I have been doing so good.... Worked out my first 1/2 hour Sunday night. I have since worked out one half hour every morning since. Yesterday I had a dr.s appt in a city about 1 1/2 hours away. My appt was at 3 I get down there and the dr. doesnt see me until 4:50. I hadn't eatten since noon. I am on a strict 1200 calorie diet. I get out of the dr and the lab of course at nearly 5:45. Most of the exits are closed around the hospital right now and when I left the hospital it took me 45 mins to get to the exit to the highway and another 1 1/2 hours to get home. I was so hungry I was on the way home and Iwas considering just stopping at a fast food place and grabbing something but then I thought about it and and I thought if I was gonna blow it may as well do it with something I had been craving. So I order Chinese food and pick it up when I finally get to town. I ate alot of it..... I honestly don't think it would have happened had I not gotten so hungry..... traffic was stressful as well as the appointment with the dr. I didn't work out this morning. Then I get home tonight and my 11 year old breaks my Gazelle one of my pieces of workout equipment. I only have it and my stationary bike.... I could just cry I am so upset. I don't know why all these obstacles are being thrown in front of me and I was going so good.... And my dr.s scales even reflected a 5lb loss.... I just am getting so discouraged I am ready to say forget it..... I want this so bad why can't I get a break just this once?

Because the obstacles get placed in front of us to see what we will overcome to reach that goal. Always, always, always have a healthy snack with u for cases such as this. U had a set back, just remember how great u felt and how proud u were on the days that u stayed on plan!! This is worth it, not only for urself but for ur loved ones too.

Now don't take this the wrong way (please), but what you're referring to as obstacles is nothing more than pretty much anyone's "daily grind", KWIM?

First, if you have kids, stuff's gonna get broke! It just happened to be your gazelle. You can still exercise, gazelle or no gazelle. Second, you said you did eat lunch, but you were very hungry 5-ish hours later. Like the previous poster said, ALWAYS be sure to have something with you to beat back the hunger pangs. Also, perhaps you should consider upping your cals a bit. I know it just doesn't sound "right" when someone says to up your calories when you're trying to lose, but if you do some research you'll understand it makes perfect sense if you're trying to restrict too many cals.

Finally, you said you have lost 5 lbs...HOW GREAT IS THAT!!!!

Stick to it and those 5lbs will soon become 10, then 20...one day, you'll turn around and (gasp!), you'll be at goal.

Keep going! You can do it!

Losing weight is tough, but you will get into a groove with things and it starts to become second nature. There is always going to be obstacles that come up, learning how to deal with them and move on I think is one of the most important parts of the journey. My life's motto - "Breathe in, breathe out, move on" (From a Jimmy Buffett song)

As for the hungry issue, I would have been starved at that point also. The only suggestion I have for that is to always, always, always have some kind of snack with you. Nuts, Luna bars, dried fruit, anything that is portable and doesn't require refrigeration or reheating.

You can do this, I believe you can, just give it some time and just keep trying.

First, you don't need to give up! You are already succeeding... by losing five pounds, and by coming here to try to figure out what went wrong.

The first few weeks are the hardest.

I have one piece of advice. You might want to tackle one thing at a time: start by getting the food under control and then add in the exercise piece.

I now work out regularly, but in the beginning it was just too much-- trying to get used to a new way of eating and also trying to start an exercise plan.

Just take it one step at a time. But whatever you do, don't let obstacles throw you off track.

I hate days like that! So here's loads of sympathy.

I had a good break last night. I was worried about a potluck but it turned out everyone brought salads!

I suspect good breaks and bad ones all balance out in the end. So, I think you're due for some good breaks, now!

I am having a bad day, too. A horrible day, actually. I feel pretty much like crap.

But that's all it is - a bad day. I have faith that you and I will move on. We'll do better tomorrow.

Don't stress out! If you continue to give it your all, everything will make sense one day.

Don't give up. I think you're doing really well and I think it's a big step forwards to not eat the first fastfood you see in those circumstances and instead to wait for something you really did want to eat. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing thta once in a while. The problem comes when these things are happening all the time and what's just once in a while becomes more regular. DOn't beat yourself up about it, you're doing well so just move on and find a more healthy way to deal with the obsticles that come in your way.

If I think there's a chance I won't be abkle to eat on time I either eat more earlier or take a snack out with me or have something ready prepared to eat as soon as I get home.

DOn't give up over this. Even with days like this one you will lose weight over time if you keep on with all the good things you are doing. If you give up you aren't going to lose weight and you're probably going to put weight on.

Just what I was going to say! We know you REALLY want to succeed, and you CAN!! Just KEEP DOING IT! Be consistant. Even if it feels like nothing is happening, if you are exercising at least a few times a week and trying hard to stick to your healthy calories, you are setting things in motion!

I can remember so many obstacles...once I had just started an aerobics tape, started to work out, and my flailing hand hit the overhead ceiling fan globe and shattered it all over the living room. When we had our new puppy, she would NOT let me be on the floor for floor work without literally getting all over me (and she was a big pup) I can remember just getting a child down for a nap, then the phone would ring and the child would wake up and there went my half hour...STUFF HAPPENS but you can overcome!

