I weight more than 500 lbs.... story inside

if you add it up you can see that cooking healthy is not that bad on price also like using this site you realize you can eat fast food but use healthy alternatives and everything is exercise walk the longer route take the stairs maybe download an exercise dvd or use youtube for exercise workouts good luck man there are plenty of people on this site that weighed more than you with sucess stories on here its really an awesome way to lose weight man! good luck

hi, sent you an add friend request, welcome, add me if you want, anyway since you asked me what foods are cheap and good for diet , well oatmeal is good for weight loss, cheap and also good for heart and lowering blood sugar, i eat it everyday, believe me this feels you up, another good cheap food is egg white(eat boiled , its more feeling), soyabean, tomato, cucumber these things are not very costly either.
as for exercise go to www. youtube.com. write aerobics/waist reduction workouts/ abs exercise / yoga lots of videoes are absolutely free to do.well wishing you luck

Well done , you've taken the first step by joining this site and trying to do something about a bad situation!

Food wise I am on £40 a month so know how that feels! I have things like porridge, frozen fruit smoothies, vegetable rice...as long as you portion control and watch your fat contents as well as calories this works well. But that is just my opinion based on it working for me when I don't cheat!

Exercise wise you could put some music on or the tele and do something like squats, star jumps,lunges, knee smashes (bring your knee up as close to your chest at a diagonal), use canned food as basic weights, even backward sit ups (sit on the sofa and raise your legs together as high as you can then release. you have to do this slowly and it apparantly works your lower abs). In general for your weight anything that gets your heart rate to 120bpm will give you a calorie burn of 50+ depending on how long you do it for (i estimated using 20mins)

If you ever need any inspiration, I don't know if you have ever seen the biggest loser but season 9 there was a guy called Mike who won and he was 500lbsish. It wasn't an easy journey for him and he did feel like giving up at times so he is a good one to check out.

Good luck!

Hi hun and welcome to this fab site. You've already made a big decision to make a difference in your life so that is a massive start in itself. There are loads of guys on here who have been and some still are in your shoes so im sure you wont go short on advice and inspiration. I wish you every success on your journey and never forget, you are not alone. We are all here to help and motovate eachother :flowerforyou:

You probably taken the hardest step by realising you have an issue, and deciding to do something about it. As has been said already, there are plenty of people on here who have been in a similar situation to you, and with hard work, perseverance, and knowing when to ask for help when it got too much, they have taken great strides on coming out the other side.

Take it one day at a time, don't beat yourself up about it anymore - you're going to do the best that you can, and being only 29 you're going to have plenty of years to reap the rewards of the hard work.

If you can go and speak to your doctor then do so (sorry, don't know what country you're in, so don't know if there is an extra cost involved, and I do understand being on a tight budget). Get their advice and input. Depending on how active you are at the moment you may have to very slowly increase your exercise to give your system time to get used to the idea of being put through the paces.

You can do this...

I've got to agree with the person who said baby steps. I've had a couple of mfp friends who weighed over 300lbs and i saw there food dairies, they were straight in at 1200 cals and only eating half of them for a couple of weeks. Now i started a similar weight and i know i didn't get there eating 800 cals a day. I ate drastically more. Those that did this gave up. It's not something you can sustain. Those that started at the full and realistic calorie amount are the ones who have stuck at it. I personally started working on just calories, getting the portion sizes down, then started tracking sodium. I'll track more later. One step at a time I also sent you a friend request.

Hi and welcome to the site! Well done on taking the first step to a new you! I used to be very unconfident until i started making changes to my life. You can do it and as people have said there are plenty of healthy foods you can buy for cheap. I have found walking to be my favorite choice of excercise as its very easy to fit into your day.

You just have to start counting your calories..buy lowfat ,low sodium when you can if money is tight always opt for bagged apples as your fruit and bagged spinach as a base for your salads..cut out any white bread or white rice...brown and wheat arent that much more expensive...tuna and chicken are great choices for meat and always bake or grill...if you have a doctor I suggest calling and getting a set caloric amount per day and stick to that until you have lost enough weight to do chair exercises ..lifting weights in chair, legs and arms....then gradually move towards walking outside or in a mall.. even a hospital is a good place to walk if you might be insecure about mall walking......drink plenty of water and realize as long as your here....your right where you need to be ..soooo take a step forward and with the encouragement of your positive MFP friends..you can start your journey dont expect it to be a fast one....but every step is one step closer to your goals....Good Luck!

The water aerobic exercises may be suitable for you, since the buoyancy do support your body and water do offer the resistance at the same time. About the healthy food, growing some vegetables by yourself may be a good idea if you'd love. Such as bean sprouts, I don't know if you like them, it's really easy to grow that you can even have them right under your bed! All you need are green beans, water, container(s), a dark space, and a period of 5 to 7 days. Hope these could be helpful and good luck! :flowerforyou:

Hi John

I understand what it feels like when you have a lot to lose and it feels like you will never get there so there is not point trying, however that is not the case you just need to set yourself small targets and have rewards for achieving these (not food based....)

