What one thing would you recommend to someone starting out
I am 33 years old and have been overweight since I got pregnant at 18. I am now 5'3'' and weigh about 220 so it is hard to even excercise.... I have NO IDEA where to start. I know that I need to watch what I eat and excercise but I have no idea HOW to eat more healthy as stupid as that sounds. I was raised in a home where healthy eating was not stressed - my mother weighs about 100 pounds at 5'5'' and has never been able to gain weight - even while pregnant she was super skinny.
Anyways, if you could give 1 piece of advice to any new person starting out what would it be. I am really looking for specifics here and any help would be appreciated. I am not usually one to ask for help here but I just have no idea where to begin and I KNOW that sounds stupid. I have 3 little kids and I really want to make sure I am not passing these bad habits on to them but I need something that is doable.
Make one small change! Drink more water or have vegetables with dinner or walk around the block. Just one thing. Once you do that and you are comfortable, move on to the next item. Remember it didn't come on overnight and it won't come off overnight.
Margaret
Quoting emilyrosenj:Make one small change! Drink more water or have vegetables with dinner or walk around the block. Just one thing. Once you do that and you are comfortable, move on to the next team. Remember it didn't come on overnight and it won't come off overnight.
Portion control is a good start. We have been programmed by restaurants that portions are huge. Use online tools like myfitnesspal or sparkspeople to get an idea of what calories are in portion sizes. Don't be afraid to weigh/measure food until you get a good grasp of what a serving size is.
Hi there!! Welcome to the group!
Here are a few tips I tell newcomers in the group.
1.) Calorie counting is an effective and efficient way to lose weight. Even if you only track in the beginning for a few weeks to get an idea of what portions look like, it will be helpful. The first step in counting calories is to know your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories your body needs to function and be inactive-think digestion, blood flow and organ functions. Once you add activity, you have to consume more in order to offset that activity and to avoid starvation mode. If you eat too few calories, your body will burn lean muscle mass and store fat as fuel. Luckily, you provided all the information I needed to do your BMR so I will give you those numbers now and you can decide if you wish to give it a whirl or not.
BMR: 1753 ( this is the least number of calories your body needs to function and be inactive)
Maintenance while working out 1-3 days per week: 1753*1.375=2410 ( this is what you would need to maintain your current weight while working out 1-3 days per week.)
To lose 1 lb per week: 2410-500=1910
Your ideal calorie range while working out 1-3 days per week would be 1753-1910 calories per day.
If you workout 3-5 days per week, your calorie range increases. Let me know if you want those numbers and I will be more than happy to calculate it for you.
Most of us track using a free website such as : www. myfitnesspal.com, www.sparkpeople.com, or www.livestrong.com.
2.) Write down WHY you want to lose weight/ be healthy. It does not matter how silly you think the reason may be, write it down. Make copies of the lists and keep them where you will see them all day everyday. This will help you stay on track.
3.) Eat well... Here are some things I keep in my house at all times.
Lean proteins: boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs, ground chicken, ground turkey, turkey cutlets, turkey tenderloin, pork loin, beef roasts, eggs
Produce: fresh and frozen. Too many to list. LOL... we live on tons of produce here.
Dairy- I eat cheese and greek yogurt, but we drink Almond Milk here
Healthy fats- coconut oil, butter, olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, nut butters
Things my family likes: egg casseroles, omelets, turkey meatloaf that I load with veggies, chicken dishes, chili made with turkey....
Water- take your weight and divide by 2. This is a general guideline of how many oz you should drink daily.
3.) Exercise- Find something that you enjoy and it will be easier to stick with. You should ideally incorporate strength training, cardio and core work into your regimen. Strength traing will help you to build muscle which will in turn burn more calories at rest and during workouts. You should try to do strength training 3x per week and cardio 3-4x per week. Walking is a great start to working out. Some of us use DVDs at home as there are many affordable ones on the market. You can also try hulu, Netflix and On Demand to find workouts.
4.) Think positive!! You CAN do this! You are worth being healthy! :-)
Do you cook?
