I am afraid to even post this...

CherylP67

Congratulations! You can do this, you have the right mindset. This is your life and your new lifestyle. There are many people on here who have lost 100's of pounds.

Don't get discouraged if you can't join a gym right off. I cannot join a gym at this time so I do what I can at home. Take walks, push yourself a little bit further every day. Every little bit of movement counts. Also exercise, even walking, gives me a rush of feeling good and a sense of well being.

I highly suggest a visit to your doctor to ensure that you're healthy enough to start.

Don't give yourself an end date, just an attainable goal which is considered a healthy weight, as you see those numbers go down you will gain motivation. I see the change in the way I feel, the way I look, the way I think and I've learned that nothing tastes as good as being good to your body feels.

I'm going to send you a friend request. I believe in you, I can tell from your post that you're ready to make the lifestyle change. This isn't going to be easy, but you can do it.

Gentle_Defiance

Hi Tom,

Thank you for sharing this. I appreciate your honesty.
I have tried and failed time and time again myself, but have seen more success this time than ever before and I don't mean in the way which I can see on the scale. Instead of having my focus be that I wish to weigh *Blank* which for me always seemed like a huge unattainable goal and therefore I would always end up failing. This time I have set small goals such as:
I want to be able to climb the stairs at work (6 floors) without having to stop. (got to the fourth today!)
I want to be able to do 20 squats (am up to 40)
I want to be able to run ( am at a pretty good jog pace)
The weight loss has just been a happy side effect.
Maybe by changing the context of what you wish to attain will make it a less intimidating and therefore a more achievable/ maintainable goal?

I would love to follow your progress and share in your small successes, add me is you like

Good Luck!
Crystal

GiveMeCoffee

Hi Tom,

Congratulations on taking a step towards a healthy new you!

Best thing I've found is setting weekly attainable goals, the first week no soda, and do 5 minutes of exercise a day (when I started my exercise was standing up out of my chair once an hour) and slowly increasing what I expected out of myself.

I also like to set monthly challenges for myself, maybe by the end of June I want to be able to do 10 real push ups. And then that is something I focus on for the month. I prefer setting health and fitness goals for myself rather then scale related goals.

Best of Luck
Jen

Oishii

Read this guy:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/downsizinghoss/view/i-am-thankful-that-i-was-so-fat-535826

He is amazing :drinker:

Mother_Superior

You can absolutely do this brother! Congrats on making the decision to change your life! There is a lot of misinformation out there. There are a lot of things people do to lose weight fast that can seriously damage themselves, so I would encourage you to do two things: have patience, and learn as much as you can. I ran across a website the other day by a really knowledgeable guy, talking about nutrition that I would highly recommend you to read. (http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/ )

I'd also recommend making walking and some form of strength training your new best friend. I started out at 408, lost just over 50 pounds in about 3 months, and then gained about half back. I've been back at it for a few months now, and while I haven't dropped as much on the scale, I have lost a lot of inches from my waist, chest, hips, and arms, and I've gotten a lot stronger. You can change your life, just be bold, be smart, and be safe. Feel free to add me if you want.

Railr0aderTony

First step: getting information, setting yourself up to succeed.

This has been helpful to a lot of people:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Seriously read this. You can do it. now 146 pounds in 7 months is a bit much but you can be on your way for sure.

2stepscloser

Tom, you've got this! My husband and I have both lost 50 lbs since January and we both have 100+ lbs to lose. We track our food daily and exercise as much as possible.

The eating part is by far the most difficult and logging your food holds you accountable. One meal, day, week at a time. Don't be overwhelmed with your starting weight or how much you need to lose. Your first goal should be to get to 450. When you break up your goals into smaller chunks, it is much more attainable. You'll be surprised how quickly the weight will fall off! Best of luck to you!

daltem

You can do this Tom! Praying for a healthy happy " new" you!

Railr0aderTony

Read this guy:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/downsizinghoss/view/i-am-thankful-that-i-was-so-fat-535826

He is amazing :drinker:

Yes Hoss is amazing.

TheNewLorrain

Tom you are brave to do this and so glad you are here. Be it ten pounds or a hundred. We are here. You will get the support you need here. the program is easy to follow and if you don't understand something please just ask. I am still new and learning each day. Of course there are going to be those days but keep pressing on YOU CAN DO IT!. please feel free to add me for a support buddy. I would be happy to be here for you ......Lorrain

SusanTrueman1973

Wishing you the very best of luck Tom

Susan

prattiger65

Tom, I have no inspirational words for you as I have never walked a mile in your shoes. What I can say is, yes you can! You can be the new you. It will be hard, but nothing worth having is easy. You picked a great place to start, this is a great community. But just like any community, there are many great people, and a few a-holes, ignore them. Only tidbit of advice I can give is to not over think this. Don't major on the minor. Celebrate every 10th of a pound lost and every 1/8 of an inch, it all adds up. You are obviously a strong man because of your honesty here. I look forward to following your journey to the new you!!!!!!

da1128

You can do it, Tom! Sending you positive and encouraging thoughts! Feel free to friend me if you like!

