[ChrissyCos1407]

Good afternoon ladies!

I just found this site today, and I'm wanting to lose some serious pounds. I am 25 years old and have less energy than a grandma and more fat than a whale and I hate it. I want to be able to wear clothes that aren't circus tent size. I had a baby back in November (my third child) and I will stop nursing in two weeks. I have no clue where to start on the exercise regime and I have no clue how to cook healthy. Everyone always says "eat fish, thats healthy." I'm allergic to seafood and shellfish, so those are out of the picture. I'm rambling, I k ow but I am so clueless.

[Candeka]

Welcome!

Starting anything new is always overwhelming and confusing, but this site has SOOO many great ideas that it will all become second nature in time. I find calorie counting to be the easiest for me. It's not a special diet, you don't discriminate against certain foods and it doesn't cost a dime. All you need to do is eat a certain amount of calories per day. I still get to eat pizza or nachos, so I love it.

Exercise does not make you lose weight. It helps as it creates the calorie deficiency and it makes your body more toned, but a diet alone can create weight loss. A lot of people say "Diet for weight loss, exercise for health" or something similar. You could start by taking a 20 minute walk around the block each night. When that becomes to easy, turn it into a 30 minute walk or a 2 min jog, 5 minute walk, 2 min jog, 5 minute walk until you reach the amount of time you wanted to be outside for.

By eating healthy, most people just mean more whole foods and less processed stuff. 90% of grocery stores are set up so that you can avoid the middle isles most of the time (where all the processed stuff is). Your veggies, bread, milk and meat are all usually on the outer sections of the store, so most people suggest you just go to those and skip the middle isles all together. You don't need to eat fish to lose weight. Try eating more chicken, turkey, lean ground beef... that sort of thing. But you can still have steak and pork chops. There are lots of great recipes on the food forum here which are usually below 400 calories.

Another awesome thing about this site is its GREAT when you are feeling down, or can't stop munching. I am notorious for being an evening snacker. I will eat great all day and than eat everything in the cupboards at night. However, since I joined 3FC, whenever I feel like snacking I just come on to the site and look at the goal albums so it makes me not want to snack anymore.

I'm sure lots of people are going to offer great advice so I'll shut up now hahaha. Good luck with everything!

[begoodjen]

Great advice, above. I will add:
Drink lots of water and limit or cut out pop and juice, and other sugary drinks. You can cook much healthier just by cutting out oil, and use cooking spray. Cut down your portion sizes and make sure to eat lots of veggies. Experiment with new foods in the produce aisle and check out this site or just google some new recipes. And most important, try not to get down on yourself! Would you put up with someone telling you that you had more fat than a whale? I sure wouldn't and try to apply the same rule in how I talk to myself. I know it is hard but when you start to see some positive changes you will start to feel better about yourself.

Jen

[Buckkeepblue]

You can do it! I find that doing regular exercise really clears my head and makes me feel better, and it's a good way to stop yourself snacking out of boredom or comfort eating if youre feeling down, update your ipod and go for a walk somewhere nice instead!
I generally calorie count and try to cut back on the really fatty/sugary foods. Eating lots of veggies is good too because you can add loads to your meal without adding loads of calories, also if you eat your main meal/carbs in the middle of the day your more likely to vurn it off than if you eat late in the evening when your metabolism is slowing down. Anyway best of luck!