I'm not sure what to do...

I have a bodymedia fit which helped me tremendously ...
i TRY to eat lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts/seeds, whole grain.... workout 5-6 days/week.... tons of water.. log everything. .. its works for most people, but you gotta figure out what works for you!

I agree with seeing a physician first. Mine referred me to a Registered Dietician and she finally got me on the right path after many failed attempts on my own.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Congrats on your decision to get healthy! It's tough, but if you look around MFP, you will find many people who have successfully lost weight and kept if off. I think a good place to start would be to look at the success stories. They are very inspirational and they usually tell you what worked for them..
Next, log your food, all your food, even if you've had a bad day.
Make friends who log every day and will support you! I think it's easier that way.
Good luck! You can do it.
PS I'm not where I want to be, but I started at 230 and I have kept off at least 40-50 of that for about 8 years (I'm usually about 175-180). Now I'm trying to get down to about 140.

Read everything you can get your hands on about healthy eating.

Changing your bad habits and creating good habits. Drink plenty of water.

Healthy eating with exercise is the key. There is no magic diet, pill, surgery, etc.

Good luck and we're all here to help.

Welll to start.....STAY on this site. Always log your calories no matter HOW bad you ate that day and be very honest adding the calories. You've made the first step which is acknowedging that you need help and encouragement. This is a great site for that. God Speed to you.....be prepared for a long, frustrating road that's worth the journey!

There are great recipes at www.skinnytaste.com. All nutritional information is listed. Check it out.

I want to stress how important the suggestion you are getting about going to the Dr first is. It is vital that you have some blood work done and then talk to your doctor about recommending a nutritionist for you.

In mean time, start reading labels and inputting what you eat in your food diary.

Good luck and I am so glad you are here. You will never EVER regret getting healthy.

There are great recipes at www.skinnytaste.com. All nutritional information is listed. Check it out.

I LOVE this site..I even tweak them down more and put them in "my recipes"..on MFP...I lost 90 pounds in 6 months, then lost another 6 pounds over the following 2 months..(after a back injury) it CAN be done!! There are many others here who have last far more weight than I have.

I have been maintaing since late aug 2011

Just my opinion, but here's what I've found out in the last few months:

Weigh everything. Don't estimate. I would advise investing in a good set of scales.

Always double check your information. Sometimes, items that you scan with your phone have inaccurate information.

Log all that you eat. Even if you're having an 'off' day. If you don't log it, you're only cheating yourself.

Don't weigh yourself too often. Once a week is just fine. You're weight will fluctuate throughout the week due to varying factors, especially water retention.

Don't panic if you don't lose a lot of weight at once. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

Eat enough. Eating too little is as bad as eating too much.

Don't be afraid to have the odd treat. You don't have to cut out chocolate or doughnuts forever. I don't!

Good luck :flowerforyou:

I have been on here for over a year and took a 6 month break in between. This site was my biggest influence. It helped knowing what I eat every day and it got me excited when I logged my exercise to see what I had accomplished. The motivation from others is great. One of the things I know that helped me lose weight before is my exercise bike. Since I was really out of shape, it was easier on my joints and I got up to 17-20 miles up and down hill daily burning anywhere from 700-1000 calories. I also got rid of all the sugar and trigger foods (foods that I usually binge on). I also got used to cooking more instead of caving in and going out to eat. Going out to eat was my biggest downfall.

First, good for you!! Genetics can be greatly overcome by lifestyle changes!
Now, my advice based on what worked for me:
1. plan, plan, plan! Plan your schedule with workouts like any other appointments. Plan your meals and prepare as much in advance as you can to avoid the "gotta eat right now" poor choices. Plan ahead on how to stand up to the obstacles you know will come your way.
2. Set small measureable goals, like "work out 4 hours this week" and "lose 8 lbs by ___" and "fit into those pants again." It's not all about the scale, especially when you drop fat and add muscle.
3. Weigh & measure EVERYTHING you eat! I had a distorted idea of what a "portion" really was
4. Use MFP (my fitness pal) to log every single thing you eat. I was amazed at how many calories I was eating a day. Explained a lot of weight gain!
5. Include cardio and strength training (weight lifting) both. When you do cardio, push until you gasp and sweat, even if it's just for 30 seconds at a time, and mix it with less intense cardio. Keep your body guessing. Push yourself and you'll do more than you think you are capable of. You will NOT become bulked up with weights unless you deliberately train at competition-levels.
6. Log into the MFP community and read posts, blogs, etc. Join a group. Friend people on the same journey.
7. TAKE YOUR BEFORE PHOTOS & MEASUREMENTS! Yeah, it sucks to see yourself in a 2-piece bathing suit. It's demoralilzing and scarey. Just do it. Use your own camera and mirror to get a full-body shot if you don't want anyone else to see you. Post this photo into your MFP profile--you DON'T have to use it for your profile pic unless you want to. You've gotta know where you're starting from or you can't measure your progress. It helps a lot when you haven't lost as much weight as you wanted, to see that you lost inches from your waist and etc.
8. DON'T STOP! this is for the rest of your life, not just for a little while. Every little bit adds up. Take the stairs. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Walk whenever you can. Stand up to work if you can. Find active things you enjoy doing. You get the idea.
9. Respect yourself every day for what you are doing to help yourself and your future.!