Hi there. My name is Brenda, I'm 26 years old, and I weigh about 285. Five years ago I weighed roughly 135 and have really packed on the pounds. I would love to be back to my old self, but more importantly, I just want to feel healthier. You can really feel your body working harder to do the normal things in life....like walking even a mile, your energy level and overall health.

So, whomever reads this, I am looking for advice. I'm not afraid of exercise, I'm not afraid of eating healthy, I just don't know how to tell myself to not over eat.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all your help!

Brenda

Welcome, Brendabel!

You have found a great place for support!

If you haven't done so already, you may want to start by checking in with your doctor just to see how you are medically and if there are certain types of food that you need to cut out completely (gluten, sugar etc.) You might also want to talk to your doctor about what type of exercise would be best for you. I started at about the same weight, was doing yoga, and injured my knees.

There is a lot of diet information on this website in the section titled Diet Central. There is exercise information on the section titled Fitness.

I recommend that you set small goals for yourself. In the past I always felt that I had so much weight to lose that I would just give up. Now I set smaller goals for myself and it feels less overwhelming.

We are all here to cheer you on! Best wishes in reaching your goals!

Brenda!

I don't know if there is one answer to your question, or if it perhaps varies depending on what someone needs to hear. For me, I had to want to lose weight badly enough that over-eating didn't hold power over me.

- Another strategy folks use is to become really interested in their weight loss efforts. They might start experimenting with new foods and foods in new combinations, try out recipes, learn substitutions, and overall become really excited about the food they eat so it becomes easier to eat that food as opposed to undesired things.

- Planning can also play a huge part in moderating food intake. This still requires commitment to stick to the plan, but it certainly takes away some of the stress and temptation of eating anything and everything that strikes our fancy.

- It takes time to teach ourselves to eat moderately and to treat food as fuel and nutrition rather than a source of happiness, comfort, unyielding pleasure, etc.

- For those of us who eat emotionally, addressing our emotions and finding other, effective ways to cope with them is also paramount.

- Making sure you are hydrated. Apparently the brain can mistake thirst cues for hunger cues.

- Eating regularly will probably keep your body more inclined to stay on schedule because it begins to trust a meal IS coming.

These are just some ideas. Feel free to start a thread, browse around, and see what other folks have said or will say. The maintenance sub-forum as well as the goal sub-forums can be great places to browse through. Oftentimes, folks will share what's worked for them.

Good luck! You can do this!