First off, let me inform you:


I have very high anxiety,
mild depression,
fast food and sugary foods make me shake and my heart race really fast.

I'm engaged, and live on my own. (with my fiance)
I pay for all of my own things, including food, which is on a very strict budget.


Therefor -

I can only afford about a weeks worth of fresh fruits and veggies! I buy alot of frozen veggies, though.


I basically eat this daily -

Lunch: String cheese, or chicken salad...

Dinner: Chicken, side of veggies, side of mashed potatoes.

Drink: Water, Milk, or Coke Zero.


I used to drink pop all day every day. Once I stopped drinking normal pop and switched to coke zero/pepsi max, I dropped about 15 lbs in two weeks. But, that's all over now!

I do not exercise. I try, and my anxiety takes over. I don't eat out much. I eat steak once a month. I eat pasta maybe once a week...and when I do, I use stewed tomatoes as the sauce.

I want to get down to 170 lbs by October of 2012 for my wedding.
I weigh 240 pounds, and I am 6'1.


I'm not motivated at all - due to stress, lack of rest (even though I sleep alot), and my fiance doesn't want to do anything due to a recent injury.


SO, I don't know what to do!!!!!! Haha, please help.

Speaking as someone who has an anxiety disorder, I can honestly say that exercise has saved my life. The movement really takes away some of my nervous energy and allows to feel more relaxed. I definitely recommend adding some movement to your daily routine. It doesn't have to be crazy stuff, but I swear it will make you feel better in the long run.

Food wise, I think it's clear (from what you've shared) that you need more nutrition.

I don't have a lot of advice, since I'm just beginning my weight loss, but I can impart some of what I've picked up. I noticed that when you listed your basic menu you didn't include Breakfast. One of the biggest things I've learned in my weight loss journey, so far, is that breakfast is indeed one of the most important meals of the day - it helps to get your metabolism going so you can burn more fat. Try to eat at least something in the morning, whether it be just a bowl of oatmeal, or a cup of yogurt, or even a piece of fruit. Correct portion size for your meals is also very important. There are many sites on the internet which can explain that more fully. Stay away from heavily processed foods. If you're eating pasta, see if you can get whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta. Another thing, if you find yourself getting hungry through the day, maybe have smaller meals more often, instead of three big means (about 200-300 cal each). Don't worry too much about not being able to actively exercise all the time - weight loss is usually about your calorie intake. Try to estimate your normal calorie intake a day and cut it by 500 (don't go less than 1200 cal per day mind). Maybe go for a nice walk each day - nothing too strenuous, but it gets you moving, builds your muscle over time, and gets your metabolism going. Swimming is also another great way to exercise, without stressing out your body too much 9especially with summer coming).

What about multi-vitamins, or supplements...what kind of nutrition? LOL

Yeah, I don't normally eat breakfast, but I did forget I have yougurt... :P
thank ya

Thank you... I agree on the nutrition part. I don't know about the anxiety stuff. My anxiety is bad... I can't even go to the store without completely freaking. But, i'll try.

First off, that pesky anxiety thing, a little meditation and deep breathing or yoga goes a really long way as long as you actually do it. I have spend the better part of the last two years in a total funk of depression, which is what led to my weight gain and pushing myself to exercise has made the most difference. Also, do you have an aldi's by you? They have the freshest cheapest produce! As for the soda thing, kick it all together. La Croix makes amazing sparkling water with no chemical after taste from sweetners. Good Luck

Would you try a yoga DVD for exercise? Something relaxing and gentle to start you off might work around your anxiety - it might even help a little. I agree that breakfast is really important, what foods could you eat in the morning?

I completely understand how anxiety can affect one's life, and I'm sorry that you have to suffer through it. When I was at my worst I couldn't even attend school or leave my house at all.

I agree with others that yoga is a life saver. Any kind of movement helps so much for me.

I love ALDI! It's the best. I shop there and our local mart called Price Chopper.
I forgot about aldi for a few months... hah! thanks.

I could try to work my food money into buying more fruits. I could eat fruit for breakfast... or fat free yougurt. I have been drinking sparkling water, too... it's pretty dang cheap and doesn't affect me in any way!

Here's more about my diet:

Ive kinda been doing the less fat, less sugar thing.
More protein and carbs. I read if from the p90X nutrition guide...
But, being since my fiance isn't helping in any way, I haven't even touched p90x. I suppose that the diet won't work unless I exercise :P

If you cut out the soda completely, you'll have more money for real, healthy foods. And weaning off the caffeine in the soda could elminate the jitters which might also help some with the anxiety.

Yep, I would cut out the caffeine. It really, really doesn't help an anxiety issue. I've lived with anxiety since I was in my early twenties (I'm now 41), so I understand it from the inside out.

Let me chime in with the others, too, and say that exercise of some sort is HUGE for dealing with anxiety issues. It's rough for me to do because one of the things I have anxiety about is having a heart attack. It's irrational, but hey, that's why they call them "phobias" and not "perfectly rational fears," right?

Anyway, you can imagine that my attitude toward a racing heart, hard breathing, and profuse sweating is not "Yay, I'm getting a good workout!" I struggled to overcome the exercise-induced anxiety, and it was worth the struggle. Not only do I feel better physically, but I feel better mentally and emotionally because of exercise. Being able to overcome that particular species of panic attack has given me the impetus to eradicate other kinds--the ones I used to get while driving over bridges, for instance.

I can't urge you strongly enough to try exercise even if it's just in five-minute increments. Remember, you can always stop if the anxiety gets too strong. That's what I told myself so I wouldn't feel "trapped" by exercise, if that makes sense (I know that for me, having a way out of something is really important to reducing my anxiety about it).

The fruit has a ton of sugar, does it affect you like the regular sugary stuff?

It doesn't seem like you are getting much nutrition. B vitamins are some of the most important for brain function. Being low on things like B-12 will cause anxiety and depression or worsen it. Has your doctor checked those things out for you? You might be stuck in a cycle and have all of this working against you.

Do you take a good multi-vitamin?

That's a good idea about the exercising... I'll try that..

And no... My doctor doesn't do anything for me. I'm going to a new doctor in May so I'll ask him about some stuff

As for vitamins, I don't know what to take.