FAT, exhausted, and sad...

Stick around. The folks here will try to keep you motivated whether you like it or not.

One must replace temporary motivation with a relatively permanent habit.

Getting started is ALWAYS the hardest part. You might not have much motivation now, but FORCE yourself off the couch to take a walk a couple times a day, or jog, or something active that isn't high pressure to start, once you start losing weight and feel better you will have more motivation guaranteed. And it wont feel like a chore anymore because you'll want to feel good. Cut calories little by little. Sometimes the amount MFP switches you to can be overwhelming and in reality making small changes in the beginning will help make big differences.

Congratulations, you just made the first step to weight loss!

I am new here, too -- although I've been trying to make *lifestyle changes* -- going to a gym to workout, sometimes w/ a trainer; having a gym buddy; eating less processed foods & definitely, more fruits & veggies; attending classes w/ a diabetes nutritionist. What I find so helpful about logging my food & exercise on this site is that it forces me to "be honest" w/ myself. Then I see where I am headed, the "bumps" in the road & the ways in which I can improve.

No more sneaking sweets or cookies. If I eat it -- I log it in black & white. Then, I can consider actions to take to do better OVERALL. Hang in there! We didn't put on our weight overnight; only healthy lifestyle choices will help us to lose the weight, feel better & keep it off. IMHO

Another poster said it. MAKE yourself get up and do something. I had the same problem when I started, but I knew I wanted to take it slow. I didn't change my diet at first, I would just DO something. Go for a walk, dust the cobwebs off my elliptical and start moving, clean the house, do the dishes, WHATEVER It becomes easier to make yourself get up and move...and sooner or later, you WANT to. That was the best part. Now that I'm pretty solid with my workouts, I'm starting to change up my diet. I've done tons of research, and the posters here are quite helpful!! My piece of advice: just take it slow. If you try to move too fast, the urge to give up may be stronger. That's what worked for me. Good luck!!!

i can NOT stay motivated!!! years of feeling this way, never feeling pretty, not prom, not my wedding day, NEVER! i have such a beautiful family, so many blessings and things to be thankful for and want to live for but my lack of motivation always kicks my fat butt! has anyone felt this way before starting a weight loss journey that worked? when had you finally had enough!!? i need help, motivation, and even with what to eat, or what diet to go on... some people say "dont call it a diet, you'll give up!" well.... what is it then? my husband and i are going on a mini vacation in august, i'd LOVE to finally feel confident enough to wear something i feel cute in and not feel like i'm embarrasing him with my weight (he denies that i do, but whatever!) i'm not looking for a pity party, i'm looking for real help, real motivation, maybe a group to keep me in check? trying to do this alone has just got me depressed and mad at myself!

my first goal is to lose 40 lbs*
over all goal is 80

Yep, this was me about a year and a half ago. I tried just about anything and everything to lose weight and one day I decided to give up and just stop eating, because eating is what made me fat right? Luckily that same day I came across a post talking about the paleo diet. It was suggested to me as an elimination diet to see if it was triggering some other issues I had. Anyway, I decided to give it a try. It seemed SO extreme and so hard, but I didn't care, I hated myself and I was desperate. I was referred to marksdailyapple.com and the rest was history. I started following the primal lifestyle that day and have never looked back, not even once. I lost all of my weight effortlessly and now here I am maintaining and getting into the fit side of life rather than just the thin side :P It was hard at first to stay away from gluten and other grains, but now I don't even miss them and when I do allow myself to eat them I'm quickly reminded why they're not worth it. I lost so much weight in the first week alone that I was hooked.

For the longest time I would use excuse after excuse as to why I wasn't making any changes in my lifestyle and diet. It was too hard to feed the kids that food, my husband didn't like to eat the way I did, it was too expensive, it was too time consuming. I made daily goals and never reached them, I did all of the "motivational" crap that most people suggest. I guess that stuff works for some people, but it was just another way to let myself down when I failed. Finally I had a breakdown and basically stopped blaming everyone and everything else for MY problem. It took a lot of courage for me to admit that I was the one with the problem and it was 100% my fault. I had spent years trying to lose weight and the only time I actually became successful was when I got mad. Anger was a huge motivator for me. It's not just a lifestyle change, its a diet change. Who cares about what the word means to other people. The only part you need to focus on is the CHANGE.

I don't mean to sound harsh or rude, but sometimes you need to kick your own *kitten* to get it into shape :P I hope you find within yourself the motivation you need to reach your goals.

Good on you , you are a young woman with a young child..now is the perfect time to get in shape. It means that you get to enjoy your 20's & 30's..get to go on lovely summer holls with you child and be happy to play in the pool with them. It makes such a difference to feel positive about youself. You no longer feel fed up, a failure in life, taking your frustration out on your family.

What has worked for me is not counting calories but counting carbs. The Atkins book is well worth a read, even if you dont do the extreme version of it. I have found that my energy levels are way up and my form is much better.

Good woman keep at it, you dont want to waste the next 20 years feeling fat and self consious

Start thinking of your new life---weight loss is an attainable goal, but it definitely is a long road...and it does not end. I would suggest just making small changes: drink more water, move more, explore healthier food options, etc. Small changes over time make a huge difference. I realize that you'll also have to break a lot of habits that will not help with your success. Just go day to day or even go meal to meal. This is a life change and it cannot be something you commit to occasionally. Also, get in the mode of checking in on MFP, there is a lot of great support here! Best of luck to you