Hello everyone!

So, I just joined 3fc, but I've been lurking for a looong time. I am sorry if such a thread already exists, but I wanted to ask you:

How did you begin the journey? Did you went all in or did you make small changes over time? What were the first steps you took? (Advices for someone just starting out?)

I am using Aug 1st as a good date to start, so tomorrow when I wake up, the new serif is in town. I am so ready for a change, but at the same time I am confused, intimidated and overwhelmed. However I am decided to persist, even if I have to crawl, even if it takes me forever.
I made a small goal for the next 12 days: just to avoid really bad stuff, journal all that I put in my mouth and get to 10 000 steps per day. Do you think that's ok as a start?

(I'm 20, 5'9'' and about 180lbs)

Hey there tall girl! its nice to see another tall girl here

So, what I did to begin, was It was a Sunday night, I was trying on some pants, my biggest size ever (14) and they were almost too small. I was like um, yeah this is getting out of control!! (I had gained 15lbs in 2 months and refused to awknowlege it) and so the next day, Monday, I just quit everything cold turkey. I ate a wonderful breakfast, Excersized for the first time in probably 6 months, and i felt WONDERFUL!! i was like, dang, I feel so good, I want to feel this good all the time! and the rest is history! Ive only been at it for a month or so, But im telling you, this site is a LIFE SAVER.

I think the goals you have set for your next 12 days are a wonderful step in the right direction. Goodluck!!!!

Hi and welcome. I first decided that I was going to count my calories, and did simply that- without changing my diet too much. After a few days of seeing how much I was actually eating, I started substituting in foods that I could eat more of with fewer calories. After the first week or so I stuck to a goal calorie range (which was between 1300-1400 per day at the time) and continued to learn how to make good substitutions for the things I normally eat.

Now, as I'm getting older and caring more about my health (and restarting all over again, too!) I have switched to a more or less healthy diet. I know a lot more about how my body reacts to certain foods and how I can get around cravings, etc. For example, I generally don't include things like junk food and sweets, because I know they make me significantly more hungry, and now I know more tricks in food preparation that lets me eat more of what I love, in healthier ways.

For me, it was a trial and error learning process, but one which was very fruitful (pun intended).

Hey there! Welcome to 3FC. I'm sure you will find a lot of support here like the rest of us. I'll answer your questions one by one to make it easier to follow.

How did you begin the journey?
My journey began in February this year. I had went to the doctors and was weighed in at 142lbs. It was a shock to me because the last time I weighed myself was around September/October 2011 and I was around 154lbs. I hadn't really being watching what I was eating but I had started to bring lunches to college and drinking water from September 2011 due to not having the money to buy it each day. Another thing was I definitely was not exercising - not a tap! So I have lost weight without even trying. It really gave me the motivation to start getting healthier. So I started getting out and walking during April. Then on May 31st I found this website and since I never looked back. I decided June 1st would be my start date and I changed my eating and started exercising more frequently. If I had never gone to the doctors and been weighed that day, I would have never started this change.

Did you went all in or did you make small changes over time?
My issue has always been junk food/fast food and fizzy drinks. So I wanted to stop that. I wasn't cutting out anything, I was cutting down. So I would stop eating so much junk food and drinking fizzy drinks. This way I was allowing myself to having something if I did want it. Usually if I do want something, it would be chocolate or cake or crisps. I have had fizzy drinks about four times since June 1st. And three of them were because I was going out with friends and my mixer happens to be diet coke. (changed from regular coke) Other small changes I made were with my exercise routine. I believe in not going head first into things and to take it slowly and work your way up. When I started walking in April, I was walking 4 miles. In June I had two weeks where I lost all motivation. So once I got back on the wagon, I decided to reorganise my routine better. I started off with a 2 mile walk for the reminder of June and July and from tomorrow I'll go to route two and then so on. I introduced weight lifting to my routine at the start of July. At first I was just managing 20 minutes and now I'm at 40 minutes. So, try to start of small and work your way upwards especially if you're not a fan of exercise. Which I definitely wasn't when I started.

What were the first steps you took?
The first steps I took were;
- Cut down on junk food/fast food and fizzy drinks.
- Exercise more frequently.
- Get a scales and measuring tape. I definitely recommend doing both. I took measurements at the start of June, July and have my August ones done today. If the scales aren't moving all your hard work may be showing in inches you lost. Between June and July, I lost only 3.75 inches but between July and August, it has been 11 inches!
- Keep on going! You will have days where you want to give up and even some weeks where you fall off the wagon but remind yourself why you want to do this and keep on going!
- Set out mini goals for yourself. These are a great motivator for me to keep on going. My first one is to get to 132lbs and I'm well on the way of getting there.

Best of luck on your journey.

Hi healthyftw,

I like the format of the previous post so I think I will use it. I love organization, lol.

How did you begin the journey?
I actually started in 2009, when I moved from Tennessee to Missouri. I was 240 lbs-ish, and I didn't like being out of breath when I moved and looking like I didn't care about my appearance. I have an illness that I take medication for and I lost about 50 lbs when my doctor switched a medication. Natually, you can't lose weight that way for long so I gained most of it back. Thus began a yo-yo dieting journey with me gaining and losing the same ten pounds over and over. Then one day, I just had enough. I can't really explain how it happened without getting into my spiritual side, but let me say I had a renewed sense of purpose and a passion to move forward with my life.

Small or big changes?
What has worked for me is adding small changes gradually. When I tried to incorporate big changes, it always ended up fizzling out quickly and I was back to where I started.

