I'm new and I need support. Any help would be appreciated
 

My name is Melissa Lou and I weigh 185 pounds and I am 5'8". I have tried dieting, exercising and changing my life too many time to count, and every time I failed. I am so tired of failing. One thing that I am lacking more than anything is support. I have some family support but it only
goes so far when you open the fridge and see all the food you're trying to avoid! So I am asking for support, someone to hold me accountable, and to help me :) I think that's what most of us are looking for. :)

Hey welcome :)

You need support and motivation? You came to the right place!

When I started my weight-loss journey, I really struggled and almost gave up after a week. But then I found this forum and I felt...well...(for the lack of better word) supported. It's different when an advice comes from someone who's in the same boat as you. Other people will just tell you "lose weight. Stop eating. Do this, do that etc." when they've never really done any of what they just said.

Anyway...when I feel like giving up, a quick trip to the Goal! forum always gets me back on track. You should check it out too :)

Hello and Welcome! Looks like you and I are at very similar starting points :) I can tell you that this forum is great support and helps you stay accountable. I came running back after I gained the 35 pounds I lost last year back! :(

Hello and welcome!!! Congrats on taking this step to start this journey. It's not easy but you can definitely do it if you stay committed. 3FC is great for this. Join a challenge or an accountability thread, anything, to stay committed.

One thing that really helped me when I got started was planning ahead. I decided my meals ahead of time, and had a plan for what I was going to eat in advance for breakfast, lunch and dinner and any possible snacks. That meant that even though I was tempted by other foods around, they weren't "for me." I'm also a calorie counter so I suppose if there's something I particularly really want, I could build it in for another day. Just stick with it. Give yourself a week with being on plan, then a month, then three months and before you know it, you'll be rocking this. You'll see. You don't have to be perfect every meal, you just have to keep on keeping on and taking each minute as an opportunity to make a healthy decision.

Believe that you will succeed this time and definitely stick around!

Welcome!!

You say your family is supportive, yet all this tempting food is at your house. Would the household in general be interested in joining you in a "getting healthy" change?

If not, my heart goes out to you! It is so hard to NOT eat the yummies that are right in front of you. But I'll tell you, once you find the right mindset, you CAN do it! What worked for me was focusing on what nutrients a certain food was giving my body. I focused on getting a lot of fiber and protein (while still being careful to avoid lots of fats and calories). I didn't count calories so much, just more aware of them. I made sure to check nutrition labels and make sure I wasn't being fooled by some high fiber, ridiculously high sugar content food. Once I found the things I liked for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I just stuck with them rather than finding new stuff ALL the time. If a food did NOTHING for me, I wouldn't eat it.

Also, "no thanks" became my first response to anything offered to me. I wouldn't even give myself time to consider if I did want it, I just said no. And then I was too embarrassed to go back and say "yes, please, the fat girl in my would LOVE a bite of your cake", so that food became less tempting. Even when going out in bars, I got over myself and just asked for water.

With those changes (and exercise!), I lost 30 lbs in 6 months. And believe me, after 24 years of having the same habits, if I can change, so can you!! Keep coming here for support and tips!

I completely understand not eating unhealthy food lying around the house!!! It takes willpower for sure. I'm just starting out so struggling every day. We can do it!!! I really like looking at the goal forum, it helps me!

Welcome! I know what its like trying to stick to a plan when there's unhealthy food in the house. I started my weightloss journey in May, but didn't move into my dorm until August, so I had all that time of being tempted by the rest of my family's snack foods!

Luckily now I have my roommate (and twin sister!) dieting with me, and our friend who we'll be getting an apartment with eats (mostly) vegetarian. Its all about surrounding yourself with people who will either diet with you or support your efforts, and if you ever need someone, this is certainly the place to come. We'll be more than happy to warn you off that cake ;)

Hello and :welcome2: You've come to the right place for support! All of us here understand because we are facing the same thing!! So just climb right up here on the wagon with us!