[3FCer344892]

I've just turned 23 last month, and have been trying to lose weight all of my life, but most days I just don't have any energy or motivation. I have ballooned to a monstrous 226 lbs! For my short stature... well, it's just not good. I barely ever have self confidence, and am sure that would change if I could just start losing weight. I have a wonderful husband, and a loving family, but somehow, I still don't have the motivation. I'm just hoping coming to a forum like this one will help.

One of my biggest problems (besides the motivation) is eating. I can put away a LOT of grub, and I have the worst sweet tooth EVER. Also, my husband and I don't have much of a grocery budget (food stamps). I don't have a problem with healthy food, I just can't afford it.

[cheerios]

hi! i been saying i will lose weight since i was in highschool and it just never happened till i joined this site and actually pushed myself. I think you just have to have the right mind set and to be actually prepared for this and actually be dedicated ...you can do it..trust me! i don't have yahoo messenger but i do have aim and msn you can try to contact me with one of those if you want too just leave a message here so i can exchnage my info with you

[3FCer344892]

Alright. That sounds nice.

[merrie]

I am new to 3FC and I've been heavy most of my life. I know that you can eat healthy even on food stamps because we are doing that right now. One example is that a gallon of skim milk costs the same as a gallon of whole milk, but the skim milk has no fat. Oatmeal is very cheap and is a good source of carbohydrates and fiber. Vegetables and fruits that are in season are usually cheaper. When you reduce your portion sizes, you'll be eating less, so your money will go farther. Almost all types of beans are very cheap protein sources, and are virtually fat-free (just go easy on the meat you add for seasoning). One of the most important decisions we made is to quit buying all soft drinks and snack foods, and concentrate on drinking lots of water, eating almost no sugar, and cutting down on salt. It's amazing what you can afford when you choose to skip entire aisles in the grocery store and spend more of your money in the produce aisle! Good luck to you!

[randomcards]

Welcome,

There's actually a new sub-forum on here specifically about eating healthy on a shoestring...

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/shoestring-meals-235/

While eating is a bigger part of the weight loss picture than exercise, personally I found exercise to be huge, because once I started working out, it drastically increased my energy level. It made me want to eat better because of how hard I had worked out etc.

So that was probably the biggest way I helped with my energy and motivation problems when I started.

Good luck and welcome!

[3FCer344892]

Thanks for the advice. I need to get out of eating premade dinners. I also eat way too much cheese, which is a bad temptation of mine. Actually, my husband and I usually buy frozen vegetables because the produce here is very expensive. It's like over a dollar for one piece of fruit, and with the frozen vegetables you can get them for 10/10.

[RLR]

Welcome! I'm new too.
Well, I have to say, losing weight and form a healthy lifestyle at your age is much easier than 10 years later. Eating healthily doesn't need more money if you don't go all the way to organic, but just need more attention and time to prepare and plan.

[cheerios]

hey girl what else do you use besides yahoo messenger?

[carlee86]

I'm in the same boat! I'm 23....shoe string budget and I'm trying to kick myself in gear...but it's hard to kick my mom into gear too...(she's sick...I'm staying home to help her)

I have yahoo..if you want to chat...shoot me a message