Advice needed, Just starting out...

armstrongsm

lets face it, we have an image of what we want to look like on our wedding day! my goal is to loose 50 lbs by august. i just signed up for a gym membership yesterday and am following a low calorie, low fat diet. so far i'm down a pound in a week. FI swears that he will be working out with me but i have a feeling since he is already in great shape he will loose interest.

for those of you that have had success loosing weight, how do you keep yourself motivated?

TIA!

Nebb

I think that realistically 50lbs in 8 months is a tall order - its doable yes but its a real stretch. I am curious how low of calories you are eating and how many grams of fat you are consuming to be considered low? Your body NEEDS calories and fat, as well as carbs and protein to function properly so depriving yourself will just screw you in the end. The trick is finding ways to still eat the foods you enjoy just in a healthy way. Not cut them out completely.

I would suggest doing lots of weight training as well as cardio, it will help you burn fat faster and change the shape of your body easier than just with cardio.

You have to do this for you and not set goals that you mgiht not make because it will just discourage you. Set up some smaller goals (x lbs by March or something) to keep up your motivation. If you are successful it will make you more motivated to keep going but if you fail at something big it can be quite discouraging.

Ive lost 30lbs in 7 months, and its been hard and I eat really well and work out regularly. Its "healthy" to lose 2lbs a week, but its not by any means easy nor does everyones body work the same so its not a certainty you will lose that much each week or a specific amount every week consistantly.

VitaLuna

The key to keeping yourself motivated is to stay satisfied (i.e. eat when you're hungry... don't starve yourself), and to not deprive yourself of things you love to eat. Love ice cream? Or cake? Or your favorite fried chicken place? DON'T cut those things out of your diet completely. You will just make yourself miserable. They key is moderation/portion control. Maybe one chicken strip every once and a while, rather than the whole big meal, or one of those single serving ice creams, rather than the whole pint of Ben & Jerry's.

And, like Nebb said, be realistic with your goals. There will be weeks you don't loose and there will be weeks you gain, no matter what you do. It's just the way it works. You have to be realistic with yourself and you need to go slow and steady so that your weight loss and lifestyle are sustainable in the end.

mscheese424

Nebb you gave some great advice!  Something that helped me loose inches is running.  People noticed.  Unfortunately like you I can loose track and not go to the gym or run for awhile.  What I have noticed that helps me is sign up for a race and train for it.  I also need other people.  When I train by myself I miss runs but if I know someone is waiting for me to go run with them I wont miss.  It also helps me with getting to the gym.  Since you can't rely on your FI find someone at the gym maybe in a class.  It is hard to do this on your own.  My FI is better than me so it encourages me to do good. 

Food my advice on that is get a good healthy cookbook and work with that.  What we do is eat healthy all week we get to reward ourselves with crap on the weekend.  Look for ways to award yourself it helps.

Also think of how you feel after the workout I am much happier after a good workout.

Good luck and I hope you keep us updated on your progress!

armstrongsm

thank you ladies! i really appreciate the advice!  we were pretty much couch potatoes prior to getting engaged. FI was a year round swimmer until he hit college and i was on the track team. we were on a kickball team recently and he still plays ultimate. our execise was no where near where it used to be and it shows!

exercise -i am running again everyday ; our neighborhood has some great hills. somedays i run a couple miles, somedays it's a short trip around the neighborhood depending on if i'm also working out that day in the gym. i'm in the gym with a trainer 3 times a week. we are in the process of laying out a game plan for my workouts.

diet - FI and I are doing a lot of green veggies (either raw or lightly steamed), lean proteins, low cal dressings or no dressing at all, switching to olive oil instead of butter and using it sparingly, and i am and cutting out all the wheat and sweets. ii'm trying to stay away from corn and potatoes too. i'm drinking lots of milk and water, cutting out all the sodas, alcohol and sugary juices. i cook dinner pretty much every night so i can easily control what is going into my body as long as my willpower stays strong! i'm doing leftovers for lunch, eggs and fruits for breakfast.  

i'm sure i will sneak a piece of chocolate here and there

great idea about setting mini goals - this is something my trainer is talking to me about too.

realistically i know i could lose 20 and still be healthier than i am right now, but i really want to take this chance to get healthy!

Nebb

It sounds like everything you are doing is great - just remmeber you need a certain amount of fiber so wheat isnt BAD you just have to choose whole wheat that is high in fiber. Also watch how much milk you are drinking and what kind, because it does come with fat and quite a few calories in one cup (and 1cup =/= 1 glass heh).

It has really helped me out tracking the amount (in grams) of protein, fat and carbs to help me make smart choices. If you have the patience for that, you might want to try it out.

Also, I would suggest you get measured now. That can be a great way of tracking your progress (better than by pounds lost) and really indicates a shape in your form.

hayleymajayley

Just remember fat doesn't make you fat. Plus there are different KINDS of fat, which makes a difference. Your body needs the good fats!