hey all,

so this is my first time on this forum. i've heard of it before on my previously failed attempts at weight-loss and just as i promised to lose the weight i failed to sign on here.

let me tell you guys a bit about myself. i'm 19 turning 20. i've been overweight almost my whole life so i've always had body-image insecurities and an inability to lose weight due to self motivation. i'm currently 192...my absolute highest weight and it scares the s*** out of me that i could be in the 200s in 8 more lbs. i don't work out regularly - and by regularly i mean no more than once a month...disgusting i know. i always start and then stop. now my eating habits is where it gets weird...i don't eat fruits and veggies everyday, i don't eat meat everyday (i'm not a vegetarian i just don't eat meat regularly except for egg for breakfast almost everyday) and i don't eat more than 1000 calories. however, i eat a lot of carbs i've noticed. cereal for breakfast, whole wheat sandwiches for lunch, and pasta or rice for dinner is the usual day. and in between cookies, or snacks that are usually carb-related.

as you can see i clearly know where i'm going wrong but i have absolutely no idea where to start. should i work out everyday? should i change my eating habits? if so what should i eat? i'm so scared yet i'm so hopeful. sorry this was so long! thank you for reading xo

Irregular and too-little eating can cause weight issues. Consistently eating too-few calories can really mess up your metabolism by slowing it way down. I did the same thing in college. I'd eat maybe one meal a day and snack around it. I gained even more when I only ever ate dinner while chasing two toddlers.

I know how scary those 190s can be. I'm in them myself. I dared to weigh myself full clothed and after eating a large meal and saw the 200s and lept off the thing feeling miserable.

Exercise... you just need to start. I never exercised. Not even once a month. But, you just need to start. Buy a workout DVD that interests you (I like 30-Day Shred and Basic Tae-Bo, since they are less than half an hour each but effective). Commit to going for a long walk 3x a week, or park your car at the far side of the parking lot, use the stairs, buy a pedometer and commit to 10,000 steps/day, etc. Cardio is your best bet for now, though strength training is important too, but that can wait. For now, you just need to start the habit of setting time aside to improve your health.

First of all, congrats on taking the first step.

As far as your eating habits, have you truly counted all of the calories you are eating daily? If you really are only eating 1000 a day, you need to eat more!!! I know it sounds wierd, but you are probably putting your body in starvation mode, therefore it holds on to the fat and will not let you drop the lbs. The more you eat, as well as the type of food you eat, the better you can get your metabolism to work for you. Of course, you cannot eat too much either. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and then you can figure out how many calories you need per day to start losing lbs. Just google BMR.

Of course, I would also recommend starting out exercising at least 3-4 times per week a minimum of 30 minutes each time and don't forget weights. A lot of people just "diet" or just do cardio but weight training is essential in building muscle which is your friend in burning calories all day long, every single day.

Good luck and post your progress.

I started losing weight when I was about 20 too, so I can definitely relate. After being overweight my whole life, starting was scary, but it's been SO worth it to hang in there! Here's my 2 cents on where to start-

I would venture to guess that you're eating more than 1,000 calories per day. Those things tend to sneak up on you, especially if you're snacking and/or not measuring portions. Before to decide to increase or decrease calories, I would spend a few days and write down everything you eat. Measure it, look up the calorie count. For everything. Once you have that information, you can decide if you're under- or overeating and look at places to change the quality of your food or the macronutrient ratios. Keeping this data over time has really revealed a lot about my eating habits and what works/doesn't work for me to be losing weight.

You need to be creating a calorie deficit, and food is a very important part of making that happen. Exercise, while it has so many other benefits, also helps create that deficit. I wouldn't try to workout every day, but if you could shoot for 4 or 5 days a week, I think that would be a great place to start. Others mentioned fitness DVD's which are awesome, especially for a beginner to get in some resistance training (I'd recommend anything Jillian Michaels). You can also go for walks, mix in some jogging, ride your bike, etc. Find something that is fun and empowering for you.

