Overwhelming amount of weight to lose - need support

Maybe try to redefine your mission. Try to think in terms of trying to learn calorie counting and the weight loss process. I’ve lost 110 lbs. But I had to reinvent my plan about 4 times to do it. As you say in the title to your post thinking about losing a lot is overwhelming.

Try to make your program into a set of things to do. Small steps. Start a food diary, always record everything and never stop. Use a food scale to crunch the numbers. Calculate a modest calorie deficit and start planning menus to hit your number.

Don’t concern yourself with how long it may take to get to goal weight. Do concern yourself with how you are living. Be careful of what lines you draw for yourself because you have to live with them. The best plan is one that we will actually follow. Good luck.

definitely agree with kimny - that's a great and active support group!

Also along with what 880lds says: don't look at the total number that needs to go, because that will dishearten you. Push that number to the back of your mind and instead, create smaller milestones to strive toward. There's a good reason for why doctors are now suggesting just 5% of your starting weight: Many people do start seeing some results from losing just that 5% and it breaks it up into manageable chunks. Get that 1st goal off, then lower the goal post and start working on the next one, and so on.

For instance: if you are starting at 300 lbs, 5% is 15 lbs which is much easier to strive for. And I'd also suggest to be patient with yourself and don't put yourself on a time table; don't get into this mindset that you MUST lose 2 lbs a week every week, and if the scale doesn't show that 2 lbs, then you've failed. This isn't a sprint, this is a marathon, and you aren't racing against anyone, you're only pacing yourself to get to the finish line, and it doesn't matter if you are first or 401st; the key is to get there when you can get there. Nor do you have to set the goal to 2 lbs. Pace yourself, and work on what is the easiest for you to maintain; you can lose at 1 lb/week and still reach the same goal. As many folks here have said - you didn't put the weight on over night; you aren't going to lose it that fast.

I started out with needing lose 200 lbs, so I've definitely had to learn patience! The key is to keep working; you are going to stutter, you're going to stall, you're going to make mistakes, and you may even backtrack some, but don't give up. When you backtrack or stall out, pick yourself back up and determine you're going to win this. Be forgiving and kind to yourself, don't beat yourself up for mistakes or compare yourself to other people - each of us are journeying on our own unique paths that are completely unrelated to anyone else, and the thing that matters is your path. So just focus on you and don't get distracted or disheartened by others around you that might be further along in their goals; you'll get there too as long as you stick with it. So be kind to yourself but be firm and determine that you aren't giving up.

Understand that water fluctuations are going to play havoc with the scale at times and your head, but learn to focus on the overall trend and not the day to day scale readings - for instance, compare your weight at the first of every month; as long as that number is going down in the over all trend, you are winning the fight!

And the biggest thing I've learned is to learn how to work with myself, to take an honest evaluation of my strengths and weaknesses and just over all proclivities and lifestyle, and work within those parameters, such as being realistic with what kind of foods I want to eat, when I want to eat, and what I know that I can maintain. Don't make this harder than it needs to be - don't set yourself up for failure by trying to willpower through drastic changes or forcing yourself to do things that you detest or eat foods that you hate or abstain from foods that you love just because someone somewhere says you have to do those things; learn to work with yourself and take slow, measured steps toward improvement. You know you need more exercise? Then start out, like i am right now, in getting a pedometer and just focusing on increasing your step count. I started with getting in 2,500 a day - I'm working on consistently getting 5,000 in a day. Once I get there, I'll start focusing on trying to get more.

And I don't cut carbs or fats or junk food because I know that I can't sustain that; instead, I focus on eating less of the foods I love, looking for ways to lighten up meals, and just keeping within my calorie limit and over all stop labeling foods as "good" and "bad" and look at them as foods, some of which I can enjoy but should moderate and others I should increase. I also save as many of my calories as I can for evenings because I know that's when my brain wants to snack. For some people, eating in the morning helps hold them throughout the day; I'm the opposite. If several smaller meals keeps you satisfied, then great - work within that. If one big meal a day works for you, great! It doesn't matter which way you do it; the key is to maintain a calorie deficit (keeping health in mind, of course - going on a nothing but cabbage diet, for example, would not be advisable from a health standpoint....;)

Best of luck to you!