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Im new here. I just joined yesterday. Ive tried everything. South beach, atkins, weight watchers, Quick weight loss and nothing seems to work. I eat too much and the wrng foods. Im ready for a change. Someone please help me to where I need to start. I'm going to start with 1600 carlories a day. I'm 20 and I weigh 255 . Ive been overweight all my life so I have a lot of bad habits to break. I figure that being on here will help me to be motivated. I live with my boyfriend and he is underweight so its kind of hard. He just got a new job at night so i will now be eating alone so I guess its kind of good. Here is a sample meal plan i figured out
Breakfast: Weight control oatmeal by quackers or cereal w skim milk
Snack: Celery w low fat peanut butter or carrots w low fat ranch
Lunch: salad, chicken or fish with veggies, or a sandwich with low calorie bread
Dinner: Chicken, fish, veggies and a couple times a week a carb with it. a sweet potato, or whole wheat.

Anyone have any suggestions on other choices. and also a work out regime for me to start?

Please help I feel overwhelmed :(

Hi Breanna! Welcome! I think you have a great plan there! It sounds a lot like what I eat now, only I eat 3 snacks a day, alternating with meals, and I don't feel hungry during the day at all because my blood sugar levels are stable. (I have finally gotten serious about this in the last month.) I would advise you to maybe add some yogurt for dairy if you eat the oatmeal (which I love too--I eat the cinnamon kind) and also fruit at breakfast. At lunch, even if you have a sandwich, I'd add some veggies. Dinner sounds great, but I'd definitely add a snack after lunch and a snack after dinner. It could be fruit, or string cheese, or almonds, or pumpkin seeds or yogurt, etc. There are lots of different healthy options. As far as exercise, I'd start with walking. Walking is so good for you and it doesn't cost a thing! Please don't feel overwhelmed. You have a great plan and there are lots of people here who will help you, including me! There is a wealth of information so read lots and post lots too! Good luck! You're going to do great! :)

Thank you very much. I love the banana bread oatmeal. Yum. I figured Id power walk and do some alternating weights everyday

Hi and welcome!

I'm glad to see that you are already making your way around the boards. We're glad you're here and look forward to getting to know you better.

:wel3fc: BREANNA ~ I agree with JacquiD that you could add some fruit and dairy to this plan ie, apple slices alone or with peanut butter, yogurt, or cheese, or nuts. Try to have some protein with each snack. A banana or orange or berries on/with your cereal for breakfast is nice. I like the l-f Ranch and Caesar dressing too; and lite cheese spread on the celery (like Laughing Cow) is good too. Power-walking is a fabulous choice -- I think you are off to a great start ...

Agree with everyone else here - need to add more dairy. Calcium is very important for women to get into their diet due to the possibility of developing osteoporosis later in life (from not enough calcium in the diet).

May I also suggest incorporating a protein into breakfast? When you have protein in the morning, you don't seem so starved throughout the day. As with only carbs for breakfast, just 2 hrs later you are STARVING. Scrambled egg whites is a good choice (maybe add some veggies, and low fat cheese [Laughing Cow Light Wedges]).

I would also suggest having a snack between Lunch and Dinner. You need to fuel your body every 2-3 hours so it doesn't store the food you eat into fat (if your not eating that regularly, your body thinks your in starvation mode and stores whatever you eat - not good!).

Looks like your 20! Be sure to wander over to the 20-Somethings Support Group!

Welcome to 3fc! We have subforums based on age, eating plan, exercise and more! I'm glad you're here! Surf around and settle in! :wave:

Have you found the Calorie Counting forum? You might be able to start with calories a little higher than that based on your age and weight. One way to tell: enter in a typical (old!) day of food into a calculator like The Daily Plate. See how many calories you were eating and then subtract 500 (keep it more than 1200 for sure!). You might be able to start off at 2000 if you have been maintaining a higher weight on 2500 or more. Good luck!

Thank you for all the input.