I've just turned 18 in the past couple months and I've avoided weighing myself on the scale for months.

I just recently checked and I am 280 lbs. I nearly cried. I know it's my own fault but still, hard to see.

I need to lose this weight. I figure by starting 10lb goals. But I don't know.

My problem is, I'm not able to eat right. It's so expensive and I skip a lot of meals because we can't afford to buy that much for food. All everyone tells me is 'eat right.' It makes me feel so discouraged that I can't.

I start college in September and am so depressed. I just want to give up and crawl into a hole and never come out.

I always say I'll lose weight but something always pushes me down. How did you guys start? Besides that whole eating right thing. It's not that I eat bad foods, it's just not eating at the right times.

Are their any specific exercise anyone recommends? I know the weight won't come off fast but I need to know all hope is not lost and I can at least lose a bit of weight before I start college. I want to feel better about myself.

And I'm sorry, I know this was long. I'm just so aggravated and angry with myself right now.

When I was 16 i reached my highest weight of 280 lbs. Now at 22 I'm at 171. not perfect but it's sure closer.
I lost about 35 of it through small changes and low carbing. I stayed the same weight until about 20 years old when I mysteriously lost more weight.

Here's the real big wake up call. I got diagnosed with an unrelated muscle disorder that attacked my muscles. That's when I decided I HAD to do it if I wanted to have a change at a normal life. I couldn't get off the floor because my muscles were weak and my body was heavy. Don't let it get to the point of you fighting for your life! Just remember every extra pound is taking years off your life. It's holding you back from what you want and need and that's hard to realize from the inside.

I can't tell you how many times I've cried because the abuse I put my body through. Respect yourself first and foremost. You will notice a difference if you pay attention to your body. You will get sick from eating the wrong things and the right things will make you feel high.

You are still so young and if you start working on this now, you can be a healthy and happy young adult. You will have more energy and more confidence.

Start with eating vegetables and things with lots of fiber. Birds Eye frozen vegetables without sauce are really really good! The peas are my favorite but they have great green beans and broccoli. Don't get the ones like "vegetable risotto" cause then you are paying for rice mostly. Stock your freezer up with these when they are on sale. I can find them for $1.25. Try to cut back on red meat and dairy.

Water is extremely important! You can still put butter and salt on veggies but just don't put as much. Take small steps. Take a little walk if you aren't getting much exercise.

Every tiny little step will help you! Also you WILL feel hungry if you are eating mostly vegetables. It's normal. However you should let yourself have some slack. If you can't stop thinking about food you need to eat. If you can't stop thinking about sugar just have a yogurt or something small.

Don't let depression about your weight get you down! If you stay depressed because of your weight you won't be able to be strong and make changes. Forgive yourself and don't beat yourself up but also stick firm to your goals and resolutions.

Good luck!

Also brown rice and beans are great for losing weight. I always lose weight if I eat this and its uber-cheap. I also lost 9 lbs eating potatoes with butter and salt! I didn't put much butter but still! You can still eat good food. Soup is another thrifty and healthy food that you can even freeze and reheat.

Lost, welcome and good luck. It is not true that eating right is expensive, it doesn't have to be. Eat fruits and vegetables that are in season, they will be cheaper. Avoid foods that are already prepared they are too expensive. Fast food is very expensive and full of sugar and fat as well as sodium. Many people have lost weight without going broke buying healthy food.

Welcome LostTragedy. I would suggest counting calories. Measure your food. Even if it's not the best food choice, appropriate serving size makes a big difference in calorie intake. It is amazing to me how 'wrong' ALL of my portions were. I eat like a trucker. But I don't work like one. So I have a lot of weight to lose.
I hope to hear more from you here at 3FC!

You don't have to spend a bundle on organic food or high-quality meats. Try tracking your calories on sites like FitDay or MyFitnessPal. Obviously, you shouldn't eat junk food, even if it's only 1800 calories/day, but you don't have to spend a ton of money either.

Soup is my favorite low-cost, low-calorie food, and it's so filling and yummy. It's about $1.50/can, and you can always find coupons and sales. I also love beans and rice (very cheap). Buy separate ingredients for salad instead of the pre-made bags of salad. Spaghetti is another good one: use whole wheat spaghetti instead of the regular kind (it's more filling, better for you, and only 10 cents more in most cases).

