Hello all!
I just joined 3FC and am trying to get my bearings. I know I want to lose weight and obviously, I should eat less, eat healthier and exercise regularly. But how do I really begin? Does anyone have any tips? I'm honestly clueless. For instance, I saw another forum where someone mentioned eating too much TOM?? What does that stand for?

Thanks everyone and best wishes!

~Overwhelmed with weight

P.S. I can't post an avatar yet (must have 30 posts), so my starting weight is 191 (at least that's what it was on Monday. Let's hope it doesn't go up). My goal weight is 130 lbs.

welcome, i am new too! I think tom means time of month, but i could be wrong. I think that starting out can be tricky, and overwhelming, so the book i use gives a list of about 20 things to do and you do one each week. So maybe you could make a list of things that you need to change in your lifestyle and then implement those changes each week? For e.g. i needed to cut out fizzy drinks so i did that one week. Then the next week i wanted to cut out snacking on biscuits, so that week i had no fizzy drink and no biscuits, and so on

There are probably lots of different ways to start >.< have you got a plan or diet that you want to follow?

Hi IG! Thanks for the reply. You're probably right about what TOM stands for. Oops...

I don't have a diet plan, so I guess that's my first step. I know I need to give up diet sodas, eat less carbs, less sugar, and go biking every day instead of just three times a week. Other than that, I'm hoping to get inspired on here to find a diet/lifestyle that works for me. My mom is on WW, so maybe I will follow suit...

I would start out slow....start the first week by working out once you got the workout thing under ur belt change your eating....first eat what u normally do, but just don't finish it at all...and plus once u will be working it will make u eat healthier since u will feel better from working out!! just remember it takes 21 days to make a habit!! u can do it and welcome!!

Welcome! If you're just starting out, I'd say just try and eat healthy before you do any sort of diet. That's just my opinion, but I had to get used to eating the right foods before I ever cut calories or anything, I don't know if I could've just started a low calorie diet right off the bat and been fine. In the end though, just pick something that you know you can stick with and know you can do. Whether that's WW, low carbs, low calories, whatever, just make sure you can do it week after week after week. The same goes for your exercise program, pick something that you can enjoy. Maybe at first it's just walking with some friends or going for a bike ride with someone. I personally enjoy the kickboxing related things and running, so I always look forward to doing those things. There's a lot of different things for both diet and exercise to try, don't write something off before you try it, give it a whirl if you think you'll like it, who knows...it may end of being your favorite thing ever. Good Luck to you!!! If you ever need anything, feel free to PM me

Hi and welcome!! You mentioned WW, it's a great plan If you want to do something similar (and free of charge) you could always count calories. That's what I do, and I really enjoy it.. which is important to me. It allows me to eat "whatever" I want, I'm not too restricted.

I think if I were you, I would start by "simple eating changes". Cut out soda if you drink it, up water intake, make sure you get in plenty of fruits and veggies, and try to make a switch over to whole grain products if you don't already eat them. Thats how I started

Good luck!

My doctor had me get in the habit of journaling my food for a couple of months before we even thought of coming up with a plan. It is a really big help in determining where your *weak* points are and what your trigger foods might be.

oh yes, thats a good point, they say you should always consult your doctor before you change your diet. And they can probably give you a good place to start, that is more personalised for you. If your mum is on WW then it would probably be cool if you joined, you can support each other etc etc ^_^ But if it doesnt work out for you try something else, not every one has success with the same things

Hi!

TOM= Time of the Month. I think a hurdle for many of us is when that time of the month hits and we crave certain foods or our appetites increase.

I know it seems overwhelming. I mean, just looking on the main page of the forum here and you can see how many different plans there are out there! Diet is a very important component of losing weight and keeping it off, before exercise in my opinion. That's why I suggest picking a plan that you can do every single day... forever Also, do you tend to gain weight when you eat lots of carbs? Sugar? Then maybe a lower carb plan is for you. Do you like versatility and don't mind counting? Then maybe it's calorie counting or Weight Watchers. I made my own plan based on my body, beliefs, and the information I had gathered (and my love of vegetables!).

If you look at the maintainers, you will find a broad range of eating plans and that they still implement them, even after they lose the weight. I have found that just being informed about what I'm putting (or not putting) in my mouth is one of the most valuable things I've learned on this journey. Knowledge is power


If you KNOW how to eat right and exercise, then you should know how to start, right? What does your plan look like now?

Also, about doctors, they sometimes have some good tips (like journaling), but most have little to no education on nutrition. They are more apt to put someone on a diet that is completely wrong for them without thinking twice. If you are looking for specific guidence on diet and nutrition, I would suggest seeking the advice of a nutritionist Just my 2 cents.