Newbie a bit overwhelmed!

[leia]

Hi, I'm a 39 year old female from the UK. I am desperate to lose weight and have tried a few diets but none seem to work but if I'm honest I find it hard to commit to a diet 100% I tend to "cheat" some days and kid myself that I've actually been really good, then jump on the scales and look horrified when there is no loss!! I want to get away from this obsession with food, counting calories etc........I hate it! I don't want to get into the habit of jumping on the scales once a week because I think this takes over and your whole weeks effort, or should I say...... LACK OF, all rests on that moment on the scales and it can be quite depressing, well for me it is.

So I am looking for a lifestyle change. Intermittent fasting looks appealing to me, the 5:2 but my mother(who has gone from being seriously overweight to a fitness freak in less than 2 years) says it isn't healthy to fast. My mother follows the Paleo diet, has a personal trainer, cycles everywhere she goes, she is taking part in the London triathlon in Sept....... 2 days after her 60th birthday, and she recently did the spartan race in Hyde Park.......she inspires me but puts me to shame all at the same time! She has been overweight all her life but 2 years ago she clicked with this trainer and never looked back, now she is a lean mean machine......quite literally!

I would love to achieve her results, but being 21 years her junior I can better what she's achieved because she knows she left it too late and there is some resentment that she didn't do it sooner, she has a lot of loose skin under her arms, around her neck, her thighs etc

I kind of know what to do, it's just doing it and sticking to it.

I am off to Florida in November and I would love to lose 2 stone before I go, but I feel this isn't achievable? 11 weeks is all I've got! I don't want this to be just about losing weight for my holiday, I want to change my whole attitude to food. I want to be healthy.

I wouldn't say I'm unfit, I can run, I can swim, I can do Jillian Michaels workout DVDs and I manage fine with them.

I was trying to find a basic shopping list to help me get started, is there a list on this site?

Tonight I had steak, 2 eggs, mushrooms and onions, I used olive oil. Is this paleo friendly?

I look forward to exploring this site more and learning new things.

[AngelCastaneda]

Hey leia,

Welcome to the forums. We're glad to have you on!

Check Whole9's shopping list, to get some ideas. (Actually, check this whole page, under the 'free downloads' section).

I'm just starting out with paleo, so it's not uncommon to find me searching for "is [food] paleo?" on Google.

[Flex Luthor]

Strength training is must. Not only does it burn a lot of calories to strength train but it builds muscle, which will in turn, burn more calories(even when you're not working out). Another thing you have to do is focus your energy on improving workout numbers, ie more weight lifted, greater distance run, faster time run, etc. Those are numbers you can improve on a workout by workout basis whereas numbers on a scale or how you look in the mirror changes a lot more slowly. Hope this helps you and welcome to the rebellion

[leia]

Thanks for the welcome and the tips!

[Porkins77]

Hi, Leia! I am also a newbie (and also overwhelmed). I lurked for awhile and I'm now a fully-enlisted Rebel. There's no better place for support and advise than here.

Regarding you mother, don't be put to shame BY her...put HER to shame! Pretty soon she'll be saying, "wow, I'd love to do what my daughter does!!". You can do it!

[Deacon Blues]

Hello Leia! I started using an app called loseit and along with P90X I was able to lose 25 lb. What I love it about the app is that you don't really need to change what you eat. It monitors how much you eat of it. Check it out. It may be for you.

Take care and good luck!

[lizzies387]

allo and welcome! im also another overwhelmed newbie! i also use an app called my fitness pal its another calorie counting app but it also tracks things like protein and vitimins and will show you how much your calories are from carbs/fat/and protein. we're all here if you need help, good luck.

[vintageenvy]

First, WELCOME! Always excited to see a new rebel. Second, don't bother comparing yourself to your mom. You are two different people, what works for her may not work for you and your results are totally your own. Don't qualify them based on her.

I think it could be possible to get down 20 stone in 3 months (or more importantly, look like you did) just make sure you do it in a healthy way. Strength training should help you shed a fair amount, and to me it seems like the extra muscle gained makes you look slimmer because you're more contoured (even if there is still fat on top). Try browsing through some Paleo sites/blogs and making yourself a meal plan. www.paleomg.com is one of my favorites, and tumblr has been another great resource. I substitute a lot of frozen veggies for fresh just because they tend to be more cost effective. At the beginning I would focus more on changing the way you eat with the big paleo rules, no grains, no dairy, no legumes, and then you can get stricter once you've really made a lifestyle change.

Can't wait to see you rock it!

[growingwings]

I think we need to start an overwhelmed newbie group, I would definitely join. I really relate to theI know what to do I just need to do it. I am the same way. My mom is also turning 60 and is in incredible shape. Right now I just try to keep up with her.right now! Let's do this and make ourselves and thm proud!

[ponita]

Welcome!

If you're interested in starting Paleo, our rebel leader Steve wrote a great beginners guide here. I follow Paleo, but a lot folks here don't, which is why this forum is awesome. There are lots of perspectives, and what works for some won't work for others, but we all support each other as fitness and health are the ultimate goals for all of us.

Glad to have you aboard and looking forward to following your journey!