Where do I start?

Hello renovate, I sent you a message:)

The first thing to NOT do is set unattainable goals. I would start by tracking what you're currently doing/eating to get an idea where you are. Then you can decide how many calories you need to eat to be able to lose in a healthy way. Unfortunately weight loss/gain/maintenance all has the same equation (calories in - calories used). For weight loss must have a deficit, gain obviously an abundance and maintenance as close to 0 as possible. With the tea/coffee only allow yourself it after drinking minimum of 24 oz of water. You can cut a lot of calories in your tea/coffee by using Splenda or Stevia. With the smoking remember as you quit that your muscle memory with smoking is hand to mouth which is why so many gain weight while quitting. You will need to find substitute :ohwell: My biggest recommendation with the stopping smoking is to get a container, cut a slit in top and seal it closed. Place the money you would be spending on cigarettes (daily if you usually buy them this way or weekly) inside. This money shouldn't be looked at as extra money because you would just burn it up before. When you make it to hour 6 month or 1 year anniversary of not smoking open the container and spend it ONLY on you. You'll deserve every penny. Just remember through it all that one day is an accomplishment. Good luck in your journey. Sorry so lengthy. Hope it helps.

Hi, welcome. You have a lot of work but you sounds very very motivated. I used to smoke, quit in Aug 1998 cold turkey after countless attempts. That would be my first goal, regardless of how you quit. Btw, I only gained 2 pounds.

I also didn't know where to start so I saw a nutritionist. I don't know if you can but that's a good place to start.

For exercise, don't underestimate the power of walking. Can you take your kids? Also, YouTube has a ton of free workouts. You may also want to try www.shrinkingjeans.net (I think or you can Google it), they have a great body boot camp.

MFP has a lot of great calorie tools as well. I use a site called www.iifym.com to set my calorie needs but I also just found a trainer and dietician to help. It all depends on how active you are.

Feel free to message me and/or add me as a friend as you must be overwhelmed by now. I was.

Welcome and the best of luck!

This is how I started a year ago...

As many of you know I have lost 48.5 lbs. I still have 26 lbs to go.

Here is what I've been doing...
The first and most important thing is you have to accept yourself at the weight you are at now. If you cannot accept it, I truly believe you cannot change it. In this group we are going to be posting weights, and others will see it, but trust me, no one in the group cares. We want each of us to succeed! We are all in this together!
The second most important thing you have to do, is decide to do it. I had a light switch turn on in Ireland or right when I got back. Eating nothing but super healthy food over there was nice, my body adjusted quickly and I had some difficulty when I came back because of all the preservatives and unnecessary crap Americans put in food.
The next step is to join myfitnesspal.com. They also have a free phone app that allows you to scan the barcode of what you are about to eat and it'll log it for you. Once you get an idea of how much you are taking in, it'll give you a huge perspective. You'll see what you actually need vs what you are actually taking in. If you join that my username is graceisjinxed. The support I get from this site I cannot put a value on it. Some people I know, some I do not know, but everyone is incredibly supportive. That's a huge thing, having support and knowing that others are going thru the same thing you are, others are struggling but you all want to make the necessary and right changes.
I've been working out every day in my house. I have a WII that I bought ONLY for fitness use, yes I want all the Lego games but, that's not fitness. I start off with a warm up of Just Dance 3. They have a sweat mode that has 3 levels. I started in the middle, it says it's equivalent to 30 mins of walking a day. My sister has Just Dance 2, she liked Just Dance 3 much better. Then I followed that up with The Biggest Loser Challenge (BLC) for WII for 30 mins. The thing I like best about the BLC is that you pick a program and it goes from there. Every day my routine is different. This morning I did Box-Fit. Tomorrow is my rest day - but I'll be at the gym that I just joined. Thursday it'll be BLC yoga. With each day/week that passes, the exercises change up a little, get harder, and you get new ones. I thought I was going to die the other day when it introduced burpees (google that if you don't know what it is...).
From day one I gave up booze, soda, fast food and crap. Not 100% but like 95%.
I drink nothing but water, and anywhere from 8-12 cups a day. I had a 64 oz jug by my desk, pour it into smaller cups, you'll have that down in no time, and before you know it, it's gone. I use fresh lemons to flavor it (which helps your liver). You can also use cucumbers and I'm sure whatever fruit you love will work. Or those bottles of lemon and lime juice will work. I do still drink some fruit juices, just try to limit, these are like wasted calories in a sense. You want to make every calorie you take in valuable. This am I had 4 oz of Apple Juice mixed with 4 oz of water.
MOST importantly, you HAVE to eat breakfast every day within the first 90 mins of waking up. I don't have a problem doing this because I will get nauseous, sick, lightheaded and dizzy if I don't. If you don't eat breakfast now you're going to have to start if you want to boost up your metabolism and lose some weight.
I just joined 9 Round a kick boxing place and LOVE it.
Link to the Biggest Loser Challenge for WII - You may want to look on ebay or half.com Amazon's price has gone up...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Biggest-Loser-Challenge-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B003S2OO7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341926247&sr=8-1&keywords=the+biggest+loser+challenge+wii

Since I originally wrote this I've changed things up a bit. I restarted the BLC again, but only 2-3 days a week, Kickboxing is 3 days a week. That leaves 1 day of rest or workout. Depending on what I'm feeling that day depends on what I do. Rest is important though. I had been working out almost every day, then it seemed I wasn't losing any weight, I stopped for a week before the personal training started, and now I've lost 2 lbs in a week. So I'm back on track. I also upped my calorie intake to 1300 a day.

BLC lets you track your diet and extra exercise outside of the game. If you get this, and I do LOVE it, you will need to take your measurements - neck, chest, waist, hips. It'll make you do a fitness test and then it'll recommend a level. Now I have asthma and was very out of shape when I started this. It told me I should choose hard. I chose moderate. Whatever it recommends I would try the one below it first, unless you're up for it. You can always change the program - though each time you will need to redo the fitness test. But at the end of each week there's a challenge event, weigh in, then program recommendations for you. You can also wait until then and change them. I don't think you'd have to do the fitness test again.

Let me know what other questions you might have! I'll do my best.

I know a lot of dieters and diets say don’t eat this or don’t eat that. I have never stopped myself from eating anything. If I want a cookie, I’ll have a cookie, if I want a garlic stick, I’ll have a garlic stick. I do not believe in forbidding foods from your diet. It’s also okay to go over your daily calorie intake goal, just go under the next day or work out harder and longer. Whatever you choose.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/quit-smoking/AN01437

That'll help with quitting smoking in regards to the weight gain issue.

OK! Then what you want to do is set small goals. Trying to do too much all at once, can stress you out, and really put a damper on things if you cannot reach your goals. I used to do it all the time and when I slipped, I continued to slip because I thought I was a failure. Since you are new to exercise, start slowly. Start walking and gradually increase your speed/duration, once it becomes easy for you. Get involved in something you love! Since you like water, water aerobics would be great! It is so easy on your joints and so fun, you don't even feel like you are working out, when in fact, you are using the water as your resistance and you are getting an incredible workout!

I am all for you quitting the smokes!!! I quit cold turkey, and I was a bartender at the time, during the times you were still allowed to smoke indoors! So, if I can quit with people blowing it in my face every day, you can too! However, it can be tough, so don't put yourself down if you end up caving and have one, just make a choice to start by cutting down and gradually increase it IF you can't do the cold turkey.