When should I start going to the gym ?

NOW! Go now, start off slow- once a week while working on your eating habits. I think it's easier to go to the gym when it's a little commitment. Then once you get into the swing of it, it gets easier to add more days.

I personally would go now.

But baby steps are what make for successful weight loss, so if you need to get your diet in line before adding another thing, feel free to do that. Once you feel like you have a handle on diet, then add another thing, like the gym.

One of the most helpful things I read when I was trying to start exercising was "stop trying to find something perfect, and just find something".

I went on walks a lot, then I tried zumba, hated it, but it was a good calorie burn. Did C25k, loved it through the summer/fall, but lived in Wisconsin and cannot tolerate running outside in the winter. Fell in love with yoga, but then I moved away and haven't found a studio that's convenient that I love. I'm now at a studio gym with spinning and circuit weights class and I'm really loving it.

Find something you like, if it isn't for you, find something else! Also remember that you'll feel silly (I still do sometimes!), but people are on the whole more supportive than jerks. :-)

From a health standpoint, you should go now. Having said that, I did not start going until I had lost a lot of weight and was already into running. I regret not going sooner, but I'm hard pressed to think of what gym life would have been like at 330 pounds (which I was).

I think you should start slow and build up a bit of cardio first. Just be sure you can walk a decent time (30 mins) before joining a gym. 2-3 months to get you eating under control and doing some non-gym stuff doesn't seem out of line. I was a year before I stepped into a gym (but beat the *kitten* out of my own treadmill first).

I regret not going sooner. One of the things you have right now is a fair amount of muscle. You need it to carry 280 lbs. As you lose weight, you will lose muscle as you won't need it anymore. Then you will find you want more muscle and will want to start working out to gain back some of what you have lost. By starting in the gym sooner, you will keep more of the muscle, be more focused on fat loss (vs. just weight loss) and will look better sooner.

One thing to realize when you do go to the gym. People zone out and don't really notice what is going on around them. So I know I can be looking in someone's direction and not even know it. So if you think people are staring at you, they most likely are sitting between reps and thinking about something completely irrelevant. But, while they may notice you, they are more concerned with what they are doing than what is anyone else is doing.

Now! But start slow, I'm a believer in consistency over time. So, start slow, but start now and do it nearly every day. That doesn't mean you need to go to the gym every day, you need to move every day. Start walking around the block or on the treadmill for 5 or 10 minutes for a few weeks then increase gradually. Make movement your priority in little ways - get off the bus one stop before your normal one. Park one block further, or go up and down the steps a few times a day, dance in your kitchen - anything that gets you moving. Slow and steady wins the race. Your body will thank you and you likely won't be super sore.

In addition, you'll need to build muscle as well. Do some research and try a few movements at home - squats, lunges, modified push-ups, planks. Video yourself and make sure you have proper form. It's ok to only do a few reps and again, increase slowly. If you go and do an hour of lifting or crossfit, your body will be crying!

You didn't ask, but I'm going to suggest you up your calories. 1300 is not a lot and as you said, you want to do this for the long haul. Plug in your stats into MFP and use a 1/2 lb or only 1lb loss goal. You will lose weight.

Good luck! we're rooting for you!

Just get started, it's a sure fire route to feeling better no matter what the scale says regardless of immediate gains. Also those cals seem really low - at 5'5 and 180 MFP was recommending me in the 1700 cal range at 2lbs per week when I started. Sustainable is key, so you might want to up those some as well as make sure to eat back a good portion of workout cals. Especially if you do weights, be mindful of how much more hungry you might get and be prepared.

Start slow but go to gym if you can. There will be times when you can't go but if there is time in your schedule why not. You exercise and keep you busy so you won't fall back. Plus you lose faster when you have a good diet and exercise.