[Jodiemaria]

Hi everyone,
I'm 26 5'8 and need to lose 6st 3lbs to reach the top end of a healthy bmi :-/ I have two kids 7&4 and a partner who I jokingly call 'the feeder'! Before I had my son I was a uk size 8/10 I don't think I'll ever get down to that again but I'm so miserable being size 18 (when I can position myself into them correctly or they're baggy!) I need to sort myself out and need any help or advice you have to share? I don't know where to start its such a big task and I'm feeling very overwhelmed by the whole thing, I've never dieted before an so I have no idea how to set realistic targets, how long does it take to lose weight!?

[starbrite]

Welcome. Everyone is different, and you will lose weight when your body is being treated the way it wants to be. When I first started I had done a lot of research, knew what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I also encouraged everyone I knew to take part in knowing what I was trying to achieve and how I wanted to achieve it. I broke down the loss (I lost over 100lbs) into smaller pireces and rewarded myself every so often with non food treats.
The very best of luck to you

[Jodiemaria]

Wow you're doing amazingly, well done you!! I hope I can do it I'm starting by cutting my portion size as generally I eat healthy meals but I do need to cut out the unhealthy snacks. I think exercise is going to be the main problem for me. I have plantar fasciitis quite severely in both feet so just walking is very painful let alone anything else. Thanks for the encouragement and advice it really means a lot :-D

[IanG]

Hi ya. I used to live in Watford in the UK. I am now living in the US.

My advice is to start small and focus on your diet (exercise can wait). Weight loss is 80% what you eat. Cutting your portion size and eliminating the junk is a great way to start.

Then once you have lost some weight, use the motivation you will get from that to move on to doing other things. I started my diet by skipping dinner. Once I had lost ten pounds, I changed the rest of my diet to make it more healthy (salads etc.). Then I cut my portion sizes.

At 50lbs down I joined a gym. And at 60 lbs down I started running.

It does not have to be overwhelming. Setting small goals for yourself (I used a stone at a time) also works real well.

So try to take things in small chunks. And get a good scale so you can track your progress. I weigh daily. Others weigh weekly. And pay attention to other things as well as your weight, such as how your body changes. It all helps to boost motivation.

[Rosalitta]

Start by paying more attention to what you're eating It's about making the right choices of what you're eating and also how much of it. Think of it this way: would you rather your kids sit down and eat a chocolate bar or a handful of carrot sticks? It doesn't mean there isn't a treat and you eat perfectly but you're not going to want to eat a chocolate bar after every meal Work on increasing your physical activity too! Don't worry about flying into doing everything at once it's all about baby steps and gradually you'll see a complete lifestyle change without even realizing it

[Jodiemaria]

Thanks so much guys, I have a friend who is a personal trainer he suggested I try some meal replacement shakes and has recommended a great one which has everything your body needs and whey protien to help stay full of energy I'm going use those twice a day and fruit and veg for snacks. Fingers crossed! I feel very motivated today, first day on the road to being healthy