Making A Change

[jaburkart]

Hey everyone, 

My name is Jade, I'm 23, and I have recently aquired a fitbit less than a week ago. I'm hoping this will help me lose a little extra weight that I have. I'm 5'4 and weigh 152 lbs now. My first goal is to get down to what I was when I graduated high school- 145lbs. Ultimately I would like to weigh 130-140lbs. I've never stuck to any exercise attempt long enough to see results. 

To start I wanted to see where my base level of walking was. I'm pretty consistantly at 10K steps a day, and have set a goal now of 12K a day. Mixed with a good diet have people found success in losing weight walking that much a day? Also, if anyone in the Boston area would like to add me- I'll race you! 

Thanks 

[Bobbinyc]

I think you need to figure out how you gained the weight.  Was it being sedentary?  Then find ways that you enjoy to be active.  That could be anything - walking, running, a sport, dance - something you might do for years to come and make part of your wonderful life.  Did you gain weight from eating out too much? From processed junk food? Sugar?  Look into what a healthy way of eating would be for you - something you could do for life.  Maybe that means a huge salad with protein in it every day; maybe becoming vegetarian; whatever would work for you.  If you start cooking more, look into ways to make it easy (food prep, freezing meals) and enjoybable.  I took a cooking class where I got great recipes and learned techniques to make it more fun and easy.  Did you gain weight from emotional eating?  Learn ways to separate the emotions from the food and find other ways to cope with the feelings.  That can be tricky, but there is lots of help out there.  At your age, you have a wonderful advantage.  You can create a lifestyle that will promote health and vitality for decades to come.

[SunsetRunner]

Wonderful you wish to take care of your precious body.

It's about changing body composition, while possible if exercising to gain muscle mass and decrease body fat, while being at about the  same weight, though being leaner, more toned..

It's no diet, not restricting foods (that leads to binge eating). Have with care, if not so hungry and craving chocolat, a piece of cake, a homemade waffle,.. take a smaller portion instead to satisfy the craving (otherwise going to have eventually but taking more from) and saving calories with having a smaller portion..

See which foods you love to eat, which leaves satisfied the most.

Eat what you desire when hungry, if not wanting pizza, and possible to choose something else on the menu, have what your body truly desires.. possible saving even more calories in the longer run.. listening to your precious body to when it whispers 'we have eated enough now'.. even if there's food left on the plate. No need to force feed more if not needed.. always possible to eat more when hungry again.

We have access to foods whenever we want, if hungry we can eat anything. There's food everywhere.. unlike our hunter / gatherer ancestors who only could eat when food was available from a hunt, not knowing when the next opportunity was to eat, so having periods of feasts and famine.. going sometimes days without food before able to eat again.

We can eat every moment when desired.

Try eating when hungry, stop when comfortable satisfied (not stuffed).

If not hungry and needing to eat with family.. possible to adjust portions to how you feel.

Natural foods without labels are the most nutritious for the body, lower on calories overall than preprocessed foods (with added sugars, higher in calories mostly not nutritious for the body and still being hungry, the body asking for more),.. leaving satisfied the most. (Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits..).. nearly impossible to overeat on those. 

See how it goes.

Possible to use a Aria scale when desired in conjunction with trendweight to see a trend over time in body composition rather than focusing on the daily number.

Have fun reaching your goals

[jaburkart]

I certainly eat due to boredom occasionally. I am orginally from Vermont- so I walk far more now than I have the last couple of years. I make all of my own meals- most of them are pretty healthy mainly consisting of chicken, couscous/quinoa/rice, and a vegetable, but other times I go out or I am to tired to make anything. I need to get into meal prepping more!