Hi Lariet! Have you looked into something like MyFitnessPal? You should be eating calories based on your weight, that is correct, and it's also dependent on how many pounds you want to lose per week. MyFitnessPal calculates all that awesome stuff for you based on your weight and age. Also, I don't know if you're beginning to exercise as well, but I have found a few videos by searching Youtube that are sit down exercise videos for people that may have joint issues and other health concerns, at least to start with. The best way to start your weight loss journey, at least in my opinion, is to start out with a tool like MyFitnessPal and just document everything you eat. I don't get into weighing my food, I more so guestimate, but I'm usually over anyway.

There are plenty of nice and helpful people here, don't be afraid to ask!

Girl you come vent whenever you need to. I completely understand. I can tell you are frustrated but I have faith that you will make it through and do really good. I started using my plate on the livestrong website regularly and that has really helped me get a grasp on what I eat, how much and there is a place to record your activity and your water. I know there are apps and other things like it such as my fitness pal. I know it sure helps for me to write down everything I eat. I guess it make me more conscious. If you ever need to vent more message me and I will listen. I sure don't mind!

I am sorry, I probably have a silly question... I just read the last two posts and there were references to MyFitnessPal, and Livestrong...what are they? Are they diets? I have seen several people talking about MyFitnessPal, so I am curious as to what it is. Like Lariet, I am so confused! There is so much stuff out there, and I don't know which way to turn. For now, I am sticking to making a few small changes, but with a significant amount of weight to lose, I know I have to have some kind of overall plan to follow. Well I guess it takes time to figure all of this out. I figure it took me 43 years to gain all of this weight, so it is going to take me awhile to get it off...

Best of wishes for a great day tomorrow!

Both are websites... I am not sure about my fitness pal but I know on livestrong you can count your calories, how much you burn, keep up with nutrients and water intake. There are also a lot of articles there. I just found it a few years ago and started using it and stuck with it. However, now I am more religious about it, not just hit and miss. I think both of them have apps too. You can do a search on google and find them.

Don't ever give up because you can do this. I know it may seem overwhelming at first but you can. Best wishes!

Pam

Welcome to all the newbies!

I'm back and I survived the wedding. Well barely, that's why I'm just back now five days later! We had a torrential rainstorm for two days before, my jeep broke down (full of stuff to go to the hall) in said rainstorm, We decorated for 8 hours before the rehearsal, I got a really nasty sunburn during pictures, to the point where they were calling me rock lobster by the end of the night, and then we had tear down, gift opening, and two days of visiting with out of town family, topped off by my brother's birthday dinner. So long story short, I was so tired by yesterday that I went to bed at 6:30 and woke up at 8:30 this morning!

After the wedding (and like 3 days of no water and way too much food), I was up at 380. 5 of that came off last night, so I'm only about 2 pounds from where I was. Back to yoga tonight, I haven't been swimming because of the sunburn.

Oh, and I promised a picture in my dress:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...29296862_n.jpg

So nice to see so many new posters on here.......helps to know that others are dealing with the same battles.

Nancy -- what a day!!!! I'm in awe that you kept such a positive attitude and were planning a walk with your new toy. I would have used it as an excuse to binge probably......do you think there's any correlation to my weight issues there? Hope the COBRA thing gets straightened out. I went through something similar when I retired but it did get straightened out.

Jane -- You look so beautiful in the bridesmaid dress!!!!! It sounds like an absolutely exhausting five days and the sunburn definitely sounds like something you could have lived without. Your taking yoga has gotten me to sign up for an inflexible/seniors class that hopefully they can get enough participants for. If not, I ordered a DVD that is a Yoga for HeavyWeights as well as a Pilates one. Pretty soon I'm not going to get anything done from all of the exercise!

I've got a lousy cold so spent a good part of the night in the recliner sleeping as that seems to make breathing easier. Couldn't use the bi-pap because my nose was so stopped up -- will move it to the chair tonight. Hopefully this will be gone by the beginning of next week. Other than that, still working on the endless mulch pile. Unfortunately the results are even better than I thought, so I'll keep at it.

