Welcome to the site.. This is a great board to help you lose weight.

I too was always about 135-145 pounds and once school ended and so did all the sports I ate the same and just continued to gain until I reached almost 190. I am 5'4" and 25 years old. I knew I needed to grab a hold of the weight before I kept going.

I tried the Atkins and though I believe all the fat can't be good for one's health I also saw what that the sugars and carbs do to your body when I wasn't eating them (stomach issues, acid reflux, headaches). So what I decided was that if I was going to do this forever Weight Watchers was the way for me. It's more common sense, fruits and veggies and low fat/calorie foods. It's all what's good for you. But Exercise is the main component to keep to any healthy weight loss and maintenance. I started slow and most of my goals have been, not to lose x amount of pounds, but to increase my exercise routine, knowing that with that I would lose the weight eventually.

And last... stick to the routines...diet and exercise, they only work if you stick to it. That is where I have a hard time, I try to diet and end up eating something horrible for me. Or I don't strictly count my points and then I don't know where I am as far as the diet... pick on and stick to it, you will be happy with yourself. AND keep a journal of everything you eat, your exercising schedule, weight, measurements...

You've made the first step now you just need to stick to it:-) Good Luck!!

I had the same problem with my weight as you - I never thought about my eating habits until I stopped being active. High school sports and a mother who didn't allow junk food in the house kept me thin until I graduated and went away to college. I put on 80 pounds over the course of 6 years (college and then my first few years working) and finally admitted that I was unhappy with my body and decided to do something about it.

If you are already drinking water and exercising, that is a phenomenal start! I think it's a great idea that you started formulating your plan a piece at a time. It can be overwhelming when you realize that the way you are living doesn't work for your body, so changing in steps can make things easier.

I would recommend that you take a week and just keep a food journal. Write down everything that you eat, if you want, write down whether you were hungry when you ate, how you felt, etc. If you take a good hard look at what you are eating and why, you may be able to find some ways to make positive changes in your diet. I'm not a fan of "dieting" because that makes it sound like a temporary change. What worked for me was slowly changing the way that I ate to a healthier, lower calorie plan that I could follow for life.

Different ways of eating work well with different personalities. Here's what worked for me:
- I started tracking my food at www.Fitday.com it's free and it gives you an idea of how many calories you are taking in versus how many you are burning.
- I switched most of my breads, pastas, cereals, etc. to whole grain versions that have a lot of fiber and made an effort to get at least 25 grams of fiber a day.
- I started making an effort to get at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
- I started reading labels and eating the real portion sizes. I still have treats, but it will be one cookie or a couple chips, something that I can fit into the number of calories I want to eat for the day and still allow for 3 healthy meals.
- I switched to lower fat dairy products (skim milk, low fat yogurt and cottge cheese, reduced fat cheeses, etc.)
- I always averaged between 1600 - 1800 calories a day, that let me lose weight slowly but consistently without feeling like I was starving

I think the number one thing that worked for me was sticking with my choices even when I had a month where I didn't lose weight or when I had a day where I ate way too much or when I had a week where I didn't exercise at all. One day or week or month won't ruin all of your hard work, you just have to be ready to stick with your plan and keep up the hard work.

Good luck!

Welcome to 3FC!

First I think you have to look at this as a life change and not a diet. You've already got exercise and drinking water down so work on food changes. It really depends on the person though. For me portion control works. For others calorie counting, Atkins, flexpoints, etc. work. You have to get to know your body and find out what works for you. Yes, you may have ups and downs but that is a part of life. Just keep with it and don't give up.

I think everyone's giving some great advice. For me, calorie counting works because I can eat whatever I want to - in moderation. If I know something is off-limits, I just want it more. Try whatever sounds good to you at first, and if it's not working for you, try something else. No matter what though, I think exercise is really the key. Okay, and positive attitude! Good luck and hope to "see" you around more!