diet dumb? I feel totally stupid. I know how to lose weight but I feel like I'm so in the dark. I don't know where to start! Last time I was a SAHM and didn't have to pack a lunch and find time to get the exercise in. I'm ALWAYS tired. I can already see myself putting off the work outs. I don't really have the extra money to join the gym but I am willing to be broke if I have to.

Are there any exercises that are super effective and I can do them from home? How do I start counting calories? Or should I count fat grams instead. Like with chicken (we eat a lot of baked skinless boneless chicken breasts) how do I find the calories? Sorry if I seem so out of the loop and totally dumb but I am new to this and on my own. I need help!

Aww, hun. I know how that feels... and it can be so overwhelming.

Just take it slow.

If I were you, I'd sign up for www.fitday.com It'll help you track your calories.

You're going for your annual tomorrow (I read that in another thread of yours) why not ask your doctor what he/she suggests for you to do for a weightloss plan? If you come back to us, tell us what your doctor said, then maybe we can help you make it easier!

Alot of the ladies around here love the Walk Away the Pounds videos, which you can do at home. Also, if you have space outside or in a garage, jump roping is GREAT exercise.

You can do this, babe!

breathe breathhhhe

you came to the right place. There are lots of ways to go about it. If you want to count calories, there is a whole forum for that! Start with tracking what you eat....fitday, etc. Read package labels...even packaged chicken usually has info on it.

Schedule yourself first. The workouts have to be a priority, not a squeeze it in if you are going to get them done...eventually you will get more energy from moving.

That's not dumb!! Everyone has to start somewhere. You came to the right place.

It sounds like you have an idea that exercise and counting calories could work for you. I AGREE!!

As for exercise - maybe set smaller goals at first, like a half hour work out three days a week. Then build up from there....the key is find stuff you can enjoy. You want to be able to be consistent with it. Just think positive - if you decide you are going to fail at it, you prolly will. Small goals are to ensure success. Once you start seeing the results - Check out this sticky from the Ladies who lift forum for how tot get started.

For the calorie counting - I have a free account set up at Fitday dot com that is a great big help with calorie counting for me. It is a bit annoying at first to get started, but once you get used to it, it's easy! As for how to figure out how many calories is in something, most of the time it will be on the package. There is a pretty handy tool here at 3FC - it's here Also, Fitday has a lot of foods in the database. I also like calorie king dot com especially for restaurant foods. I think it's so important to be aware of the calorie counts for foods - I've had a few nasty surprises of foods I would never have picked if I had known beforehand how many calories were packed in there.

Come hang out in the calorie counters forum - it's here.

I second the recommendation for fitday - tracking what I was eating was one of the most helpful changes I made when I started my weight loss journey. And as for getting smart on other things - this is a great place to learn a lot of useful information - just look around the various forums and you will find lots of helpful posts. Eventually, you will need to sift through it all and figure out exactly what works for you, but this site is a great resource in helping you get there. Good luck!

I heartily second the fitday suggestion... I also really like saying "heartily second." It makes it much easier to figure out your calories when you cook a lot or eat things that aren't totally prepackaged - you can even add custom foods, either totally new things or combos you eat a lot - and the nifty little fat/protein/carb pie charts make it idiot-proof. I also like that it doesn't judge me. I know it sounds stupid, but I couldn't use a program that was constantly telling me what to do. Just to reiterate some of the many things I've learned here and in other places, try to keep your fat below 30%, eat no less than 1200 calories a day - for most people (including myself) 1400-1600 is a much better losing range. PLAN a lot. I have trouble with that one!

In terms of exercises at home, as a broke college student, I can relate. I got myself an exercise trampoline for 40 bucks including shipping, and its great for me, low impact and fun to bounce, by myself or with weights, on while watching tv. Most of my exercise really comes from walking though, just making a point of walking everywhere I can. Fitday can help again here, when you create an account and fill in your info it will automatically give you a VERY ROUGH idea of how many calories you are currently burning per day. You can also track exercise there, and see where you are burning most of your calories.

Good luck, and please don't feel stupid, we were all starting out once. Congratulations!

A word to the wise on fitday's estimates of how many calories you burn by just being alive....I DON'T TRUST THOSE NUMBERS AT ALL. I have myself set as bed bound....and it's still high. Other than that, I fitday.

OK, just registered with fitday. I'll get everything entered in starting tomorrow. Today is done so tomorrow is a new day!

You should've seen my face when I found out how many calories were in a single corndog!

Oh, and I have one Walk Away the Pounds video. I used to do it all the time. I should get it out!

I love fitday, although at first it is so aggrevating entering in your own brands etc. Working out, I love Walk Away The Pounds, it's fairly easy and quick to get 3 miles in. As a mom of 2, I understand the $ issue, so use your library, if they don't have the dvd you want, try another, heck, try them ALL, before you buy them. It'll give you an idea of what you like, from walking, to weights, yoga and pilates. Then you can make not just an educated purchase, but a purchase you'll actually, USE. Involve the kids toys, I use my 18 mos old son's little 99 cent ball from wal-mart, its about 8 inches diameter, and has alot of resistance, so I sometimes use that to work arms and legs, simply squeezing the ball between my hands at different angles, for sets of 12-15, 1 or 2 sets. It's amazingly effective. Read the forums, browse them all, I do I've gotten alot of good tips on every single forum, even if it's not the "plan" I follow, these ladies and gents have a lot to offer.

Yes, get out the WATP video! If you need more variety, watch your local newspaper freebie, freecycle group, or craigslist listings. (I've seen everything from treadmills to exercise videos on all of the above.)

edit to add: A lot of the health/fitness magazine websites have free workouts available, as well. Might be worth a glance.

You can do this - just take it one step at a time and go easy on yourself. It's not a race and 2 steps forward/1 step back is still a step in the right direction. Be patient with yourself.

What a fabulous and supportive thread! I'm so proud of this site!

BTW ... there are several exercisers and ladies who lift who do not go to a gym.