[enchantress62]

There was a time that I was very athletic. I had a routine that involved jogging 7 miles before work in the morning then swimming 3 miles when I came home. I was 26 years old, 5'11", and weighted 156 lbs on the day I climbing out of the deep end of a pool and the ladder broke. I slipped 3 discs in my back. I was in the hospital for 8 days and it took a year of physical therapy to walk right again. Depression set in and I began to gain weight. That was 28 years ago and over the years I've tried many diets, joined many gyms, and followed every weight loss fad that came my way... Yesterday at my doctor's office I got on the scale and weighted 350 lbs. I'm 54 years old now, have diabetes and sleep apnea. Every time I try to lose weight I wind up gaining back whatever I loose and then some. Honestly I'm admitting that I have no clue how to begin to change things. So there you have it. That's why I'm here. I've stopped believing that there is a magic pill, potion, or process that will make me whole again. Now I just want a new perspective.

[JulesMarion]

The best thing you can do is to start by looking at what is going into your body. I use an app called MyNetDiary and it can scan barcodes and easily logs food. I purchased a small food scale from Amazon ($15) and I started there. Weighing food gives you more accuracy as to how calorie dense your food is. Once you see how much you're eating you can begin to make substitutions. Being active is a small part of your overall health, but small steps like parking farther away at stores and walking more are great ways to get started! I purchased a used elliptical a year ago and have used that until it broke this morning, but all that to say - your health is 80% what you eat and 20% how active you are. Start with what you eat and work from there! You can do it!

[Keika]

I'm so sorry that happened to you! We're all here for support. I hope that joining this forum is just the first step towards where you want to be, and where you're most comfortable.

I second JulesMarion--start with your food. You lose a lot more weight from eating less than you do by burning it off. This is going to be a lifestyle change, not a "diet," so start eliminating or reducing foods that you are okay with eating less of permanently. Over time, if you stick to it, your cravings will diminish, and you'll find yourself okay with eliminating or reducing other foods. That's how it worked out for me, anyway.

Keep your chin up! No need to get down on yourself. Just keep moving, and eventually the light will show up at the end of that tunnel!

[mjf]

The most important thing that you need to do to lose weight is focusing on the quality of the foods that you eat. I think the most common mistake people make is only focusing on cutting calories but without eating healthy. There is no magic pill. Your entire diet needs to be good, and you need to continue eating healthy for the rest of your life.

The majority of your diet should be vegetables, protein (e.g. eggs, fish, lean meats), and whole grains (e.g. brown rice, quinoa). You can also eat foods like fruits, nuts, beans, and greek yogurt (and probably some others that I'm forgetting). You should avoid foods with added sugar, refined carbs, fried foods, and highly-processed foods.

If you find it difficult to eat a perfect diet then try to improve your diet gradually and soon it'll get easier.

[enchantress62]

Thank you all for the advice. Since creating this post I've been doing a lot of research and you all are right. Diet is really important which is more of a challenge then the exercise. 30+ years of eating whatever you want whenever you want is hard to get past and believe me what I want to eat is not healthy. Still I'm on a mission to change things for good and so I'm not going to rush into spending gobs of money or following fads. I'm working with my doctor and have started to explore healthier eating options. I also learned that there is a fitness pool right across the street from where I live so I can exercise without hurting myself. I downloaded an app on my phone which helps me calculate, carbs, meds., and exercise. And of course I joined this group for the support. Looking forward to sharing the changes as they happen. Thank you all for being here.