Some time ago, I noticed a man walking past my house who had a considerable amount of weight to lose. At first, he would move quite slowly and he would only walk up to the next block and back. We'd always exchange hellos if I happened to be outside when he walked by.

He was amazing to watch! He'd be out there every day and you could set your clock by his walking. As time went by, it was obvious that he was losing weight...he began to walk faster and increase the distance day by day.

He's still out there, walking every day, although a lot of the time now, he jogs and runs. If I were to venture a guess, I would say he has gone from about a 56 inch waist to possibly a 32 inch waist...he is half the size he used to be and he looks fabulous! I recently told him how great he looks and I asked him what else he does.

He said the biggest change was not stopping at McDonald's..or if he does, he buys a Happy Meal instead of two Big Macs...he no longer "supersizes." He also told me he bought some weights one day while passing a garage sale on his walk and he works out with them regularly. Most importantly, he said he changed his lifestyle, and like you, he said he did it for his family as well as for himself, but he started with that one small change...a daily walk.

He is downright impressive and a perfect example of proof that it CAN be done without expensive equipment, gym memberships, or radical diets. He's a true inspiration!

And you can do it too! You've already taken that first step by making the decision to change your life. Kudos to you!!

cjv73

Hey Tom, congrats for posting, and welcome to the club! One suggestion as far as exercise, is that you get some Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds dvds. I may be wrong, but I am guessing that at your weight, you will be limited in the exercises that you can do. Leslie's walks start at one mile (15 minutes) and can be done in your livingroom (or any other room of your house, if you want privacy), and she is so encouraging and uplifting. Even if you are able to do a lot more exercise, you will have those down days when you just want to lie around, eat, and not do any exercise. I promise that if you just pop in a one mile dvd, that 15 minutes of walking will change your whole day. You can check her stuff out online (http://www.walkathome.com/), and even try a full mile there. I also love that she surrounds herself in her videos with people of all shapes, sizes, and ages.

Almaviva14

Dear Tom,

First off, Good Luck!!! You can do this.

You have so much encouragement and advice flooding in....perhaps this thread will be a long term treasured resource for you to return to?

So I just thought I'd add one thing. S.M.A.R.T goals

I've copied this from a webspace called 'Flourish' by Alisha Gratehouse.

I share this element of the journey with you because it has been very important to me. I have broken down my journey into 4 phases of about 10-14lbs each. I've done 2, and am beginning the third. Each phase has needed something new from me. I have noted that you set a goal of a loss of 160 by Chirstmas 2013. Just for comparison I have lost 27 in 9 months!....But I'm very happy with that, although it is slow....because I'm trying to make a lifestyle change for life. For me, this isn't a 'diet' but a change in lifestyle. First of all, healthier food...and now for my last two phases it is also going to be much more about the type of exercise I incorporate into my life. (The first two phases were all about walking more). So I'm wishing you very good luck with your goal setting. MFP is brilliant as they work it all out for you. Tap in the right numbers...then they will tell you how many calories to eat. Tom the important thing is to move in the right direction, not so much the speed at which you do so! Good Luck!
Best wishes
Anna

Here are Alisha's words!

When setting any goal, whether it’s a career, financial or physical goal, there are a few important principles to keep in mind. Let’s look at how to apply these principles to your fitness goals:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Attainable

R – Realistic

T – Time Sensitive

#1: SPECIFIC

A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general one. So, instead of making a general statement such as, “I want to lose weight & get in shape,” be specific. How many pounds do you want to lose? What do you believe is your ideal weight? When you think of being in shape, is there a specific dress or pants size that you have in mind? Be specific.

#2: MEASURABLE

It’s pretty easy to set a measurable fitness goal. Just step on the scales. What do you weigh? What do you want to weigh? What is your clothing size? What size do you want to be? Use a measuring tape to measure your waist, hips, arms, thighs, etc. Write down your measurements, then each week (or month) take new measurements to see if you’re on track with your goal.

