Help me please!!!

DRINK WATER / TEA! only if you wnt fst results. Eat only the good foods. No bad calories. Do not include sweets in your weekly diary.
Very important to jog 3times a week 1-2miles.
Squat and use weights.

this is just a quick tip for you.

Hi my name is ciara I am only 26 I have been struggling with weight for 8 years now I need t lose about 40 by july. Any advice. Note I am a obese woman.

40 lbs by July is a bit aggressive, but depending on your current weight doable.

1. make sure you log everything!
2. you joined a gym, good. get a trainer to get you a training schedule and stick to it. If you don't have any trainers do some web searches for you circumstance, I'm sure you will find some. Livestrong is a good site for information.
3. start off slow don't injure yourself
4. Remember the Tortoise and the Hare :bigsmile:
5. Show up everyday you are scheduled to exercise. If your not really up that day just go through the motions something is always better than nothing. Don't skip workouts make it a habit!
6. Drink Green Tea, herbal teas, as water water water will get boring. Lose the sugar drinks, and diets are just as bad!!
7. Look at your food, don't buy the junk, chips, cookies, etc. If it's not in the house you can't eat it!
8. Lose the sugar. Use sugar substitutes like splenda or truvia to get you by. I like a little molasses on 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt with some fresh fruit, about 220 cal and plenty of protein and plenty sweet enough. I have it almost everyday for breakfast and sometimes for a snack.
9. Don't give up... keep moving.
10. You can send me a friend request if you like and I will help where I can.
11. Remember to give yourself a reward each week, total deprivation a road to failure. :flowerforyou:

first of all, i think its awesome that youre doing this! and i want to commend you in setting a reasonable goal with a reasonable amount of time to do it in!

as far as what youve said about your diet - it sounds like you have the right idea and are off to a good start! the only thing i would say is that you have to be careful with those slimfast meal replacement stuff. i tried them before, and would find myself pretty hungry about an hour later, and feel very unsatisfied. that being said, try to eat small, healthy amounts, often. a friend of mine (who used to do bodybuilding) really helped me out by telling me that i should be eating approximately every 2-3 hours, and should never really feel completely hungry or full - just content. as far as your sweet/salty cravings, ive found that the longer you can go w/o them, the less you'll crave them. i stopped drinking soda and now (about a year later) i dont even like it anymore. also, try to bring in lots of veggies, fruits, etc. and make sure your intake is balanced.

i also really like your exercise plan, so good job on that as well! i was told i should do an hour of cardio 4-5 days a week, and once i started doing that, it made a huge difference and i started seeing progress more quickly. giving yourself rest days (weekends for me) really help you to not get burned out. other advice ive seen to avoid burnout/boredom is to switch up your exercise routine every so often. and also make sure you get enough sleep!

now for what i find to be the most important part - the mental aspect of it all. dont get discouraged! and it sounds cheesy, but you have got to believe in your heart of hearts that you can do this! and i dont just mean achieving your goal, i also mean every step and moment you take towards it. i know its all daunting and overwhelming right now, but just try to take it 1 day at a time.

the other thought pattern i found myself fighting was the tendency to try to let myself be lazy by rationalizing stuff - the ever famous "oh i'll do it tomorrow," or "just one bite/small piece," "i'm tired from work," etc.

also, on the note of diet and mentality - i have found it easier to focus more on what i AM eating rather than what im NOT. meaning, i dont think about the things i cant have so much, and i dont say, 'oh, i cant have that.' thats one of the worst ways to go about it, because people generally arent very good at depriving themselves. an easier, and more effective way is to think more about the new things that im bringing in. so, for example, i LOVE pasta, but i realized my diet was almost all carbs, so i wanted to cut back. come dinner time, if i thought of having pasta, instead of saying 'no, you cant have pasta' i thought about the other stuff i'd eaten that day and then went, 'well how bout i have some chicken and a salad instead.' gosh, i really hope that all makes sense. its hard to put it into words!

i'm 24 and have lost close to 60 lbs (i joined mfp part way thru) by doing all of this, and i hope it helps you even a little bit!

I wish you the best of luck in your journey and am really excited for you to start making strides toward your goal, since youre already doing an awesome job just by taking those initial steps!

I'm 26 5'4 and have been recently deemed 164lbs at the doctors office. I decided before then to start writing down what I ate(good OR bad) to be honest with myself. I think the journey to becoming a better you starts with being honest. I think you are off to a good start, as time goes on try and add more to your workouts(1 extra rep, 5 more minutes walking.) Try not to always think about the big picture, I think that can become a little overwhelming, rather focus smaller goals. Pay NO attention to others when you go to the gym, the fact that you are there instead of a fast food chain should say a lot. I commend you for going that often, and wish you luck. Feel free to add me. As for the dreaded diet pill lol it may just be better to do it on your own (and it may be cheaper) as you have to continue to buy the bottles or packs or whatever form they are making them in.

TRoberts can you explain a little more on the amount of strength training we should do, I don't know if I do enough to prevent muscle loss.

Sweetie, your doctor is an idiot. I started out at 357 pounds, and my doctor told me to eat 1800 calories per day, not including exercise. Meaning, if I exercised and burned 200 calories, I could eat 2000 calories per day. 1800 was the net. I exercise quite a bit, so I actually eat around 2000 to 2200 calories every day, and I lose around 1.5 pounds per week.

40 pounds by July is do-able, but don't pressure yourself. It took me about six months to lose 40 pounds. Some people have done it in three months. There are so many variables. Just shoot for ten pounds right now and take it ten pounds at a time.

I started out walking, and then once I lost some weight and my joints didn't bother me as much, I started doing DVDs like Turbo Jam and The Firm. I also play games like Just Dance and Zumba (both for the Wii).

There is quite a bit of bad advice in this thread already. Especially the "don't have any sweets in your diary".. RIGHT!!! Like depriving yourself isn't going to set you up for failure.. I have PLENTY of friends who eat the things they enjoy and still lose weight and look fantastic.

I would start here for some great tips
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it