all the best!

Hi Stacy.

One thing I'd recommend is that before you make any drastic changes to your diet, spend a week keeping a food journal. A lot of people simply don't realize what they eat on a daily basis because it's become habit.

So take a week. Write down everything you eat. And I mean everything. If you lick the spoon when you're cooking dinner, write it down. If you eat the crusts off your kids pbj sandwiches, write it down. If you pop a cough drop into your mouth, write it down. I think at the end of the week, you'll see a very clear pattern of when you eat the most, and waht foods you eat that are causing you to gain weight.

From there you can start making healthier choices. But as Jay said, you can gain weight eating healthy food, too! So once you start making those healthy choices, you can work on portions and proportions of nutrients and so forth.

But for now just start being aware - writing things down. I think that's always a good start.

.

As usual, I'm going to agree with Jay, Josephine and PhotoChick.
Learning what you do is the best first step in learning what you need to change.

Please come and join us in this thread
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147825
We're just trying to make August a healthful and productive month. You'll see what others are doing. Maybe gain some ideas for small changes. And there will be somewhere for you to read each day and share your triumphs and ... yes, your triumphs.

Hi Stacy,

Congrats on your determination to lose weight and become fit. Welcome to 3FC.
Just like you, I found the forums a bit "daunting" in the beginning as well, but that lasted only a few days.

I know lots of ladies here are calorie counting, I am not. However, I am "calorie-aware" - that's probably the best way to describe myself. I mean I pretty much know what is a healthy food item and what is not, and how many calories it has, etc. I am leaving calorie-counting as a "reserve".
You will have to make time for your exercise and since you have a small kid, obviously your routine will be different than mine (for example). The most important thing is to find a routine that is comfortable for you and that YOU CAN MANTAIN long term, regardless whether it is something somebody else is doing or whether it is unique to you.
I am running on my treadmill every other day for some 65 minutes or so - that's my cardio. I go to the gym to take some classes (pilates, core class) and I also started lifting weights. You will probably need some cardio program - does the exercise you ordered have any of that?
I would recommend that you visit the Fitness section of 3FC and took a look around. We talk here about different exercised, walking, running, exercise videos etc. so I am sure you will find a lot good into there.
here is a clicky for you: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=177

Good luck with your journey!

I just want to thank everybody for giving me support and information. I started calorie counting before I read your post Photochick, but as I count calories I make a log of everything I've eaten. Just paying attention to the calories of things I have eaten is eye opening! I just got my Turbo Jam today, and am looking forward to starting that. I was speaking to my mother today, and I told her to take a good look at me because it was the last time she was going to see me at this weight! And for the first time I can actually visualize the me I want to be! Thanks again!