I weigh ~470 lb, where do I start?

jgnatca

I suggest small weekly goals around behaviour rather than weight. A good first goal might be to get yourself a food scale, then the second to start logging all your meals. I also recommend this program which I found quite empowering.

http://patienteducation.stanford.edu/materials/

Small weekly goals make the mountain of change ahead manageable, and allows you to celebrate the positive changes along the way.

Ming1951

tobastion wrote: »

I'm 18 and morbidly obese. I started getting fat around 6th grade and it just got worse over time. I'm aware I overeat and I live a pretty sedentary life. My back and joints hurt at the slightest amount of exercise and I feel clueless about what to do to start the change. Is it really as simple as eating less and slowly adding more exercise?

Well it seems to have gotten a number of replies all willing to give you support as you begin this journey to get healthy. I think I'm older than many on here @65 I've lost 43 lbs since Sept. just by eating less and moving more. I don't eat back my calories from exercise mainly because I don't exercise everyday only when my knees permit, for now anyway. My goal is to do more and more. I also suggest a fitbit to count your exercise and calories and it syncs with MFP, for me its an incentive. I like to work in my yard, garden, mow the grass, walk with friends, and bike ride around my neighborhood. I find things to keep my mind occupies so I'm not thinking of food (junk food). All this extra weight causes many health issued and havoc on your bones. I'm paying the price right now. But its not too late. You can do this and you can friend many of us who will give you support along your journey. I am feeling so much better, have more energy than I've had in a long time. you will too. Welcome

cnbbnc

Welcome!!! I haven't read through all the other replies, but getting started is quite simple. It's just a matter of slashing calories off of what you're currently eating. Logging all of your food here is a great idea so you can see exactly what you consume in a day and work off of that.

If that gets to be monotonous though, you can still lose weight. As others mentioned, and I've had success with myself....you can simply cut some calories off of each meal/snack. Say...if I wanted a donut I would eat half. If I wanted a burger I would only eat half the bun. If I wanted chips I would choose the baked ones to save a few calories. It all adds up and makes a difference.

You can do this!

PaganUK

Tobastion
You've taken the first step in your journey.
Ownership.
Your acknowledge the only Fix-it is you!
Follow all of the advice and support. Seek GP guidance, moderated calorie intake and keep a honest food diary.
We are all aiming for the same goal. Healthy weight loss. Stick with it. Stay with us and we'll help each other xx

DarthScabrous

I'm about 40lbs heavier than you, and I'm just starting back myself. You'll be surprised at how much calories we actually consume. In order for me to lose 2lbs a week, I need to eat around 3300 calories. That's LOSING weight, can you imagine how many calories we eat to maintain our high weight? Trust me, input everything into MFP correctly, and follow the calorie intake it tells you. You can get under it fairly easily.

I don't know if you drink sodas, but if you do, cut them immediately. Drink water. Don't drink juices, there are usually tons of sugar in them. If you absolutely need flavors, you can either cut up a strawberry or other fruit and put it into the water, or squeeze like a lemon or orange into it. You may not see a huge drop while losing sodas, but trust me, you'll feel a whole hell of a lot better. I'd suggest carrying around a drinking jug of water. I don't mean a gallon jug, but like a larger bottle that you can carry around and easily fill up. I carry around a 32oz RTIC Tumbler, and constantly fill it. I now drink at least a gallon a day.

When you start drinking more water, you'll realize something. For me, I was usually eating because I thought I was hungry again. I've realized now that I was either bored, or was actually thirsty. It's very easy for overweight people to associate thirst with hunger, and so, we eat.

Get the calorie deficit first. Then, do some exercises in your house. If you live somewhere you can walk outside, do that. Don't overdo it, start at like 15-20 minutes the first day, and just gradually increase. There's a lot you can do in your house.

If you need help, or just a friend, believe me, I'll help as much as I can. I'm in the same boat, and I wish I had started as soon as you are. I had an accident my senior year, and it stopped me from weightlifting. But I kept eating the same calories that I had when I was weightlifting. Bad move. I'm glad you are realizing that you need to reverse this now, and not waiting.

blambo61

I would not walk distance at your weight (too much injury risk). Getting in a pool and moving around I think would be good for you.

There is more than one way to skin a cat but here is one of them:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10290550/omad-intro-video#latest

I would definitely log everything you eat, it will be eye opening and you will make adjustments based on what you learn by doing that.

I would talk to your doctor and get recommendations.

mburgess458

There is no need to fix everything at once... meaning if you try to fix your diet and start the perfect exercise program you're likely to get discouraged and go back to your old lifestyle. I would try to lose some weight first. At a lighter weight exercise will be easier on your joints.

