I have balloon to 225 pounds and don't know where to start. My motivation is nil and I just want it to be off. My self esteem is in the toilet and I know I have to start somewhere but where??? I can't believe the fat middle aged woman that looks back at me from the mirror. ARGH!! I think part of it is if I lose the weight to I become attractive again to men and will I get my heart broken if I go there again. So I stay fat and stuck. Wow, I need help and encouragement, I didn't realize how bad it was until I wrote it all here.

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

Good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

Start with small steps. Pick one of you biggest vices and challenge yourself to change it for a set amount of time (21 days- 1 month is good for breaking habits). Once you've conquered that, tackle another one. Make a list of why you want to lose weight and post it where you can see it every day as a reminder. It's just a matter of commitment. You can do this.

Keep posting here - honestly the folk are just wonderful for helping you along your journey.

You absolutely CAN do this. And, you DESERVE to do this. Just think - the best is yet to come.

So glad you made the decision to change your life and start with us here at 3FC. I'm living proof that you don't need to keep staring back at that chickie in the mirror. She can and will morph into a beautiful, confident woman!

I agree, small steps, take a few days and right down everything you eat, see where you can improve. Once the junk food is gone don't buy anymore. Small changes last longer than radical changes as well.

I first found out how many calories I was eating, then picked a plan I could deal with- I first started calorie counting but now I am eating low carb (south beach diet). I didn't buy the junk food anymore once it was gone. Then I started getting healthy recipes and tracking my intake with sparkpeople.com. Then once I got diet down I started exercising.

Kit, everybody is different. What works for some may not work for others. I have been on a roller coater of dieting over many years, weight watchers, LA Weightloss, Nutrisystem, etc... Now the approach I take is I am not ON a DIET. I am now eating healthier. I do take ALLI to help out a little. I admit I don't count calories or carbs or write anything down. I did in the past and it just frustrated me. I would keep forgetting and before you know it off the diet I went. So far I have just been conscience of how much fat and calories are in each meal I eat and try to keep it low as possible. I learned to cook healthier and have been experimenting with different low fat, low cal dishes. I find that I have stayed with my healthy eating habits and lost more weight than I have on my past diets. But like I said find out what works for you best. Its always good to come to 3 fat chicks to get inspired by all the great people here! Sorry to ramble on so long.