I weigh ~470 lb, where do I start?

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  • jbcisney
    jbcisney Posts: 10 Member
    Young lady I saw a lot of good adivce and a lot of encouragement in the comments - I'm sure your reading them all. My adivce is to make small changes that you can live with, the wieght did not appear over night and it will not disappear overnight, but it will go down if you keep at it. Along with the calorie count, make sure you start tracking your nutrient levels... illlness and injury will slow down your wieght loss, and a sure way to get sick or hurt is to starve your body of the nutrients it needs to function. Also, remember that muscle is heavier than fat, but looks so much better, so when you start walking and exercising remember your body is going to be building some muscle tissue, give yourself a little credit for that when you get on the scale. And above all, don't beat yourself up about anything, just keep moving forward...
  • Larissa_NY
    Larissa_NY Posts: 495 Member
    The good news is that if you weigh 470 pounds, literally the only thing you have to do is stop eating like it's your last day on Earth and pounds will fall off you into the street. You won't even have to change your diet for a while; just eat less of the things you do eat. The bad news is that, at 470 pounds, you're unlikely to be eating because you're hungry or bored or just really like junk food; it's far more likely that you're eating because either eating or being obese serves some purpose in your life. You've gotten some good advice, but if you really want to lose weight you're going to have to figure out what you get from eating and how you can get it somewhere else.

    With regard to exercising - your back and joints hurt when you exercise because you're morbidly obese. As you lose weight, your body will hurt less and less during exercise. That will mean that you can exercise, which is good, but it will also mean that you no longer have an excuse not to exercise, which will call for some difficult decision-making on your part.

    You can do this, but it's going to take some work in places you didn't expect. Do the work and you'll lose the weight.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    The good thing is your age. I decided to change my life at 45. I was over 500 lbs. I think there are some good suggestions on here. However if you had told to eat 4 pieces of pizza, instead of five it would not have worked for me. I had a structured plan of 1800 calories that I followed and continue to do so. I am aware enough now to know when I am eating too much. I log everyday and I do exercise 6 days a week. When I started out I could not get through 1 mile. Now almost 2 years later I can walk 6,7, 8 miles. Of course get clearance from your doctor. Getting a dietician is probably a good idea to. Mostly get a plan, commit to it and stick to it. You can do it.
  • anl90
    anl90 Posts: 928 Member
    As others have stated - watching calories is one of the most important factors. You don't have to start out "super healthy", but slowly cut back on what you currently eat. It may not seem like much, but the fewer calories you are taking in can add up fast. Also, just start out small with activity - even if it is walking laps in your living room, something is better than nothing (I actually have a Leslie Sansone DVD which is great, and I would highly recommend). What helps me is remembering I don't have to start out big, and honestly I am setting myself up for failure if I do because I have so much work myself I need to do. Start off where your body will let you, and just take baby steps. You've got this! :)
  • 3474449k
    3474449k Posts: 46 Member
    Congratulations. You've got a lot of good advice here. You can adjust as you go along, but starting out I would just try for a calorie deficit. You can still eat the things you like, but in smaller portions. Spend time researching and as you lose you can add exercise. I wish you the very best of luck.
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