[ericcad]

Hi everyone who is reading this. My name is Ericca. I have been heavy all my life and I just keep going up. I want to change that but I am just so unmotivated.
I have bought work out dvds and they were ballroom dancing dvds and they worked very well I even at McDonalds once every week while still losing the weight. Yet as I said I have never been very motivated. I was happy when I was losing weight and yet again not motivated.

I am 19 and I am 5'4. I am currently at the weight of 225 pounds. I never wanted to get above 200. It makes me feel so bad when I am shopping for clothes because I have to get XXL clothes. I don't want to feel bad about myself anymore. I am tired of weighing the amount I do.

My first mini goal is to lose at least 10 pounds in two weeks. I don't eat healthy either. I will admit freely that I LOVE my junk food and I mean I LOVE it. I tried eating healthy but that only worked for a little while. So I am thinking that I will try eating healthy again and doing my work out dvds 3 days a week for cardio because that's all they really are.

So I shall be postings back with every goal I reach and I chose this site because there seems to be a lot of support on here which is just what I need. People to support me losing weight. I don't want to lose weight because of what other people think of me, I want to lose it because I am just not happy with the way I look.

Thank you for reading this.

[xxkaleidoscopic]

Hey, welcome to 3FC! I will say, you will find it much easier to lose weight by cutting McD's and similar foods together. Even when you feel like quitting, go for a month, and after that, the good habits become just that - habits. It'll get much easier.

[HadEnough]

Welcome Ericca. You are in the right place for support.

My first words of wisdom, is that it is not about motivation. It is about COMMITMENT. You have to be committed to want to make a change and I am not sure that you are quite ready. You have to have your head in this game 1000 percent to succeed.

My second words of wisdom is ditching the "I have to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks" mentality. You are just setting yourself up for failure. How about you set a goal of 1-2 pounds a week which is realistic and very attainable?

Third, you really do have to give up or at least only treat yourself OCCASIONALLY with junk food. Junk food is what got you to the point that you are at, not eating healthy.

I am sorry if I sound harsh, but 1/2 this battle is changing the way you think about food. And with that being said, there are so many choices out there now and you can even make your "bad" favorites not "so bad" just by tweaking some ingredients or changing the way you prepare it.

You can do this! We can all do this!! I wish you all the success in the world. We all deserve to be healthy but it takes a severe commitment to achieve it. How do I know? Because I have failed epically in the past because I was not committed and did not have my head in the game.

JMO.

[MeliZ]

Welcome! Don't be scared, everyone is really supportive here. I just started recently, too. But everyone welcomed me in with open arms and has been great.
I agree with HadEnough, be careful with the lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks. You are setting yourself up for a goal that can be really really hard to achieve and if you're anything like me, that could potentially make you give up if you don't achieve it. I personally try not to set pound goals, as you can sometimes do everything right and still lose weight slowly. Maybe set a goal like drinking more water or limited to the right calories.
You can do it! Don't let yourself get discouraged if the weight doesn't fall off as fast as you were hoping. It's all about the little lifestyle changes that add up to a healthier you.

[jeni4]

I'm new here, also, a just restarted my journey.
I weighed 217 almost a year and a half ago and lost 25 lbs in 2 1/2 months. It was actually a lot of fun for me, seeing the difference in how my clothes fit, finding new recipes, and pushing myself to see how much more I could do each week with my work outs. After that I broke my tail bone and couldn't do much of anything so I lost sight of my goals and eventually got back to eating unhealthy and up to 210.
I recently decided to get back into it. I've got a few tips that may help you with your journey.

*Try to find a workout buddy. It can be really motivational to have someone who has the same goal as you to exercise with. I have a really awesome work out buddy. We compete sometimes and when one of us starts being lazy the other says, 'Come on fatty, let's do this!" lol I may seem harsh, but we're really good friends and it works!

*You don't have to stop eating your favorite foods. Just find healthier versions of them. allrecipes is an awesome website for this.

*Find out what your daily caloric intake should be and track everything you put into your mouth. Even only doing this for a few weeks can be very beneficial. It'll show you how much you're going over with the way you're eating now and also what things that you are eating that don't do as much damage. If you have a phone that supports them, there are lots of apps that can make this so much easier.

*Take photos. As much as you might hate to, take photos of yourself now and then progress photos along the way. Seeing how far you've come will really help you stay motivated.

I even have a pair of jeans that I can't pull up. I can't wait to be able to pull them all the way up, then button them, then have them be too big. Just keep your goals in mind. Once you get into that mind set that you want to do it, it'll be much easier.

Good luck to you!! Don't give up!

[SarRawrNaomi]

Welcome, I'm 19 too, I always get excited when I see younger people in here. There are lots of kind caring people who have been through this who are willing to support you with your weight loss. Good luck and have fun.

[indiblue]

Hey and welcome! Everyone has given you great advice. I would especially emphasize the 10 lbs in 2 weeks advice... weight comes on slowly and therefore comes off slowly. Losing weight successfully is about committing to a LIFETIME of eating healthily, it's a marathon, not a sprint .

Originally Posted by ericcad

I don't want to feel bad about myself anymore

THAT is your motivation! Don't you want to wake up every morning feeling fresh, strong, and energetic... to enjoy a delicious meal and have a healthy relationship with good food... to go shopping and feel confident about how healthy your body is?

You talked about your love for junk food, McDonalds, etc. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat... seriously. But I find when I eat junk food (candy, chips, super greasy pizza, pies, etc etc) I crave more of it. It's a drug... it's very temporarily satisfying and the pleasure wears off quickly and I want more.

However, when I focus on eating healthy, nourishing, delicious food I find I can savor it longer and feel wholesome and healthy for a long time afterwards. When I say "healthy food" I am not referring to Lean Cuisines or 100-calorie packs. I mean REAL food... leek and pea soup, fresh whole wheat bread with a thin slice of artisan cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado and black bean hummus, homemade quiche with fresh vegetables, arugula and raspberry salad with toasted walnuts... YUM!

I think learning more about real, wholesome, fresh, nutritious food is a huge component of losing weight for many people. Frozen, packaged, "lo-fat" processed food is totally unsatisfying, and I think it's a huge reason why many people drop it and go back to junk food, which is much more tasty.

However by exploring healthy, whole food, learning how to cook it, making it a priority for your health, you may find your love of food taken into a whole new direction. Instead of junk food that only makes you want more, perhaps you'll find you love cooking, or gardening fresh veggies, and savoring really scrumptious food. Smaller portions, more nutrient-rich food will help fill you up, leave you satisfied, and feeling GOOD about your body and yourself.

There are SO many other components to weight loss, this is just one. Everyone here has so much support and advice and I wish you the best on your journey!