Hey everyone,

I have finally decided that its time to do something with my health. I am currently at 164 and would like to get down to 130. Four years ago, I was down to 124 (high school days). Since I have been in college and in a long term relationship, I have gained all this weight. I am currently a full time student and I work thirty-fourty hours a week. Needless to say, by the time I am done with the day, I am too wore out both mentally and physically to workout and because of this stress, I crave bad foods and look for quick fixes (fast food, tv dinners, etc).

For any of you who are in a similar situation and you are having successful weight loss, I would appreciate any advice you can give me (diets, recipes, workout tips, rewards, motivation, supplements, etc)

Thanks!!

For me it really helps to make changes in phases so you are not turning your life upside down all at once. Start with getting a handle on your food intake as your first goal. This could include counting calories, measuring portions, and tracking intake. After a couple weeks start setting some nutritional goals like number of veggie servings, whole grains, water, etc. After a couple more weeks add in some activity/exercise goals... I like setting a goal of so many minutes of intentional exercise. Every couple weeks add in a new challenge or goal and before you know it you will have transformed your entire lifestyle while losing weight the whole time. This also keeps your body guessing and you force it to continually adapt to something new, which helps to avoid a plateau and keeps things interesting for you. As you lose weight you will gain more confidence and feel better physically and mentally, which makes tackling new goals like exercise easier.

This goes in line with what Sojourner was saying, so pardon me if I sound repetitive. When I started my healthy lifestyle, I cut out anything with trans fats. I used to gorge on a cinnabon (from the vending maching - sigh) every day. That was 600 cals, not to mention all trans fats. I still have some "bad" food occasionally, but I make sure it does not have trans fats. What's my point? Wean yourself (like Sojourner said) off of bad food and start to incorporate a healthy diet and exercise slowly but, if this were me, I would cut out fast food for at least a month or so. That way, I'm not as tempted to eat it regularly. I'm a firm believer in the theory that if you stay away from a certain food long enough, you start to want it less.

to you and best of luck! Most of all, come back here when you need support - we're here to listen!

Sunnigummi you are right... it is totally possible to recondition our taste buds! If I recall, science has demonstrated that we are born with a unique preference for sweet, but fat is a learned taste. I know personally that when I have eaten healthy, low-fat diets for a long period of time, I have lost my taste for fried foods. And I LOVE fried foods! In my healthy phase I would have a bite of potato chips or french fries and I could only taste the grease. Now unfortunately I am not yet back at that point again, but I can definitely feel changes in my appetite. It has become easier and easier to make healthy choices. Gosh this last week I have just been craving sushi of all things and haven't thought once about burgers and fries! And hey you can eat a lot of sushi for not a lot of calories (which I have YUM). The human body's ability to adapt is a remarkable thing.

Just curious, what workouts have worked for you guys? I have shin splints really bad and my legs tend to cramp up a lot. Any workout videos that you suggest? Belong to a gym? Weight training?

I got on my treadmill today and was only able to go 20 min walking because of my shins and cramps. I guess its better than nothing though

"I'm a firm believer in the theory that if you stay away from a certain food long enough, you start to want it less. "

SO TRUE! At least, the *cravings* go away. I know I still love ice cream and sweet stuff, but I don't crave it nearly so often now that I've mostly cut it out of my diet.

For exercise, ANY is better than none. Since walking doesn't seem like a good idea for you, with your shin splints, perhaps you could try a non-impact dance, like bellydance? Or perhaps Pilates, or yoga might work well for you. Or you could try swimming if your college has a pool.

There's nothing wrong with 20 minutes walking. Keep a good eye on the condition of your shoes and take ibuprofen for shin splints. Ice or warm.
If you're in the habit of quickie foods try lean cuisine or that sort of thing ... with a handful of bagged salad. It's as good a place as any to start with.

I swim, walk, and take spin classes.... I think there is an secret triathlete within me longing to be set free!

In terms of exercise, focus on small goals of intentional activity... whatever you like! If you are getting shin splints then try something with less impact. Make sure you have really good shoes... in fact its worth it to invest in new ones if your athletic shoes are old. Its surprising how out of shape they become even with just regular wear.