I am in trouble. I wanted to join wight watchers in January. Now things have changed and I can not afford to join. Any advise PLEASE. I truly need help. I do not know what to do or where to start. I am considered obese at present.

Lisa

You don't NEED WW to lose weight, so don't worry =) If you really have no clue where to start, think in terms of "cutting out the crap", so either cutting out or (probably a better idea to start with) cutting down on foods that are processed and high in sugar, additives, fat and stuff like that. So no crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks, fast food, frozen meals and stuff like that.

Smaller portion sizes are also a great idea if one of your problem stems from eating too much. Even over-eating when you're eating good food can make you gain a lot of weight.

There are probably some weightloss blogs by members here you could look into too.

Good luck

Calorie counting is free, and does everything weight watchers does. Sites like www.fitday.com or www.dailyplate.com or the Loseit! app allow you to enter everything you eat and records your total calories and nutrition.

I'd recommend using the calorie estimator here to get a target number for each day and don't eat back your exercise calories (i.e., if you burn 200 calories, don't go eat 200. There are different philosophies about this).

Just track calories and try to get mild exercise to start. Weigh regularly and record it so that you can see if its working. Track your calories HONESTLY--your body counts them all, so you need to, too. After six weeks of that (and of reading these boards and the rest of the internet), you'll want to fine tune your plan.

If you focus on eating healthy foods, there isn't room for junk food. Aim for lean protein, at least 5 servings of (non-starchy) vegetables, 2 servings of fruit, whole grains, beans (legumes) and small amounts of healthy fats (olive oil, canola oil, olives, nuts) every day. Drink water. Secondarily avoid sugar, white flour, white pasta, saturated fats, hydrogenated oils, and limit artificial sweeteners. If your focus is eating the good foods, it's easier to know what to eat and it's mentally easier than focusing on what not to eat.

Log what you eat and how much of it. You can do it on paper or in one of the free online sites that also track calories for you.

Make sure you're eating enough calories.

Add some walking to your daily routine.

And keep visiting us here.

Best wishes.

You may want to get some books from the library: Savor by Thich Nhat Hanh http://www.savorthebook.com/ is a great book about mindful eating and weight loss.

Clean up your kitchen: get rid of junk, stock with healthy whole grains, beans, veggies, fruit, lean proteins.

Set your self up for exercise: set out walking shoes, socks, sweatpants, etc. so you can head out at least once a day.

Track everything, either on paper or a website so you can figure out what you were doing on the weeks you lost weight, and what you were doing on the weeks you maintained or gained weight.

Lisa,

You can do this! It does not have to cost money to lose weight. Like the others have mentioned, calorie counting is free (and very effective!). Walking is free too All you need is the determination and commitment to get started, and hang in there when it gets hard. It will be so worth it. Good luck!

It really took a structured program similar to weight watchers for me to really understand portions and what I was supposed to be eating. At the time I was fortunate to have the funds to do so, but once I realized that I could do it on my own, I ditched the program and saved oodles of money - and probably my liver due to the highly processed pre-packaged food I was eating. Anyway, I just started watching my portions at first. Then once I realized that with a little extra dedication, I could calorie count and really be in control things just started clicking. While there are so many ways to lose weight, the bottom line is calories in vs calories out. No matter what else you do, this is the bottom line. If calorie counting makes you cringe, then estimate to get you started. Use Lean Cusine, or recipes that already have the calories figured out for you. Cooking Light is a great magazine and there are so many cook books out there that have all the stats of all the dishes.

I know the begining is really really hard, but honestly you just have to stick with it for about a month and you'll be on your way to new and healthy habits. And don't forget persistance. Even if you fall down, get back up and get back on plan immediately. Good luck!