Getting Started...

This is going to be long! I have a REALLY hard time summarizing and keeping things short in the first place, and especially when it comes to how I got started and helping others find a starting point and motivation, it really gets bad! Hang in there, it's long but will hopefully be beneficial!  I'll try to keep future posts shorter, as I realize most people don't have the time to read a 30 min. article every day!

As I said on my "Someday Skinny" page, I feel that for me personally, weight loss is about 97% diet and 3% exercise.  SO, when I'm giving people advice about where to start, especially if you feel like you're really starting from scratch like I did, I usually suggest they start by focusing about 97% on what they're eating.  In my experience, I've seen much faster and more noticeable results by focusing most of my planning and dedication on diet, rather than exercise.

A great way to start changing your eating habits is to count calories. 

Most people are surprised to find out exactly how much they're consuming vs. how much they need. When I first started counting calories, I learned that in order to MAINTAIN my current weight, I should've been eating about 1800 calories a day.  Imagine my surprise when I found out I was actually averaging between 2500 and 3500! 

Free apps like MyFitnessPal are a great way to help you realize exactly how much you're eating and help you decide how much you should be eating.  I started using MyFitnessPal about a year after my first pregnancy and lost about 35 lbs. just by counting and making myself aware of my calories. I DEFINITELY recommend getting a MyFitnessPal account! If you're doing the Goal Weight Competition, it will be a good way for us to keep in touch! When signing up with MyFitnessPal, they will help you calculate how many calories you need to be eating. This is another good site to help you figure out how many calories you need. 

Tangent (skip if you're not pregnant or breastfeeding!): Beware that if you're breastfeeding or pregnant, you need more calories-but you may need to troubleshoot a little to determine how many more you need.  According to most sources, breastfeeding burns an extra 200-500 calories per day.  This means you'll need to add those calories and see what works for you.  Kelly Mom has a great article about trying to lose weight while breastfeeding. I waited 2-3 months with both my kids before I tried to lose weight. I believe that that time is crucial in helping your body determine your milk supply. I breastfed both my kids exclusively until they were a year old, and ate about 1500 calories/day to lose the weight.  I tried eating as many as 1800 but the weight just didn't come off, so in my opinion, you need to experiment and see what's right for you. Either way, if you're hungry (especially to the point of having physical symptoms), you're probably not eating enough (also, see what I say about empty calories below)! 

(Tangent Continued...) Pregnancy is a time when I have struggled the most! It's been hard for me to troubleshoot how many calories I need while dealing with cravings, a raging appetite, food aversions, fatigue, etc.  Too often, I take the easy way out and give myself a break because I'M GROWING A HUMAN for crying out loud! Unfortunately, that excuse hasn't really proved to pay off for me in the long run and I've decided that the only solution is NOT gaining in extreme excess while pregnant!  All the research I've done seems to agree that in the first trimester, you should gain 0-5 lbs. and you don't need any extra calories. In the second trimester, most experts seem to recommend 300 extra calories, but some that I found said you still don't need any extra (I'm in the second trimester right now and I WILL be taking advantage of those 300 extra calories!). Then, by the third trimester, 300-500 extra calories. Like I said, that can be kind of hard to troubleshoot...I'm right there with ya! But, I'm just going to do my best and see how it comes along! Anything's gotta be better than eating whatever you want or most people's definition of "eating for two"! This is a great tool to help visualize how much you should be gaining during each week of pregnancy, I refer back to it a lot!  If you are in the first trimester and in the "eat whatever sounds good because it's all you can keep down" phase, that's okay, try to give yourself a break! Just try to eat healthy whenever you can. I had someone recommend to me that I eat whatever healthy thing I could that sounded good, even if I ate the same thing every day. So that's what I did this time around! The same thing almost every day for the whole first 6 weeks after finding out I was pregnant! But, I found what I could/would eat that was healthy and I only gained 3 lbs. in the first trimester instead of my usually 20! (Yes, I gained 20 lbs. the first trimester with my first baby and 15 with my second!)

Back on track: Although counting calories is the most precise way I know of to lose weight and the best place to start if you're starting from scratch, if it seems too time consuming or tedious, or if you're in a situation where your calorie needs have changed (such as pregnancy or breastfeeding), you can do the same type of troubleshooting just by trying to make every meal as healthy as possible. I'm a very visual person, so I like the suggestion of avoiding shopping the isles at grocery stores. The theory is that if you stick to the outer areas, you'll stick with produce, dairy, meat, etc. and away from processed foods (be careful though, the bakery tends to be in that outer area too!) You'll notice a difference with how you feel if you're making the right changes. Be aware of your portions and try to make the majority of your plate fruits and/or vegetables. Try to substitute unhealthy ingredients in some of your favorite recipes for healthy ones. (There's A LOT to say in this diet section but I feel like a lot of cleaning up diet just takes time, learning and trial and error. So if you feel overwhelmed or discouraged because you're trying to eat healthy by tomorrow, take a step back...we'll get there one step at a time!)  Simply trying to be aware and conscious of what you're eating makes a big difference!

I've been using an app called MyDietitian for a little over a year now and have continued to lose weight despite no longer counting calories (even though I was terrified to quit counting!!). Even if you can't afford an app like MyDietitan, taking pictures of your meals and keeping a food journal makes a big difference in helping you become aware of exactly what you're eating. Also, I have some vouchers for free trials for MyD that will be future prizes for challenges!