#3: ATTAINABLE

If you will take the time to plan and establish a time frame, then almost any goal is attainable. Wise planning allows you to carry out the steps you need to achieve the goal you’ve set for yourself. Think about what steps you’ll need to take and write them down. What is the amount of calories your body burns each day? How many more calories will you need to burn everyday in order to lose one pound? Start replacing your fried, fatty foods with healthy, grilled alternatives. Cut out your soft drinks and learn to drink water instead. Exercise daily and find other ways to move your body more. Little steps like these will help you attain your fitness goal.

#4: REALISTIC

To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both *willing* and *able* to accomplish. You can have a high goal that is also realistic, but make sure to evaluate all your goals to know if they are right for you and your situation. Be realistic about what your ultimate weight loss and clothing size should be. Don’t be pressured by our society to look like a supermodel. Most ladies are not 5’11” and the size of a stick. In fact, that’s usually sickly looking. Seek the Lord about what size He created you to be, then allow Him to strengthen you to reach that weight and size.

#5: TIME SENSITIVE

Set a date for when you want to fully accomplish your weight loss goal. This is a highly motivating step! Perhaps you have a wedding or a class reunion to attend this spring, or maybe you simply want to feel comfortable in a swimsuit this summer. Pick a deadline for shedding those extra pounds, then figure out how many pounds per week you will need to lose in order to ultimately achieve your goal weight. Then get busy!

By keeping these S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting principles in mind (and with the help of the Lord), you will definitely achieve the fitness level you desire!

raspberrytartgirl

congrats to you on your bravery and doing this. You can do it! one step at a time, one day at a time. I went from 250 pounds to my current 175 pounds. still working my way down.

VasylP

Hello Tom, and to anyone else reading this and who is pretty new to MFP!

Support, encouragement and understanding is what every needs and your introduction to us here will surely garner all of those from those who become your friends on this lifestyle change you have chosen to make.

Unlike you Tom, I as a teen never had problems with weight, but the eating habits I picked up then didn't help me in my adult life. Up until I was 17 I swam competitively at a national level and when you training at the intensity I was whatever I ate was burnt up.

It took until my 50th birthday last fall to make the decision and take the steps necessary to get back my life. I was getting extremely tired of getting short of breath just trying to tie my shoes. By changing the types of food choices I was making and starting to get regular exercise I have lost 46.2 lbs and I'm down to 254.1 lbs. That loss has made a world of a difference about how I feel about myself and simply wanting to be more active. Those who are are my friends here are extremely encouraging, I try to be supportive as well.

So anyone who wants to add me as a friend please do so. I just ate a bit more than a third of my calories for the day, but now that I am more active that doesn't matter. I will probably be going out for a 23 mile bike ride this morning, last year at this time of the year I had a hard time getting on my bike so didn't. Things have changed though it has taken commitment, discipline, and a lot of support and encouragement from the people I have met here on MFP.

Tom and others set small short term goals for yourselves, if you walked around the block five times yesterday, walk around the block six times next Monday. We are all here because we want to improve our lives, our overall well being and our health. Last year I would sit in front of the idiot box a lot, now I watch less than four or five hours a week.

All has to be done step by step and be consistent and honest with yourself. Remember the words of Chinese philosopher Laozi (c 604 bc - c 531 bc) - "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I think everyone here has taken that first step. Some of us have taken one hundred steps and others have taken one hundred thousand, but we are all on a journey. Tom and others who want to be my friend place add me, I will walk steps with you, I will encourage you and help you on your journeys.

Have a great Tuesday everyone. If you are down under, then it is probably already Wednesday, so have one of those instead!

ObtainingBalance

You can do it!! Losing weight is hard but not impossible We're here for you!

kss1231

Hey Tom,

You found the right place to be for this journey. The folks on MFP are awesome and will help you get through this. I have been overweight my entire life and still haven't found the right recipe for success but the last few months have been great with MFP. I am starting to get more active and realize that there is more to life than eating. I was reading a post this morning and found this link, http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/, you should check it out, it has some very interesting and informative information.

The things I have been doing are smaller portions (trying anyway), more water and walking. If you can get those three under control you can do anything.

Feel free to add me to your support group.

Best of luck
Kim :happy:

FitMrsR

Excellent first step! You can and WILL succeed. Just start slowly, make your favorite meals healthier and try some new ones! I love the site: bbcgoodfood.com there are loads of healthy meals that take 30 minutes or less to prepare and super easy. You don't need to make huge changes, just little ones. Take a walk around the block today and do 2 laps tomorrow. At times it will be hard and you'll feel like giving up but don't. You are so close to success no matter how far away it feels. It takes 30 days to create a habit and in the grand scheme f things, that's nothing. Just a blip in time on your journey to fitness. If I can do it, anyone can! :flowerforyou: