lisse55

I recently had a baby and gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy. Now I am able to diet and exercise but feel at a loss about where to start. I would like to do a more structured diet b/c my eating is just out of control. A lot of my issues stem from my stress-eating problem. Eating makes me feel better when I am stressed or upset.
I'd love to hear what worked well for you?

hawaiiadobo

Log EVERYTHING you eat for a week. It really puts things in perspective.

I'm a snacker, so the biggest change I made was just replacing the kind of snacks I had available to me. Instead of bags of chips or cookies, I got rid of those and have fruits and veggies instead.

My personal go to snack? Carrots and hummus or yogurt dip.

Also, make sure you keep your pantry well stocked with "good-for-you" foods. Forces you to use what you have and you can't use the "but I don't have anything in the house to cook" excuse.

adamcaa

well atleast you realize whats triggering the overeating of calories. thats a good start. My suggestion would be to identify why you're eating before eating(because you're hungry, or because you're stressed out), and have a plan of action to follow through with before you eat anything. I would start by not having those comfort foods in the house to begin with. I dont care how disciplined you are, if its there it will most likely get eaten. Why make it harder on yourself. Have something else more healthy to eat at hand when you feel like you just need something. fresh fruits(peaches,apples,bananas), vegetables(broccoli,peppers,celery,tomatoes), zero calories drinks, salads (watch out for the dressing, and cheese thats where people drop the ball) lean proteins(eggs,chicken,turkey,fish,0%-2%milk) basically lower calorie alternatives.

rpmcduff

I agree, LOG EVERYTHING, get a food scale so you know exactly how much of each food you are eating. Know that you don't have to start out perfect to be sucessful. Look back at your food log and decide where you are willing to cut back or eliminate certain foods. For me Coke (soda) was the first thing I gave up (and I loved my Coke). But I just wasn't willing to ingest those calories anymore. Approach this as being more than just a diet. See this as a way to become more fit and healthy. A life change instead of just a short term diet. Set goals, share your goals with someone who supports your weight loss goals and make yourself accountable. Make these goals realistic. You will need to cut 500 calories a day from your maintenance level to acheive a 1 pound a week weight loss.

Start exercising. Depending on your fitness level this could range from walking to training for a 1/2 marathon (look into the couch to 5K program if you are just starting). The point is to find something you enjoy and can continue long term. Incorporate weight and strength training into your excercise program. This is important to help you keep muscle that you will other wise lose during dieting.

Here are my suggestions:
Reduce you calorie intake by 500-700 calories a day.
Try to get 30% of your calories from protein.
Start exercising.
Stop drinking your calories (Soda, Alcohol and Beer)
Reduce the amount of calories you get from simple carbohydrates (anything made with white flour, white rice, potatoes or sugar) and substitute in complex carbs like whole wheat, oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes.
Break your meals into 5-6 times per day instead of 2-3.

If you would like a explaination for any of these just ask. Don't set yourself up to fail by trying to change too much too fast. This is a life change, as you see some success you will be motivated to improve your diet and activities. You can do this one step at a time. Good luck!

lisse55

Thank you for the tips. We almost have the same goals. At the moment I am 210 and want to be 160.

esler11

Hey there!

First I wanted to say congrats on joining Fitday. I have been a member for years and I love it. Fitday is great because once you start using you realize that you start to make conscious decisions regarding what sorts of foods you eat! How are your eating right now? What does a typical day look like for you? Why do you choose to eat the foods that you do? Convience, taste, mindless eating? If you eat due to stress, what are those stresses and how can you attempt to reduce those stresses? Just a few things to think about!

Also, what sort of exercise, movement or activites do you do in a day?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Leanne





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