If you have a freezer, you can make some meals in advance. I like to buy chicken breasts when they're on sale. I chop them up into five to seven servings and then put them in freezer containers with rice and veggies (you can get frozen veggies for a steal if you buy the store brand). Then I bring those containers to work for lunch every day.

Will you be in a college dorm with a meal plan? If not, check into food stamps. If you are living on your own and working part-time while going to school, you might qualify.

I totally agree with everyone eating healthier doesn't have to be expensive. My hubby and I are on a very very tight budget but when we cut out buying all the fatty junk food and went for frozen chicken and fresh/frozen veggies we are now down to about 20$-30$ on grocery a week before it was closer to 70$-100$+

Take your time and try out a few different foods. I am honestly not a huge fan of all veggies but there are a handful I just love. Steaming veggies with one of those rice cookers/steamers(we found at target for 20 bucks) was my turning point in eating right. I also LOVE Soup, so many choices you cant get bored.

Ditto. We realized soda was a HUGE expense, along with stuff like pizza rolls, ice cream, cookies, chips, etc. Our grocery bill went down about 30% once I started getting creative with our crock pot and freezer.

I may be repeating some things already said, but here's a list of my favorite healthy but inexpensive foods: brown rice (not the pre-prepared microwave kind, a box); frozen mixed veggies (not the seasoned or buttered kind; season them yourself); tuna; low fat cottage cheese; canned soup.

If you haven't already, I'd recommend you start tracking your calories BEFORE you try to change your habits. How much are you eating to start with? Then try to cut down from that, even if it's only 100 calories to start with. It's hard to know how much change you've made if you don't track beforehand.

As others have said, you're young--NOW is the best time to get healthy, so that's an advantage you should remind yourself of.

You can do it!!!

I am new as well but I am here for you if you need me. I am only a few weeks into my weight loss journey but I have learned that you can come up with some inexpensive meals. At my local grocery store they sell individually frozen fish fillets in a big bag for about $13. Although this seems like a lot it has about 15 pieces of fish in it. I buy Tilapia and at 4oz it about 110 calories. Pair that with fresh broccoli (when in season is about $0.99/lb) it makes for a good lunch or dinner and low in calories.
Frozen veggies are a great option. They frequently go on sale just stock up when they do. Dry beans are great as well.
I love using my crock pot to cook soups and meats.

What's your grocery budget? Where can you shop for food? What about your other house stuff? Because when I switched cleaning supplies, what I saved there I could add to the food purchases. I can always add the water and dilute it myself at home. So even though concentrates seem more expensive, they last longer.

For intance, spending the $28 on a gallon of Dr bronner soap? Seems like a lot. But when I use 1-2 tbs per 32 oz spray bottle of water? It lasts me AGES. Then I'm1-2 tbs in a foamy hand soap dispenser? Then I'm not shelling out $3 a bottle for counter spray. Or floor. Or hand soap!


Can you see a doc? Check out that depression thing. Get your mental health in shape before trying to take on your physical health. How is your emotional and spiritual health?

What's that mean? What are you eating? How much of it? When? Being vague isn't going to get you anywhere. Keep a food log, even with NO CHANGES AT ALL for a week or two. Then you know where you are starting from. That will help you figure out where to go next.

GL!
A.

Are their any specific exercise anyone recommends? I know the weight won't come off fast but I need to know all hope is not lost and I can at least lose a bit of weight before I start college. I want to feel better about myself.

I forgot you asked about exercise. Whatever movement works for you is the right movement. The most important thing is consistency and working up stamina. Three times a week at least, daily if you can. How long? If you were, say, to put on your favorite music and dance, how long could you do that before you'd be too tired to keep going? Or, if you go for a walk, how long can you walk at a comfortable pace? Whatever it is, set a goal to do a little more every week, if not every day.

The research on people who successfully lose lots of weight and keep it off says that they exercise on average an hour a day. Building up to that is a goal that could take you a while, but like everything else on this journey, it's about making one small change after another. I started with 5 minutes a day; I can do 30 or more now, but my goal is still to work up to an hour a day.