Well like the post says I am a newbie and I don't really know where to get started. I guess I'll get started here by saying a little about myself.
I am a 22 year old mother of a 6 month old daughter. I am about 5'6 (well 5.5 if it matters). Right after I found out I was pregnant I weighed 301 (or so). During pregnancy I lost weight down to 285 or so and then started gaining (rather) rapidly eventually getting up to 350, maybe even more at the end I stopped watching. Since having her my body has taken me down to 310 and thats where I'm hovering. But I can't truly complain because I haven't had to work at it. I work part time right now - some weeks 15 hours some weeks 25 or more it all just depends. I also go to college full time so during the school year I have a lot to handle. Baby, House, Husband, School, Work, Life! It is all so much to do. This brings me to this week.
I really want to lose weight and I have the motivation to do it. Well I had the motivation right before I found out I was pregnant but once I got the positive I had to put that on hold. So here I am a year later ready to try. I would have started back after I had her but with school and work and everything at home there was basically no way I could start something new and have been very successful.
My husband and I go for ease when it comes to cooking. Fast food/take out has been a huge part of our diet (or lack thereof) for the past year and then some. Now that we have no money we don't eat out as much but sometimes its still once or twice a week, which is reasonable in my opinion. We eat a lot of convenience foods like hamburger, chicken, and tuna helper, frozen pizza, cereal (sugary kinds normally) have been an important part of my life forever, salad occasionally but drenched in fatty dressings, sandwiches, chips, and lovely soda. Our main problem is portion control and not having a rounded out meal. Instead of rounding out a meal like mac n cheese with a veggie, fruit and a meat we'll just split the box in half so we're each getting way more than one serving. If we eat a frozen pizza we each have our own, and again nothing to round it out.
I have asked my husband to try to lose weight with me but he's convinced he can't lose weight by eating healthier. He is around 6 ft tall, 300 pounds and a size 44 waist/XXXL shirt, so he can't tell me that there isn't anything to lose there?! Seriously... I guess I'll just start working on myself and then once he see's its working maybe he'll jump in with me.
I really want to try weight watchers but the money is definitely a hinderance. In my opinion me being a healthy, fit person is sooo worth it but i just don't know if DH feels the same way (in regards to the money part). I really wanna do the meetings because I feel like I need people to help me along. What happens when I have a week and gain but feel like I should have lost and I have no one there to talk to about it? I can't really go to him because he won't embark upon a weight loss journey with me, so I don't know that he'll be supportive during those kind of situations. The points system sounds so much easier than counting calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc and my life can get pretty busy so easy is key for me.
I don't know if any of you will even find a question in there but any comments/suggestions/support will be great!
The thing that is at the same time wonderful and challenging about this site is that there are so many forums and so many different approaches to weight loss represented here. It can be a bit overwhelming. I'd try something that seems reasonable to you and tweak it or radically change it if necessary as time goes on and you get more information about what works for you and what your weaknesses are in terms of food. I found some really good guidelines at the Calorie Counters forum. So if there is a particular approach that you've heard about that appeals, learn more about it and give it a shot. There is so much wonderful support and hard-earned wisdom and knowledge on this website.
All that being said what i recommend, and a suggestion you'll see a lot as you browse around, is to start writing down everything you put in your mouth. It's quite eye opening. After doing that for a bit i'd do the formula of figuring out how many calories it takes to sustain your current weight(i found that formula first in the Eating Well Diet book and have seen it since in different places. Try going to the Calorie Counters forum and read the Stickys for some good guidelines if you think your interested in this approach) and aim to cut your calories by 500 a day. For me at 186lbs it's recommended that i eat no more than 1700 calories a day. (Other people do less, but this is what i can manage now and it seems to be working) So now it's probably becoming clear that that is the approach i'm using-counting calories. As i'm discovering fruits and veggies give me more bang for my calories than breads, cheeses, etc. So i'm definitely eating more of them and less of the carbs, even the whole wheat bread, but i'm rambling...
You've come to a great place to find support for yourself on this journey.
Read around, there is so much to learn and be inspired by. WELCOMEWELCOME
playful-Welcome to 3FC!!!! I feel like I read something I had typed just before starting in Feb!!! (all except the baby portion LOL) I too needed something that was easy....something that I wouldn't have to spend extra money on.....DH wasn't really interested.....etc....
What I did to begin with was exactly what Ailey60 said! I wrote down everything I ate....I entended for a week to write things down but after two days I realized I needed to make a change.
I evaluated the kinds of foods I was eating ALOT of......red meat was a large portion of my intake as was Fried Foods.....So I took those two things out completely for starters.....I found other protein sources that were in my house....i.e. Peanut butter, Fat Free Cottage Cheese, turkey, chicken, fish.........the other thing I did was served myself a larger portion of vegies and smaller portion of meat & any pasta or rice.....
I started to see weight loss.........within 2 weeks of DH seeing me lose he asked me to help him.........so I started watching what I served both of us.........we did just this much for a couple of weeks........then I found 3FC and started reading about the different diets......I thought Calorie Counting seemed the easiest & cheapest form for me.....so I looked at The Daily Plate online and figured out how many calories I should be eating then started tracking everything I ate.....
Dh & I talk about our journey...........but for the most part 3FC's girls are my support system!! They are the ones who have taught me about Calorie Counting. every few weeks I add some new aspect to my diet.......ie counting calories.....a bit of exercise.....now I'm working on watching what percentage of fat, protein, carbs I am eating and which combination is best. BUT I did not make all these changes at once!!! I did them as I was interested in making those changes to my plan........and over 4mths time....I've added something about very two weeks or so.....
