New Girl...need some help and advice!

Hello Ya'll!

I just joined this tonight and I think it's fantastic so far! I really need some help and encouragement however. I'm severely overweight and I need lots and lots of help to stay motivated.

Any advice for a newbie?

You came to the right place.  Welcome!!

eat 6 small meal(total of calories recommended from your analysis)

drink 6-8 glasses water

exercise

read through the library on site and the forums(you will learn a lot)

green tea is supposed to help(10 cups of tea) or take the capsules)

don't eat 3 hrs before bed time

stock up the kitchen with healthy food

get rid of junk food

keep busy (idle time gives you time to think of munching)

good luck, we are all in this together

Karen

Welcome!

Hi! Thanks for the advice! There is a problem with a couple of those that I hope you can help me shed some light on how to resolve...

I live at home so it's a little harder to abide by this rule...I'm not sure how to pull it off...

The water thing I do sometimes, but probably need to do more of

I don't drink tea...(religious beleif) so guess that one's out...

I can't stock the kitchen with healthy food because like I mentioned before I live at home.

I also work as a customer service agent and therefore not the most physical job...

I try to get to the treadmill, but everytime I tell myself that I should, I go at it strong for a week and then peeter out again...it's so frustrating! I feel like I'm gaining weight and I probably am. The jeans I bought a year ago that were tight at the time now no logner fit. I want to cry! I need some serious help here guys! Thanks a ton! :-)

Is it possible for you to have your own cabinet at home? A section for you to put all of your healthier foods in? Or even to move all the bad stuff into a seperate cupboard the rest of the family can get into but you won't be tempted by? Sometimes out of site, out of mind, helps.

Try mixing up your workout. There's a lot of great workout DVD's you can get on just about anything that strikes your interest, dancing, pilates, kickboxing and Tae Bo just to name a few. Check into some different types of exercise. The more fun you have working out, the more likely you are to stick with it. The same old thing can get boring and routine. And if at all possible, try to get in some nice walks outside.

What are your hobbies?  I like the wildlife so I found a very wooded park to walk in.  That helped me cause I can see the changes going on with the seasons.

I actually don't have a cupboard for all of my stuff, but I guessI can just ignore the stuff that's in the house...it'll be harder that way, but I want to loose weight.

I'm going to try to do my walking outside now that the weather is getting better. Thanks for the advice guys!

what types of food do your parent(s) cook?  is it healthy or all bad?  can you talk to them about making some healthier options available to you.. like adding in more veggies with your meals?  do you cook?  would it be an option to start cooking for yourself?  it sounds like you have the drive to lose the weight so that isn't an issue.. where there's a will there's a way!  also, you don't have to have seperate meals than your family.. just be sure to take smaller portions.  a good rule of thumb is 1/3ds.. 1/3 of your plate should be protein, 1/3 of your plate should be veggies, and 1/3 should be starch.. remembering that some veggies count as starch (peas and corn come to mind)  so when you are taking your food you have a guideline.  also remember portion size.. 3 oz. of meat is quite a bit smaller than most people eat.  My final piece of advice is chew slowly.. pretend you are a turtle and eat that slow!  it takes 20 mintues for your body to realize it's full so the slower you eat the less food you get in you.. :)

That actually helps! Thanks! I'm going to start thinking about what we can do to eat healthier, because we do take turns cooking. I went out for a ten minute walk this afternoon...it almost killed me! I'm pathetically overweight and it's time to make some changes! Thanks!

Hi Utah,

You should be able to drink Decaf Green tea- which they make.  Isn't it the caffeine that keeps you from drinking it?  Sharon

Well...yes...I'm only allowed to drink herbal tea though...it's complicated...lol Thanks!

I THINK it is herbal.  Not sure though, but you could check.  I got mine at a health food store, but I'm not sure.  I got some of the pills..that may be different.  Is it?  I feel like it works, because they make me pee all the time!  I figure that has to be helping! ha!

Sharon

BTW, I promise that it gets easier if you can stay at it for about three weeks.  I think that's about how long it takes for something to become a habit.  THe exercise part is HARD for the first week, but if you can hang in there past that- it WILL get easier.  I  PROMISE!  And I am the queen of lazy, so if I can do it, you can!  really!

Sharon

The excersize part is the hardest...I start to ache halfway through which is pathetic considering I only walk about 10 minutes at a time! Sheesh!

And I'll check into the tea thing...sounds interesting...

Hi there,

I'm another Utahn, but I live out of state. I just wanted to tell you that I think it is fantastic that you are getting out and walking, even for 10 minutes and even if it is torture. If you keep doing it you will find that you very quickly get to a point where you can easily do 10 minutes and hey, you find you want to keep going for another five. I also find it helpful to try and sneak in excercise by walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator or walking to the post office instead of driving. Keep at it!! We are all rooting for you!

Hey thanks! I really appreciate the encouragement. Although I've not gone out and walked since I posted this...but thanks for the advice!

PS. Whereabouts in Utah do you reside...or did you reside? Just curious!

I buy green tea extract and add it to my FOOD so I don't have to drink all 10 cups! I drink TONS of water, and I use fresh squeezed lemon juice in it with a pinch of cayenne and dash maple syrup( THE LEMONADE DIET DRINK helps to boost metabolism and melt fat).

I, too, am depressed about my weight but am motivated. I walked the dog 30 minutes at the park and dug up the garden (hard work) 30 minutes...did 3 loads laundry, vacuumed 3 floors! Now...I am resting and eating <SIGH>. I have only consumed 836 calories of my 1900 but ...my fat grams seems high: 38?

All I have is fruit for breakfast with coffee and water.

Lunch is a big romaine salad with some form of protein, and a bit of carb, like a sweet potato (no butter) or pita bread (Low carb).

I have an afternoon snak between 3 and 4 so I can hold out until dinner at 6 or so, which is vegies, and protein...mostly fish, turkey, lentils, or beef...I do not like chicken.

My biggest downfall is I like wine...so I do have my two 3.5 glasses daily.

But I am still below my calorie range and was thinking of adding protein bars? But then the protein and carbs go wayyy up...