hi newbie here

[bigjosh985]

hello everyone new here,34 male from lousiana,looking for tips on weight loss!!

[izzy1981]

Hello welcome to the forum the only suggestions i have is set small weight loss targets that will be achievable and take one day as it comes be good to yourself. Everyone is really friendly and helpful on here. i dont post much but i do read the posts which i find inspiring and encouraging. Good luck with your journey.

[moreless Administrator SS Supercook 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, Josh

Take a look at the Pinned posts section to the right of your screen (bottom if you're using a mobile), read the Welcome Newbie thread first and move through to the challenges, where we hope you'll find at least one that will appeal to you

Move down to the Topics, to find a variety of threads, collated into specific topics for ease of access and we ask that you also 'file' your own threads, so that others won't miss your important news

Have a look at the 12 week plan, as many people have been successful with it. Don't forget to take your starting measurements and a 'before' picture, as they can be very motivating on days that the scales refuse to co-operate

We run daily weigh-in's, but Monday's and Tuesday's are full. You would be very welcome to join any, between Wednesday and Saturday and the threads can always be found in the Events section, to the right of the home page, bottom on a mobile.

We've found that to get the best out of this community, we need to be active on the forum, as it's where we exchange information, get motivation and inspiration and make friends. We hope that you'll join us here, regularly, too

It's only left for me to wish you well on your journey

[RougeMorag]

Hello, I'm new to the forum too but am using the NHS 12 week plan and have been losing lbs steadily. Good luck 😀

[Hidden]

Hello,

What's Louisiana's view on the new US president? It's on all the front pages here in the UK! Mrs Trump's outfit got high praise from the fashion police. Mr Trump's speech got mixed reviews, though.....

Anyway, re diets. I lost 35lbs when I was in my 40s, and I have kept the weight off, with a few blips here and there, so I feel I've got a fair bit of experience on this subject.

You don't say how much you need to lose - but whatever you weigh now, if you cut your calorie intake below the amount of calories you burn up every day, then you will lose weight, guaranteed.

All the diets, and all the theories, ideas and fads, are just ways of trying to help people cut their calories and stick at it long enough to get all the weight off. So it is really a matter of finding the plan which works with your lifestyle and your preferences.

The three main methods are:

1) Calorie counting.

2) Low fat/high fibre diet

3) Low carb/high protein diet (like Atkins Diet)

All of them rely on calorie cutting to lose weight, but 2 and 3 above do it by cutting out whole food groups, whereas with 1 you can eat anything as long as you keep under your calorie allowance.

Men seem to like the low carb diet, so, if you are typical, you could give that one a go and see how you get on.

I'd also suggest:

Cut out all fizzy drinks, even the low cal ones. Stick to water, tea, coffee without sugar;

Cut out or cut drastically down on alcohol for the duration of the diet. Can reintroduce it in moderation when you are slim;

Cook from fresh as much as you can. I might be stereotyping the American diet, but there does seem to be quite a lot of manufactured "beige" food on your side of the pond. Have a colourful dinner plate every day, by making sure you got minimum 3 cooked vegetables with your dinner. Have lots of colourful veg on the plate;

Be as active as you can. If you;re not very fit or mobile, start with standing up more, walking around the house, a few stretches and arm exercises. Obviously if you are fitter, then plenty of walking, jogging, playing a sport etc. It's good for you, but it also gives you something else to do instead of eating!

Eat 5 portions of vegetables and 1-2 portions of fresh fruit every day. Build your meals around your veg, so you can be sure to get them in you every day.

Finally, accept that you need to change your lifestyle to lose weight, and that you can choose to do this. Many of us with weight problems can feel overwhelmed and powerless, but we aren't. By changing our behaviours around food we can change our weight for good.

I hope this is of some help to you. All the best.