Hey, my name is Destiny, I'm 20, and this is my first time dieting. I'm really terrified about it, actually. I have no idea how to go about it but I do have a rough sketch in my mind. I'm 5'2, 193 lbs, and I want to lose it by strenuously excercising for two hours every day at the gym, eating healthy (few carbs, NO soda!), and taking up jogging. I've got no idea if that's the correct way to do it or what...My tools are limited as is my money supply. I live at a vocational school that luckily has a gym and is also right down the street from the gym but get served raunchy cafeteria food three times a day... I'm so lost.

So, pleas from the newbie. Advice? Support? Hints on what to avoid and how to get over that "I don't wanna!" attitude I know is going to hit me sooner or later? Tricks to get around a low budget and come out thinner and healthier?

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

There are lots of great forums of many ranges here where you can find some great advice, tips, motivation and support.

I suggest maybe starting out with the weight loss support forum here -
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weight-loss-support-13/

or the 20 somethings forum here - http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/20-somethings-56/

and doing some reading all around in general.


Good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

My best advice is to start slow. Just work on your diet and then work in exercising.

If you're not used to exercising, working out for two hours a day will be strenuous and you don't want to hurt yourself nor do you want to burn out. It's best to start slow and warm yourself up and then go for longer. Go for walks first and then start with jogging. But just stick with it!

Hi Destiny,
I'm new here too, 27, and my height/starting weight are similar to yours.
Like Sunflowergirl said, be careful when you're starting out - better to start out with small positive changes that you can stick with than overdo it and burn out/quit. 2 hours of exercise a day seems like a lot to me - I've had pretty good success with 30-45 minutes a day 6 days a week, depending on the type of exercise I'm doing (I do 30 minutes of rowing or 45 minutes of recumbent biking with free weight reps.)
Exercise is important, but nutrition is the key to weight loss - if you don't change your eating habits spending 2 hours at the gym may just keep you from gaining more weight (depends on how much you eat, it's really about energy in vs energy out...)
If you need a support buddy or a helping hand with the nutrition let me know, I've tried just about every diet out there.
Amma

Hey Destiny - The forums the others pointed you toward are good...check them out!

If you have limited resources, my favorite plan is a basic calorie-reduced plan. Just set a calorie level, count what you're eating using free websites like FitDay.com (my favorite), SparkPeople, The Daily Plate, or many others, focus on getting mostly whole foods (whole grains if your body responds well to them, veggies, fruits, lean proteins, etc), and get some exercise. Simple and takes nothing more, at it's simplest, than the internet and some measuring cups.

The great thing about calorie counting is that you can estimate for cafeteria food and really any other situation, and work almost ANYTHING into your plan with a little planning and effort.

If you want more info about that, we've got a GREAT Calorie Counters forum. You might want to read there, particularly to get a number on where to start...with all that exercise, finding a good calorie level for you might be a little tricky, but there are a ton of free calculators out there on the web to give you a starting point.

So look around, jump in, and get to posting. And I can't wait to hear more from you soon!