Hello- I finally decided to start loosing weight. (Better late than never I guess). I am at 375 and have trouble getting around. Where does one start at this size. I have a hard time even walking a block...

Thanks

JB

Hi sweety! Well, I'm no pro or anything, but I just started my weight-loss/healthy living plan on Jan. 9th. I was at 285 lbs. and in a less than 2 weeks have lost 13 lbs. I'm not starving myself, I'm eating healthy, and exercising every day. So, here's my advice:
Start slowly! You don't want to "shock" your body. Start a food diary to find out your eating habits. Slowly cut down on portion sizes and cut out all the sweets, fatty foods, and soda. You can eat as many veggies as you want! Don't starve yourself though. Make sure you're going no longer than 3-4 hours without eating. They say you should eat 5 meals a day...breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and 2 snacks. It's been working for me. Fitday.com is an awesome website that lets you enter all the foods that you've eaten for the day and it calculates your calorie intake. You can also enter all the activities/exercises that you did for the day and it calculates how many calories you burned. It's an awesome weight loss tool!
As for exercising, start SLOWLY. Exercise maybe 3 days a week. Don't over-exert yourself.
Most of all, make an appointment with your doctor to talk about your weight-loss plan. He/she will be able to give you a lot of advice!
Good luck!

Ditto to everything that cemetarysiren said. In addition, while exercise is important to any good weight loss plan you have to consider your current abilities. If you have trouble getting around at this point just remember that ANY movement is better than none. I would suggest that, for now, you concentrate on your food intake. You will find that as you drop a few pounds (it won't take many) you will notice a signifcant improvment in your mobility. By all means, do what exerciese you can at this point even if it is just a little and make one of your goals to add more and more as you can.
This is going to make me sound pitiful, I know. But when I first started my plan I paid attention to little things - like getting the mail myself instead of sending one of the kids, or getting something from another room myself even if someone else was close enough to bring it to me. No, those changes don't constitute exercise but it was MOVEMENT and a starting point. If nothing else, it was an exercise in realizing just how sedentary I had been. I wasn't just lazy in terms of exercise, I was lazy period. And that was a tough pill to swallow once I realized how bad it was. But it was also motivation to add more and more exercise as I could.
So, if walking around the block is difficult but doable, keep it up. Pretty soon, you'll make it around twice, then three times. In addition, though, pay attention to the activity in other areas of your life because the more movement you incorporate the less daunting your "official" exercise will be.
Good luck, and visit this site often - it is full of support from good people who understand what you are going through. Also, you will probably find the 300+ support group beneficial.

I know the "start slowly" thing works great for a lot of people, but I had to take a different approach. Because I am a compulsive overeater, I had to "draw a line in the sand" and start a comprehensive, well-planned program. Whichever approach you take, try to understand that you want to make permanent changes to your lifestyle. This includes understanding how you got to be overweight in the first place and working on those underlying circumstances, as well as finding substitutes for the food you've been using as a comfort or entertainment.

I DID start slowly with exercise, though, and just did what I could and built slowly on that. The important thing for me was to find things that challenged me but didn't strain me, and to give myself time to build up endurance, competence, etc. I started with an old Leslie Sansone "1-mile walk" video. She currently has a very popular series called Walk Away the Pounds that's the same idea. The routine was very gentle, didn't take up much room, is easy to follow, and is adaptable as you become stronger and more fit. The first time I did it I couldn't even do the entire 17 minutes! And that was with NO arm movements! But I just kept at it and kept building and building. Now, 3 years later, I can do 3 miles in 40 minutes, no problem.

There are some great books to help you wrap your head around the idea of permanent lifestyle changes and permanent weight loss, as well as giving you great strategies to work with. The one most frequently recommended around here is Thin for Life which is currently being discussed on the Maintainer's boards. Another book I would recommend is the Dr. Phil Ultimate Weight Loss book.

Good luck, and keep posting.

Oh and the little things count too. My father told me to do this: Leave somethings upstairs, on purpose, or in another room. Do this so you know that you will move around the house. You have to go up the stairs whenever you want something, or what not. Every little bit counts!

Hi my name is Sarah but you can just call me Jane. I have been struggling with trying to lose weight too. Everyone says i dont need to lose weight but i do.My BMI says im over weight, and im short so its worse. Im 5'3 and i weigh 141. My weight for my height and age,which by the way i am 15 going on 16..should be 120-125. I have been trying since last year to lose the weight, but the most i lost was 5 pounds,and i gained it back with an extra pound. Im going out for valentines weekend on the 12th and i wanna lose a little before then.Also i going to a teens club with some friends and a guy im talking to on the Feb 21 and i wanna look good when i go. I have been having problems with my ex-boyfriend and problems at home and my dad is always worried about my weight and calling me a failure wheni dont stick to it. But ever since my mom past away 2 years ago ive gained like 10 pounds, and i absolutly hate it. Me and my ex are still best friends and im suppose to see him in may and i wanna look absolutly FAB...but i need help...he always talks about how good these girls look...like Ciara and Ashanti and Alicia Keys....and then he tells me no matter what i do i wont lose weight...Well i wanna to myself that i can...so when he sees me he can be like "DAMN"...and if he wants me back i'd say to bad. Im seeing him b/c he graduates in may and i gradute from modeling school..And i wanna look FAB for the agencies that will be there...HELP ME PLEASE...i have noone else to do this with. im really depressed with it and i need support and ways to do this.....thanks so much..sorry such a long letter
~Jane~

Jane,
First and best piece of advice I can give you is get away from the BMI and weight charts. VERY BAD!! Ok, I would give a million dollars to be your age and my old weight (which I thought at the time was chubby! ) Here is the best advice I have to give you, hit the weights, but make sure you study up, don't just do it, do it right. I promise by summer you may not drop a pound but you will lose inches and be thinner than you could ever imagine. I always weighed about 117-120lbs. when I was in high school, BTW I'm 5'1". I had no idea all I needed to do was work-out. About 6 yrs ago, before I got sick, I was at about 127 and was thinner and looked better than I ever did at 117lbs. If you go to the general forum there is a whole section where teens chat, if were too old for ya! But we'll be glad to help you any time!!!