Cutting out calories you drink is a great first step. Water, black coffee, plain tea, etc. are your friend. If you need some sweetness you can always add sugar free sweetener (I'm personally not a fan but it's better than empty calories).

I found another good step is to stop mindlessly eating snacks. It is amazingly easy to eat a ton of calories by eating out of a big bag of chips... one handful becomes 5 and before you know it you've eaten the whole bag and over 1,000 calories easily. And it won't keep you full for all that long. Same deal for eating sweets like cookies. If you're going to eat things like that take out one serving (weighing it is ideal), put it on a plate or in a bowl, put the bag/box away, and ONLY eat the one serving. Eating out of a large container is way too easy to overeat.

californiagirl2012

Like many said, start with just logging your food. Be patient, lifestyle changes don't happen over night. Get 30 days of consistency under your belt, then take another little step. Slowly you make better choices. Sometimes trying to change too much at once causes burnout/crash/quitting. Slower with consistency is best. You got this!

Makeitso39

You've started by posting here! It seems you've had some excellent advice, so I won't repeat any. Just to say good luck and I look forward to hearing your progress!

wilsonjen4

You've gotten great advice already. I would also advise seeing your doctor, if you haven't already. Tell them about your weight loss plans, and have them check you out. In my own case, I had problems with thyroid and blood sugar absorption that had previously gone undetected, and those can have a huge impact on your weight. Your doctor can help suggest exercises that are safe for you, and might also be able to refer you to a nutritionist, who can help you figure out healthier eating habits.

jbcisney

Young lady I saw a lot of good adivce and a lot of encouragement in the comments - I'm sure your reading them all. My adivce is to make small changes that you can live with, the wieght did not appear over night and it will not disappear overnight, but it will go down if you keep at it. Along with the calorie count, make sure you start tracking your nutrient levels... illlness and injury will slow down your wieght loss, and a sure way to get sick or hurt is to starve your body of the nutrients it needs to function. Also, remember that muscle is heavier than fat, but looks so much better, so when you start walking and exercising remember your body is going to be building some muscle tissue, give yourself a little credit for that when you get on the scale. And above all, don't beat yourself up about anything, just keep moving forward...

Larissa_NY

The good news is that if you weigh 470 pounds, literally the only thing you have to do is stop eating like it's your last day on Earth and pounds will fall off you into the street. You won't even have to change your diet for a while; just eat less of the things you do eat. The bad news is that, at 470 pounds, you're unlikely to be eating because you're hungry or bored or just really like junk food; it's far more likely that you're eating because either eating or being obese serves some purpose in your life. You've gotten some good advice, but if you really want to lose weight you're going to have to figure out what you get from eating and how you can get it somewhere else.

With regard to exercising - your back and joints hurt when you exercise because you're morbidly obese. As you lose weight, your body will hurt less and less during exercise. That will mean that you can exercise, which is good, but it will also mean that you no longer have an excuse not to exercise, which will call for some difficult decision-making on your part.

You can do this, but it's going to take some work in places you didn't expect. Do the work and you'll lose the weight.

OhMsDiva

The good thing is your age. I decided to change my life at 45. I was over 500 lbs. I think there are some good suggestions on here. However if you had told to eat 4 pieces of pizza, instead of five it would not have worked for me. I had a structured plan of 1800 calories that I followed and continue to do so. I am aware enough now to know when I am eating too much. I log everyday and I do exercise 6 days a week. When I started out I could not get through 1 mile. Now almost 2 years later I can walk 6,7, 8 miles. Of course get clearance from your doctor. Getting a dietician is probably a good idea to. Mostly get a plan, commit to it and stick to it. You can do it.

anl90

As others have stated - watching calories is one of the most important factors. You don't have to start out "super healthy", but slowly cut back on what you currently eat. It may not seem like much, but the fewer calories you are taking in can add up fast. Also, just start out small with activity - even if it is walking laps in your living room, something is better than nothing (I actually have a Leslie Sansone DVD which is great, and I would highly recommend). What helps me is remembering I don't have to start out big, and honestly I am setting myself up for failure if I do because I have so much work myself I need to do. Start off where your body will let you, and just take baby steps. You've got this!

3474449k

Congratulations. You've got a lot of good advice here. You can adjust as you go along, but starting out I would just try for a calorie deficit. You can still eat the things you like, but in smaller portions. Spend time researching and as you lose you can add exercise. I wish you the very best of luck.