I'm going through a difficult time right now. Losing weight has become... dare I say it... a royal pain. I am experiencing my first motivational barrier and I thought maybe starting a Youtube channel would help. I'm just lonely and I would like to try something new.

My problem is, I don't know where to begin. What should my first video be about? Myself? How far I've come? How far I have to go? Advice and tips? I would feel a bit silly handing out advice right away, considering no one has asked for any and I'm still over 200 pounds.

I was hoping some of you chicks could help me with this. What would actually get people interested in my channel? What would inspire/help/motivate people the most?

(I wasn't sure where to post this so I'm sorry in advance if it's not appropriate here)

Just be careful. We've had some chicks here post youtube stuff and then become very upset at the comments they get. Comments on youtube really can be the worst of the worst on the internet. I wouldn't even call some of the commenters trolls. What's worse than trolls? Well, some of the commenters can be worse than that!

Have you thought about a blog?

I agree with midwife--a blog, where you can control who comments, might be better for you. People are worse than mean on the internet. This website is an exception, really.

Jay

If you want to do a youtube channel, I think it's great. There's a great weightloss community on YT and I watch their videos frequently because it helps with motivation.

I don't watch to get advice, so I wouldn't start doing videos about that. I think what makes people watch, at least why I watch, is because it's a positive thing to see someone go through the same struggle and you get interested in that person and in their success.

Yes, there are trolls and people who will make negative comments, but the majority aren't bad folks. You have to go knowing that you will get negative comments (if people watch you videos) but that it's not really personal. I think it's worse if no one makes comments at all.

The best way to get people to watch your videos is not only to post it here if people are interested, but to also participate in the community in YT. Make comments on other people's vlogs, give advice if you want, post video responses to other people's videos, participate in challenges.

Your first video should be an introduction because no one knows you and they will want you. The fact that you've lost 88 lbs is AMAZING and a lot of people will want to hear about how you did and whether it was hard or what motivated you to finally do it.

Some other advice. Make a schedule for yourself about when and how often you want to make the videos. Consistency is important if you want to keep your audience. You'll want to consider the types of videos too. Some can be weigh-ins, others can be grocery hauls, others can be about cooking a recipe you really like or exercise. It's a great way of documenting what you're doing to lose your weight.

Good luck!

Thanks midwife and JayEll. I never really considered the negativity of Youtube. I tried starting a blog but to be quite honest, no one ever read it. I got frustrated and gave up on it. I was hoping maybe a Youtube channel would give me some forum to vent through but I am wary of hateful comments.

Rana, thank you for the advice! What kind of challenges are on Youtube? My biggest concern is either not being interesting or failing to find an audience so I appreciate the tips.

Hamoco: They have tons of challenges, it could be the 21 day challenge or a Christmas challenge.

I think the key to getting an audience is to be a good audience member yourself and providing support and responding to their videos. Here are some links to some of the people in the community:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhs_6eN0XDg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oJUkxy06WI

Some YT channels that I think are good:

http://www.youtube.com/user/trulyjess
http://www.youtube.com/user/antishay
http://www.youtube.com/user/thesiegster

... there's tons more. You just have to start watching and figuring out who resonates with you and who makes videos that you like.

With blogs and with YouTube channels, I think you have to start off understanding that you're not instantly going to become a big success with loads of followers. Some people give up blogging, like you said, because nobody is reading and it's frustrating. But if you keep at it, regardless of readership, and go around commenting on other people's blogs/YouTube channels/whatever, things will eventually pick up. You have to be prepared to do things without feedback, and to do things regardless of negative feedback as well.