HELLLLPPPP!!!!

megmac21

Hello all. My name is Megan. I'm 21 years old. I have battled with obesity my whole life. At 21 i'm weighing in at 260 pounds. Although I have battled with obesity my entire life, this is the HEAVIEST I have EVER been. I'm still young and I find myself not being able to do alot of the physical things that most people my age do. I'm ready to shed the weight and be healthy. I would love to live a healthy young adult life, and be able to do the things my friends are doing WITHOUT getting out of breath and exhausted within a few minutes. I've tried alot of diets and excercise plans, but, have yet to find one that works for me. If anyone could help in recommending diets or exercise routines it would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm DETERMINED to get this weight off. I have a goal of 120 lbs. within a year and a half. So once again if ANYONE could please give me some ideas I would be eternally greatful. Good luck to everyone in their quest to become thinner and healthier!!!!

Squash97

Well joining My Fitness Pal is the first step. It is amazing how we don't realize what we put in our bodies until it is in front of us! I would start walking every day, if you can. You'd be surprised at how much of a difference that will make. Your body will get used to extra activity, you'll burn calories and boost your metablism, and feel good about yourself just knowing that you're doing something for yourself. I hope that you find amazing success and are able to feel really good about yourself! Good luck on your journey!

eva512

Megan

This is a great start. Just enter your food every day and stay in your calorie goal. I know, easier said then done:noway: When I first started, I entered in my food without changing my eating habits and I was horrified.:embarassed: So I spent the first week tweeking everthing(get rid of this, change that, less of this) If you can stay in your calorie goal, weight WILL start coming off:bigsmile: Then you'll start feeling better and you'll have more energy to start EXERCISING:huh: Something I myself have to start :sad:

renovak

The simpler the plan, the better you'll do. So, follow 3 rules - I mean obsess over them if you have to - and you'll see results:

1 - Count your calories. This site is perfect for that, but it only works if you do it. You have to eat enough not to go into starvation mode (where your body burns muscle for fuel and stores fat for energy because it thinks you're out in the woods lost or something), but you have to limit your calories too. Counting calories is the only thing that will give you real results.

2 - More protein, less sugar. Period. But remember that even sugar substitutes make you crave sweets even if they don't directly add calories. On the other hand, protein makes you feel full for a long time.

3 - Have fun. Seems lame but if it feels like work, you won't want to do it over the long run. Do fun things and you'll crave the activities instead of the food. Plus if you're out doing stuff, you won't have time to eat.

weaklink109

Hi Megan,

You are lucky!! I know, right now staring at a scale that says 260 lbs. you don't FEEL very lucky. What I mean is you are lucky you are only 21. You can use this website to track your progress, learn how your body reacts to food, educate yourself about nutrition, and once you have modified your lifestyle, you can spend the rest of your life living HEALTHY, at an appropriate weight for your height.

You can also let life sidetrack you, wake up one morning 30 years old, and still be overweight. Ultimately, the choice is YOURS.

To give you some things to think about, and hopefully inspire you, I searched up a post a did several months ago that I thought might help you get off on the right foot:

I have been hanging out on MFP since April of 2009, and was just musing on how far so many have come, but at the same time how far some still have to travel on their journey to better health. It has been a while since I posted the following, so for the benefit of those who haven't seen it, or who may need to see it again....here it is. Hope it helps!!

On my birthday April 2009, I had to renew my driver's license a few days before, and that picture was HORRIBLE. I looked at it a few days after my birthday and was thinking about spring, Easter, new beginnings, and a male friend who managed to lose 16 lbs. in 8 weeks just by using Smart Ones entrees for lunch and dinner. I am not suggesting this is a particularly well-balanced solution to weight loss, but the point is, he tried SOMETHING and it WORKED for him,

I knew I HAD to DO SOMETHING. I weighed more than I ever had in my whole life--looked awful, felt awful. Something had to change. I had to change. I decided the best birthday present I could give myself for NEXT year is to lose 100 lbs. My ultimate goal was to lose 120 lbs, basically half of myself!!:noway: (Additional Comment May 7, 2010--I didn't make my original time frame for reaching my goal, but I still feel much better off than had I done nothing)

I read that people who log their food consumption and exercise are more successful at weight loss, and the people who banish the word DIET from their vocabulary and make a LIFESTYLE CHANGE are more likely to lose and KEEP weight off permanently. With those points in mind I found MFP, and my ticker tells the tale. I didn't hit the timetable I originally set for myself, but as long as I keep at it, the scale continues to move in the right direction.

