Hi I just Joined this week very nervous!!

I have been on this site for two weeks and have lost 6 pounds. That sounds amazing but you have to understand that ALL I ate was fast food for months because I was stressed and depressed. I have shocked my body into healthy food. I also move my body. It isnt much but I walk twice a day. I use to imitate a sloth at a zoo. I am accountable for every morsel that enter my mouth even on Saturdays when I indulge just a little or more than a little. I have added some people on here and every one motivates each other. The key is to log in EVERY day no matter what...even on bad days. Get yourself in the habit.

I have almost fifty pounds to lose. So I changed my goal to 25 pounds so I feel more accomplished when I finish my first goal.

You are welcome to add me if you would like.

Good luck on your journey.

I have a friend who gets shots for a herniated disc also and WOW...all I can say is you are one determined woman! It takes a lot to actually get up and do something WITHOUT the obstacle you have. Kuddos to you and good luck on your journey!!

Sounds like you definately have the determination. That is the first step. This sight is awesome. It has helped me learn to pay attention to the junk I put in my mounth. Good luck in your journey!

When I injured my back as well. When I first started i couldn't do any exercise. Most of what I've done was diet alone.
I've become a little bit of a zealot... Sorry in advance for all the long-windedness

Here's how I started:

1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)

2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me I did the math to find out the calories needed to maintain my goal weight and my current weight and I gave myself a range with 1200 as my rock bottom, lose 1 lb/wk as my target*** and maintain my goal weight as the top of my range. As long as I keep within in this range I'll lose. I tend to naturally zig zag my calories 3-4 at very close to my target and then a higher calorie day closer to the top of my range.

As long as I stayed under maintain my current weight calories I won't gain. So no need to throw in the towel, just pick-up where I left off.

Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as acheivable. I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.)

I did have to take a break for a month due to a health scare, but otherwise I kept with the slow and steady approach. Took me 9 months (including the month off) At first I lost at the rate of about 3 lbs per month, but the closer you get to the goal the slower it goes. So be patient and hang in there.

***also once my lose 1 lb/week target was down to 1200 calories I switch to lose 1/2 lb/ week (1200 cal rock bottom, 1/2 lb/week as my target, maintain goal weight as the high end of my range.)

Food is not the enemy.
Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occassional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time the occassional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.

I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.

Good Luck

Good luck with your journey.