Hi Im Val, Im a wife of 20 years and the mother of 3 (19,17 and 15). I am 5'1" and I weigh 216lbs. I am in dyer need to shed some weight. I can not go into another summer overweight. I am new to the site and have been reading all morning and finally I decided to start to take care of ME!! About 3 years ago I weighed 250lbs, but I lost it doing so many different things. I seem to not be able to stick to one thing. Ive tried all sorts of pills and potions looking for fast results and finding none. Im a member of a gym, but havent been since sometime in November(consistently) and just when I finally made my mind up to get back in it, My son truck broke down and now I have to take him to school, which is during my usual gym class time,I work second shift so I usually workout in the morning time. Well, needless to say I need help and advice on where do I begin to begin my transformation.

You start at the beginning. Welcome to 3FC.

The first step is choosing to do something about it. You have to make up your mind that you don't want live like you have been. This is all about you. Find a plan that works for you and stick with it. The reason you don't stay with anything long is because it's either not working or not sustainable. You have to find something that is both. There are number of plans around here that folks use and they all work for the most part for some folks. Every plan doesn't work for every person. It'll take patience, time, and dedication. It will not happen overnight.

Find the time to get to the gym, or walk around the block if you don't have time. Find a way. Get moving.

Get rid of the junk food. Change the way you shop.

There is some support around here for folks that work shift too. You might look into that as well.

Hi and welcome! You can definitely lose the weight. You just have to find what works for you and fit that into your life.

Good advise here. HealthyMeWannabe said it all.

Thumbs up. I am new in here.

It is good advise even for I.

This is the place to be. As Andrew said, find something you can stick to. It really is all about you. Take care of yourself.

Here's to a new life for you!!!!!

Welcome to the forum! So glad you joined us.
Do you know what food plan you are going to follow? There is a ton of information about many different food plans on this site. Pick a plan that fits in your lifestyle and you can follow long term. I chose calorie counting because it is free and flexible. It allows me to eat almost anything I wanted as long as it fits within my calorie range for the day and there are ton of free apps out there to help you track your food.
Give up the sugary drinks and drink lots and lots of water.
Incorporate some exercise into your weekly routine. You do not have to join an expensive gym try to walk more, use the stairs more, download videos off of YouTube or Hulu.com to work out to. There are a lot of things you can to do with spending a ton of money.
Lastly, if you have a bad meal, a bad day, heck, a bad food week. Do NOT let this be a reason to throw in the towel. Get back on track at the next meal. You can do this!!!
Best of luck to you!

Welcome!

I'm new too you're on the right track. I just want to say, stay consistent. Even if you can't make it to the gym one day, check your calories and stay away from the junk food.

you can do this!

Welcome You got so much good advice already...I'm new to this forum but already love it! Hope to see you around the boards.

I have been on the calorie count I found that harder. I like the points alot better. So going with the old book. Each to their own I say. As long as we are going forward not backwards. I do have to learn some meanings in pointers in my exercise and what points go over for extra of my daily totals of the day in counting points. I will catch on. Or somewhere in the posts. Someone may help me.

I started a week with points till I joined here and loss 3 pounds last Monday. So it is better three pound loss then no weight loss for starters and I think also me drinking the water as well has helped a real lot for me.

Welcome, cherry! Our journey is a dedicated one. Like others have said, find what works for you.
Are you doing this to lose weight or are you looking for a permanent lifestyle change?