I know I am ready to get rid of this weight, but every time that I start thinking about a plan of action (food wise), a wave of terror washes over me. Things like, "what will I eat", "what about all the crap I have in the cupboards now". I know I can do this - I've done it once before...I'm just afraid to leap.

get crazy- throw all your food out! it'll be like a release... OR clean out yourself one of the cupboards (that way the rest of your family doesn't hate you haha) and use it all for yourself. all for your food. any healthy thing you want.

you can do it! baby steps!

Hey Khrungy, welcome to 3FC.

If changing your ways all at once is too much of a shock start small. Go out and buy yourself a some fresh fruits and/or vegetable that you like. Once or twice a day when you find yourself going for munchies, choose the fruits and veggies instead. Work from there.

Just taking the plunge can work, but if that's too much then you can always work in small steps. It's important to find what's right for you and for your changes to be sustainable.

Thirded on the baby steps! Don't look at the overall picture for now. Don't focus on how much you have to lose, or how long it will take. Focus on small things you can do right now. The only way to get rid of the fear is to be active.

Ask yourself:
- What's the worst that can happen? Really, what?
- What can I do right now to move from where I am to where I want to be?

Thanks corazonas, Cantrip, Heffalump. Maybe your right - I am looking at the big picture, and it just seems so daunting.

I know that once I get myself started and seeing results, it will motivate me - it's just getting over that initial hump and diving right in...

I have always said that losing weight was both the easiest thing and the hardest thing I have ever done. Clean out your cupboards, meal plan for a week, buy the healthy stuff and plan a nice reward for when you stay on plan for a week. Repeat. Repeat.

What are your choices? Actually doing something, which makes you feel GREAT or sitting around doing nothing and agonizing over doing nothing which makes you feel bad?

Do you live alone or do you have a family?

If I lived alone, I would throw every single thing I had in the kitchen cupboards away. (Well, other than flour, sugar, spices, olive oil, etc. Staples.) Then, start from scratch.

If you are like me and have a family of two other adults and two children, simply clean out one cupboard or shelf in the pantry and decide only to eat foods from that shelf or fresh produce from the fridge.

You will be amazed by how often you used to take in empty calories for no reason at all. Certainly not for health and nourishment.

Good luck. You can get started.

What to do with the junk food in the cupboards: Throw it out. If you change your mind later and really really want the cupboards stuffed with junk again, you can always just buy more!

I understand the fear of change and have experienced it myself at times, but truly--what's the worst that can happen from attempting a positive change? There's no risk in attempting, but the benefits of the change are potentially huge.

Don't be afraid to leap. How about being afraid not to leap? Then you would stay the same, or most likely gain even MORE weight.

And listen to the bright ladies ahead of me. GET RID OF THE JUNK. All it is, is - JUNK. Not doing you one bit of good. It's certainly not making you happy.

Take the leap! Take it. Really, just go for it. You won't regret it, not for a teeny, tiny second.

What do you mean when you say a cupboard full of junk? Are there things that you can eat in smaller quantities and be OK, or are they things like chips and snack crackers that you start munching on and just can't quit. It is expensive to buy groceries these days, so don't try to throw out stuff that you can eat in controlled quantities, unless you think you can't control the quantities.

I'd have to get rid of chips, but I have chocolate chips and snack crackers and cheese noodles, top ramen and pasta, and stuff that have been on my shelf since I started dieting two months ago, and I'm not really tempted to eat them. I will use them later, in small quantities, but they aren't a problem and I'm not throwing that money down the drain.

So, just how much "junk" do you have, and/or how little control do you have?

What are your stats, and what kind of diet plan are you thinking of?

You can always give that stuff away too- My hubby bought all these small pizzas for work and he ended up not liking them- I won't eat them I hate those things- so finally one day I bagged them all, told him to take it to work and tell the guys (it's all guys at his work) to have at it- his coworkers appreciated having free lunch for a day or two and I appreciated having some freezer room back!

What I did was once the "junk" was eaten- I didn't buy it again. In fact I still have a few "junk food" items I bought a while ago that I still haven't eaten- don't feel the need to- but obviously my family is welcome to eat it.

Yep, I started with the babysteps too. I didn't throw anything away I just started reading and reseaching and once we ran out of a product, I replaced the item with what I knew was a bettter choice. You can do this.

As far as what food you will eat--once you learn your choices, it is a wonderful culinary adventure and even a freeing experience. This morning I had to go to the school to work most of the day. I was already running behind getting the kids out the door so I just grabbed 20 almonds and 1/4 cup raisins in a ziploc baggy. I was good to go--seriously, I wasn't hungry again until lunch. Back in the day before my journey, I would probably have gone through Starbucks for a huge muffin and a latte or even McDonald's. My breakfast of raisins and almonds was far healthier though and a fraction of the price!

Again, you can do this.

If you're cleaning your cupboards, please don't forget your neighborhood food pantry or charity. I got rid of a lot of food that way & felt good doing it. Granted, this was easier just before the holidays, when many charities were collecting for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I agree about taking things to work, too. At my office, in the kitchen on my floor, we actually have a place on top of the microwave where people by custom place food "to share." Most do it anonymously. Sometimes it's half a cake, sometimes it's a box of doughnuts or a box of chocolates, sometimes it's packaged foods. More than once, this custom has been a real life-saver for me. (It's also been a temptation at times, but I just steel myself & walk straight to the coffee pot or the hot water heater. It helps that I've got my own healthy snacks back at my desk.)

Thank you for stating this! LOL! I kept reading people say "THROW OUT THE FOOD!" and I was thinking "NOOOO! Don't throw it out give it to someone who could use it OR donate it!"

When I started on Dec 1st I cleaned out my fridge and cupboards and had two big boxes of stuff I didn't want, tubs of butter, mayo, pancake mix, cases of Ramen noodles, soy sauce, candy, canned meats etc., etc.

I gave a bunch of stuff to my good friend who is skinny as a rail and could USE pancake mix and the rest I gave to my church pantry and BOTH were extremely grateful!

I live alone so I keep ONLY healthy non processed food in my kitchen. If it's not in my house then I won't eat it, the bad food that is!