First steps you took?
-Alternated vegan diet with omnivore diet, now in omni but trying vegan again soon.
-Exercise, exercise, exercise! I am notoriously a gym rat and can spend 2 hours or more in the gym each day. (But I've been doing this awhile, so take it easy at first. You'll get there!)
-I started going to church and practicing yoga once a week. That has really helped me.
-I recently got a measuring tape. I'm frequently humbled by the measures but realize they are getting better with time.
-I have a good community surrounding me. My mom and I diet together, and I am starting WW meetings and am a regular here.

I hope that helps. Welcome out of the lurking world and into the world of posting, lol.

Great reading the first steps. I'm in the very early stage of starting my diet and I'm looking for things to kick me into gear.

I think I'm going to cut out fizzy drinks, junk food and start going to a gym. I love going to the gym, I'm just really nervous about going in there - it's really intimidating.

Hello and welcome! I started years ago, lost and regained, but have not ever completely quit with the desire to lose weight. My starting steps(this time) were very simple, I count calories to evaluate where I am at. I took a good look at the quality of my calories from a nutritional point. I would add and subtract to fit in my numbers with the best foods I could find. I've focused so much on the food so far that im just now adding exercise in. I hope by taking a slow and steady approach I will make it a more permanent change. Welcome again!

it started as a new year thing. i got a gym membership for my boyfriend and i for christmas. so, it started out with exercise and adhering to general "good eating" guidelines. then, i found myfitnesspal.com (and phone app) and started counting calories. this is what has worked most for me.

i have heard "diet is for weight loss and exercise is for fitness", and i believe this to be true. as you can see by my ticker, i haven't lost a whole ton of weight given the amount of time i've been "at this". i've hit road bumps, i've staggered, i've felt like giving up.

my advice is to go at it with your diet first. count your calories to see how much you are really taking in. calculate what number would be appropriate for you to lose on and try to stick to that.

then, if you want to become athletic and fit, start an exercise routine. but, doing both may tire and stress you out.

I actually started by beginning a C25K plan because I wanted to be fitter. Somehow doing the running actually motivated me to keep an eye on my diet too, so I started counting calories as well and trying to choose healthy options. At first I was actually very stringent about my diet but sadly I could not keep this up for very long.

The biggest change I've made probably is running every day. I have still been eating unhealthy stuff, although not as much as I used to, but realise I need to do better with the dieting part if I want to lose more weight.

I count calories. I swore off soda, sugared drinks and fast food. I really think that only drinking zero calorie beverages helped the most. We rarely ate fast food anyway.

I also got the My Fitness Pal app for my phone (if you buy a new phone you just sign back in and all your info is still there!). I used to have the Calorie Counter app but I like MFP better because of the simple fact it shows you every day roughly what you would weigh in 5 weeks if you ate like that every day. I've seen people on here say it is grossly inaccurate but I like the motivation it brings me.

I am not actually exercising to speak of at the time. Yesterday I found out I've lost 25 pounds since I started seeing my cardiologist in MAY! Woo-hoo!

WTG!!!

hey!i actually started very slow.

i cut sugar.
desserts.
then started having 2 healthy + 1 whatever meal a day.

then i did pilates once a week

then i joined WW.

Then I started practicing yoga.

Quit WW.

then I started calorie counting.

Then I stopped calorie counting.

Here we are lol

In the past when I lost weight, I did everything all at once. I calorie counted and worked out intensely. I dropped 20-25 pounds that way. Life had its ups and downs and I ended up gaining forty pounds in the span of 2-3 years. I'm back on the weight loss wagon now but I'm doing it more gradually. Started back about 3 weeks ago. Still calorie counting but I'm not working out as much so I don't feel the pressure of HAVING to work out most days which is a lot less stressful for me. I am aiming for 3 workouts in a week (30 minutes each) and I will build from there when I feel more ready.

Small goals are wonderful and yours sounds great. Best wishes with your weight loss journey.

How did you begin the journey?

I decided it was high time I start loving my body, or at least trying to I actually spent countless hours researching diet, exercise, nutrition ect. I sort of played around with it for a few months before really jumping into it.


Did you went all in or did you make small changes over time?

Lots and lots and lots of small changes. I wanted to make these changes stick and really thought about every change I made. I vowed not to make a single change I couldn't live with for the rest of my life, including how low I'd drop my calories. I try and live thin until it actually happens Each week I would take away a vice....latte's, alcohol, eating out, chips ect. This didn't really result in a loss, just healthier eating. Then in Feb I started exercising. First I aimed for 1000min per month then gradually increased it till I've gotten to 3000 and have kept it there. I also very slowly changed the type of exercise. At first I could really only walk or go to the gym for less then an hour. I slowly switched to hiking, then more and more difficult and longer hikes.


What were the first steps you took?

Cutting out all my vices week by week. Exercising even just a little bit everyday. Cooking all my own food.

Advice for someone just starting out?

-Don't make any change you can't live happily with for the rest of your life
-Make VERY specific goals. I've noticed when people and myself just try to "eat healthier" or "exercise more" they often fail because its just too vague and you don't get the real satisfaction of completing a tangible goal. Instead slowly take bad things out of your diet and really celebrate when you've stuck with those changes for a few weeks. Then change another small thing. Say you'll exercise for a certain number of hours or minutes each month/week. Make it a reasonable goal like walk 15min per day. Once you see how much YOU are in control of your own journey and watch yourself complete each goal you'll feel very empowered and the weight loss its self you'll just start to see as a side effect of living a better life

Wow, there are so many different stories, different perspectives! And you all really inspired me!

Yes, I guess there's no way around this. It's just important to not let those errors defeat us. And to practice patience.

Dottington I really like your approach!

One thing I concluded reading all the posts is that everyone has something that works for them, so I'll have to learn what works for me, and it will take time, trial and error. But it's fine, persistence is the key word now!
I am really looking forward to chatting with all the people here on the forums!