I'm having a terrible time motivating myself. I think I'm going to start a new routine and then I don't or I start one and then I end up going out of town and so I quit.

What did you do when first starting out? Because I just keep getting fatter and fatter and....

When I started my healthy lifestyle for real, back in January, I did three things.
1) I took my measurements
2) I weighed in (after all that holiday food...)
3) I took some pictures of myself from all angles... Because one day I would need some before shots.

I then just started trying to eat healthy and not binge. Also as a realized that I had severely disordered eating (probably a mild eating disorder) I also began to tell people close to me, family and few very trusted friends about my problem.

I joined some different sports teams, and tried out some sports I'd wanted to try but had never had the courage to do... And that was basically how it all began.

I did this stuff at first too, and thought it helpful to take "inventory". Then I started counting Weight Watchers points. If you have an extra $13 a week or so, I highly recommend checking out a meeting, the plan is really reasonable with what you can eat, nothing is 'off limits' and for me, it felt like something i could stick with long term as well as help me make healthier choices all around.

Exercise is the next thing, I just added slowly as to not burn out. right now I only do exercise I enjoy, so no gym for me. I go to dance classes once or twice a week and go for hikes, because its a heck of a lot easier to stick with your plan if you like your plan...anyway, hope this helps

I also took measurements and took a realistic look at my weight and wrote it all down.

Next was an inventory and purge of my pantry lol - I banished all chocolates, chips, sweet things and white breads, pasta, rice and sugary cereals. (I had to go cold turkey on that or I would never have broken the love affair I had with them :P)

I started walking every day and built up gradually and then joined the local gym

I researched healthy foods - educated myself on nutrients, minerals, vitamins, muscle vs fat etc and decided calorie counting was it for me.

And from there things just sort of took off - once I saw (and felt) what a difference good healthy food made to my mental and physical state I couldn't go back to junk and bad eating

I have had to wage a constant battle on my boredom eating though - I am now at the stage where I do listen to my "hunger alarm" and will eat only when truly hungry but yeah...I was always a baaaaad boredom eater lol.

I agree with the last two ladies, I also measured took before pics and really started researching healthy habits and lifestyles that is how I came to find this wonderful site. I then just decided to go foe it, after the pics I was so grossed out my the site of me in a bikini and took a closer look on how I ate, Don't be super strict with yourself or overly hard on yourself if you slip or "cheat" Just Keep going forward and get back to it. I know alot of my attempts before I was like that I would think of a thousand things to do or try a diet and then slip a little then be hard on myself and quit. I also did Cardio workouts, at first i could only do like 4-5 min of it,(and felt like I was going to die!) but, you gradually work up to more and more time. I measured out my food at dinner and made healthier things. The people here are GREAT support and will help out a great deal! always a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on, and a friend to yell YIPEE with when some inches or lbs come off. You just have to decide to do it, and then do it!! I know you can!! with much love and support, Amy

I wrote down everything I ate, the time, and my mood before and after, to be more aware of when I was overeating and why. I also wrote down all the exercise I did. I've tried this before- and counting calories of everything I eat is way too time consuming and makes me neurotic in about a weak, so I just focus on not eating too much, eating healthy things, and exercising every day. I was able to scrap the recording of everything I ate after good eating habits were established, but I found it a really useful tool to get to the point where I didn't need it anymore.

And I very much agree with other posters about slipping up. Everyone does it, and the only way you'll make progress is if you don't see it as a failure, or the end, even if you gain a little weight. Just get back on your plan as soon as you can.

Best of luck!

All it took was a picture, a gym membership as a birthday present, and realising everything I ate needed to change.

When I first started, all i really wanted was to feel more healthier than I was at that time. Losing weight was a bonus. But after a month and noticing the change that exercising entailed, I knew then and there that losing weight had to be done and it wasn't impossible. So here I am.

For food, I replaced my snacks with better alternatives, ate less carbs but ate more fiber and protein, went cold turkey with soda and just went with water.

Exercise, first started walking for 20 min three to four times a week then gradually improved to the point where I now jogg for 30 min.

