The classic advice on water is 64 oz a day, but that's been debunked recently as never having been tested in any scientific way. However, a lot of people swear by it, so I figure it can't hurt!

As for a starting point, it sounds like your problem is snacking instead of meals. If you are like me, you're kind of grazing through the day? A good starting point for me was to delineate things. I declared I was going to have three meals and three snacks a day. I sat down to eat them so it was very clear that a snack was what I brought to the table and anything eaten standing up or outside that place where I sat to eat was grazing and no longer a behavior I wanted in my life.

Give that a few days and, then, for more of a challenge, try planning all three meals and the three snacks the night before.

My main guidebook for dieting (and these two techniques and more are in there) is The Beck Diet Solution by Judith Beck. If you read that book and like it, we have an active support group on 3FC -- check us out in the Diets section.

Welcome! =)

Personally, I like to count calories. I feel like it gives me freedom, and knowing that I don't have to cut out anything, it doesn't make me crave things (If I want a Big Mac, I know that if I allow for it, I can have it! I don't really crave stuff like that anymore, but it's comforting to know that should the craving arise, I can eat it). If you like the thought of counting calories, I suggest that you buy a notebook to keep as a food journal to track every single thing that goes in your mouth. I actually buy a folder that lets you put hole-punched paper in it, and then I print off my own template that I've made to keep track of my food. Mine have a place for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, a place to keep track of my water, and the date. I always try to make sure I drink at least 10-12 cups of water a day.

For exercise, walking may be best to start out on. I used to love walking, but I love doing exercise videos now, especially The Biggest Loser or anything that deals with cardio.

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll do great! =) You've come to the right place for advice and support!

You are absolutely right about my snacking habits. Sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it, meaning I'll be grabbing for something to eat when I'm not even hungry. Your advice about only eating when you're sitting at the table is GREAT. I'm going to do that regardless of what diet I try. I am going to check out the book you mentioned from the library tomorrow though. I just went onto the public library list of books and they have it in stock. I appreciate the advice and suggestion!

I'm leaning towards doing the calorie counting because of Gardener and JMohr have mentioned, it's a lifestyle change not a diet or quick fix. So I think if I learn to do the calorie counting then I won't feel deprived. I really need to learn to just pick better snacks and not graze all day like Gardener mentioned as well.

I saw that OnDemand on Comcast that I have has an entire channel devoted to exercise. There are dozens of routines from Biggest Loser work outs to that Flirty Girl Fitness on there. I guess they change monthly so I'll combine some of those plus the walking to start.

Question regarding the water/tea ... tea is okay to drink right? I know I can't count it for my water but it's okay to drink if its decaf correct and unsweetened?

I think tea is fine to drink.

I'm definitely leaning towards calorie counting. Regardless of what program I choose, I'm going to use one of the websites to journal my food intake plus carry one of those little mini spiral notebooks in my bag so I can write anythign down I might have outside of the house so I'm true to myself about what I'm putting in my mouth.

I actually haven't picked a plan yet but today I walked ... started drinking water and tried to pick sensible things to eat ... and cut it in half instead of eating the whole thing. When I just sat down to read through my log for today I still couldnt believe how much I put into my body ... and have no idea why! I thought I did good til I actually looked at the entire day. It was definitely a shock to the system to LOOK at what you have eaten all day.

Oh, I know what you mean! I'm surprised looking at my log seeing how much I eat when I'm WATCHING! I cringe to think what a log would look like a couple of months ago when I was eating whatever I wanted in any portion I wanted. I'm proud of you standing up and deciding to get healthy. It's definitely not easy and takes a strong person, but I have faith in you that you can reach your goals. That is a great idea that you are carrying around a little notebook to write down what you eat outside of the house. Also, if you have an iPod touch, you can download calorie counter apps with that.

Good luck, and feel free to pm me if you ever need any support or advice! =)