270lb Woman. 20yr old. Help*

Congratulations on getting started! I would say that the most important things are investing in a food scale, weighing all your food and measuring your liquids, and logging everything faithfully.

Also--and I'm sure people here will disagree--I would advise against cutting out entire categories of food, unless your doctor has told you to do so. Do you think you can live without fast food forever? I know I couldn't. Learning to incorporate all of your favorite foods in ways that fit your calorie goal is a good way to keep yourself from crashing and burning.

Good luck!

I posted this on my Facebook account the other day when my weight dropped into the 130s - a number I've never seen in my adult life. Someone asked me how I did it. This is what I posted:

1. Buy a food scale at Target or Wal-Mart. They cost about maybe $20. Get a digital one. 2. Go to the Scooby Workshop Calculator http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and plug in your stats. The calculator will give you a daily calorie count you need to hit every day to lose about 0.7 pounds a week (although yours may be different, depending on your starting point). 3. Go to My Fitness Pal and start logging in your calories. Weigh every bit of food you take in in grams. Every day. Every. Single. Day. And that's it. You will lose weight. It takes time, but the process works.

It's a lot easier than you think it would be but does take some serious discipline and commitment. Commitment? Would you stick with it if you knew in advance that in one year you would only lose 10 pounds? Because this time last year I was only 10 pounds heavier. That's how long it took (because life gets in the way sometimes, and so do vacations). So when I say "tedious" I mean it. However over 3 years is 30 pounds. So all that adds up - that's the commitment.

Plan, plan. Plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Being prepared for hunger, is one helpful key on your weight loss journey. I lost 100 pounds the first time on Myfitnesspal. You can do it. I put 30 back on. I returning to get it off before summer. It's also a mind set. It's all mental in weight loss. Set goal for success. And remember how good it made you feel. This will help with good choice. " most of the time" good luck!!!

Well done starting is the hardest part - you are young, and motivated at least one of two things I can't boast about being.

Loads of advice could be given but I will offer you this based on sound, peer reviewed psychological research into Sport and exercise psychology.

Big goals are important but the little ones are essential and will keep you going. if your goal is weight loss then restrict yourself to loosing 1lb/week - any more and you will be punishing yourself and will demotivate quickly.

Do not make your main goal weight loss!! make it a fitter and healthier sustainable lifestyle - Weight loss is one thing but it is not the whole story. Fitness is key, as you get fitter your body will shape up and loose the pounds to fit into your new life style.

Eat healthy, use a food diary, measure it all alongside exercise. Use MFP it is great, eat your calorie allowance in a day, you will be surprised how much you can eat. Do not undercut yourself as you will become ill, tired and demotivated. try not to eat your calories burned doing exercise - use it as a buffer for those hard earned treats.

SET YOURSELF EXERCISE GOALS - find something you love (run,ride, dance, walk whatever - just do the hell out of it) get you heart rate up and work in the 70% zone for a good half hour 3-5 time a week ( I ride on rollers in front of the TV!!), make it a habit and include it in your routine, do not make it a chore to do. Set yourself a distance to move or a time limit to exercise and try to do the former quicker or pack more distance into the latter. Set your self a goal for the week (workout N times covering distance x, or working out for time Y). Plan it, do it , refine it.

You may make some big gains early as your body is more active, you reduce your fluid retention etc. these gains will not be sustainable long term. enjoy them when they happen but don't rely on them long term.

On the flip side you may do it all right throughout a week and not have lost a single pound (may have even gained). not an issue - as long as you have been honest with yourself then you will have benefitted in some way. ask yourself how your body feels, look at how it looks. Exercise builds heavy muscle but it looks better than fat.

Find some buddies to do it with, join a class or a club.

Do this for yourself - not for what anybody else may think or feel for you.

Keep going, it is a life long journey and not a short term destination.

J

Hey! I'm 22 and was 271 in November, currently at 254. I would say not to cut out fast foods entirely if you want to eat fast food every now and then, I just make different choices than I used to. I also bring snacks/prep food for during the week so that I know what I'm eating most of the time and not spending more money/eating unhealthier foods during the day. I also had to adjust my portions and started portioning out lunch for the next day whenever I make dinner, that way even if I eat it all, it's not as much as it would be been. Anyway, good luck and feel free to add me for support!!