I am about to 'begin my weight loss regime' tommorow after gradually cutting down on my eating over the last few weeks.
Mine is the typical case of just basically overeating constantly that has led to my weight problem. I wish I could say it was glandular/hereditery/medical reasons that I am this size but it is just my own fault.
My big worry is how do I start? I am so used to eating what I want when I want and not caring about thre consequences that I am scared stiff when I start this thing I will relapse the minute I step foot inside a supermarket!
Typically I wake up and do not have breakfast but I usually have some chocolate. Then around lunch time I will go to the supermarket and buy lots of junk like cooked chicken peices, ice cream and crisps. I will eat some at lunch then save the rest till I come home from work (I never eat in work, I always go home for lunch!) as soon as I get home from work, I eat again till I am really full. I then have my tea an hour or so later and then more chocolate later on in the evening.
I have managed to cut down in the last few weeks by having just a sandwich for lunch instead of my usual 'feast' and also cutting down on what I eat when I get home from work. I try not to have chocolate at night time either. It has not been easy and I have given in to temptation a few times.
I REALLY want to do it this time, but it is the initial 'start' that I am worrying about.
Why am I so worried about letting go of what is restricting me in my life?!
Any advice on this will be so much appreciated, as I know nearly everyone will have experienced these feelings at some stage or another.
Thanks in advance. xx

My first suggestion would be to start eating breakfast (not chocolate!). I'm not a big breakfast eater, but usually about an hour after I wake up, I eat a cup of FF yogurt with 1/4 cup Kashi Go Lean mixed in. It helps me get through until lunch, and then, when lunchtime rolls around, I'm not ravenous.

If you're really worried about making a bunch of big changes at once, why not try to incorporate one change per week. My weight loss has been slow (I've lost about 120 pounds over a three year period) but I don't worry about maintaining because my entire lifestyle has changed. I didn't try any "lose weight quickly" programs. I slowly incorporated healthy food and good exercise habits. Now, it just seems "normal."

The anticipation is over ... you've started already! You've got head smarts going on and you're cutting back on your food. That's a fabulous start.
Now just try a few 'better than' s. A bag of baby carrots is better than the crisps .... a small piece of chocolate is better than the whole bar .... deli sliced low fat chicken is better than crispy ....

If you like detail-y fiddling you might like fitday.com You can enter all your foods and it'll tell you your calorie counts.

I agree with Julia, "getting started" always seems like an incredibly formidable foe. I think it's because we tend to think of diets in terms of All or Nothing. "I will never be able to eat pizza again, I will only have salads for the rest of my life!" "Once I start my diet I will never be able to have chocolate!" That would certianly seem intimidating. The trick is to incorporate these treats into your life so that you don't feel deprived, but you aren't gorging yourself either. Instead of a large pizza several nights a week, have a slice or two on one night with a large salad. Instead of chocolate every morning, scramble some eggs and then have a teeny piece of chocolate to suck on while you drive to work.

Good luck, Pinklady, and I know you can do it! Every little bit helps.

HI. I agree with what was mentioned you need to eat a healthy breakfast. I know when I don't eat breakfast by 10 am I get a headache and feel dizzy.
How do you start? I just started by eating less then I was , cut out junk food, soda ect.... Then I found this site and that helped alot.www.fitday.com is a great place to log in what you eat and how much you are exercising. You need to know you are not alone out there and it will take time to loose weight, but think about feeling better , fitting into nicer clothes ect........
For me this is a lifetime decision, because I know I need to eat healthy and exercise to live a longer life. This is an example of what I usually eat in a day: Breakfast: 1 low fat yogurt and one english mcmuffin with 1/2 tsp of peanut butter.
Lunch: 2 plain veggie burgers, with salsa or hummus, maybe a piece of fruit or veggie.
Dinner: grilled or smoked fish, salad .
snacks can be fruit, frozen yogurt or atkins bar.
I also exercise alot. The weight is coming off slow, but I feel better and know one day I will feel great.
SW 268
Cw 264
GW 167
Good luck.Cheryl

You have already started, by simply knowing that you have to do something. You have also already started to make the decisions you know you will need to make for the rest of your life.

The very first thing I did was made the decision to no longer bring junk food into the house. NOTHING! No crisps, cookies, cake, chocolate, cake etc etc... I allowed myself these treats outside the house, but I no longer bought them with my groceries and brought them into the house. This meant that the temptation was no longer surrounding me every minute of the day. I bought lots of things to replace these foods and I have come to LOVE them. Such as yoghurt, fresh and dried fruit, nuts (as an occasional treat), rice crackers... I could go on, but it depends on your tastes. I have come to love salads with LOTS of raw vegies. I eat VERY little processed food. These changes came about gradually after I decided I wasn't bringing junk food into the house. I had to find replacements and I did!

I have a friend who is a dietician and she has been a wonderful support for me. She often checks out my food journal and lets me know of any changes I need to make. In fact, she usually tells me to eat MORE, which is wonderful. She even got me eating diet jello and low-fat icecream. So that is now my number 1 treat! She makes me healthy fruit cake as well, and I'm hoping to get the recipe. If I do, I'll have to post it somewhere here. It sounds SO easy.

Anyway, that is how I started, and I have lost 183lbs in just over 2 years. I eat 3 main meals and 3 snacks a day, so I am definitely not hungry. You don't have to starve to do this, but you do have to make healthy choices.

Good luck! It sounds as though you have the right frame of mind to do this, which is essential.

Take care,

Zelma

POST POST POST
And keep moveing!!!!!!!!

You have already started. You came here. Its the best place to come.

I would not be in my size 14 today with out the great people on this site!!!!

I agree with all the great tips others have written, and I would just add one idea. You might have to eliminate certain foods entirely temporarily. Notice that word is temporarily, not forever. It sounds like you have "eating habits" that you are addicted to, and you may need to break that pattern. I know, for instance, that I can't have ice cream in the house. There is no such thing in my poor brain as "a little ice cream." It's just easier for me to leave it out entirely than to try to pull in the reins. So, you may need to drop the ice cream, chocolate, and crispy chicken for awhile. Don't worry--they will still be in the world for when you can try having them again. You aren't missing out on anything.

Good luck with changing the way you eat! I'm not a big breakfast eater either, but I sure do better when I have breakfast than when I don't.

Jay

Wow, I agree, you've already started! As others have said, so many of us get overwhelmed by the things to change, just keep making changes!

I also agree with the idea of logging what you eat (everything!), either with pen and paper, or one of the free programs (e.g., nutridiary or fitday). It is really eye opening sometimes what we eat! I was very resistant to the idea when my doctor suggested it, but really swear by it.

Where to start...

As many have said already, sounds like you've already started, so take a few seconds and give yourself a big ol' pat on the back!!! Congratulations!

I'm a big believer in baby stepping, so I second that recommendation (see posts above this one). Make one TINY change and give it time to get incorporated into your life. When I started exercising in earnest in January, I started by doing 5 minutes on the treadmill and calling it a day. After a few days of 5 minute workouts, I decided I *really* could push myself a little bit more. So I did an additional 10 seconds. Yep, 5 minutes, 10 seconds. Done .

I firmly believe in baby stepping.

I'm now up to 40ish minutes (sometimes as long as an hour) and I've started walking outside. I've added strength training. But it started with a baby step -- 5 minutes, done.

You can do it, too! You've already started... now you just need to figure out where you want to go and how you plan to get there!