And so it begins

And like you said... so it begins...

Make your plan and goals and now start! Make sure you make small goals.. big ones may look to far away.. the small one allow you to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Here is my take... use MFP tool - put 100% effort, dedication and commitment to this and ITS FREE.

1) Get a food scale, weigh and log everything.
2) Do cardio if you want, and if you do, only eat back 50% of your calories. or not.. Weight loss occurs in the kitchen or out of it.. which ever way you want to look at it..
3) Lift weights if you can..if not.. you do not have to exercise to loose weight... this helps..
4) Cheat meals over maintenance sabotages all your efforts. If a cheat meal happens LOG IT.
5) You can lose weight eating the same things you already eat... IT IS SMALLER PORTIONS and MODERATION.
TIP: Try to choose foods to help you stay under your calories without feeling hungry.

Be sure to read all the "stickies" at the beginning of each forum, especially if you have a specific question.. You can find some really great "already tried and true" how to's..

You got this! Make the commitment to stick with this.

Agree with the above poster.

Great idea to try and choose foods that will be satisfying. One of the reasons I didn't do as well on Weight Watchers was because I was always trying to eat the lowest points foods I could find, so I could "eat more" - but I was short changing myself on fats and protein and thus was hungry and tired a lot of the time. Now I make sure I meet the goals MFP gives me for daily protein, fiber, fat, iron, etc. I do feel much much better.

Be strong, be committed - but don't be super hard on yourself. Allow yourself treats, don't force yourself to eat things you hate/dislike. Find ways to make the foods you enjoy fit in to your plan.

Don't give up. Hang in there, and if your sister looks like a slice of pizza, for heaven's sake make some home made pizza and enjoy.

Welcome bey02,

MFP has been great for me, I have been dieting for the majority of my life with results every time only to go off and then gained more than I lost. At 231 pounds I had enough, for once I started thinking that I deserved to care about myself without feeling guilty or selfish. I joined MFP on Mar 13, logged ALL the food I consumed no matter how small. Measured what I eat with a scale because I found what I thought was a serving size was actually way WAY more. So far I've lost 19 pounds at a fairly steady pace except for a 2 week period when I had a miserable cold, I didnt lose anything during that period but at least I didnt gain. Guess I am finally learning something about portions. I haven't given up all the foods I love, just reduced the quantity. I find that I can stick to my 1200 calories, sometimes I have to work around the food planning to work in those not so good for me foods I really like but Im finding I'm not craving those foods as much anymore. My motto is one day/one pound at a time.

Its great that you have your sister with you as support( please don't eat your sister, it would be a shame to loose your closest support system). Good luck in your journey, dont give up, we all have meals or days that are hard to stick with but don't sweat it if you get off track, just get back on the bus and do your best, you deserve to be happy with yourself. Hugs.