23 year old female in desperate need of help

Keep at it. Work Hard. And get friends to provide support. So feel free to add me if you like

Add me! You can do it! I'm also 23 and there's no better time for a change than now!

Chocolate is my nemesis as well. I do my best to not have it around.

Honestly, you just have to WANT to do it. And I don't mean imagining yourself skinny and thinking "that would be nice. I want to look like that."

It's a mind-set thing. If you want it, you will work for it. And YOU CAN DO IT!! :happy:

Set small goals. Always be positive. Be proud of every accomplishment (even if it's just choosing low fat cheesecake over normal cheesecake lol I love cheescake). And keep moving!! Take it slow. Too many peole rush it and that kills them.

Good luck and feel free to add me! I'll do my best to keep you motivated.

ha ha...........it's all about self control.

Find an exercise that you enjoy. Plan how much you need to do it (ie 30 min/day 6 days a week). Then make yourself do it even when you don't feel like it. Don't let any excuses get in your way. Remember that what separates successful people from people who fail is motivation to keep at it even when it's tough

Feel free to add me if you want

I know you have probably heard this before but... you have to make the decision to make the lifestyle change, how bad do you want it. Will you struggle, yes...Will you have days you wont exercise or eat right...yes...but you have to keep pushing through it...you got this

YOU CAN DO THIS!
We all can, and we're all here for each other.
Gosh, I just joined yesterday and I already feel extra-motivated and have found loads of encouragement. (:

Find a workout that's FUN for you! I'm going to my first Zumba class next week and I'm pretty excited. (albeit, a little nervous/intimidated by the more coordinated people) It's supposed to be tons of energetic fun, though!

Surrounding yourself with supportive people in the same boat as you will help a lot.
You'll get excited about it! and, you'll find out it isn't so boring after all. (:

I have a huge weakness for chocolate too!

You just need to focus, make a plan - and don't be afraid to change the plan when you feel like its not working. I started running, but then felt that was too much, so I started walking and felt I should add some weights - didn't really know how to do that, I got a video (30 Day Shred) so I had something to follow and keep me going (I love it and plan to buy another) - then I started biking since I didn't think walking did enough - I got bored with the biking (mostly cause my *kitten* hurt so much) and went back to running.

It is all a process, just find something you like, try new things and if you feel your work out routine is getting stale try something new. This whole journey is about change, you aren't going to complete doing one routine over and over, it is a learning process.

Have a fresh start and understand that there will be bumps but that is all they are, a bump that we get over, not a wall the stops up from moving forward!

You can do this!!

Set yourself some goals. Not weigh tloss goals, but fitness/exercise goals. For example, challenge yourself to run a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon. Or challenge yourself to bench 50 lbs or curl 20 lbs. Set deadlines. (Your goals can be completely different, find something that excites you). Then start working toward those goals. Assess your progress regularly. Many people who get bored with the same old exercise are pretty goal-oriented, and when you have a challenging, exciting goal you are working toward, you probably won't get as bored.

Also, load up an MP3 with some good, upbeat, energizing music. That's the only way I keep running.

Go ahead and reward yourself with a small amount of (dark) chocolate when you make a big step toward your goal. It's okay.

Add me if you'd like. Trying to stay positive as well!

I agree, find a fun exercise and do it 3 - 4 times a week (bike riding is mine). I also do 1 or 2 other exercises weekly to cross train (usually strength training and Elliptical at Snap Fitness). But - I eat a little chocolate or ice cream or chips; but eat lighter meals early in the day. I almost always eat either a small chocolate bar, or a 4-8 ounce portion of ice cream, or some chips 4 - 5 times a week - and still I am losing weight.

What works for me is waiting until I am craving one of my 3 favorite so-called "bad" items, then I plan for it by eating a lighter breakfast and lunch and then exercising. I can not go forever without eating the things I really like, so I just plan around them. I don't even feel like I am dieting if I include the things I like regularly, because mentally I know I can have anything I really want occasionally.

WeIght loss is simple addition and subtraction: add extra calories you can eat by adding exercise, subtract what you eat. MFP.com is just our diary that lets us know where we are at for the day, so we can plan for the things you know you must have sometimes.

Good luck, we can all do this thing!

Feel free to add me, too.

All of what everyone has said is wonderful, especially about finding exercise that you like and that isn't boring. There are so many different activities that you can do, DVDs, and exercise programs that almost anyone can find something that isn't boring. It will take time to find what you love, but try different things. I promise you that you will feel like you look silly doing some of it... Learn to laugh at yourself. Eventually you'll get the hang of it. Laughing will burn a few extra calories too. You'll think "I can't do this.." and want to give up. Don't listen to that voice. If you push yourself, you'll be surprised at what you can do and how much that will change your way of thinking.

Everyone ks right... Support is huge too. If you don't have people encouraging you and praising you for your accomplishments, it's a lot harder. It's about doing it for you, but we all need reinforcement from others sometimes. We all need people to talk to. Do not rely on the people who will try to bring you down. If someone says you won't or you can't do something, prove them wrong... Shut them up. There are "haters" out there but the people who honestly care about your journey (and less about their own body issues), will encourage you and support you.

A huge part of it is mental too. You have to WANT to really, honestly change ...forever. Make it more about a healthy way of living than a diet. Unless you are able to change your way of thinking, you probably won't be able to stick to something. I didn't track weight earlier in my 20s but I know that I gained and gained weight after high school and into college. When I was 23, just a few months out of college I was 340 pounds. That's my highest known weight. I spent most of my 20s between 285 and 315. Until I decided enough was enough and I was committed to making a change, all of my attempts to lose weight resulted in failure. I thought I wanted it, but obviously I didn't want it enough to make the changes and fight through the hard parts. Like any change, you have to be ready to change your lifestyle.

Hope that helps.

I will never get the help i need to do every time i exercise it gets so boring and then i go back to chocolate I don't know what to do anymore

1st drop the duckface
2nd see #1

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

I will never get the help i need to do every time i exercise it gets so boring and then i go back to chocolate I don't know what to do anymore

1st drop the duckface
2nd see #1

Fantastical!