I need to lose 250 pounds.

Hey kiddo - we have all dealt with the issues of being overweight. We all have our private demons. They are hard to get rid of - even when you finally start getting healthy.

I hope you will choose to be healthy. I did 17 months ago. I quit looking at this as a punishment. I looked at it as an opportunity to LIVE and live happy and healthy. I eat the foods I want to, but I am teaching myself moderation. I began to see that there was a starting point for me - but no finish line. This is the way I'm going to live for the rest of my life. A change for me - HARD!

When I started on MFP, I tried running and I could only run in place for about 1 minute. Today I can run for 45 minutes. I got winded climbing stairs and now I can carry 6 - 8 bags of groceries up the steps and into the house with no problem. I have never lifted anything heavier than a coffee cup before, but now I lift weights. Heavy weights.

The more success I have - the more I want. I have weeks where I don't lose anything and I get tired. But the way to succeed is to just KEEP GOING. Bad day - KEEP GOING. Eat too much - KEEP GOING. Stressed out - KEEP GOING. Emotional - KEEP GOING. No support - KEEP GOING. Family reunion - KEEP GOING. Holidays - KEEP GOING.

Do this for you. You're important - your family feels that way. There is NO REASON that you can not be one of the people who succeed. Best of luck!

I had a doctor this year tell me that the only way I'd ever lose significant weight is to have surgery. Now I'm on a mission to prove her wrong. It's a battle for every.single.pound. But I feel like it's worth the fight. There's some good advice above, and I hope you can take some of it to heart. You can do this, but it will be a tough challenge that you have to face head-on. I know that looking at the overall weight-loss picture is daunting, but breaking it down into smaller chunks can help it seem more attainable.
I hope you have some other resources that you can reach out to for help, too.

Your words:

"The bottom line is that I am at rock bottom. Something has to be done and I'm not sure I can do it myself anymore."
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You're definitely not alone because we all understand how challenging this can be, no matter how much or how little one has to lose. So surround yourself with some positive people on here and move forward, one day at a time. Once you get to the point of being able to move more easily and safely, add a little exercise. Just take it as you can. And if you have a "bad day", so what. The next day is a new chance, so don't give up. Wishing you all the success that you want and deserve.

I have been watching what I eat for 4 months now. I have lost at least 4" from my waist and I have lost 22 lbs. I was too heavy to exercise. Everything hurt. And smelled. Being fat is so gross. I'm still 307 lbs. I finally feel like I can exercise now. But staying positive (which is really difficult for me, let me just tell you!) is crucial. It's the biggest part of my routine. Telling myself that I HAVE TO TAKE STEPS if I expect to go somewhere.

Weight loss surgery isn't the only way. I was thinking about it (But couldn't afford it.) You have to let go of I want it now and realize it's going to take a couple years. Once I did that it was a day by day thing instead of a deadline thing. You can friend me. Wish we knew each other in real life, I'd be your best friend. (In a totally not stalkerish kind of way. I don't have a lot of girl friends that know what I'm going through.) I've had grandmothers, moms, sisters and complete strangers tell me I'd be "A knockout" if I were skinny.

Creeped your pics. I disagree with grandmothers, moms, sisters and complete strangers. You are a knockout, period. And I mean that in all sincerity.

I tried ACE for the first couple weeks for the energy its supposed to give. After about a week without having an energy boost I stopped it. Besides I'm horrible with remembering to take pills. Just start counting calories. Walk when you can. Park further from the store, anything helps get it started! After a week or too you'll start having more energy and feeling better just because your eating better. You can still have your favorites but make it fit your goals. AND MAKE FRIENDS! That made all the difference to me! Good luck, friend me if you like. :flowerforyou: above all else give it time and you'll see it start working!

I think some misunderstand. I'm not JUST giving this a week and then scheduling surgery.

I have used this site on and off for the last 3 1/2 years. In that time I've GAINED 50 pounds.

I've had several times where I've tried and end up going back to old habits.
There have been times when I thought this was going to be it, only to fail again.

400 pounds is my line in the sand. If/when I ever hit that 400 pound mark, I am making the appointment with the surgeon. It's not something I've taken lightly. I've done the research and that combined with personal experiences, it scares me. And maybe this fear, and the fact that I am THREE TENTH of a pound (.3) from 400 will motivate me to get some of it off.

Let's face it, getting bigger only makes weight loss harder because it will get harder to walk. Harder on my joints. Harder to sleep therefore I won't be as refreshed or have the energy to walk. I already flatten tires on the bike. My options are only going to decrease with each pound I gain.

And unfortunately, it is possible to get to the point where surgeons won't touch you. Once I'm too big for surgery I really will feel like I have no hope.

The bottom line is that I am at rock bottom. Something has to be done and I'm not sure I can do it myself anymore.

Ok. Nevermind.

I was 330 pounds when I started. Not as much as you, given, but close... In a twisted way, I am happy I was so overweight because I was able to learn and make it at first without feeling deprived. It was almost fun. Any little walk (or stationary biking) would give me a huge amount of extra calories, allowing me that chocolate bar I wanted, only 240 cal., and I still had enough calories to eat healthy and balanced, and there were still some calories left, so I was able to lose 2 pounds per week for several months!!!! Wow! If I did it, so can anybody, including you!

This morn weigh in told me I am not anymore obese. Just overweight. In a while, I am confident I'll reach my goal even if I am sometimes doubting. Same for you. Perseverance is the key... Day after day, one at a time.... It is not always easy, but then, accomplishing something difficult has its value. When you climb a mountain, you get a wonderful view. It's your hard-gained reward. You will feel yourself pretty spectacular once you reach your goal...

You can do this. I started out last September around 300-310 pounds & I'm now 177.5 pounds as of Monday. The first fifty I lost on my own & the rest has been from tracking my calories here. I have ate foods that I enjoy & found a few healthy alternatives for ones I liked to overeat. With exercise I started out riding the stationary bike for a few minutes here & there, walked/jogged on the treadmill, bought a Wii Fit & three Zumba games for the Wii. I also bought a heart rate monitor to try to track my exercise calories & a food scale to accurately measure my food intake.

My only concern with what you said is why would you take the weekends off? Does ACE allow you to have two days that you can eat whatever you want? If not then you could try to stick with your MFP goal & incorporate some of your favorite foods that you would like to enjoy.

Don't expect to drop the weight drastically every week, because sometimes there'll be weeks that you might not lose a thing. Just remember that it didn't take a day to gain it all & it won't take a day to lose it all.

You can do this. And you can do it without pills and surgeries. It will probably take longer, but longer is good. It will give you a chance to really learn new habits. Ones you can sustain for life.