what made your 1st day a success?

hi, i'm a new member. i just need a little help getting started.

i suppose i'm not sure how many times i have been here before, planning that tomorrow is the day i'll start eating better & looking after myself. all the days that i've failed or given up have really worn me down. 

today i weighted the heaviest i've ever been, i thought that would shock me but instead i'm disappointed with myself for having got like this, so i ate more junk food than usual.

i am fed up of feeling like this. i want to have more energy, feel more confident and more than anything i want to feel comfortable in my own skin.

i need to lose about 40lbs & i'd like to reach my goal weight by the end of the year which i think is realistic, but what i really need help with is staying on track tomorrow to get off to a good start.

I'd really like to hear how other people got started and what it took for you to get through day 1.  i just need a little motivation to know that like so many people here i can do this too.

I just took it one day at a time. I didn't count calories for the first week, just made better food choices, and increased my exercise level.

I knew that if I could get through one day of dieting, I could do another. I do 'slip up' every now and again. But I start over knowing that if I can do it once, I can do it again. And soon enough it becomes a habit.

thanks,

i think i need to start slowely too, i sometimes set myself too high an expectation.

i've been reading other posts & i'm begining to feel happy & motivated. its a really nice atmosphere on CC 

Get out and go for a nice long walk. As sweetigem said, start slowly. If you go at it gung-ho you're more likely to get tired/frustrated. Don't push yourself too hard at working out either. Find something you enjoy doing that's active so it doesn't feel like "exercising." Something else that motivated  me was going to the grocery store and buying a bunch of healthy snacks. Carrots, lettuce, pouches of tuna in water, fruit, healthy cereal/oatmeal, wheat bread...it will make you feel like you're really making a positive change :) It also really helps if you get things you enjoy eating.

Congratulations on making the decision to better yourself! I hope I helped

I started back in January, found CC at the end of March.  The first thing I did in January was to make a commitment to exercising at least 3 times a week and reduce my dinner portions to one main dish serving and one glass of wine.  I did that for a month, and lost a little weight (not too much, but a baby step).  In February I decided to stop eating lunch out more than once every few weeks, and to only have salads as a side, no more french fries.  In March I started trying to reduce the calories in my normal foods, and I found CC, set a target calorie count, and started logging all my food so that I knew if I hit the calorie count.  In April I started exercising every day at least 30 minutes, even if it is just a walk.  Now, in July, I seem to have hit my groove, it is pretty easy to hit my calorie count and exercise has become a habit.  I have lost more than 40 pounds since January, most of it since I joined CC.  I still have lots of weight left to lose (about 90 pounds) but I am feeling great and really enjoying my new lifestyle.

My advice to you is to think about your problem areas in diet and exercise, and take small steps to improve them, one or two things at a time.  Give yourself time to make new, good habits, and it won't seem so overwhelming.  And try to avoid all or nothing thinking, we all make mistakes, the next meal or day is a brand new start.  You can do it!

Hi. You know, I understand exactly how you feel.

My first success was when I told myself that no one looks at my calorie count except me. And with that, I decided that night before I went to bed to write down everything I ate the next day, without expectations. I wasn't going to change anything. JUST write down everything. The good, the bad, the ugly...no matter what. I wasn't going to feel bad about what I ate. I was only going to SEE everything I was putting in my body. I don't even think the first couple of days I measured anything. I only guestimated the serving size, made a plain excel worksheet and looked at the entire list of food before I went to bed.

I felt so proud for listing the Doritos I ate. It really made me feel good to know that I was not going to lie to myself.

After a few days I wanted to know how many calories I was eating, again, without beating myself up.

I needed to KNOW. I wanted to become aware about what I was eating. That's when I found CalorieCount. It took me a little over a week to get into format, but I continued even when it was taking me forever to input each and every thing.

So the short answer to your question is first day was a success for me because I did it. I made sure to become aware of everything I ate. It was truly a freeing and personal victory for me. I hope you can do the same. Don't beat yourself up when you stumble, dust yourself off, and continue. It won't always be easy but when you succeed even in a small way, you'll feel great.

thank you for the replies

elfkittie22 i agree with finding something fun to do. i play badminton a couple of times a week because its fun & i don't think of it as a chore. i am going to fill my fridge up with lots of healthy food. i don't think i've eaten vegetables for a while! fruit i find easier with it being in season. bought a watermelon today :) i think i'll try to exercise two other days as well this week even if its a half an hour walk.

dkenworthy its sounds like your well on your way! congratulations on your weight loss. i'm glad your feeling great & enjoying the new lifestyle. i really like the way you introduced something new every so often. I think i set myself up to fail by asking too much of myself. i finally understand that. 

sweetigem & evy273 thanks for your support.  

i did really well today. i planned my lunch and snacks and prepared them before work. i stuck to my meals & i can't believe i've got throught most of the day. i'm going to play badminton for a couple of hrs now. i used to stop at the chip shop on the way home, that will be the last hurdle of the day! so far i feel so good, i amazed at how happy i feel for taking action. thanks for helping me make it through today, your posts keep me honest.

soni

I used to binge like four times a week. I went from 115 lbs to 155 lbs from doing this. Id eat like 3000-4000 cals a day and not exercise. Idk why I did this, something in me just snapped. Anyway, I would tell myself every night that the next day would be different. And it never was. Pretty soon, I was sick of the way I felt and looked. I wasn't myself anymore. Eventually I had to look back to how I lost thirty pounds the first time and incorporate some of those rules back into my life. I had to gain control again. Because at that time food was in control and thats now way to live life. So, I told myself that I coudn't eat anything out of the fridge or pantry that I didn't buy. I live with my family and they are junkaholics. I also had to stop buying foods that I knew I would binge on such as bread, peanut butter etc. No matter if it was whole wheat bread or healthy peanut butter. I also set in my mind that I would eat every two hours no matter what. And there was no grazing to be involved.

A lot of it is developing self control and motivation. Without it you wont go far. No one is going to hold your hand through this. You have to be able to rely on yourself. Write down your goals. Write down what will make you happy. And post it somewhere you can see it everyday. Its all about keeping that in mind. Going to bed at night knowing that I ate the right amount of healthy calories is the best feeling in the world to me.

In the beginning it definitely isnt easy but you can do it. Set  yourself a goal to eat healthy for one week. Then the next week incorporate exercise. Then it will become a habit. Once you feel how good it feels to eat right and exercise you wont want to stop

fooledbyfaith thanks for sharing your story, i can relate to it, although i don't binge i eat rubbish food even when i'm not hungry, instead of proper meals its toast and chocolate bars and cakes.  i suppose i'm treating myself like i don't deserve better. sometimes its hard to snap out of it and regain control. I once went 16wks eating healthy and i lost 18lbs (this was a couple of years ago) i felt so good but then something in me snapped and i couldn't stop eating all the wrong foods again. what scares me is the same thing could happen again. why wasn't one chocolate bar enough? why didnt i just restart the day after? honestly i just felt like i let myself down and i gave up to that feeling. I'm hoping that if i ever face those feelings again instead of letting it take over i might be able to use CC and the support here to get through it.

ps. i made it. i had a fantastic first day, i ate well & played 2hrs of badminton. i genuinely feel on top of the world & can't stop smiling :)

just got to do it all over again tomorrow. eeek!

thanks for listening and helping me take the first step. all your advise is really appreciated.

Soni

Just take it one day at a time and I'm sure you'll do great! Soon you'll have a whole week behind you, then a month :)