Cannot seem to do this! It's a little depressing

Try a 1700 calorie diet. Don't try for 2lbs a week, try for 0.5-1 lb a week. Slow and steady is better than trying for too fast and failing. Try to get in walks 2-3 times a week...

This myfitnesspal is a great and easy aid to help.
Think about a few things at a time. Concentrate on eating 3 really good meals. NO snacks. Drink water. Walk 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes with your son. It will work. Then later make changes as you get use to things.

HCG is, like most quick fixes, not a lifestyle change. If you have time to sit, and time to clean, then you have time to exercise. Prioritize...you mentioned you have a son...think about how important he is to you...then like Rachel6503 says, slow and steady is better.

Consider sticking to a diet that will get you enough calories to stay well...get good snacks like Builder Bars, Chobani yogurt, and oatmeal...yes, oatmeal.

And remember, you can do whatever you set your mind to. Jack Lallane always said that exercise, training and fitness is all in your mind.

Best wishes, and stay well!

I have also struggled but for some reason I found the motivtation this time. I have 1320 calories per day and it works best for me to divide the calories evenly between 3 meals and never skip meals. I also try to have al least 40% of my diet in protein. I am diabetic so that works for me.

Sorry you're having a hard time, I remember what it was like back at the start. You have to stop beating yourself up so much and just make some small changes.

Can I suggest you go to a small calorie deficit to start off - maybe whatever MFP tells you for a half pound loss a week.

When I first started I was on 1800 calories a day - I wasn't using MFP, I was going it alone and if I'd tried to do it myself with so many changes all at once I would have gone nuts.

A small deficit, eating the foods that you still enjoy eating, but controlling the portion sizes to the point of staying within budget calorie wise.

I promise you, you'll see a difference quickly and as you get better at this you'll gradually swap the foods for lower calorie more satisfying ones and get more value for cal!

Small changes, big differences. It's a cliché I know, but by golly it works

Truth be told, the decision is yours. This website is great. The people here are great, and we will work to encourage you. But, in the end, you have to want to lose weight more than you want food. One thing that helps is having realistic weight loss goals. Doing unhealthy diets like HCG doesn't work in the long term. If you're counting calories, you can literally have anything you want. But, a slice of cheesecake isn't nearly as filling as the rice, chicken, and veggies you could have for the same calories. You say you are at risk for diabetes. I am as well, and that's one of my motivations. My grandfather is dead from diabetes. I never even knew him. My grandmother is still alive, but has had 2 strokes and several toes removed because of diabetes. I realized recently that I am heading for the same thing very fast. Push yourself toward the future you want.

When you you are craving something you don't think you should have, go for a walk, play a game with your son, chew gum, drink herbal tea, do your nails, crochet, do some stretching, do anything to take your mind off eating. Also when your starting out I'd say don't determine a time frame for your loss - commit to losing 2 pounds let it take how long it takes. Celebrate when that happens and commit to another 2 pounds. Make your goals be non scale related. Like I will walk/excersize ____ many times this week. I will drink my 8 glasses of water everyday.

Hey there. I work a huge number of hours a week and have two school-age daughters at home. I thought I would never be able to fit in enough exercise to make it worth it, but doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout video (just 20 mins!) and keeping to 1,200-1,300 calories a day resulted in a weight-loss of 6 lbs. in a month. Plus, the toning was REALLY noticeable. Start small and be gentle with yourself. Find someone who will be a good source of motivation day in and day out, even on days that aren't so great

Try a 1700 calorie diet. Don't try for 2lbs a week, try for 0.5-1 lb a week. Slow and steady is better than trying for too fast and failing. Try to get in walks 2-3 times a week...

this is it exactly. EAT MORE!

Agreed! Slow and stead will win this race. I have had a tough couple of weeks too, but we both can do this!!! One day at a time, one decision at a time....don't deprive yourself...moderation is key!

