[Tai]

Definitely start now. You'll be so pleased with your progress come January 1st. There is a lot of support here to help you navigate through the holidays and upcoming events like weddings, birthdays and exams.

[krampus]

Quit making excuses and start now. Make it a priority. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll adjust to a healthy lifestyle and lose the weight. According to your numbers you want to lose over half your current body weight - healthy weight loss happens slowly and it will be a long process, so don't put it off! Set aside 30-60 minutes a day to go for a walk (make sure you wear earmuffs) or do aerobics indoors.

It won't be easy but it is possible - read the Goals section on here for tons of living proof!

[AmandaMamma]

Something changed in me when I started. There was no time for more excuses. Now a mere month in I'm angry I've wasted so much time.

[ChicoryCat]

Another good reason to start now - your feelings of success will help you make smart choices when faced with challenges as you celebrate with others.

Remember this over the holidays when you need to say "no thank you" - a lot of the celebratory food really isn't that great anyway. For instance: many of the decorated grocery store cookies! And dinner rolls can be a real let down, too. Some of the "sacrifices" aren't really sacrifices at all!

[Shytowngal]

Start now! You will be SO happy when the holidays are over and you have lost (even if it is a little bit) rather than have gained!

Have you decided on a certain plan yet? Also, are you hosting the holidays, or can you bring some healthy dishes along with you?

You can do this!!!

[rockinrobin]

Any one see a pattern here?

Not one person has said, "yeah, push it off".

Umm, yeah, no kidding. Of course this is hindsight on my part, but I do look back and think how in the world did I ever think it was even okay to NOT eat well and take care of my body. How??? Holidays, parties, stress, whatever. This is my body. MY BODY! And it needs to be given the best - 24/7/365.

If you want to be you best, you'll have to do your best.

Start now. Now. Please I urge you to.

And please don't dread these changes that must occur. Be excited about them. Eating well is nothing to fear and loathe. OVEReating is what's to fear and loathe. Remaining super morbidly obese is what's to fear and loathe.

Adhering to a healthy lifestyle is no prison sentence (again remaining overweight is), it's a key to freedom. A key that will unlock more doors that you can possibly imagine, one's you didn't even know were closed.

Change your habits; change and transform your life. Don't put off your good health.

[hhichick]

Yep, to echo the others . . . start now. Today. Right this minute. Even if you already had a big breakfast, the best time to start regaining your health is right now.

The problem with putting it off is that birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving will come every year. So will weddings, funerals, illness, and other forms of stress, good and bad.

Yesterday was my birthday. My second since I started calorie counting on October 31, 2009. My calorie count came in at just under 1700 for the day and it included many of my favorite foods! I had a wonderful day. I truly didn't miss out on anything . . . and I did an 8 mile long run with the dog on the beach, which is a pretty wonderful present to myself.

[time2lose]

I just want to echo "Start now." Like the other posters have said, there is never a good time to start, so just start. A year from now, you will be glad you did. You can go into the holidays of 2011 a very different person if you start now!

[caryesings]

Originally Posted by seagirl

Why not put off other stuff until after the holidays?

You don't have time to sit around, that can wait until after the holidays - for now, go for a walk every single day.

Put off feeling bad about what you are eating, and waking up the next day thinking "what did I eat yesterday?" (I can't be the only one who used to do that.

Put off putting your needs second. People are expecting you to the be the same old person, but make the changes you need to make and put off worrying what they'll think until after the New Year.

Put off allowing what you feel to dictate what you do. Stressed? So. How does eating junk make it better? Don't want to go for a walk or take 15 minutes a day to plan your meals? So what, you know it's better for you so do it even if you are too "busy" (hint, no body is that busy) or don't feel like it.

Put off making excuses. How do these things "my fathers birthday, mid terms, thanksgiving, Christmas, my best friend getting married" have any relation whatsoever to you not putting yourself first and doing what you need to do to be healthy??

Don't even wait until tomorrow. Do something right now to start turning the ship around. Then do another thing, then another. And keep doing things that are going to get that ship pointing in the right direction.

And rock on with your bad self!

I love your attitude!

[elisaannh]

I think you have already answered your own question. You know the stresses and feel you most likely will not be able to add the stress of dieting on top of it.

Have you considered just eating as lightly as you can, without dieting or bingeing?

Another idea - instead of starting with a specific diet, why not just monitor your eating without any restrictions? Get a small note book and jot down what you eat each day and the approximate amount. Add a starting weight and an ending weight (right before you start your diet). Nothing more than that. Later, when you are ready to choose your plan, you will have an idea of what you have eaten during the holidays and how and what to change for the weight loss diet. It will also help next year, when you have a realistic picture of what you truly ate the year before and how to change that too.