Hello Everyone...I finally decided to make a change in my life and begin my weight loss journey. I've been on this website day and night reading everything! i'm new to this. I've never lost weight or even attempted to. This is day 3 of my weight loss journey. So far I've been using the I lose it app to count calories..these were my meals for the day, let me know what you think! suggestions?

breakfast- two whole grain wafels and 3 pieces of thin cut turkey bacon
lunch- wendy's small chilli
dinner- small piece of baked chicken, with two tablespoons of yellow rice and a cup of mixed vegetables
snack- kellog's nurti-grain blueberry bar

i stopped drinking soda and juice!

I like this website for forums/advice/useful information/support. But I love the fitness and food tracker on myfitnesspal.com. You should check it out. If you wanna add me as a friend my username is the same on there. (chubbygirl253) It's free and an awesome resource!

My advice:
1. don't get discourged. there are gonna be highs and lows. there are gonna be times you feel like everyone else is eating the yummiest stuff and your lowfat diet tastes like cardboard in comparison. there will be days when the weight fluctuations drive you batty or the scale just won't budge. But don't quit. Keep at it. its a slow, tedious process but you can definitely do it.
2. find foods that you luuuuuv that are on your plan. For me, my fave treats are: DeLite crust veggie or Hawaiian pizza from papa murphy's, sour cream and onion cracker chips by special k, cheddar cheese rold gold pretzels, weight watchers icecream candy bars that taste just as great as a snickers icecream bar, 100 cal oreo dipped delight bars, a bowl of frozen raspberries, or kashi TLC oatmeal and dark chocolate chip cookies (which I zap in the microwave for 10 secs to melt the choc chips.) You need to find some foods that you might not splurdge on every day but when a craving hits you have to fall back on. When you feel deprived you are more likely to cheat or quit.
3. Incorporate some exercise. Hopefully find a workout buddy. If not, try joining a gym or ymca where you can take classes and make friends. And vary your workouts so you don't get bored. Not only are you more likely to find success with exercise, you are much more likely to KEEP it off. Don't think you can't! I am training for a 5k and I'm still over 300lbs. I work out 3 hrs a day now, whereas I couldn't do more than 30 mins when I started. Start slow but take the first step!
4. Set mini-goals you can conquer even it just means setting a new goal for yourself each new month. Today is 8/21 and I'm so excited that I only have 4 lbs to go to meet my August goal! It keeps it fresh and exciting for me.
5. Surround yourself with support. Stay as far away from temptation or negative people. Don't listen to anyone (even that little voice inside you) that says you can't do it. They're wrong! You can do it!

What is the number of calories you're aiming for? I can't imagine those meals adding up to more than 900, 1000 tops. If you're being watched by your doctor, of course you should eat what he/she tells you to, but otherwise you might want to talk to him/her. I've found that eating under 1000 calories just leads to uncontrollable appetite (within the first few weeks). However, I can manage 1200 sustainably.

I think that people who are trying to lose 5-10 lbs can get away with very low calorie diets and deprivation and toughing out small portions and being hungry all the time, but if you are trying to lose 50lbs+ you have to have something more livable.

I would add a couple of eggs to your breakfast. Only 140-200 calories more, depending on if they're boiled or fried, and good fat and protein that will help you feel full longer. Or just have scrambled egg whites and get by with only 100 extra calories. To your lunch I would add an apple or other fruit or a salad with low-cal dressing. Eat the dinner you're eating but make sure to come away from the table feeling like you've eaten what you want to.

Everyone approaches this differently, but I've found the most long-term success with working out every day and eating a little bit more. But most people can lose weight on 1400-1600 calories a day and no exercise too. Slow and steady wins the race.

Hello, welcome to 3FC! Try to add in more protein and veggies to your diet. The protein will help with hunger, too. Ya, like some eggs or eggbeaters instead of the waffles and maybe add in a grapefruit. For dinner I would have skipped the rice and added in 2 cups of yummy veggies. It helped me to get away from processed foods and stayed away from fast food joints. Instead of the nutri grain bar maybe a cup of blueberries.

Good for you for giving up soda and juice, I know that is hard! I love ice

turkey hill green tea when I want something different from water! Good luck today! I am on day 2!

I've found checking in with 3FC almost everyday (sometimes just to read) helps me keep focused. Also, writing down what I ate, and how I felt that day (positive, angry, frustrated, hopeful, etc.) helps me ride out the times when things are not going so well.

Also joining a thread (I am in the 230s/220s one) has made a big difference for me. It helped me keep going when there were days when the scale did not move, or eating a jar of cashews seemed like a good idea!

Hi and welcome! You are going to get all sorts of advice on here, from calorie counters, carb counters, paleo...it can get overwhelming.

If you can, try to find a plan that works for you and go with that. We on here might mean well but give you conflicting advice, but if you are following some sort of guidelines, that can be less confusing. (It also can be overwhelming )

You can totally do this. Welcome!

Welcome and congrats on your journey. I totally understand what it's like to be starting fresh on your first (and hopefully only!) weight loss journey. This has also been my first attempt at weight loss and getting started can be a little overwhelming with all the different ways and means and methods and ideas out there.

You don't seem to be eating that much but again how are you feeling? Are you feeling hungry? Deprived, etc? Your body will eventually let you know. I'm a calorie counter as well and when i started, I ate pretty much the same things as before, only I measured my food and watched my calories. My body let me know pretty soon that it didn't want 5 pieces of fried chicken and a Snickers bar on the daily. (Yes, I actually did eat that at the beginning. Don't judge, lol.) As my journey went on, I started to battle with feeling deprived, like I wasn't getting enough food. So I learned all about veggies and how they can really bulk up a meal etc.

Don't worry, you don't have to have it all figured out right now. Gradually, as you try new things and experiment with things and you will find out what works for you and what doesn't. For example, I wouldn't go as far as to say "protein fills me up" but I know when I have protein with my breakfast, I'm less of a ravenous beast by lunch. I've learned that even though I lose weight faster with a low-carb diet, I don't like the person I become and it's not worth it or sustainable to me.

Sustainability is important. This weight loss journey is lifelong and it's not like when you get to goal, you're going to be able to go back to former eating habits. So what I've tried to do is to make decisions I know I can sustain forever. And not give up things, I know I will eventually resent even if I have to limit myself in the quantities in which I can have them. Nobody can tell you "never to eat x" or "not to eat y," that will be up to you ultimately. There are several paths to success.

Regarding your meal for the day, evaluate yourself. What did you used to eat before? How did you feel during the day? How likely is it that you can continue with such a plan? Did you feel hungry? Would you be willing/able to incorporate a little more protein? Do you want to? The best thing of all is that you can try different suggestions and decide what works for you. Congrats on giving up soda!!!

kami08

Toastedsmoke gave some excellent advice. I couldn't have said it better. Just make sure that you decide on a plan that will work for you. After looking at your day, I would recommend that you add in lots more veggies. Something that has helped me is going to the grocery store and getting a ton of frozen veggies that can be heated quickly and are low in fat and sodium. I love the steamable veggies that I can just pop in the microwave...

You can do this!!

Welcome to the family and Congratulations on taking the first steps of your journey. Everything is a learning experience when you are first starting out and you will find TONS of imformation and support here to help you along the way.

As for your first day meal journal I would recommend adding more vegetables. I make a very large salad (lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, red onions, broccoli, radishes, and califlower) and take it to work with me everyday. I have my snacks and lunch from the salad. It is very filling and since I have given up dressing there are literally no calories.

Drink lots of water, green tea and take a multi vitamin everyday is my second suggestion

You can do this we will be here to love and support you every step of the way!