General Diet Plans and Questions - Where do I start?

I've been on this website now for about a week. Yet, I was good the first day joined...then I got lazy and stopped again. I don't know how to not do that. I don't know how to start and stick with it. I'd like to elimenate pork and beef from my diet, but I really like bacon and my mom made lts the other night. I'm only 18 so I live at home and my mom cooks all of my meals. After paying for car insurance and my phone bill and buying gas, I really don't have much money left to buy anything like food products that I could make as an alternative to what my mom makes, plus she puts a lot of work in to her dinners, and I feel like if I take less I'd be judged because I always take a lot. I'd oove to coompletely take meat out of my diet all together because I really want to be a vegetarian. I just I don't know where to start. If I could just you know, learn a good habit, I'd be great. My only issue is that I over eat. I feel like I wouldn't even have to try that hard to lose weight if I could just learn to control my eating.

I was told that when I was younger, that I didn't like anything. I didn't like ice cream, or candy, nothing. I was super skinny, so skinny that you could see my ribs. I don't necessarily want to be that little, but I'd really love it if I was small enough that I could fit in a carnival ride seat. I just had the misfortune this year, to attempt to get on a ride and not fit on the rides seat. That was incredibly embarrassing, and it was a ride that I fit in less than five years ago. I don't feel like I have any body to talk to about this because my sister got the surgery and my mom won't help me get the surgery and I'm too shy to talk to people by myself, especially when it comes to something like my weight. I'm going to Florida this summer with my step sisters, my sisters friend, who also got the gastric bypass surgery and my sister, and my mom and step dad. His daughters are all thin, by then, my sister and her friend are sure to be even more thin than they are now. I don't want to be the beached whale of the group.

I guess I'm venting along with asking for help. I really need help. I don't even know where to start. All that I know, is that I don't want to be fat anymore! I don't want to wear a size 22/20 pants, I'd much rather be a 10 or less. I just don't know how to start, how to stay motivated, how not to overeat, how to have will power. How to exercise because I'm lazy.

To anybody who made it this far (the end of my thing) thank you for listening :) This girl could really use some advice.

Hiya Sunshine :-)

Im relatively new to 'dieting' and like you, i dont really want to divulge the fact that im cutting back and trying to lose weight, partly in case i fail and get the 'i told you sos' but also because its a very personal thing, and i get embarrassed talking about weight issues with anyone.

The plan im following is slimming world. You have a massive variety of 'free foods' of which you can eat as much as you like until you feel satisfied. This was vital to me because i hated the thought of being hungry. The free foods are also most likely the things your mom would cook (without the fat) so im sure if you had a word with her about your plans she could maybe grill your bacon instead of fry it, not add butter to your mash etc, or you could even join in with the cooking, putting your self a healtheir version of what everyone else is eating.

Another reason i like this plan is the weekly meetings. A room full of strangers in the same situation are surprisingly easy to talk to, as your all in the same boat and have similar issues etc. There is also the fact that you are weighed weekly and so are accountable for your losses. Nobody judges if you dont lose/stay the same, but offer tips and advice for any struggles you may have. I ve found its the only place i can be really brutally honest about my eating patterns, feelings and goals. They also have a 'green plan' for veggies.

As for exercise, iv heard that walking is the easiest to start off with. try google maps to plan a small route of your local area, that way you know where your going, and how far you have walked. Build up as and when you feel ready.

Im not saying that slimming world is definately for you, as everyone is different, but for me, having (realistic) guidlines on what i can and cant eat, having different people to share stories and tips with, and a place to go, away from normal family life has been fantastic.

Good luck on your journey, you sound very motivated and strong, and im sure you will succeed, whichever plan you chose. x

BIG HUGS...The good thing is that you're young and want to change. I'm 38 and just making the decision. Trust me, it's harder when you get older.

Look around the 3FC site. There are some great people following really great plans. Learn about them and find out what's best for you.

I'm a calorie counter (I've gone from a 22/24 to a snug 16 and still going). I eat almost anything I want but I'm very careful on how much I eat. 5 cookies became 1 cookie a day. With exercise, its worked for me.

There are others that have followed amazing plans that don't take a lot of money. Carb counting may work better for you. There are other plans as well.

Good luck honey. I'm cheering you on.

Calorie counting is FREE and you can eat pretty much any foods (though I'm a fan of whole foods). If you'd like to try it, a good place to start is by using a website to find out how much you should be eating, tracking how much you are eating (including your mom's dinners) and going from there.

Once you know how much you're taking in and how much you should be taking in, you can modify your portion sizes. I often eat with others and I have no shame in taking out my measuring cup and measuring 1/2 cup of rice, or weighing my meat/cheese, etc.

You can do this!! It takes a little work to get started, but you'd get used to it in no time. :carrot: