A big girl with a long way to go...

You can do this! this is a great support system and i will be your cheerleader along the way! do it for yourself and set small milestones and celebrate each one. Make it a lifestyle change, not a diet... you got this girl!!

I would love to add you as a friend... My starting weight is about the same as yours.... I have lost 16 pounds and have been doing this for 20 days... I lost most of my weight up front and am having trouble the last week i think because of a med my dr put me on but I am sticking it out...

Congrats Jen - lots of support here, anyone can add me

Yeah you!! Very brave of you to just put it all out there. I love it! Can't wait to see you blossom.

Hi All

I'm Jen, and I'm 32 and currently weight 308lbs. For me, that's hard to type, let alone say out loud.

To be in the healthy range for my height, I need to lose 154lbs, that's half my body weight! I'm terrified by that idea, but I know that things need to change. I'm aiming for a slow loss to start with, to make sure I'm eating no more than 2000 calories a day, and increasing my exercise gradually.

I don't know if I will stick to it, but I desperately want to. I have a really supportive partner who tells me that he loves me for me, and that if I want to lose weight, that I should do it for myself and no-one else. But I can't love myself when I hate the way I look, and that's part of the reason I want to change. I want to get healthy so that when I get married, I don't have to hide from the cameras. I want to be able to have children. I want to get healthy so I can start to like myself again.

I could really do with all the support I can get, so if anyone of you would like to add me as a buddy, please feel free. I promise I won't bite

Jen

The key is lots of smaller goals. It can be overwhelming when think of the entire amount you want to lose all at once. Aim for 5% of your starting weight at a time. This way when you reach that goal, you have a reason to celebrate and earn something you want for yourself like a new workout accessory or beauty product or book, etc.. We all have had that bigger than we want it to be starting number on the scale, don't worry too much about that right now. Just focus on keeping a journal and logging in your foods here on mfp.
Start right away by getting more active and getting your sweat on. Just cleaning your house and dancing around can really get a sweat on if you put in the work. I know that you will get informational overload on here and its somewhat helpful but and this is a big but: don't get all caught up in sodium and sugars and carb and protein macros at first. The very most important thing is the calories you take in and the calories you expend on exercise or activity. Take a multi vitamin too.
You have to refind yourself first. You have to start journaling your daily foods, exercises, and thoughts in a notebook or on your computer, etc.. (I got a notebook from the dollar store and religiously write in it more than I log into mfp). This helps you in finding your patterns of hunger, keeping track of your exercises you have done and your daily thoughts and goals and any info you have found that you think is helpful. Take it one day at a time. I can tell you that way more than losing weight or looking better or feeling better is the feeling that you are doing something for yourself for your health and your life. This feeling is wonderful. As the days turn into weeks and then into months... you will slowly get there. Don't get too ahead of yourself. YOu can do this. Stay motivated. ITs for your health way more than your looks. I started off with just walking the neighborhood and swimming. Slowly I added in weight resistance like yoga and resistance bands. Now I go to the gym that is close to my house. YOu don't need a gym to get your sweat on. Take it one day at a time. You can do this.

Hi Jen! You can do this! I think your starting mentality is great and starting with a goal of eating at 2000 calories is good. This is a journey and you can always adjust along the way to help you meet your weight loss goals.

When I started, I gave myself smaller goals that I thought were attainable. My first goal was to drop a pant size, then I started with 25 lbs, and then 20 more. It makes it seem so much more manageable that way, and to be honest, I didn't think I would hit some of the weights that I have!

For me, this journey started out being about looking a way that I could love myself at and be happy to be in pictures again. Along the way it's changed into me wanting to feel better about myself and just feel more healthy. With each goal met, I have become so incredibly proud of myself because I have finally taken control and held myself accountable. I've finally gotten to a point where exercise is more comfortable and I am adding that in as well, which is HUGE for me!

Anyway, like I said, you can do this and there is a lot of support here!

Hi There,
Well you've made the first step - well done!
We are all here for the same reason so don't be shy.
I've got about 200 lbs to lose to get in a healthy range, but that's such a long way away. I'm just going to do it in 7lb chunks.
I managed to lose a stone and a half last year but then have maintained??? hey ho so I joined here to see if it could spur me on, and so far only 5lbs off but its off

I'll be happy to add you as a friend.

Nat

I joined this site a long time ago and did the back and forth with logging and sticking to eating healthy and exercising. Towards the end of August 2013, I stepped on the scale and it said 297.4 - - I refused to let myself hit 300. Since that day I have stuck to logging, exercising (even when it was the LAST thing I wanted to do) and eating much healthier! I cut out all fast food and soda. It really sucks at first but if you're determined to make a change, stick with it because it does get easier. I'm now down to 244. I still have a long way to go, but it's the little milestones that are so rewarding! Feel free to add me

You can do it!! Set small goals and add supportive friends!!

Welcome aboard! You have the same sort of goals as me, I started at 330 and want to lose 150. Maybe we can encourage each other?

You can do it. Starting is one of the biggest steps

What helps me is to NOT focus on the weight, but rather the steps to get there.

I set nutrition goals, like getting 5 veg a day or eating all my protein.

I set fitness goals, like doing my favorite walk in less time or doing an extra lap on my bike.

You can do this. What I would do is set small goals and give yourself rewards. Let's say you set a goal of 2 pounds per week. That is very attainable for you! Say okay when I lose my first 10 pounds I will get myself a new whatever. Then say okay I want to lose 15 pounds in the next 8 weeks then I will buy a new whatever or go somewhere you've been wanting to go.

What I have found is that I try not to limit myself to only healthy food, but allow myself some stuff I love but always always always weigh it out and count it on your calories. So if you want a chocolate bar that is 250 calories, eat it and track it and don't go over your calories for that day, or eat half and track it. If you are dying for mcdonalds, get just a single cheeseburger and track it! But don't eat all unhealthy stuff. Make a goal for yourself each week about food too! Say okay this week I will make sure to eat one serving of veggies each day, or 2 fruits each day or this week I will drink 64 oz of water every day. So just set small goals with weight and changing the way you eat and the weight WILL fall off. Just think, if you still to just 2 lbs a week you will lose over 100 pounds a year from now!

Welcome Jen. My name is Jenn also. I've been using MFP for 438 days and have lost 46 lbs. I started at 260 and still have at least 80 lbs to go to reach my goal weight. I try to work towards smaller goals so I don't get discouraged. Feel free to add me.