You CAN do this. Your mind can be your greatest ALLY or your biggest stumbling block. It all depends on how you approach things. Starving yourself, doing extreme eating programs may get you faster result, but as soon as you begin to eat "normally" again, your body will rebel and grab on to the calories and hold on for dear life. A slow gradual loss allows your metabolism to behave like a thin person, and eventually YOU WILL BE that THIN person!!

Below are my 10 Commandments of Weight Loss that I originally posted in June 2009 on this site:

"After fighting the battle from the time I was about 11 years old, I have learned a few things that I would like to share, so here are my 10 Commandments of PERMANENT Weight Loss:

1. "Normal" is what you make it. So I have changed my "normal" diet to one that does allow me to have things I like, but in moderation. I LIKE breads, and pasta. Thus, although I lost on a low carb program, low carb is not comfortable for me, long term, so when I went off of it, I gained. (9/2/10>I have since learned that my real issue was that artificial sweeteners make me crave carbs. Now that I know that, I have had much better luck with reducing carbs)

2. Veggies are your friend. In addition to the nutrients they provide, and "good carbs," they are very filling. They can help you reduce your calories and not feel you are starving to death.

3. You can EAT ANYTHING you want, if you P L A N for it, calorie-wise. When I have a special occasion or a dinner out where I know I will be exposed to things I like but don't have everyday, I don't have to deprive myself, because I can go into the MFP database ahead of time, figure out the caloric "cost" of different things and plan how to order. Many restaurants have nutritional information on their websites, which is also helpful for this purpose.

4. People who severely limit their calories will lose, BUT as soon as they try to eat any additional, they will gain very easily. This is because the body becomes too "efficient" by slowing the metabolism to get by with less. The way around this that has worked well for me is "Zig zag calories." You can google it and get all kinds of info, but simply put, you eat MORE on a given day, on a regular basis. For me, every 3 -4 weeks, I will do a day where I might have 2000-2200 calories on a given day. This is different from the other days, where I have 1200-1400 per day.

This WORKS. I lost 20 lbs. in my first 9 weeks. I have NOT been hungry. I am not feeling deprived. I have foods in my kitchen that would normally send me in to "binge" mode, but they don't bother me now, because I know I can have them, as long as I take into account what else I will be able to eat that day.

5. EXERCISE matters!! I didn't start strength training until after the start of 2010, for reasons of time and practicality, BUT, I am the queen of walking. I averaged 20-28 miles a week until November 2009. It is free, can be done by most anyone, barring physical limitations, and if you get yourself a cheap MP3 player (it doesn't HAVE to be a spendy IPOD) load some fast tunes on it, you will be surprised how quickly the time flies. (Additional Comment May 7, 2010--Now that the weather is finally warm enough and a bit dryer, I am getting back into walking. I spent the winter on my Gazelle)

If you are trying to lose and you are only doing strength training, you are going to be disappointed with the results in terms of pounds lost, but you will likely firm up, build muscle (helps boost your metabolism) and be more toned, so include some cardio for a complete program of exercise.

6. Be responsible for what you put in your mouth. I have heard, and used all the excuses. "It was there" "I was hungry" "My boyfriend made me go to the pizza parlor" or to "Baskin & Robbins." (ice cream chain for those that are not familiar w/the name) That last statement may be true, but he didn't hold a gun to your head and FORCE you to eat 5 slices of pizza instead of having one slice and a salad!! :noway: and no one threatened you into having a 3 scoop banana split instead of a child size dish of your favorite flavor.

