Need to drop weight quick, health problems serious!

I don't think you should focus so much on the amount to aim for (beyond telling MFP your goal), although I also think you very well could lose 10 lb/month or even a little more at first. When I first started (at 220) I was only supposed to be losing 1.2 lb/week or some such (based on my incorrect estimate that I was sedentary and the fact I'm 44 and 5'3), and I lost about 10 lb/week for a while. There's no need to do anything faddy or unsustainable. In fact, it's amazing how fast time passes, and once you realize that what matters is consistency and being able to keep at it without it being burdensome, not losing a bunch at first. If you have to keep it up long enough to lose 50 or 100 or more, you really need something that works as a lifestyle and that's without even thinking about the need to maintain afterwards, which is of course important.

All I did was follow the MFP calorie goal and start moving. Because I was so out of shape and because it was a terrible winter, I first didn't do anything but just start walking more, including on my daily activities whenever possible. At the time I was struggling with an ankle injury aggravated by my weight, so struggled to walk places that used to be routine, but just that kind of activity made a huge difference pretty quickly, and before long I was walking a lot and feeling energetic when doing it. I also started with some swimming and riding on the stationary bike. Again, you really don't need to be too ambitious at first. Just being consistent and pushing yourself to do something and then to do a little more each time pays off amazingly quickly, IME.

Food-wise, I just watched portions, logged my food, and ate what I'd call a generally balanced diet that I enjoy, mostly just focused on eating lots of vegetables with each meal, a decent amount of protein (this makes me less hungry), and then either some fruit or starch or maybe some extra dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese), depending on the meal and what I'm in the mood for. This is a way I like to eat and I find I enjoy cooking when I manage to be prepared in advance so I can come home and good from what's available rather than feeling like I have to always be shopping. It's not too different from what I grew up thinking of as a healthy diet. Now that I'm exercising more I often include some kind of dessert as well after dinner when it fits in my calories--that's all about portion control.

Personally, I just eat 3 meals and don't mess with snacks unless I'm particularly hungry that day, but those kinds of things are what you will figure out for yourself based on what works for you--it doesn't matter.

When I worked a crazy schedule like yours (and mine would rotate as well) I would eat a small, sensible breakfast when getting up. Then, I would eat a decent lunch right before going to work. I would eat my dinner on my "lunch break" at work and then eat a small, healthy snack when getting home (mostly some sort of fruit, such as apples or strawberries).

I have also learned to pack my lunch (and snacks for on break at lunch) because it's a lot healthier than buying something from the vending machine.

Finally, as far as exercising, I would also suggest starting with walking and swimming. Make sure you get your heart-rate up. It will be difficult at first, but it will get easier as you get stronger. You could also try some yoga for stretching and flexibility.

Don't do a fad diet! It may give you quick short-term results, but overall long-term results are more important and will help your overall health more. Feel free to add me -- I'm the same height as you and I'm trying to get healthier before getting pregnant in the near future.

Would LOVE to lose 20lbs in a month, even if it's just the first month of dedicated focus of diet and exercise. And the 20lbs was lost from just eating 1200-1400 calories a day?
Sounds very inspirational!

The first two weeks, I just eliminated processed foods from 80% of my diet - I didn't count calories, I just prepped all my own foods.

The last 12 days I have done 1200-1400 NET calories a day.

Lots and lots and lots of water. Peeing is a hobby of mine now, as I do it 8-10 times a day.

Yes, you will also notice that as you start eating healthier not only will you pee a gallon or so every day but you will poop anywhere from 2-5 times a day. It's all about adjusting to the new better for you foods and getting more water to your intestines. Invest in some decent toilet paper.

Look into some of the recipes on here, a lot of them are pretty good and do wonders to kill a bad craving.

As far as working out goes I recommend getting a little peddler. I]They're like $30 and you can sit on the couch and fold laundry, watch tv, etc while you peddle away. Mine even tells me how much I burned. Something else I do is play on my yoga ball. Yes, play. I'll bounce around on it, roll around, seriously everything you'd tell a child not to do is my routine on there.It's fun, it doesn't feel like you're working out and if you want to be boring you can look up an actual work out.

Any fad diets that you try will put your health in bigger jeopardy, you need to know that this takes time and rushing to your goal is what will out you back into your current situation.

Hey guys, I'm semi-new here, been involved on and off and recently I've found out that I have serious issues with my health. I have 5ft even and 260lbs. Due to my weight I am not ovulating or have a women's cycle AT ALL. I also have multiple cysts on both my ovaries also due to my weight, high cholesterol and I have damaged my hip flexor and developed acid reflux.

What can I do that is low-impact but still gets results? I need to drop the weight quickly because my family has a history of ovarian and uterine cancer. I am also genetically prone to being heavy, what can I do to combat that? Is there anyone else who has needed to drop weight quickly for health reasons? What did you do to accomplish your goal?

Would losing 10lbs per month be too much? If 2lbs per week is 8lbs, am I pushing it too much?

Is seeing a doctor and a registered dietitian an option? I think that 10 pounds a month (at least at first) is a possible but you should do it with a plan tailored to you by professionals.

You will however, need to find a way to gain control over what you are eating each day. I use coupons and discounts to get cheaper produce, frozen vegetables, etc, and chicken is a cheap and healthier meat. You'll need to measure your portions to know how many calories you are getting. I'm pretty broke too. By not wasting your money on packaging and processing, you can get healthier foods for cheaper. Whoever is doing the cooking will need to get on board with this and if they care about your health I hope they will start paying attention to what they are putting on the table.