I know that seems like a silly question, but if someone handed you some potatoes and onions and carrots and a whole chicken, what would you do? I ask because it strikes me that people who weren't raised on a healthy diet generally don't know what to do with whole ingredients and if they can't get past that, they have a much more difficult time planning their own healthy diet.
So I'm going to suggest that you head down to your local library and browse through their cookbook section. Don't pick up "Taste of Home" or "Betty Crocker," but something like "Joy of Cooking" or a Mediterranean style cookbook. I specifically recommend a Mediterranean cookbook because you'll find a lot of recipes that are low-fat, filled with vegetables, healthy proteins and whole grains.
You can also find a lot of Med-style recipes at Mediterranean Diet & Pyramid | Oldways
As you move into this new diet, keep an open mind. Your taste buds have been so polluted all your life by pre-packaged, unhealthy, over salted, over sugared food that eating fresh, well-seasoned (not over seasoned!) foods may not taste good at first. Keep working at it! By the end of 3 months, you'll wonder why you ever bothered eating canned green beans or boxed potatoes or Hamburger Helper.
It takes dedication and time to make a big lifestyle change like this, but I wish you the best!
Make a small change and celebrate little achievements. Don't expect to just drop 30lbs overnight. Also, don't deprive yourself of anything cold turkey because that only makes you want it more, if you use white bread, try wheat, if you like spaghetti try whole wheat spaghetti, try olive oil instead of butter for meals. Just don't make it to drastic ease yourseld into it, and don't put to much pressure on yourself.
Quoting mcginnisc:Hi there!! Welcome to the group!
Here are a few tips I tell newcomers in the group.
1.) Calorie counting is an effective and efficient way to lose weight. Even if you only track in the beginning for a few weeks to get an idea of what portions look like, it will be helpful. The first step in counting calories is to know your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories your body needs to function and be inactive-think digestion, blood flow and organ functions. Once you add activity, you have to consume more in order to offset that activity and to avoid starvation mode. If you eat too few calories, your body will burn lean muscle mass and store fat as fuel. Luckily, you provided all the information I needed to do your BMR so I will give you those numbers now and you can decide if you wish to give it a whirl or not.
BMR: 1753 ( this is the least number of calories your body needs to function and be inactive)
Maintenance while working out 1-3 days per week: 1753*1.375=2410 ( this is what you would need to maintain your current weight while working out 1-3 days per week.)
To lose 1 lb per week: 2410-500=1910
Your ideal calorie range while working out 1-3 days per week would be 1753-1910 calories per day.
If you workout 3-5 days per week, your calorie range increases. Let me know if you want those numbers and I will be more than happy to calculate it for you.
Most of us track using a free website such as : www. myfitnesspal.com, www.sparkpeople.com, or www.livestrong.com.
2.) Write down WHY you want to lose weight/ be healthy. It does not matter how silly you think the reason may be, write it down. Make copies of the lists and keep them where you will see them all day everyday. This will help you stay on track.
3.) Eat well... Here are some things I keep in my house at all times.
Lean proteins: boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs, ground chicken, ground turkey, turkey cutlets, turkey tenderloin, pork loin, beef roasts, eggs
Produce: fresh and frozen. Too many to list. LOL... we live on tons of produce here.
Dairy- I eat cheese and greek yogurt, but we drink Almond Milk here
Healthy fats- coconut oil, butter, olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, nut butters
Things my family likes: egg casseroles, omelets, turkey meatloaf that I load with veggies, chicken dishes, chili made with turkey....
Water- take your weight and divide by 2. This is a general guideline of how many oz you should drink daily.
3.) Exercise- Find something that you enjoy and it will be easier to stick with. You should ideally incorporate strength training, cardio and core work into your regimen. Strength traing will help you to build muscle which will in turn burn more calories at rest and during workouts. You should try to do strength training 3x per week and cardio 3-4x per week. Walking is a great start to working out. Some of us use DVDs at home as there are many affordable ones on the market. You can also try hulu, Netflix and On Demand to find workouts.
4.) Think positive!! You CAN do this! You are worth being healthy! :-)
What fun family activities do you do?
- koalasami
on Jan. 2, 2013 at 5:00 PM