Newbie looking for tips
 

Just getting started ....any tips or advice would be helpful

I know know how you feel I'm new too!!!

Good Luck to you both!! I found I had diabetes in May. I bought a food scale, and count calories. I do NOT eat over 1200 calories. NOTHING passes my lips that is not weighed and journaled on FitDay. I have lost 36# and blood sugar has been normal for two months now, with no medications. I eat no more than 4 oz of meat at meals, and LOTS of fruits and veggies, both cooked and raw. I am fortunate that I like them. I eat NO "whites"...no white bread, potatoes, rice, noodles, corn, etc. It works for me... Once I get down to where I wish to be... can gradually add foods but with a strict eye on the scales... so I don't gain. I wish to lose 21# more, knowing it will go slower but I have all the time in the world to be healthy!! Grin..

Again...good luck, girls!

Check out historical posts in the forums. There is alot of great information. Understand that you need to find what works best for you. Here are a few things that I personally find helpful both for attitude and nutrition.
* This is not a race. You didn't get fat overnight, you won't get fit overnight either.

* Exercise is important. If you have been a couch potatoe start some type of exercise program. Even walking is better than sitting!. (I am also a proponent of weight/resistance training, and that means women too.) Don't try to go from a couch potatoe to exercising like Mr. Olympia overnight. This too is a gradual process. Search for the 'Couch to 5K' if you would like a program to start running, check out Bodybuilding.com for other exercise information.

* While exercise is important, diet is 80% of the equation. You can't out train a bad diet.

* Try to get 30% of your calories from protein. Protein is the only nutrient that can build and repair muscle. When maintaining a calorie deficit the body will catabolize muscle. Adequate protein intake and exercise will help minimize muscle loss. Muscle is the furnace of your metabolism. If you lose muscle the number of calories your body burns will be reduced and you will have to eat fewer and fewer calories to continue losing weight.

* Approach the journey to getting fit as a lifestyle change and not just a short term diet. Educate yourself so you understand the nutritional baggage each food carries. I personally don't have anything I can't eat. But I severly restrict my simple carbohydrates like processed foods, white bread, and sugar because I now understand the calories and how the body metabolizes them.

* Try to not drink your calories. Soda, Gatorade, beer and alcholic beverages carry a huge amount of calories that most of us never realized we were consuming. Water is now my beverage of choice along with some coffee.

* Don't eliminate all the fat from your diet. Don't buy into the 'Fat Free is Heathier' rhetoric. Many of the processed 'Fat Free' foods are just simple carbs with lots of sodium to make them taste good. Fat is essential for body functions like nutrient transfer and neural function. With out fat you will get sick. I don't limit my fat intake at all. Since the fat I eat is from whole foods like olive oil, meat and nuts that I consume I know it is good for me. I just need to understand that fat carries 9 calories per gram vs. 4 calories per gram for Protein and Carbs. Fat has also been shown in studies to have a satiating effect on appetite. Another reason why I believe many fail when they attempt a fat free diet.

Hope these help. They work for me. Welcome and good luck in your journeys.

Hello and welcome newbies! Lots of really good advice and tips here, I wish you both success. One thing I will say is that your mindset is very important, don't set yourself up for failure by thinking you are dieting. I have not been on a diet for the last nine months, I have been choosing to eat good healthy food and take some excercise.

This was important to me because, as a yoyo dieter in the past, food was always the reward for a challenging day or when things got tough etc.

Good luck in your journey!