Hi,

I guess I should introduce myself. I'm a 29 year old mom of 3 little ones. My husband and I have been married 8 1/2 years. I stumbled across this forum after a heart to heart with my hubby. I'm overweight and I think on the threshold of being termed obese. I need to lose 100 lbs.

I've tried diets in the past and while they worked they were basically quick fixes and the moment I stopped I started gaining the weight back. I packed on the pounds with the birth of each child and I really need to do something for myself to get it off.

I got a membership to our local Y this summer so I could teach the kids to swim and I was so uncomfortable in my bathing suit in front of others. I need to do this for myself and my family. I'm also a SAHM/WAHM so I make my own hours so have that flexibility. I really need to lose this weight and keep it off the healthiest and hopefully fastest way possible.

I started one of those pill diets 2 weeks ago and have lost 8 lbs so far but I forget to take it and I honestly hate taking pills.

I love food and food obviously loves me but at this point I'm a little disenchanted and realize it's not a fairytale you've got to work for it if you want it.....well I want it. I just don't know the path to get there or where to start. I'm doing research but there's so much and they are all different and conflicting........Any tips, help or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Hi and welcome.

Welcome to 3FC! I'd suggest you peruse the threads each day because there are always active threads and many may be of interest to you.

You can also search in specific sub-forums for threads that meet your interests, but based on your introduction you are in good company here, there are a lot of mothers here trying to get back into shape.

Good luck!

Welcome! As someone who has been on and off the wagon, I feel you. I've learned a lot over the years and here is the lowdown: There is no short cut. But, you can make little changes everyday that turn into a big effort.

For me, it has always been easier to start with exercise first than eating better. That always came after. I know how hard it is to find the time with children, but start with little things. I started with the 50 approach. As in all through the day, I would make sure I did 50 reps of specific exercises. I made a list like: crunches, jumping jacks, etc. Pick 5. Then through out the day-do them until it ads up. When that gets easier, add to it.

I never have the chance to get the gym. So, I love workout dvds. Jillian Michaels has one-banish fat, boost metabolism that is in several short circuits. I also started with 30 day shred.

Everyone has to find out what works for them. The same goes for diet. Some people love South Beach or Atkins or WW. Some, like me, just substitute junk for healthier food.

Much luck to you! You'll find great support here. I had in the past, which is why I just came back. You can do this.

Hi! Welcome to the forum!
I think what others have posted is great advice to get you started on your weight loss journey!
I wanted to add that I also felt a little overwhelmed when I first started, there is so much information out there, it's hard to decide how to start out!
I've found that making small gradual changes helped me transition into the weight loss and helped me figure out what worked for me and what didn't.
At first I started simply counting my calories and sticking to a recommended number each day. After doing that for about a week or two, I started switching to healthier foods, my first switch was changing any white grain to a whole grain version, then started to add more fruits and veggies.
As I went along I kept trying new things or tips I heard of and have now been able to figure out how most efficiently to diet and exercise to lose weight.
This answer is not the same for everyone, so I think it's really about experimenting and finding what works best for you which comes with time. But for starters I don't think you can go wrong with calorie counting and just making an effort to be more active every day!
Best of luck to you!

My advice would be to start from a place of self-love rather than hate or disgust. If you love yourself and your body, you will want to take care of it. Start by acknowledging your body parts rather than rejecting them outright. You don't necessarily have to like the rolls, but don't deny they exist. They are there, part of you, and whether you realize it or not, they do serve a function (fat is an organ itself). Your body is your own, and it's a miracle.

I know what it's like to hate your body, to want to change it, and yet be so overwhelmed with taking care of others and all the other pressures that come with daily life. Dieting and weight loss is adding another pressure to the list. The pressure of being so overweight that you need to get rid of it right here and right now can actually sabotage your efforts, even if you don't realize it.

I think it's okay to love food - to truly and emphatically enjoy the taste, pleasure, and experience of eating. We tend to have little respect for food - eating too fast, eating junk because we're dissociated from pleasure and don't really realize how junky it tastes, beating yourself up for liking the taste, fearing the pleasure of food, going to drive-thrus, etc. Mindless eating is not enjoying food. It's numbing out to escape reality because reality is too hard. Eating when truly hungry actually increases your food satisfaction. Over time if you practice eating when you're hungry (stomach hungry - the empty, gnawing feeling in your belly), you'll naturally learn how to stop before you're too full. Find pleasure in food and in your body, in movement, and in life! Good luck!

Hi faeriemama! It can be overwhelming, but you are right that quick fixes don't work. You need to change the way you eat permanently so that once you do get the weight off, you don't switch back to old, unhealthy eating patterns and regain the weight you lost. Counting calories works very well for many people here. There is an app you can get for your phone/computer called myfitnesspal which will calculate all the calories that you consume and burn through exercise and keep track for you. Everyone who uses it has had really good things to say about it. You also can't go wrong by switching to less processed foods and choosing more whole, natural foods. As for me, I've finally figured out that I have a carb sensitivity, so I've had to cut back on quick-burning carbs like breads, pasta, potatoes and sweets, because they make me crave more of those kinds of foods and keep me in a constant state of hunger. Everyone is different and you may have to experiment to find out what plan works best for you. As you browse around, be sure to check out the different weight loss plans under the Diet Central section. Good luck!

Hi, faeriemama!

As you pick a diet, make sure you also pick up an understanding of basic nutrition. It will help you make decision about a diet that will work for you and keep you feeling good.

There's been a lot of improvements in our understanding of food and how it gets used in the body. Primarily - the arch enemy is easily converted carbs (sugars and refined flour products), particularly if you eat an excess of them and too much calories overall.

Your pill comment made me want to suggest this, because I'd hate to see you pick a diet solution that is sub-par on nutrition, even if you do lose weight on it. There's a lot of drop-weight-fast diets that are nutritionally horrible! A nutritious diet will keep you healthy as you lose weight, and afterwards.

Good luck!