[beanunit]

Hello!
My name is Jen - I hope everyone is doing well and it's nice to meet you

I'm new to 3FC and I just turned 28.
I quit smoking 2 years ago and dealing with the inevitable weight gain has extremely difficult for me and I can't seem to lose it so far.

I'm so sick of being overweight, but I just don't know where to turn.
I keep falling off the bandwagon and I can't seem to stick to anything. Probably because I am not letting myself eat anything "bad" when I diet and I end up binging on months on end after awhile. Or maybe because the only time I have the time to exercise is before the sun comes up and I can't seem to get myself out of bed.

I'm so lost and overwhelmed by sifting through the flurry of all the "this diet" and "that plan" and all the nonsense that's being thrown at me by the weight loss industry. I just want to do something that works and I really need something structured because I feel like I'm just guessing.

Can anyone that has found themselves in similar situation and/or mind state lead me in any direction that might help!?

Thanks in advance!

[NEMom]

Welcome. Here is my 2 cents of advice regarding a food plan to follow. Number one you need to find a food plan that works in your lifestyle and you can follow long term. I chose calorie counting, it is free, there are a ton of free apps out there to help you track your food and it is flexible. It allows me to have basically what I want as long as it fits into my calorie range for the day.
You can google "How many calories should I eat to lose weight" This will bring up a calorie calculators to input your stats and get a calorie range for you to stay within to lose weight.
Drink lots of water, cut out most if not all sugary drinks. Break your weight loss down to mini goals. This will make you feel good about yourself when you reach them.
Fit in some exercise when you can. When I first started my journey, I would promise myself, tonight when I get home for work, I will exercise but either something came up or I was too tired and then the guilt cycle began. I finally decided that I was worth the extra effort to get up an hour early to get my exercise in. It has not been easy but I feel very good physically and emotionally for making this commitment.
Lastly, DO NOT GIVE UP. No one is perfect, if you have an off day, and off week, do not let this be a reason that you totally give up the journey. Get back on plan the next meal.
Losing weight is hard work but it is doable and I know you CAN DO IT!

[luckymommy]

I feel for you! I also often have to workout before the crack of dawn. The best strategy is to set your alarm and have all the clothes waiting for you. Everything. That way, you put it all on before you have a chance to give it much thought. I promise myself that if I can just go and do 20 minutes of easy sweating, that's great but once there, I always do more. Always. I lie to myself, but it's for a good cause.

If I don't workout, I can't stick to any food plan so I hope you can get yourself to workout. I really think it helps with the mental aspect of weight loss. You got some great advice from NEMom. I also love calorie counting. It's annoying sometimes but the results are really worthwhile.

Sometimes, you gotta just take it one day at a time. For me, if I can have one very good day, it sets me up for a very good pattern. You can do anything for one day, so commit. Motivation comes and goes, but dedication and commitment are what get the job done. You can DO this!!!

[beanunit]

Thank you so much for the advice and encouragement! I look forward to getting to know everyone better on these forums!

[Misti in Seattle]

Hi Jen. I see you have gotten some good advice already, and I am sure as you develop what works best for you, will adjust to it. We are all just in a process and for sure none of us has it down perfect but we're all here giving it our best shot and learning from one another. I look forward to getting to know you