7. People who log their foods lose more weight than those who don't . Thank goodness for MFP!!! People who have a support system, whether family, friends, or online --such as right here-MFP!! are more likely to be successful over the long term than those who don't.

8. People who make permanent changes in the way they deal with food and how and what they eat will lose, maybe not as fast as on a crash diet, but they are much more likely to lose PERMANENTLY!!

9. Be sure to eat enough PROTEIN, and GOOD FATS (Nuts, Avocados, Fish oil/ Omega 3's). The protein will keep your body from consuming muscle to survive, and the fats will help you feel satisfied and avoid the "hungries."

10. Don't use a screw up as an excuse for "falling off the wagon" for the entire day, or week, or month. "I ate a bunch of cookies, so that makes me a failure, therefore, l will eat an entire pizza!!" "Hey while I am at it, lets get a burger a fries and a milkshake for lunch tomorrow!!"

And on a related note, remember "FOOD is intended as FUEL." --NOT a source of comfort. Think of it in those terms, and find other ways to satisfy your emotional needs and you will succeed in the long run.

Good luck everyone.:flowerforyou: If even one idea in the above helps you, it has served its purpose.

Just remember, if you don't give up, you haven't failed. I hope you will find the tools and the people on this website to be beneficial to you in reaching your goals.

StephJM2

Everyone is correct in the advice that they are giving to you. My advice would be to log in everything you eat (as Eva512 said) . I did the same thing Eva512 did and logged in what I ate without changing my habits and I couldn't believe that I was consuming more than 5,000 calories a day!!!! That was the first motivation to make healthier choices of what I started to put into my body. Then you have to exercise. The best advice that I can give you there is to do what you love. If you like taking walks, then start walking but pick up the pace at bit, you should feel more worked than a casual walk but you should still be able to talk. If you can still talk without being too much out of breath your walking at the right speed. Go swimming, I love swimming because being heavy has really taken a toll on my joints and swimming makes me feel like I'm not really doing anything since I feel so light in the water. But when I get out and go up a flight of stairs I feel the "burn" of the workout I just did. If you like to dance, then dance. Make a CD; put the songs you like that really get you going on a CD for however long you want to dance to (a 20 min CD for example) and pop that bad boy into your CD player and dance until the CD is over. I guarantee you will have broken out into a serious sweat....And have had a lot of fun too.

megmac21

:happy: Thank you guys so much for the advice. Not only did you guys give me WONDERFUL advice, you've also given me the MOTIVATION to change my lifestyle. By next summer I plan to be in a 2 piece laying out by the lake. Once again thanks SO much for the wonderful words.

themommie

you can do this. Just log all of your food and exercise daily and dont give up. Just stick with it. walking and swimming are great exercises to start with as you get more fit you can start adding more exercise in. If you need ideas of what you can eat and stay within your calories look at some of the other peoples food diaries (not everyones is public)

meanddamonkey

Everyone here is completely on target. The simple act of recording everything you eat/ any exercise you do is really helpful, and without even trying to, you will find that you are eating less and exercising more. You are definitely going to do well! Add me if you'd like some support!

megan_mp

Congrats on taking the first steps on your road to health!

It helps to have a long term goal (for you 120 pounds), but you'll feel really accomplished when you meet mini goals too. Set some mini goals for yourself!

Also remember it didn't take you 18 months to gain this weight, be patient and consistent and before you know it, you'll be where you want to be.

I've recently started this journey too, but these are things I tell myself when I feel like I've failed on my calories or that the weight isn't coming off fast enough. I'm completely into instant gratification, but I think slowing myself down is helping.

Secretly, I'm sorta addicted to logging everything that goes into my mouth! I LOVE coming in just under my calorie goal. That's the daily goal that helps me feel successful and that I had a great day. It's really just ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Good luck to you!

megmac21

Thanks you guys....I LOVE this website. It's so good to know that i'm not the only one battling with this demon. It's also good to know that there are SO many people on here who want to offer their support. Thanks SO much again everyone.