Oh Radiojane, bless your heart! (Yep, I'm Southern.) Weddings are so stressful! I swear I probably gained about 10 pounds around mine three years ago - I was busting out of the dress, for sure. Ugh.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and support. I have begun exercising, and thankfully my joints aren't bad enough to preclude activity. I got up to 25 minutes on the elliptical the other night! So proud. Got into a funk yesterday, though, and didn't exercise, plus ate too much dinner. So I'm fighting a lot of guilt today.

Does anyone else have that problem? Just tons of guilt if you don't eat "right" or exercise one day?

Betsey Thankyou and yay on the yoga! Hope they get the class together and you ditch the cold soon

Lariet I for sure feel guilty, but the key is to "keep starting over". Good job on the eliptical!

Lariet, there are plenty of days I don't exercise. although my life isn't SUPER busy, school mentally drains me and I'm an insomniac. I'm half asleep half the week. what I do though is overcompensate for exercise, I'll do double the workout one day if my body can take it. I don't ever overcompensate for overeating though.

lariet -- You did 25 minutes on the elliptical???? WOW!!!!! That's amazing. I'm still working my way up on the dreaded elliptical and am only at 11 minutes. If you're able to do 25 minutes already, you're probably in better shape than you think. And, yes, I imagine we all go through the guilts or at least go through heavy wishing.

I did get signed up for the Yoga class yesterday, and the instructor seems very nice and understanding of some of the challenges -- including offering several different approaches to do each exercise depending upon your current capabilities. Just want these arthritic knees to move more easily.

And, it's on to another day of spreading the mulch. Yes, I'm still spreading and will be for a couple more weeks. I've got to get the garden finally planted this weekend and do other yard work, but I'm determined that in addition to the new me, I'll catch up on all of the house maintenance that has slipped because I just wasn't physically able to do it. I'm not sure that I'd call this an NSV, but I'm able to work now for much longer than I could before.

Lariet-that is so great about the elliptical...I don't even think I would be able to stand on one, much less move it for 25 minutes.

I have yet to do any kind of exercise. It is really hot here right now, we are expecting 106 tomorrow. Needless to say, my ankles and feet are very swollen and painful today...the AC is broken at the office and it was very swampy with the fans and porta coolers brought in. Anyway, I checked out a walking type DVD at the library, so I am going to suck it up tomorrow morning and give it a try.
Oh and thanks pvjw, I found the app for MyFitnessPal, and figured out what it was...so now I think it is going to be a good tool to use.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Haven't posted on this thread in like a week, but wanted to update. My back injury is feeling a little better, and though I haven't seen a doctor, I am going to attempt exercise tomorrow. I will definitely stop if I feel like I am doing more harm than good, of course. I have a pretty ambitious goal for end of August/ beginning of September and I'm losing time sitting around not trying to work out. It's stressing me out a bit.. which is also not good. I don't have insurance, so I can't go to a doctor. Just playing it by ear.

What is it with the elliptical? My husband kept preaching to me how much easier it would be than on the treadmill since it's low impact and what not. I tried it yesterday for 10 minutes and wanted to DIE! It hurt my knees so horribly it's not even funny. I thought it was more fatty friendly??

Good morning all. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Noggs -- 106!!!!! Cannot imagine trying to work in what had to feel like an oven even with chillers and fans. I'm even more impressed that you're going to take a walk (good for you!!) -- just hope it's early in the morning while the temps are still a little cooler. Hope you find that you really enjoy the walking as doing something we enjoy makes the exercise so much easier, doesn't it.

Alyssarof2012 -- glad you're back injury is doing better. Hope doing some exercise actually helps make it feel even better.

Wheezypi -- Another person who hops on the elliptical and is able to do a long work out immediately -- I'm in awe of your girls. Was the pain in your knees the knee joints or closer to the muscles/tendons running down your thighs. That's where mine hurt the first time, but that went away with doing the elliptical 5 days/week. Hope that it gets easier to use because it is definitely lower impact than a treadmill.

I tried on a bunch of clothes that I'd ordered yesterday to get me through the summer. The good news is that if I keep on plan, everything will be too big by the end of summer. That's also the bad news. I was able to order pants two sizes smaller and maybe could have gone 3 sizes. The tops are 2 sizes smaller and I definitely could have gotten away with 3 sizes smaller. But, I like things loose and everything is very casual here.

It was the joints in the knees for the most part. my thighs didn't hurt much at all. I guess I'll just have to keep going and keep trying. I sweated like a nasty pig though that's for sure!