Hi there im Sarah, im 27 and a single mom to a beautiful 5 yr old girl, and i have recently tipped the scale at 253 pounds, and 5'9" i wanna get back to my pre pregnancy weight of 142, but i will be happy with 160 or so, i need help and support with getting back on the right track, im going back to school in january to get my nursing degree and feel i need to show patients how to be healthy so i need to get there first, any advice would be greatly appreciated!! i was hoping to lose the weight before summer or atleast a good chunk of it!! please help

Sure we'll help you. Tell us a little more about you. What do you like toeat and do for activity?

Hiya, I think it's a pretty aggressive goal to lose nearly 100 lbs before summer, but you can definitely lose some weight and be well on your way to a healthier, happier you! Welcome!

Welcome to 3FC and good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

There is a woman in my Weight Watchers meeting that had a goal to lose 85 in 1 year and made 100. So I think it is doable, but not easy.

well i am a picky eater, i love my carbs and when i was pregnant with my daughter pizza and pasta was the enemy and still is, lol!! i started a biggest loser challenge at work 4 weeks ago and so far i am down 6 pounds, i have been eating more veggies and i have been eating a lot of fruits and smart ones for lunch and a sensible dinner of protein, but i have a feeling i have already plateaued, i have an exercise bike, but working full time and being a single mom, i just dont have the time to myself, i try to get in atleast 20 mins at nite before bed sometimes i just crash, i was thinking about taking the new quick trim from from GNC but i just dont know, any thoughts or ideas to help me, honestly i would be happy to weight 175 for the rest of my life, im tall and it will balance myself out, but just getting there is the difficult part!!

Hello,

You and I are height buddies! I know how hard it is to get this right, but you WILL. You've come to the right place! It sounds like you're eating better than before, but the sodium in those pre packaged foods will bloat you, so beware of that. I really suggest you keep a food journal and log your calories. It's a bit of a pain, but it will keep you somewhat accountable. You also must find a way to exercise. If you watch t.v., you can do lots of things while you're watching. Invest in a pedometer...they're only a few dollars but will measure how many steps you take a day. 10,000 steps are recommended, but you could at least find out what you do on a regular day and then aim to do a bit more every day. The more you move and the healthier you eat, the more energy you'll have for the workouts. It's kind of like a catch 22, but at first, you'll have to really find a way, even when there doesn't seem to be any energy.

Maybe you and your daughter can find some active things to do together? The idea is to really get moving.

There are some great websites that can also help keep track of your calories. I think a popular one is called FitDay. I have a program on my phone that helps me and i love it because it makes me feel in control.

Take small steps and don't give up...even if you do have a bit of a setback.

Finally, I highly recommend eliminating all artificial sweeteners and sodas, and limiting breads and pastas. There are healthy grains like quinoa that you can include in your diet instead.

Ok, I know I was going to stop, but I just HAD to mention frozen grapes. Every night, I have frozen grapes. One cup is only 60 calories and they take a long time to eat and are yummy!

Best of luck to you!

What you're doing sounds just fine. 6 pounds in 4 weeks is good!

If you're not happy with this, it might be time for you to fine tune or tweak your plan.
As far as food goes ... plug all your foods into an online calculator like fitday.com and see where you're at. If you need help assessing this, just ask!

As far as exercise ... I really wish you'd get on that bike at least five times a week. A walk or game of soccer with the kids once a week wouldn't hurt either.
Do you have a set of dumbells?

Welcome! Good luck on your goals.

Welcome to the group! There is a lot of great advice on the board. You just have to figure out what works best for you!

I do not have a pair of dumbells but i should prolly invest in a pair, i lost an additional pound this week, but i am still not happy with my result, my goal is to atleast lose 2-3 pounds a week!

im gonna try the fitday.com website and the food journal is actually a great idea, thanks for the suggestion! also the pedometer as well, im gonna get one of those, my only problem is that i work in front of a computer all day so moving around most the day is not an option but i have been getting to work early in the mornings and walking around the building for 20 mins has really gotten my energy level up and i feel motivated for the rest of the day!

i totally cut out soda for the past 4 weeks and i dont drink alcohol at all, which is great, and i know suck down a gallon of water a day! is there any other things i should be doing to help me get back on track? thanks for all the help and suggestions so far, and looking forward to helping each any everyone on their weight lost journey as well!!

Please don't put yourself under time pressure to lose weight. As long as you are losing, on average, over time, you are doing great!!!

You might be interested to hear that a lot of us are more comfortable with health care professionals who can relate to our problems. My primary doctor is an overly fit life-long jogger, and I'd rather have a woman with weight management issues, but it is hard to switch primaries these days. So please don't worry if you are still a "work in progress" by the time you start your new career. When you reach your goals, please keep a few "before" pictures around so that folks feel like you can understand where they are coming from.

I second the food journal idea. It's amazing how easy it is to slip up if you don't take this simple measure. Studies have shown a strong association between journaling food and weight loss.

The only other suggestion I have is maybe look for more creative ways to work in more exercise? It sounds like you are doing well. Good luck!!!