hi guys. i'm aj. i'm 27 and weigh 345 lbs. i just discovered my cholesterol was high, and have been thinking seriously about my weight. the problem is, i don't know how to stop eating crap food, i'm hungry all the time, and have no motivation to get me started. i recently finished school to become a veterinary assistant in May of this year, and so far have had no luck in the job department. you can imagine how that helps my depression and lack of motivation, seeing as all the people i went to school with are now working in a clinic. i'm not a great cook, so i tend to buy pre-packaged frozen diet dinners, which never fill me up at all. then i tend to gorge on snacks until i finally feel somewhat satisfied. i just feel like there's no hope, so i put it off and put it off. but i'm thinking i'm finally at rock bottom, and i need some help getting started. i need help from people who have gone through what i'm feeling. i need advice on foods that can keep me full, because i can't take appetite suppressants, and ways to get motivated. anything helps at this point, honestly. thanks for taking the time to read this, and i hope this is just the first step in the right direction

Hi aj and welcome!

I still do a lot of reading about different food plans/diets and learn new stuff all the time. I've never done Weight Watchers but they have great structure and support. My local hospital has a physician supervised plan which is part packaged(and healthy) meals combined with veggies and fruits.

Regarding your issue of always being hungry, I can only speak for myself but when I got rid of the sugar and the crap food and started eating healthy my hunger level went way down. It took me just about two weeks to detox and I didn't feel real great in between but I sure felt better since. At this point, I'm never really even hungry anymore I just keep working on my emotional cravings. There's lots of support on the different threads around here just keep reading and looking in see if something sounds interesting to you. You can try one plan for a while and then if that doesn't work you can try something else.

Best wishes!

Hi AJ

I'm brand new here too and am hoping to meet some people to share the journey with.

Sugar is my biggest problem. Am seeing a nutritionist next week to start a 12 week plan with her, but it all feels overwhelming at the moment.

Hi AJ, welcome to the site!

I have to say when i first started the first time around, I didn't know how to start either so the first thing I did was research. I, like you bought pre-packaged diet food because I was a teen then and didn't really know how to cook and even though I knew pre-packaged food wasn't good for me, it was the only way I knew to start out.

What I found that helped with keeping me full during the day was drinking two glasses or two bottles of water during each meal and then during my two snacks of the day I would drink one full glass or bottle of water and another before I went to bed...totaling nine bottles or nine full glasses of water each day.

At first it was hard but when I felt the effect of how full it made me feel, I got used to it and started doing it everyday. Three months later I lost over 25lbs without exercising.

You will probably lose a lot more if you do this because I weighed 283 at the time.

If it seems too hard, try adding lemons to your water, it helps with the taste. And for snacks, try eating almonds and walnuts...very filling. Apples help too.

But for the most part that water is what is going to make you full a lot quicker.

Hi AJ, I'm sorry you're having such a hard time right now. In the beginning it helps it all not to be so overwhelming on your mind and your body if you start out with little changes. For example if you drink 3 cans of pop a day drop it down to two and replace the third can with water and progress from there. It really helps me to limit how much junk food I buy when shopping. I try to replace chocolate with sugar-free or low calorie jello or yogurt, fruits, etc, but I don't ever restrict myself from eating anything. In my case in the past it only leads to eating a ton of whatever I denied myself at some point and shortly thereafter dieting was in my rearview mirror. This time I don't consider it dieting and I'm not doing any restrictions. I'm trying to change my eating habits instead. So now I try to fit a sugary food into my calories for the day. When you feel more comfortable with your first changes try making another. Before long it becomes habit and most of the time you don't think twice about it. One thing to always remember is that one bad choice or a bad eating day will not ruin your weight loss. Tomorrow is a brand new day!!

The first thing I would recommend is writing down everything you eat on a typical day. Evaluate what you're eating and identify your pitfalls. I know for me that my biggest issue was not minding portion size. Everything I ate I ate to excess-- including healthy foods like fruits and vegetables! Now, I eat everything I like, but in moderation. I track my calories carefully and measure my portions to make sure I'm not eating 1000 calories per meal. You can do this by using an app to record meals or using a journal. Just as long as you have something that will keep you accountable.

Good luck.

^^ This is great advice. It may be difficult in the beginning, maybe just start with the tracking calories part, just to honestly see how much you are eating compared to what you need to eat to lose weight. Then make small changes ( not in excess), less soda, less sweets, less fast food. etc. When you can get a handle on that, then move towards measuring. It's overwhelming in the beginning but then it becomes a habit.

I'm so sorry you are in a bad place right now, sometimes it takes getting to rock bottom to give us the motivation we need to get started. You are in the right place for information on all sorts of plans/diets. But I do wonder at this time of year you are setting yourself up for failure, sorry I don't mean you will its just so hard at this time of year.

I definitely would start with a food diary, and be completely honest, see what small changes you can make and you will be surprised in the difference, drink more water and if you are happy with prepackaged food have a look online for the best ones and if you know you will get hungry bump them up with a pile of veges or salad. You can do this! It is hard at the beginning but you soon get the swing of things, don't rely on willpower/motivation though - its like a bad boyfriend, never there when you need it. Just plan plan plan! God I sound so bossy lol

I like the quote 'Eat food, not too much, mostly plants'

Welcome to the forum and best wishes on your WOE.