Losing weight won't happen on it's own. It takes a sensible, logical PLAN OF ACTION to insure that it DOES happen. In other words, you need to MAKE it happen. No army General would take his troops into battle without a solid, solid plan. You MUST, MUST, MUST set yourself up for success. Take each and every obstacle and FIND a way around it - no matter what. Don't think obstacle, think opportunity. Make it a game. CHALLENGE yourself.

For me that PLANNING I spoke about is key. I know what I'm eating for the current day at least the day before. I have it all mapped out, all planned. The "right" foods are in the house, ready to go and yes, ready to pack up with me wherever I may be. Don't ever get caught in a situation like that again. Letting myself get too hungry is a recipe for DISASTER. So I avoid it.

From here on in you must look at every "mistake" as a LEARNING experience - and LEARN from it.

I'm also not sure why you're on such a strict 1200 calorie diet. I don't know what you weigh, but 1200 calories right off the bat just may be a tad too low.

I'll also tell you that the first couple of weeks ARE the hardest as you try and change those old eating habits and behaviors and are trying to learn new and healthy ones. You MUST give it some time. You will eventually get the hang of this. You'll tweak your plan to fit you better. You'll know which foods work for you and which ones don't and your cravings will greatly diminish. So hang tight. Give it your ALL for those first couple of weeks, regardless of whether you feel like it or not. Give yourself and your children that gift.

As for the exercise. What's wrong with walking? And resistance bands? - very inexpensive and doable right in your home. Then there's exercise DVD's. I love Leslie Sansones Walk AWay the Pounds series. GREAT for beginners and beyond.

So no giving up. Make an ironclad commitment to "do this" and then the thought of giving up will never enter your mind again. Instead you can think about how you will get it done.

I do agree with the other posters. "Obstacles" are part of life. Develop a set of backups in case you don't see them coming (or even if you do). A lot of people pack emergency snacks. Laughing cow lite wedges (for protein) and a few low calorie whole grain crackers plus a no-calorie bottled drink can be kept in the car.

But if you didn't plan ahead, you might try the DD lite menu -- I order the veggie eggwhite flatbread. The flatbread is multigrain and it's pretty good for less than 300 calories. They also have low calorie drinks (in the summer I get the iced coffee w/splenda and nonfat milk).

McDonald's has grilled chicken salads that are pretty good and I find I can even skip the dressing. It's also around 300 calories IIRC, though I haven't had one lately. (I think they stopped offering the asian, my fave bc of the spinach ).

I consider these entrees "treats" or emergency backups rather than staples. But you can get fast food that is pretty tasty and not too unhealthy and within a reasonable calorie budget.

BTW, I second the walking. It's my primary form of exercise.

I get frazzled when I'm hungry. The traffic would drive me batty! And ordinary irritants would grow to momentous sized annoyances in my head.

In my favourite mall ... right across from the foodcourt ... is a nutrition place. Many times, buying a proteins + bar has saved me from the allure of burgers and fries. Try to keep one in your glove box or handbag for just these occassions.

Come up with things to do when you are stressed....my therapist calls these things coping skills. Try simple things like taking a long warm bath, lighting a scented candle, deep breathing exercises, just simple things you enjoy doing for yourself.

Don't give up. I see my weight loss as a journey and when you are on a journey you might take a step or two back or you might remain still temporarily but you have the strength and know-how to move forward.

Congrats on losing five pounds! That is awesome!

Whenever I think of giving up, I ask myself if that will help me to be happier. Will it make me slimmer if I give up? Will it help my asthma to continue to get better? Will it keep me in my smaller jeans and my cute new work tops? Will it make me more confident and comfortable in my body to give up?

The answer to all of these questions is no. So even if I stay 198.2 pounds for the rest of my entire life (which seems possible, since I've pretty much been here for a MONTH!!!!!), I will not give up. Giving up means I go back up to 245 pounds (or more). Giving up means that I put away my Levi's and go back to the horrible, cheap, big jeans that I cried when I bought. Giving up means going on more asthma meds and coughing all the time. It means being the fattest girl at work and feeling ashamed about that.

So no. I don't recommend giving up as a first option. Keep fighting the good fight. If you make an unwise food choice, it's not the end of the world. Use it as a learning experience and make a better choice next time.

You have gotten such wonderful advice already, I really can't improve upon what others have said. I did want to touch on one thing in your OP though. You mentioned all the obstacles being thrown at you, and them making you want to give up. First, please don't give up. The feeling of being a normal weight and healthy is beyond words of praise. Secondly, how do you suppose people of normal weight, (who have always been a normal weight) handle stress? Some smoke away the stress, I'm sure some drink away the stress, and probably a few do indulge in chocolate to take away the stress, but out of the few "normal weight" people I know, when they are stressed they just deal with it. They don't need to drug themselves with anything, they just move on. It's so awesome. How do they do that?? I have found that breathing, meditation and prayer really is a good substitute to the alternatives.

Also, I live in the country and we go to the city almost every weekend, (Yea...I didn't have to go today because of the Football game! ) When I go anywhere that I know will take more than a few hours, I pack a little lunch box. I always throw in a yogurt, a small bag of almonds, and a piece of fruit and a bottle of water or occasionally a diet pop. (usually around 300 calories total). It has been a binge saver COUNTLESS times. I would suggest investing in a polar lunch box and a re-freezable ice cube.