Brand new to this!!!

knhall09

Hi everyone. My name is Kelley and I am from wonderful and COLD, Central Illinois. I am new to this whole thing but I though I would give it a try. So here goes..... I am 29 years old and as of Monday 1/10/11 I weighed in at 368 pounds. I am 5'10" but at 368 I am still morbidly obese. I have finally decided that I need to do SOMETHING to get rid of this weight. I haven't really thought about my short term goals for weight loss ( I don't even know what is healthy or normal!!!) But my ultimate goal is to eventually get down to 200. I have 2 sedentary jobs where I don't move around much at all so I don't get much exercise throughout the day. I am in the process of looking for a treadmill because in my head I can see myself walking on the treadmill at night while watching my TV shows.... Does anyone else do this and does it work for you?
For right now until I figure out my exercise part of the diet, I am just monitoring my calorie intake by eating mostly fruits, veggies and diet frozen dinners. And since Monday I have already lost 10 pounds. I am sure that 99% of that was I guess what the call "water weight"? But I am still happy with the results.

What I am curious about most though is, does anyone have any easy low calorie/fat food recipes? I don't think I can see myself living on frozen dinners for the next couple years until I lose my goal weight. With me working 2 jobs currently it is hard for me to find time to cook, so I need something that is quick and easy or can be prepared and then frozen into portions.

Also, I would like to know (as I am starting to implement exercise) what kind of exercise works for you?

Thanks for taking the time to read and I am open to suggestions, comments, anything that might help!!! I am also open to friend requests, it is a little bit lonely here by myself!!!

SheliaN1960

Hi! The treadmill is one of the best exercises that you can start with. That is the one I chose for me. I remember when I could not walk 5 minutes. You are in the right place. We welcome you and you are going to love the stories of success, hardship, motivation and inspiration! Good luck to you!

ps Now I work the elliptical and I can go for hours, so you just keep faith in yourself!

Silky815

Let me start by saying you just took the first step to a whole new life. Welcome and good luck to you. Feel free to add me as a friend. I would love to watch your success. You can do this.

KhollerSA05

My suggestion, just because of your surrent weight would be to start with a stationary bike. Sometimes walking on a treadmill, or even walking around the block can but unneccesary stress on your feet and start to cause problems. This way you can start exercising and once you loose maybe you're first 50 pounds start alternating walking short distances along with the bike.

Since you are busy but you have jobs which keep you sitting, you may want to consider getting these things that are just pedals. usually they are about a foot long and a foot wide. but you could put that under your desk and use it while your sitting throughout the day. while it isn't high impact and you may only do 10-15 minutes at a time to start it is getting your body moving some and it will help you build muscle to help increase your metabolism.

Most importantly don't try to start off with too much at once. Often times when people decide to loose weight or just get in better shape they change everything at the same time which ultimately leads to failure. SO maybe start with tellingyourself that you will exercise 3 days a wek for the first month. then once you complete that goal then change your goal to exercise 5 days a week and eat more fruits and vegetables. Making small changes makes it easier to accomplish your goals becuase you're slowly breaking one bad habit at atime rather than trying to get rid of all your bad habits at once.

healthyjen342

WELCOME! and CONGRATULATIONS on making the decision to take control.
I'm going to add you as a friend...I have lots of ideas and tips for you..let's get moving!

branuat

Kelley,
This is my first week too! started my diet the first of the year. I have been on the diet rollercoaster before lost 35 pounds last year without help and put it back on. I am an emotional eater. I know how to lose the wieght without alot of exercise but my job has its moments of hyper activity, plus I walked the dog. My problem is if I stop watching my intake I gain it back ( at my after baby wieght again) so for me I know this has to become a constant awareness and active lifestyle change. The hardest is the giving up the soda. Here are simple easy recipes that help me. I am a single mom on a tight budget so these are a few of my cheap meals with soup we have a salad.
1. CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP
2 can asparagus
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup 1% milk
puree, heat and serve with a dollop of sour cream, salt and pepper if desired. This is listed as four servings and the total calories are 125.
2. CABBAGE FAT-BURNING SOUP
5 carrots
3 onions
2 (16 ounce) whole peeled tomatoes with liquid
1 head of cabbage
1 (1 ounce) dry onion soup
1 (15 ounce) cut green beans, drained)
2 quarts tomato juice
2 green bell peppers, diced
10 stalks of celery
1 (14 ounce) can of beef broth
add enough water to cover veggies, simmer until tender. may be stored many days in fridgerator. this makes 10-12 servings but at less than 70 each. I freeze half for the next week and eat the leftovers for fast simple guilt free lunch.
3. CHOCOLATE MUFFINS
1 betty crocker chocolate cake mix
1. pumpkin canned
1/2 cup chocolate chips optional
Mix cake mix with pumkin don't add anything else. Mix makes about 20-30 muffins. I sprinkle 2-3 chocolate chips on top and press the in alittle. this is a low calorie treat to cure that chocolate urge.

simplyshannal

First off let me say WELCOME! You have just taken the first step in a long line toward the rest of your life. I too am tall, like you. I stand 6' and weight right at 300. Most of my weight is brought on by a thyroid disease I have and the birth of my son but no matter how we gain it, it is hard to lose for everyone. I liked the suggestion about starting out with a stationary bike. At the current weight you listed, a treadmil can do damage to not only your feet but your knees and your back. Oh, and of course, start out slowly. We all want to lose the weight but pushing to hard can end in defeat and I would hate to see that happen to you. You are doing a great job with counting your calories and watching what you eat. That is the first step. I am a stay at home mother and college student who lives in Germany where we stationed currently and with all the snow out there I have been able to not only love my Wii but love the results that are coming along with it. I use my Wii for all my excerises right now, as it starts out slow and allows you plently of time to rest and recover, when needed. I would love to join you along this journey and help you in any way I can. Yhe individuals here at MFP are wonderful, to say the least and there are tons of people here to support you. Good luck and I look forward to hearing more from you in the coming months.

islandgirljane

Yes I run while watching TV shows and when that doesn't work I watch any action movie like " Borne Identity". Youu can do it!

knhall09

Thanks to all of you for the great advice and friend adds!! I definitely have some more ideas in mind now. And I have thought about getting a stationary bike instead of a treadmill. It was going to be more the fact of what I can find at a reasonable cost. So I am going to keep looking. Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement!!