I terms of budget I am not sure if it is she same in the US but we have a lot of small street markets here in the UK where fruit and vegetables are a lot cheaper than the main shops also Asian shopping areas tend to have cheaper fruit vegetables and fish....

When I was a student and my budget was tight I also noticed that at the end of the day you often get reduced price food although this is usually only good for a day or too this is not a problem if you are not working and can go to the shops often – this will also give you a reason to go out daily and the walking would be good exercise....

Plan your meals for example buy a whole chicken which is normally cheaper that individual portions you can then cook and use it over 3 or 4 days......

There are little things that you can do that make a difference even if you find exercise difficult at 500+ lbs I started doing things like getting off the bus one stop early when coming home and walking the rest of the way eventually moving to 2 stops etc.... until eventually I was walking all the way home.....

Swimming is also a fantastic exercise and is non weight bearing so does not put pressure on your joints....

Use the people on here they are a great bunch and will praise your successes which always gives me a buzz and reassure you when things don’t seem to be going as well – we all hit those hard times... Make your food diary public the advice I have received from people has been great even if I don’t agree with it all and choose for myself what I take on board... different things work for different people....

And finally I am happy to be your buddy - e-mail me whenever you want - you have already taken the biggest and hardest step deciding that you need to change.....

Lucy

My name is Liz, and I know how hard it is for you to admit that you need help with your weight loss. I am here to listen and talk if you want. I eat oatmeal a lot, and chicken and fish also. I don't eat fried foods or soda. I try to exercise at lease 3x a week. I can build up from there, but I am starting out slow. Also salad fixings are very cheap and healthy. Just getting out and walking is a great workout. Great success to you. Please keep in touc

hi there! just wanted you to know you are not alone on this journey. i am a 67 year old grandmother and have lost 58lbs. on mfp and believe me if i can do it you can too!! first thing is "you have to move" walk, exercise videos, yard work, anything that gets your heart rate up. then you need to stick to your calorie intake on mfp (this is most important) as far as exercise goes start out small, only walk for about 15 minutes the first week, 20 min. the 2d week and 1/2hr. the third week and you will get immediate results. you will find that every time you lose a pound or two you will feel so good about it you will want to keep going. food wise there is fresh fruit, oatmeal, many many food with 100 calories portioned out for you, and when i need a treat i go to "subway" for $3.50 you can get a great 6"sandwich and a total calorie count right there! portion, portion is the trick! cut everything you eat right now in half and no eating after 6pm at night unless it is a piece of fruit. (i eat a lot of jello no sugar puddings) for evening snacks. i could go on and on but i am sure you get the idea, so GOOD LUCK! we will all be here if you need help!

i need some help, i don't have a job so i can't pay for a gym membership, and funds are tight so i don't know what to due food wise cause all the bad choices are cheap. my budget is maybe $100 a month for food, what exercises can i do for free? other than walking..any suggestions will be appreciated...

Food:
$100 / month is insanely tight. I don't think that's compatible with good health long term, but you already know what your biggest health issue is and that's what you're asking about, so... I would recommend lentils, rice, and pumpkin as my 3 top ultra-budget food items. 2lb of pumpkin has about as many calories as a slice of bread and you can stuff yourself for a couple of dollars. Rice and lentils are both insanely cheap, easy to cook and filling. I would make these your staple food groups. This isn't a long term healthy eating plan, but with your budget you don't have many options.

Exercise:
Right now, I don't think I'd worry about this. Instead, think of changing your lifestyle. You probably need to spend less time watching tv and more time doing things. Walk to the shops. Walk to the park and read a bood (don't lie down, sit up). Just get moving!!!
More important than exercise right now is that the total amount of food you eat is less than the amount required to sustain your body weight. You need to work out how much food is required to sustain your weight and eat less than that. This is what MFP is primarily for, so you're in the right place.

Pro tip:
If you've ever lain in bed thinking how much you'd give for everything to be different, then stop waiting til you're going to sleep to think about it. Just start doing things differently now. (well, you've already started, but keep making more and more changes!!!) Its your choices that make the difference. Good luck!

John,
Realizing you need to change is the beginning and posting for help and especially support is a good start.
Almost 20 months ago I weighed 550 pounds (at least!!) I was insulin dependant type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and underactive thyroid..I stayed away from doctors as much as possible..but no longer. I am now down to 372.6 pounds. At the start it was a hard go, walking was difficult but I did what I could and changed my eating habits and am much happier, energetic and healthier for it. I was on 90u of insulin in the am and 80u in the pm and now am on 19u and 9u. I am completely off blood pressure meds. I have still a ways to go but I know I CAN do it....and so CAN YOU....start slow and steady...you will win the race to becoming a healthier you.

would love to keep in touch and find how how you get on... well done for taking the biggest step xxxx welcome to mfp