Hi All,

I am fairly new here, have been viewing for a while and had a few posts along the way but jut finally ready to commit to lose this weight.

I have noticed there are a few of you out there with similar stats, both starting and who have met goal. Just looking for some support along the way and some chat buddies.

I am 25, 5'6", 230lbs.

Advice on getting started and not overwhelmng myself would be great. It seams I always try to start with too much then give up because I cant do it 100%.

Britt

I found that the best way for me to start was to simply cut calories. I didn't go out of my way to eat "healthy"- no meals of just fish and veggies- and it stopped me from feeling like I was depriving myself and that I needed to overeat.

After a while, I started eating lighter and healthier things, adding them in slowly. By that time, I found that I loved the fact that I could eat more of them.

Hope that helps. Good luck

I agree with Kelly. I just started by eating less of the same foods I always ate. As I ran out of things at my house I would replace them with a healthier version. Example: Instead of buying regular shredded cheddar cheese I bought reduced fat. I am doing weight watchers and I really enjoy it, but if you don't want to join weight watchers, I would recommend counting calories.

Hi Britt! I'm just starting out and it looks like we have similar starting weights and goals. I'm just at the end of week 1 and I feel great! I'm doing Weight Watchers, but if that's not an option for you, you can still follow the plan. My biggest thing is to eat healthy foods that I enjoy. I threw away ALL of my unhealthy food, which was almost all the food I had . I went to the store and got vegetables, chicken, light popcorn, etc. I've found that I'm not even missing crazy binges yet because I'm never hungry.

I also try to eat something small every 2-3 hours so that my metabolism stays up!

A couple of my faves are; Turkey sandwiches on reduced calorie bread (no cheese) with mustard, tomatoes, and pickles, Chicken, Rice, and veggie stirfry with teryaki sauce, and Fiber One bars with yogurt smoothies for breakfast! (The bars also make great snacks, and they're VERY low point according to the WW system!!)

Good luck!

It really is all about going slowly. This is the first time I've changed things slowly instead of overhauling my entire life and this is also the first time I've really ever been able to maintain the lifestyle for more than a few days. I#m still a noob, but really eating smaller portions was a huge step for me. No I am starting to work on those healthy choices and I am feeling and looking better as well.

Hey Britt, not only do we have similar stats but we also have the same name. Lol. :-)

The best thing to do is count calories. I have been doing it for the past week and Ive already gotten results. And once you get results you'll stay motivated ;-)

Dont try to start to do to much. Limit calories a little at a time. And workout a little more each day. That way your body and mind gets used to the change. And once you've done that, it would be easier for you to lose all weight you want. :-)

Hey Britt! I'm 24, 5'5", and 230. I'm still relatively new to this, but I'm here . They're right. Start slow. I'm a calorie counter.

I am just an inch shorter than you but I started at 240lbs, at the beginning of December.

I found that I just did not listen to my body at all, and that is one of the keys things now for me, for example when eating I had no idea when my body was naturally full, I would eat until hurt or until I couldn't put any more in, now I eat slowly and drink water with my meals.

I also try and go swimming a few times a week to get some exercise in my life and as much as it pained me to get into a swimming costume the first time, I love getting in the water now!

Oh forgot to mention, I'm 21 and a calorie counter, it works best for me!

I started counting calories, and started exercising. It took a while for me to be able to do both. Some weeks I'd be great with working out, and then suck with eating. And then the next I'd be great with eating, but slack off of working out.

In the past I'd try to do everything at once, and ended up quitting. And so I tried to not get frustrated with myself when I started back up in Jan/feb. And other than my incident with pizza last night, I've been doing pretty good.

Good luck, and you can do this!

Thanks everyone,

I think my plan for this first week will be to drink lots of water, and cut out some calories by not eating after supper (my worst bad food time).

I have the weight watchers points from my sister, so I will try to keep track of my over eating that way too!

How much exercise and type did you guys start out with??
Or, should I get a handle on food first??

Hi Britt!

When I first started I bought myself a pedometer and tried to get in 10,000 steps a day. I lost about ten pounds doing that, before I even started working on my food intake. My biggest suggestion would be to just make 1 or 2 small changes, and stick with that for 30 days, before you add something new. That way you won't overwhelm yourself and burn out in the beginning.

Good luck!

I totally secondWhiskey's idea. We started at about the same time, and I too threw out all the junk in my house.

It was actually harder for my fiance this first week than it was for me. I'm on WW as well, and I love it! It helps me to make sure that I'm getting what I need, and helps me with portion control. Even having to write everything down in my tracker is amazing!! It makes YOU accountable for the things that YOU eat. I had a problem with overeating, eating just because I was bored... stuff like that, and now, I think twice before I eat anything, because it has to get put in my book BEFORE I eat it! (That's what I do anyways)

But, if you can't do WW, cutting calories would be a great idea. Getting all the "junky" foods out, as well as slowly incorporating healthier foods are all good things to do regardless! I also think that tracking your food as well as your liquid intake is a good idea, because it does make you accountable for what you eat. so you can't say omg, how did i gain this week? i ate so great! (if you ate fast food all week or something and didnt keep track of it)

Definately try to get your eating habits together first, but if you feel up to it, start some cardio. Even if it's only 15 minutes a day at first, slowly build up to more. If you can, try to get in with a gym where you can get a trainer to help you set up a program where you can alternate cardio and light weights to help tone and sculpt your muscles. I went to my gym only 3 times this week, and my energy has boosted and I'm not tired all the time like I used to be.

Good luck, and I'm glad you're here! 3FC is a great support system and resource!

Hey Britt...our stats are almost IDENTICAL..in fact someone measured my height the other day and said it was more 5'6.5" not 5'7"..lol..We also live so close and like you I was 25 when I began my weightloss journey.

I started by trying to eat at least 5 fruits and veggies and day and drinking 8 glasses of water. I did the WW points on my own and I feel that those are the two most IMPORTANT things to do. I also began walking whenever I could even if it was for 20 minutes! Cutting calories and buying things in a "lighter" or fat free version also helped!!

Good luck! If you have any questions feel free to PM me!!!