Hello all,
I am a newbie! I'm 22 and have 2 great kids! I want to loose weight badly.. I've gained 100 LBS since high school 4 yrs ago.. I'm at my absolute highest weight ever! 281 lbs ( My final goal is 150 or less. Just wondering from everyone.. whats your "trick" whats your diet plan, exercise plan, whats worked and what hasn't? How much have you lost and just curious what does it feel like to loose weight? I know I absolutely can not weight to be skinny and hot lol! Right now I am soooo depressed. I won't let anyone take my picture if it ends up on FB i untag myself lol.. Starting Tuesday the doctor has me on an all liquid diet for 2 weeks. I can have 5 carnation good start breakfast shakes a day and I must drink 7 bottles of water.. I might be some good lucks with this! LOL then she will slowly introduce foods.. supposedly it will detox my body as well as retraining the way I eat.. Has anyone tried this? Input appreciated! Thanks

Welcome! I have not heard of this and hope it is safe, since your doctor suggested it, I am sure it is.
I count calories, at this point, I am not weighing and measuring everything but I do eat alot of fruit and veggies. It has taken me over 4 months to lose 28lbs. I wish it was faster but I know with my age it is going to come off slowly plus I am not very constiant with working out, something I need to dedicate more time too for sure.
It is not easy but many many people on this forum have lost 100lbs or more in a year. It is doable. One day at a time and if you fall off the wagon, hop right back on.
Best of luck.

Welcome Kindra

Good for you for starting the weight loss journey That is something to be applauded! You sound really motivated too! Good for you!

I was on a liquid diet before. It got the weight off of me quickly. I think it is good that your doc is supervising your weight loss journey. It's definitely important to stay hydrated too.

For me, my highest weight was 271. I just got sick of being overweight. I also had a flare up of irritable bowel syndrome which caused me to lose a lot of weight. I also went back on the liquid diet and then did weight watchers. Right now I am starting to meet with a personal trainer again who has me doing calorie counting and is going to design a weight loss program for me. Another personal trainer that I worked with in the past said it is important to set goals and reward yourself with non foods for achieving them.

I definitely work on keeping motivated and taking care of myself. I remind myself that I want to be healthier, look and feel better and live a better life.

A few quotes to help you out:

"It's time to start living the life you've imagined."

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

"I will persist until I succeed."

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

Here are the things that made a huge difference for me:
1) I stopped eating fast food and I stopped drinking diet soda. I drink a TON of water now. Once I broke the habit of FF and soda, I found that I don't really even like them. I still steal a few fries of my brother's meals, but the couple of times that I ordered a french fry myself... I've found that they don't really even taste that good anymore. Same for soda -- too bubbly and chemically tasting.
2) I ordered food through an online company (BistroMD) that retrained my habits regarding salt, sugar, portion size, and eating more veggies and lean protein. I'm no longer ordering the food, but my habits are ingrained and, for the most part, I have no desire to eat the way I used to eat. The meal plan also forced me to eat actual meals throughout the day, instead of grazing.
3) I eat breakfast!! Plus lunch, dinner and 2 snacks.
4) I log everything I eat and count calories. It takes a lot of effort at first, but eventually becomes 2nd nature and easier too when you have memorized the calories for the things you eat the most.
5) I consider this a total lifestyle change, not a diet. I allow myself indulgences occasionally and know that I'm creating habits to last me. I will not reach an end-point where I can stop and go back to my old ways. I'm okay with that.
6) I eat LOTS and LOTS of veggies -- frozen and fresh. They add bulk with few calories. Besides, they're just plain good for you!
Best of luck! There's TONS of helpful info and advice on the boards here. These chickies are super friendly and supportive!

Hello and welcome!

I gave up soda and fast food. I eat small portions of meat, a single portion of carbohydrate (potato or other starch) and large portions of non-starchy veggies. I allow myself unlimited amounts of lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, etc. This means that I can always eat if I am hungry and still consume fewer calories.

I try to excercise at least 5 days per week, mostly to excercise dvd's. I also use the wii fit. I was terribly out of shape and at first my workouts were only 15 - 20 minutes long. I just built up slowly.

I use an excel spreadsheet that logs all my food and excercise. I consider this as a new lifestyle - not a diet that will end at some point. This includes the occasional celebration foods - like a small piece of cake at a friends birthday.

My weight loss has been at least 6 pounds per month since I started. I only weigh one time per month and this has helped me avoid the discouragement of the scale fluctuating. I started measuring myself each month about 3 months ago. I wish I had done that from the start. It would have been nice to be able to see my progress.

sorry for this long post. I wish you good luck and good fortune on your way to a healthier you!

Welcome to 3FC!

I'm not a big fan of diets. I just wanted to eat normally. I wanted to learn how to be satisfied with smaller portions. To enjoy recipes and make healthier substitutions. To start moving more, and find out what activities I actually -like- to do.

I use WW Point Plus to keep track of my food intake. I use my treadmill, yoga, and exercise dvds to add movement into my day. I come to the forums often to read about how others are making things work for them...

And most importantly I am perseverant. There have been little struggles along the way, but it makes no sense to me to make mountains out of weight loss mole hills. No mistake is going to take me off this track. I'm human, I make mistakes. But... I'm also human, I'm stronger than any obstacle.

Best of luck!