Yes I've eaten things that were not what I want on my plan.....ie fried foods.......or red meat.........but I have found no desire to gorge on those things like I would before. I have gradually switched over to healthier purchases at the grocery store..........my DH is Italian so the last thing he wanted was Whole wheat pasta........LOL ........but now he loves it.....I just switch completely last month........I tried all the brands one item at a time till he didn't notice the difference.....
So through all my rambling I guess what my advice is....
take your time....change one thing that is the major downfall in your eating.....for me it was eating out (which you stated was your downfall) I stopped eating out.....
started taking responsibility to cook healthier.......anything besides fried fast food was healthier for my body......smaller portions at home....
and drinking water.
Just take it slow.........read around 3FC and grab some tidbits here & there and put together a plan that suites you!
I agree with everything that has been said. My first thing was to give up soft drinks and drink water. Drinking water is the key to weight loss for me.
I try to eat whole foods..and yu will find they are cheaper than eating out. I buy whatever meat is on sale for that week and then get extra to be able to have it the next week.
also eating on a smaller plate has really helped me. I write down everything i eat..I try to limit bread and starchy carbs. I have found that if i eat starchy carbs then i am hungier the rest of the day and even the next day.
Eating out is a challenge and sometimes we blow it( i did yesterday) but then today is a new day and im right back on my diet.
Be sure and take measurements...some weeks i see no weight change but then i will see a big loss of inches.
We are here for you ...chatting in the weekly thread has really been the suport i need. EVeryone there understand...
good luck and glad you are with us
debi
Your diet with hubby sounds a lot like MY diet with my hubby before I lost weight. And, like your hubby, mine really didn't want to change his eating habits!
I was overwhelmed too, so I took baby steps. I work full time, so my first step was to pack my lunch and snacks for work, rather than eating fast food or junk from the vending machine. I also started watching my portions. That's all I did the first month (though I was very dedicated!), and I started losing!
The following month I started calorie counting. Later, I tweaked to start eating healthier!
We cook a lot more at home now. I make my own version of Hamburger Helper. I ditch the box, use Barilla plus pasta, ground turkey instead of beef, and lots of extra veggies. I portion everything out, and we get several meals out of a big pot!
Hubby, BTW, is now on board with eating healthier, though it took MONTHS for that to happen!
I ramped up my exercise in a similar baby-step fashion...
Anyway, it CAN be done, but it IS overwhelming for many of us -- you are not alone!
You're going to love it here, there's so much support and so many tips!
I started the South Beach Diet a week and a half ago and have lost 8 lbs. Stress-free! I'd Weight Watchers for years and lost and gained back the same 30 lbs. There's something about South Beach that makes me have to think less about what I put in my mouth. Maybe it's just me, but there's too much work in WW points system and if you go off-track, it's easy to not lose weight.
This is actually my second time doing South Beach and it's just so much easier for me. I can eat too much but still have a loss because it's not sugar. My body must just turn sugar into A Belly. I recommend that you get a copy of the South Beach Diet at your local library so you can see how healthy it is. The expensive part might look like it's the cost of the fresh veggies. But now that it's Farmer's Market time, you can get veggies cheap! Also, because I'm buying less processed stuff, my grocery bill has gone down alot. It's definitely a healthy plan that your husband would enjoy, too. Who can fuss about steak and burgers? Unless, of course, you vegan!
Good luck in whatever you choose to do and know that we're here for you!
thanks for all the tips ladies. I really appreciate the words of encouragement!I would love to respond individually as well but I'm holding the baby. Be back later though!
Hey there, I invite you to check out my blog (a link is in my signature) , I have lost 111 pounds since Jan 1st of this year so about 5 and a half months and I actually save money while doing it, your eating patterns look a lot like mine before I started this, many of the recipes I now use are posted around on my blog. please show your hubby my page as well because I know that having my wife on board with this weight loss thing has made it much easier. and don't worry its just a blog lol nothing more nothing less, I would also suggest that you start a blog of your own if only for accountability, I know that my blogging has helped me stay on track. if theres anything specific you want to know don't hesitate to shoot me a message. Good luck
Welcome to 3fc, I know that you will find a lot of information and support on this website. Sometimes when I when some extra motivation I will look at the pictures of people that have made goal, that is so inspiring. My bf is pretty much the same way, he doesn't want to eat healthy to lose weight. He started a diet with me on the 1st and has already quit, but wants me to buy junk food, ha! I don't buy junk food anymore, and that is a major thing for me, because if I feel like I need some candy or something I never feel like driving to a store to buy it, so the mood passes. Even if he wont change his lifestyle and eat salads etc you can change the type of food you buy at the grocery store so he can at least eat healthier.
I'm going to second (or third) what others have said.
There are some great calorie counting sites on the net. I'd start with tracking your food choices for a week or so to see where your "triggers" or your weaknesses are.
From there, I would make small changes. Maybe replacing soda with water or cutting out sugar every other day or incorporating a vegetable at every meal. It is hard to make every change at once, so slowly building them into your lifestyle is better.
Have you thought about exercise at all? I didn't see any mention of it. Even small amounts broken up throughout the day are good.
Finally, if you need motivation, maybe one of the challenges would help keep you accountable. Here on the 300+ board we've been playing a "Biggest Loser" competition for the last few weeks. This might help with the weigh-in part you were talking about.
I hope you find some value in the advice given. It is so overwhelming to get started, especially with all the different programs people follow. Good luck!
Newbie and I don't know where to get started...
He is around 6 ft tall, 300 pounds and a size 44 waist/XXXL shirt, so he can't tell me that there isn't anything to lose there?! Seriously... I guess I'll just start working on myself and then once he see's its working maybe he'll jump in with me. 