Take measurements, and good bye photos you can look at and remember why you are doing what you are doing, have cut outs of inspirational fit bodies posted up everywhere, and find a quote that will get you through each day.

I stepped on the scale and saw a number that shocked me. I was not supposed to gain thirty pounds in high school. But there it was staring me in the face. I was soooo unhappy because of a horrible relationship with an emotionally abusive mother. I had stopped riding horses (my only place of true happiness) because of the stress and took up emotion-induced binge eating. Anywho, we had just returned from a trip to pick up a miniature horse, where I caught an upper respiratory tract infection, developed pneumonia, and also had a wicked sinus infection. Needless to say, I was on the couch for a week wondering if I was going to survive. After the week of not eating, I stepped on the scale. 5 pounds had vanished. That lit a fire under my tail. This didn't have to be a permanent thing. And I vowed to not let the damage she did to my self-esteem manifest itself in something as readily visible as my physical appearance.

I liked reading this post. It was encouraging. It looks like a lot of people started small and then added to their plan. I made a deal with my self to at least do 30 min. of activity a day (mostly walking). If I did a Tae-Bo tape or walked 1 hour then all the better. I was never one of those people that felt energized or better after I exersized - but I knew I'd feel better in the long run shedding pounds. Since then I started counting calories and adding more advanced work outs and weight training - but as long as I get my 30 min of at least walking in a day I have no guilt.

i just kind of figured what is holding me back? this is only going to get more difficult and i am wasting so much time NOT doing things because I think I'm too big or look to big or whatever. I dont have to have weight hold me back or decrease my self confidence.

I would like to say that I took mearsurement and before pictures but I didn't. I would highly suggest that to anyone trying to get started. I wish now that I had.

I found that I needed to change on thing at a time, I didn't pick up all of my bad habits all at once I'm not going to lose them that way either. Second I reseached everything I could nutritionally and learned what I was actually putting into my body. I started writing everything down (i use fitday.com) to record my food. I allowed myself cheat days in the begining because it keep me on track the rest of the time. Most important whenever I had a bad day I came back to my plan.

Good Luck!

I found this website one night, and read through all of the blogs, and looked at the before and after pictures and it just kind of clicked in my head that the only way I was going to be able to lose the weight and keep it off was through a lifestyle change. It was really a new attitude that set me on the right track. I convinced myself that this is not a diet, this is a new way of living, and it is something I will be doing for the rest of my life so I might as well get used to it. It's also really important to get into an exercise routine, do something that is right for you, if you don't like the gym, then find something else. When I started out we were having beautiful weather, so I started walking outside on our farm everyday, and it really motivated me and made me feel great. Once you get in the groove of things, and find out what works for you it will be easier to keep going, because you will feel so good about yourself. I don't really have any suggestions, other than find out what works for you! Also, I really really reccomend trying out a site where you can track your calories like fitday or thedailyplate. Those have helped me a lot, it is really easy to lose track of calories if you are just counting them in your head!

GOOD LUCK!

I started my life style change for real May of 2007. I just finally made up my mind that I was going to take control and get healthy. I started the process in small steps:
1. I cut out soda
2. I stopped eating fried foods
3. I cut out beef and pork for a couple of weeks (not too many people are fond of this idea)
4. I ate 6 small meals a day
5. I exercised about 4 days a week

There are times when I slip up and fall off track, but I try not to get too discouraged. When I need to give myself that extra push, I just remember the promise that I made to myself. AND I VOW NEVER to go back there AGAIN

good luck and think positive thoughts

When I first started, I did these things:
stopped drinking soda (and diet soda),
went to fast food places half as often (and then later half of that until I only went one or two times a month),
started doing simple, easy exercises,
spredding food out more (for example, instead of eating a bagle, eat a quarter or half, and save the rest for later),
switched to organic peanut butter,
switched from white bread to whole grain,
switched from oreos to organic oreo-look-alike things (then stopped eating those),
and started having lighter desserts, like a couple grahm crackers or sugar free jello