Don't get too hung up on past failures (we've all had them!). Think about your past failures as learning experiences and move on. What didn't work then? Whatever the answer is, do it differently this time. You can only move forward, you've come to the right place for support and this CAN happen for you!

Keep us posted .

yeah, i would also say there's no way you're eating 1000calories, especially if you're eating all those carbs. also, eating carbs makes you wanna eat more carbs, so maybe a low-carb diet (like Atkins) would be good for you for starting off?

and i think everyone else gave good suggestions for exercising. but you can lose weight without exercising, the most important part is your diet. also, i hate exercising too, so i feel your pain...

Hi osobxo, you and I are very similar in stats. I just turned twenty this summer and I also weighed about 192 at the beginning of July. My highest was a little over 200 around holidays. I have never lost weight purposefully until this year, and it really does take that extra bit of work to lose it steadily. It didn't happen just through eating right, or else I would have lost weight a long time ago. Different methods work for different people, but know that if you try, you can lose weight.

Just start! That's what I did with exercise. I said to myself "I will try to exercise at least a half-hour everyday and see how much weight I can lose" and I've found that it A) does help me lose weight, and doing the action itself makes me feel like I'm TRYING, which helps further motivate me, B) makes me FEEL healthy afterwards (most of the time, not all of the time, C) alleviates the distresses of *ahem* Aunt Flo's monthly visit, as it turns out. I would encourage exercise. It's good for your heart and your body, not just losing weight. Start with a half-hour and go from there. I don't know what you have access to, but maybe you can go jogging? People also fit exercise to their schedules, so exercise as often as what works for you.

For my diet method right now, I've been doing "type" and "portion" food control. Lots of fruits, beans, egg-whites, soups, low-cal whole wheat pitas, whole wheat cereals, and vegetables. I think that, when you see results, you will be even further motivated.

Cereal - 200+
Sandwich - 500+
Pasta or rice - 500+
Carby snacks - 500+

These are just kind of rough guesstimates for your cals per day. So my baseline estimate is around 1600/1700 calories.

People gave you great exercise tips so yay try some of that!

As for dieting - what I did to start (and I'm still doing it now) is just swapping in fruits, veg and protein for carbs wherever possible.

So for example instead of cereal at breakfast try 1 egg and a piece of fruit! This will be about 200 cals and very filling and nutritious! OR you can try an eggwhite omelet with veggies in it!

For lunch, cutting out my sandwiches has probably made the most difference. Sandwiches are evil calorie hiders. You never know what secret diet ruiner is lurking inside.

So I started having salads with chicken for lunch. Way less cals!

Good luck!

Hi!

I always had troubles losing weight too, until one day my friends told to me to weigh all the things I was eating (ie. potatoes, rice, etc), before cooking.

This made me realize that I was vastly overeating - it might be same for you. I'm very certain that you don't stay below 1500 and eat bread and rice and pasta

What I did to lose weight, was to set myself a "calorie budget" that I would be able to spend each day, and one day a week where I was allowed to eat what I wanted.

I was a lot heavier than you, but in the first months I lost 30-40lbs. I didn't exercise at the time, which I greatly regret now.

I think the hardest part for me was to realize how wrong I'd always been about my eating habits; I was a comfort eater and kept telling myself that it was okay, that I'd not had that much anyway etc. When I started writing lists and weighing stuff, it was really shocking to see how much I was overeating... and I think that shock totally helped get me on the right path.

I guess the key is just to be honest to yourself and hold yourself responsible.

Welcome to the forum!

Like some of the others have said, I think you may be underestimating your caloric intake. Even in a sedentary individual, 1000 calories a day is generally less than what a doctor would recommend to maintain your resting metabolic rate, let alone any level of activity.

However, you're in the right spot! This is the perfect place to discuss your concerns, get support, and learn tools to help you manage your weight.