A Long, Long, Long Road Ahead...

You can totally do this! Make good food choices and start moving ... ALOT! lol It won't happen over night but every pound that comes off will be a victory and they will begin to add up and before you know it you be there! Good luck with your journey!

I don't want to sound trite, because I am sure you have heard it all. However, sometimes the "old saws" are true. You have taken one of the hardest steps - admitting that you have a problem and want to change it. You are already on the way. It is a long journey and it is not really about weight, although that is the external manifestation of the problem. The journey is about control, health and, ultimately, happiness. I will make you this promise - it is worth it. There will be successes and disappointments along the way. You will feel inspired and discouraged along the way. However, in the end, you will be healthier, in control and most importantly, happier. You absolutely can do it. Look at this community - many have been there and done what you are about to do. You have honestly taken the first and one of the most emotionally difficult steps. Log your food - awareness is a big part of this. Don't give up and stick with it! You will do it. And when you have you will be happier and healthier and yes, you will be thinner. The process feeds itself. Use your successes for motivation and leave the little defeats behind when they come up. Good job getting started. You are on your way!

hello, i'm Stepfanie.. i'm 28 and 5'3 i'm a mom of 2 i'm currently 370 i was 395 O.O yes i just said that .....................i went to the doctor's for headaches to find out why i was having them and she weighed me and the whole appt. changed to my weight.. i have been over weight my whole life but never that heavy when i seen those numbers i was done with it ...i dont think there is no fast acting dieting out there or gimmick's to losing weight its going to take lot of work and sweat but the people that i have found here are positive and sweet feel free to add me if you like my diary is open i'm not perfect by no means but we can get through this together

It's definitely intimidating to look at the big picture - having to lose over 100 lbs is daunting!

I still have about 120 to lose... we can do this! My highest weight was 336 about 3 years ago. I'm at 266 now, and since I wrecked my knee in a car accident in May, I've been more or less coasting weight-wise while I get my knee rehabbed.

You're right - there's no gimmick or fad that's going to have the lasting effects you want to achieve. Start with a few small steps then add more, and pretty soon you're living a little differently.

As far as food goes, the best thing you can do is learn to cook a bit if you don't already. The Biggest Loser cookbooks actually have some decent, simple recipes that can get you started. Try the library for books on diet and nutrition - you don't need to study them, but they almost all have meal plans that you can browse through and borrow from. Those are good starting points. As you log, you'll learn what you like that fits best in your calorie goal and meets your carb/fat/protein requirements.

As for exercise - just start something. Take a walk - if it's 5 minutes today, great! Try to do 6 or 7 the next time. Try a workout DVD, or Wii/Kinect workout/game (Just Dace is lots of fun and a good burn). The thing to do here is to find ways you enjoy being active and work them into your plan.

I guess my basic advice is to point yourself in a direction (which you have, because you're here!) and take baby steps. In a while you'll get to look back and see how far you've come.

You CAN do this. Totally! Keep the faith.

It is a long road but you made that first important step by coming here. There is a lot of support here and if you go in and look at the success stories..wow..there is just so much motivation!! One step at a time..one pound at a time..you WILL get there! The recipe board is awesome! There are a lot of great ideas!!

You can do this...you are worth it..everybody deserves a happy, healthy life!!

The most important part of any journey is the first step .... you are now on the journey! Good luck x

Welcome! So glad you made the first step to making a better you!

I have to say i found support from the rarest of places when i went in for a sick visit to my new doctors and when he heard I had lost 18 lbs and was running/walking 3-4 miles a day he gave me a hug and told me that when he talks to people like me he gets inspired and that I was his hero of the day... here I was thinking I wasn't really doing all that much or being that successful and he gave me the boost I needed... sometimes its in the most random of places or from the least expected people that we get the pick-me-up we need...

One of the best things I can say is that you can find a lot of good information on this site. There are quite a few people who are willing to help. There are those that are not of course, which boggles my mind because this is a site for people to help each other out after all, but you will have to wade through the chaff.

The next best thing I can say is: Do not try to make EVERY change at one time. You'll hear a lot of good information and you'll want to follow it to get the same results as the person who told you about it... but you have to realize that first of all, you are not that person and your results will be different (most likely) than that person's. Second of all, you have just made a major change and that is to help yourself get healthy. Making a bunch of changes at one time will only overwhelm you mentally and physically. You want to make changes that you can sustain for the rest of your life. And you want to make sure that the changes you make are positive changes. For this reason I say make one change at a time and stay with that change for a few weeks before incorporating another change. This way you can see, as you go along, what changes have benefitted you the most.

The next best thing I can say is: Keep a good journal. Not just a food diary which is imperative, but a written journal. Either here as a blog which you can share or keep to yourself or somewhere else. A place that you can write down your "failures" as you see them, your "NSVs" (non-scale victories)... the things that make your day-to-day lifestyle change positive or negative that day. This way when you go back to look at your history you have something to compare it to... I didn't start this until a few weeks ago (I've been here for about 18months now) and I really wish I had the journal to fall back on as a tool for my own learning.

Now, remember, this is YOUR journey. Do not let anyone else try to drive your train. You have to do what works for you and you have to recognize those that help and those that harm. Some of your close family may even be harmful... I've read about it on the forums... don't let discouragement... or even a week of a gain... keep you down. This is a long-haul, you know that already. Keep you chin up and move ahead, past anything that wants to hold you back.

You got this! I am new to MFP also. I am someone who has always eaten junk food my whole life. When I started this, I didn’t know what I was supposed to be eating. But what I am finding is, I just need to eat less of what I am eating when it comes to meals and to replace the junk with fruit and granola bars and healthier snacks. Not sure if you have seen these 2 websites to help you with meal planning, buy they are live savers for me. http://www.skinnytaste.com/ and http://www.emilybites.com/ They have DELICIOUS normal meals, using healthier ingredients. I am thinking of meeting with a nutritionist as well to understand what to stay away from. Also, it’s helpful to read your MFP buddies diaries to see what real people are eating.

Emotionally, it’s hard to take in for me that I have gotten to the weight that I have. But I can’t live in regret. I have to move forward and make positive changes for me. I want to be a better role model for my daughter when it comes to food. So it’s overwhelming but I think to the future and try to picture myself thinner and healthier. I have to see it in my head and not let myself get discouraged. Positive thinking really works!

I wish you so much success. You’ve taken the first step and joined MFP! You can do this. You want to do this. You are going to succeed!