Part of you wants to and part of you doesn't. We've all had the same problem, or we wouldn't be here on MFP. When you are ready and determined you will fight that inner demon and let it know who is boss. Why don't you think you deserve to be healthy? thinner and fitter? Why do you think you sabotage your journey? Work in a little bit of sweets into your daily caloric intake if that helps. Buy some weights and use them 10 minutes at a time. Stop concentrating on why you can't, how you can't, and start thinking about what you can do, and how this will work, and have fun figuring out how you can do it. Forgive yourself for those times you fall, and pick yourself up and keep on going. If you really want this you will be watching what you eat and working out for the rest of your life. To make this happen, you are not "going" on a diet, whatever you eat is your diet. You're not exercising until you get the scale to where you want it to be, you're going to be exercising always, loving it, and making it part of your life. It's a different way of thinking, and you can do it.

Dear Big-D: so with you. Can't seem to break the sweet tooth that started three wks ago when I began dipping into the Halloween candy early...
I am a strict perfectionist so one bit of failure and I blow the whole thing.
Trying to give myself credit for every little thing I do right, rather than beating myself up for the bads. Ex., if I do actually have 2 fruits, or 4 veggies, or 3 whole grains, or 3 skim/non-fat dairy, or 4 oz protein, in any given day, I am trying to reprogram myself to see that in and of itself as a successful day, regardless of what I do in other food groups or if I eat junk too or don't get enough (or any) exercise that day. Gradually hope to add on each category at a time till it "sticks" for a week or two before tackling another pos. change.
I made a chart of the food groups for a pre-diabetic diet (see above) and give myself a sticker in each category that I eat in.
Used to include a "cheats" category but got rid of it so I am only recording positive actions. This is really challenging for my personality and hard to wait for the weight loss I want to see...

wish i could help. try to think of your new eating habits as a project. set aside a shopping day every week. take your time and read labels. look for healthier alternatives to the junk food- there are so many whole grain crackers and chips that are healthy and tasty. don't keep things you know you will be tempted by around the house. dancing is great cardio exercise- so time yourself and count that in your diary as aerobic exercise. and do eat foods you actually enjoy. i think we all fail in dieting when we are eating foods we don't like just because its healthy. don't let yourself get hungry- always try to have something every few hours- fruit, yogurt, something low in calories. eating healthier might also help you not to feel so tired too you really can do this take care

It comes down to getting the food under control. I'd recommend purchasing a crock pot for easy one pot meals. Also take a little bit of time on the weekends for food prep. I prep on Monday's but may people prefer Sunday. Cook things that can be used to easily assemble meals during the week. Boil half a dozen eggs for adding to salads or quick breakfast on the go. A pack of chicken breast that can be shredded for salads, slice for for and added to mushrooms & gravy for a faux stroganoff, A pot of pasta or rice. Chop veggies for cooking and snacking, Planning for meals means you don't revert to chips and fast food when you are tired through the week. Planning your snacks means you have something healthy to munch on when you want a snack. The best thing is food prep should only take about an hour once a week. Do not bring anything into the house you can't eat without binging.

The next thing I would advice is try to go for a walk 15 mins a day. That's it. 15 mins. When you get that down pat, add another 10 mins to that walk.

Don't look for quick fixes or miracle rapid weight loss, just focus on gradually incorporating better, healthier habits into your life. Ask yourself, "Can I do or eat like this forever?" Those will be the changes that last.

Everything that everyone else has said, but especially get the crap foods out of the house. If you are at risk for diabetes, so is your son. You need to establish good eating habits for him from the outset. Ditch candy, chips, soda, etc., and use the money saved on those things for other things--a gym membership, workout DVDs, new clothes when you start losing weight and/or toning up.

Last winter I sat on my butt most of the time I wasn't at work, did facebook, watched TV, etc., and completely ignored the gym-quality elliptical located in the same part of the house as our home theatre. I don't know if I was depressed, discouraged, if my thyroid levels were so out of whack I didn't have the energy or what, but there was no reason why I couldn't have spent even a half hour each night on the elliptical watching the same crap TV, or doing yoga with the Wii Fit to guide me.

Set a realistic goal to start some sort of exercise--even if it's 15 minutes 4 days a week to get you in the habit. You can do it, you just need to decide that it is an important part of your life going forward.