point me in the right direction...

[allisonwonderland]

I need to lose weight.I understand this is the place to come to,,,,nowww..where and how do I begin?TIA!!!

 

[NY Disney fan]

How much do you have to lose?
What kind of exercise have you done in the past? Or like to do?
What is your current diet like?


The first step is to answer these questions. You can also start by keeping a notebook of what you eat everyday. A clean diet is a major factor in weight loss. Keeping a notebook tells you exactly what you should or shouldn't be doing.


You could exercise til the cows some home but if you do not have a clean diet you will not lose weight (I know from experience).

 

[kardiebelle]

write everything down. start a WISH journal and always keep a positive attitude. We give the support when you need it and when you don't. Keep you head up and remember you are doing this for yourself and your family.

 

[pixiedust23]

I love fitday.com for tracking calories. That is if you choose a low cal diet.

 

[allisonwonderland]

is there a certain diet that anyone has found to be helpful?atkins,,anything?I dont have much money rigth now so i cant "join" anything really...just need a recc on a diet plan that I can actually stick with this time.TIA

 

[pixiedust23]

I like low cal balanced diets. Don't cut out all the carbs, dont cut out all the fats, just cut down on the calories.

 

[gshoemate]

There are many options, you just need to figure out which is going to work best for you. I do Atkins not only to lose weight but I have reactive hypoglycemia and carbs make me feel terrible in many ways and if I keep eating carbs, it can turn into type II diabetes

You might want to start by tracking your food intake. www.fitday.com is great for that. It takes a little work to set it up but once it is, it is very easy and it counts everything for you.

Don't skip eating! Research has found that when you skip meals, you body goes into starvation mode and actually holds onto the fat for reserve energy. You might just want to start off eating clean as suggested by NY Disney fan. Some people have differant ideas of what clean eating is. I go to a website that is moderated by a personnal trainer and gives great advice. Clean eating to me would be lean meats (turkey, chicken breast and fish), vegtables and fruit. Some people add in whole grain bread and brown rice. You will want to make sure that your fruit is low on the glycemic index (www.glycemicindex.com). Eat 4-6 smaller meals instead of 3 large meals, it will keep your blood sugar more balanced.

Exercise, even if it's just walking is better then nothing. You need a combination of diet and exercise to lose. Strength training combined with cardio will help boost your metabolism.

There is so much more I can tell you but you might get overloaded. If you want more info, just drop me a PM.

 

[wiskband]

Well, I can only speak for Low carb........... I have being LC ing for about 2 years. I lost 60 pounds and have gained back 20! Please know that I have been on again off again the whoel 2 years. I have heard that WW is very successful as well but, you will need to pay for that and you mentioned not having to much $ to do so. the atkins diet can be found on line for free.....
South beach is similar from what I know but and a little less intense I think.
again, of course I have only done LC but I am living proof it works. You should of course exersice with any plan and without paying for anything that can easily be done. If you can manage to buy a tape I found the walk away the pounds tape really worked for me. I am sure that you maybe able to find one on www.half.com really cheap!

good luck and keep us posted.
renee

 

[NY Disney fan]

I like low cal balanced diets. Don't cut out all the carbs, dont cut out all the fats, just cut down on the calories.

Exactly! Because of this I have been on a weight loss spree for 10 weeks. Lost 17.5 lbs. I eat whole foods but don't cut out a thing. If I want hamburger and french fries I eat a Happy Meal from McDonald's (small sizes). I don't deny myself.

 

[undertheseas]

As much as it pains me to say it, exercise is key for me. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted without any real excerise and stay a size 8. Well those days are over! Now to take off the weight I have to exercise and tone up everything my kids made flabby LOL One of my friends said to think about exercise like you do brushing your teeth, it's just something you have to do every day until you do it without thinking about it. Right now I'm eating low carbs just to get me over my sugar cravings, then I might try WW. It's hard the first 3 weeks but then it does get easier!!!

 

[ncmomof2]

I decided enough was enough at the beginning of this year! I was thin as a chikd and through college. After grad school, I had a stressful job and gained about 50 lbs. I had tried before but I was never committed. This time I was determined to do it. And I wanted to do it on my own and I have. I started a new behavior change every few weeks. At first I started with exercise 3X/ week (Curves) and 10 glasses of water a day. Next no fast food. Once I was used to that, I focused on upping my fruits and veggies. I now eat a smoothie for breakfast everyday to start out with three fruits every morning. Next I added small workouts on my off days and no eating after 7pm. Last I have tried to work on the afternoon snacking (still not perfect with that one!!). I am also working on my emotional eating!

At that point I started seeing good results so I started looking at the nutrition of what I had been eating so I know how to make better choices. So when I took the kids to McDonald's, I got a salad with grilled chicken and low fat dressing.

Now I am working out in some fashion everyday. I still eat treats but I am more careful with those extra calories. The thing I have learned the most from all this is that I was never going to be successful until I was 100% committed to change. I had half-heartedly tried in the past and it was really a waste because it does not last. Committ and tell others about your goal for support!

Good luck! You can do it!! Find something that works for you, make realistic goalds, and find a support group of friends.