Hey guys! I've started and stopped this journey more times than I can count (I know I'm not alone in that though) and this bad habit has finally taken me over 300 pounds. I was doing pretty well as far as sticking to it goes a few months back but then some personal issues got in the way and I gave up. When I stepped on the scale and saw 310... wow, I don't think I'll ever forget that. I know I haven't been in the 300's long, but I've been very close to it for a very very long time (hovering around and above 285) and well let's just say that finally getting there and then some was a real wake up call. I remember I would always latch onto the fact that I wasn't quite there yet so it was okay (painfully obvious denial) but now I've not only gotten there but surpassed it! I've got hypothyroidism but I'm determined to work with it instead of using it as an excuse. I'm completely ready to make a lifestyle change and shed these pounds once and for all, while also straightening out the things in my personal life that pushed me off track in the first place. Anyways, sorry for the long post, but I'm so thrilled to jump back into these wonderful forums! Hello everyone!

Edit: Forgot to mention my age, I'm 19 - 300+ at that age, yikes I know.

Welcome and good luck !

Thank you!
Congrats on your success, inspiring!

Welcome! I wish you well on your journey. What kind of plan do you havr for meals and exercise?

Thank you! I haven't got much of a plan for my diet yet - I can't really afford any kind of program so I think I'll probably just stick to making better choices (fruits and veggies in lieu of junk food, water instead of soda, etc) and use a food journal, maybe calorie counting too. For exercise, I think I'm gonna do my Biggest Loser: Boot Camp dvd, but I'm sure I'll end up doing lots of walking instead because of the beautiful weather

Welcome missjean, and congratulations on starting your new diet and exercise lifestyle! It sounds like you have a solid foundation with which to work. We'll be right here with you, so post if you need to vent and definitely let us know about your accomplishments!

Thank you so much! It's not easy, but I'm determined to make this be the last start. Congrats on your success so far, keep up the good work!

Jean-
Sounds like we are singing the same song!! Welcome back!

Hey Kate, thank you! Wow, that's kind of amazing haha. Do you have any plans yet?

Jean-

I am in the VERY EARLY stages preparing for WLS. Currently I am counting calories. My dietician said between 1500-1700 calories a day, 8 ounces of non caffinated sugar free liquid, (so not JUST water).

At the curret time excerise is on hold. I will be having knee surgery on July 16th, then I gotta get a program started.

Basically I am eat lean meats, lots of veggies and fruit. I started on July 5th. My home scale is not working so I am waiting to go back to doc to weigh in.

I have lost significan't amounts of weight 5 times in my life. By significant I meant 75 pounds or more and each time I would gain back what I lost plus more. I can't do that to my body any longer. Ideally I would LOVE to get to 150, in reality if i could get to 175 and maintain that, I would extatic!

That's awesome! I really wish I could get WLS, but my insurance will make me jump through hoops for like a year first, so I figure I might as well try it on my own for the time being, I've seen people accomplish some crazy things in that much time!

Knee problems are the absolute worst - hope the surgery goes well!

Funny, my home scale is also broken! Thought it was a battery problem, but I went out and got brand new ones and the thing still didn't turn on. So lame.

I've never lost a significant amount of weight before, so fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it I guess) yo-yoing has never been my problem. But at least you know you're capable of taking it off! Yeah I agree, I'd love 150, but honestly I'm sure I'll fall apart and cry with happiness whenever I get to 199, so we'll see haha.

So I'm doing weight watchers from home. you can follow the plan without paying for membership and going to meetings and weigh-ins. It's easy to do and I love it! Good luck!

Hey there! It's nice to see some young people here too I'm 18, and I have really realized lately that we have so much of life ahead of us! And that we can do it just do your best and your efforts will be rewarded! Good luck hon!

Chubbygirl253 - Really? I thought you had to buy a lot of materials and stuff to follow the plan, I'll definitely look into that. Congrats on the 10lbs, so far so good!

KatieBug - Sometimes I feel a little out of place here because our age group is kind of the minority, so yeah it's great to see that I'm not alone! I know exactly what you mean, that's kind of the reason I'm ready to try so hard and finally make it happen now. I don't think I've ever read a success story from an older person that didn't mention how they wish they'd done it years ago. Since I feel like that already, I know I can't put it off any longer, but I digress. Thanks, good luck to you too!

once you have all the info its easy to do yourself from home. I did it back in 2007 because a friend was a consultant for WW and so I did go. But I'm not much for meeting/ weigh-ins. I like to do my own thing. (And it was hard for me to work into my busy schedule. Well now my schedule is open but I'm not working at this time so my budget is limited. I already spend more on groceries when I'm dieting because junk food is cheaper than healthy alternatives. So its definitely the right move for me to do it myself from home.) What you will miss out on by not joining is the expert advice and support, but fortunately for you this site is a great way to get both! There is a forum for WW at home. Here's what you need to get started:

1. go online and google "how many points am I allowed on weight watchers?" There are several FREE sites that allow you to enter your weight, height, gender, age, and activity level and then they tell you how many points you get. It will also tell you when it's time to drop down a point as you lose weight.
2. then you need to note the points value of common foods so you can keep track of what you are eating. Like an egg is 2 pts. A potato is 3 pts for a lightbulb size tater. Veggies are free! Etc etc. You should be able to find it online but if not feel free to come back here.
3. then to figure out the pts values of packaged foods like if you were eating a lean cuisine for example, you need a calculator. You can find them on craigslist or ebay. I've seen them for pennies on ebay you just need to pay shipping costs. Or you can google a points calculator online and save it to your desktop like my mom does. Personally, I have a smart phone so I downloaded a free calculator/ tracker app. It's all the same so do what works for you. Note, calculators come in two types. points plus and the older flex version. I prefer the older version because that's what i did before and lost 68 pounds. The app I have allows me to do either one.

I sure hope this helps you. I have come to the conclusion that although dieting isn't always peachy there is a diet out there for all of us. What works for one is torture for another. I don't think anyone should have to pay a bunch of money to see if something works for them. Maybe if you like it you might want to check out joining WW if you need additional support. I don't need it because my mom and I are doing it together. So is my sister, boyfriend, and best friend. And now that i found this site I have all the support I need. good luck hun!