Plan. 

I've found that I very rarely have success without a well thought out plan!  You need to know what your goals are and plan how you're going to get there.  Since diet is such a huge part of weight loss, so is making a menu plan. This is SO important to help keep you from falling back on bad habits or seemingly convenient, but unhealthy meals. Make simple meals that are convenient and don't overwhelm you.  Have a back-up plan in case you have one of those days where it's 6:00 and you haven't even started yet!  If you're part of the weight loss challenge, you don't need to worry about this as much because I plan on posting menus, at least for the first several weeks.  But if you have certain food preferences, it's good to at least have a back-up menu for yourself that you can refer to if you don't like something I post. Pinterest is full of meal planning printables and healthy recipes. A few I really like are here (8. Menu and shopping list-this is the one I use regularly) and here. 

Even if you don't want to do a full menu plan every week, just make a list of the things you'd like to make or meals you already have the ingredients for and at least you'll know you have those to choose from when meal times come up. For example, I rarely plan snacks. I just have a list of healthy snacks I have available, that way when I get munchy, I have options for whatever I'm in the mood for.

SNACK! 

Try to eat every 3-4 hours. I've found that the longer I wait to eat, the bigger meal I end up eating when I finally do eat. Also, I'm more likely to snack on whatever I can find or grab fast food because, well, it's quick and I'm HUNGRY! 

I've seen so many people on diets walk around chronically hungry. In my opinion, if you're hungry, you're not eating a healthy diet. Remember, you're trying to create this for the long haul. You can't walk around hungry all the time! If you're hungry, eat something healthy to keep your blood sugar up and your metabolism going, but try to have that snack before you get hungry. On the contrary, I know I'm doing well when I feel satisfied all the time.I've heard from several people once they've gotten started that they feel like their meal plan is too much food and that they don't even want their snack when it's time for it.
Healthy snacks have been the staple of my weight loss.  If you feel like you're eating enough food (and you are consuming enough or more than enough calories), but you're still hungry, look to see if you're eating a lot of empty calories.  I've found that eating a candy bar usually doesn't hold me over to the next meal time, even though it's about 100 more calories than a healthy snack like boiled eggs and fruit, which usually will.

Don't skip breakfast! Eating a healthy breakfast will give you energy throughout the day and start your metabolism off right. If your mornings are crazy like mine tend to be sometimes, try starting the day with a quick snack (Like a smoothie or yogurt), then eat your breakfast once things calm down a bit.

Drink water like crazy!

I feel like diving into all the health benefits of drinking water would take all day, when really the only thing that needs to be said is just do it!  It's KEY to weight loss and overall good health!


Try to have a water bottle with you all the time!  It sounds lame but my water drinking habits changed drastically when I got this cool, cute water bottle I actually felt kind of cool toting around.  If you think that might help, try it! Here's one I've been coveting!

Take baby steps, and then recognize and be proud of yourself for them. 

Don't get discouraged by setbacks, we ALL have them! I remember during one of my attempts at weight-loss (in the midst of my fast food days), I was so proud of myself because I actually went into the produce section of the grocery store and bought grapes and bananas. Well, come to find out from one of my very health conscious friends, grapes and bananas are "the two fruits at the top of the glycemic index". Basically according to her, the most unhealthy fruits I could've bought. Remember everyone is at a different level. You may eventually get to where you're eating a completely clean diet with organic everything but for now, give yourself a chance to make mistakes and learn what works best for you. Some would say that my diet is not "clean" because I still HAVE to have Light Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on every salad, but it's a compromise I've decided I'm willing to make in order to get myself to eat and enjoy salad.

When you start to get discouraged, look back on where you were a week from now. Have you eaten better than you did last week? Have you learned some healthier recipes? Have you eaten homemade meals all week? Were you even consciously making an effort to be healthier this time last month? Be proud of yourself for the healthy decisions and efforts you are making. No matter where you start, it's going to take time to learn what you need to know to get to where you want to be.

Stay Active!

Even though I'm suggesting avoiding strenuous exercise programs, I am fully aware of the HUGE benefits and necessity of an active lifestyle. Try to stay active (most of us with kids are very active without realizing it!). Most people find it easier to eat right when they stay active. Try to go for walks or do a light exercise circuit around the house every other day or so. My 3 year old LOVES taking turns on my yoga mat with me doing push-ups.  Especially if you're starting the way I'm suggesting, you don't have to set aside two hours of kid-free time to work out!  I used to work 12 hour night shifts with a girl who was extremely fit and she would do quick workout routines she'd found on Pinterest during her breaks.  You'd be surprised where a few 10-15 min. exercise sessions will get you!

So, in a nutshell, here's what I suggest:

You can save this to your phone or print it if you need help remembering this week.

Next week, when the competition officially starts, we'll be focusing a lot on diet. So for this week, I'd like to focus on getting some goals established so we each know our focus when the competition actually starts.

So, plan of action for today:

Make a few small goals for the week as to how you're going to get started and share them on the 2014 Goal Weight Competition Facebook page!  They can be suggestions I made above, or something else you know is a weakness for you that you're going to have to work on in order to succeed like kicking a soda or fast food habit.  Include:
1. Your goal
2. How you plan to carry it out
3. What you'll do if you have an "off" day to get back on track
You can make multiple goals, but make them doable for the week. Make it something for you that you know YOU need to help YOU get started off on the right foot!