Hi!

I'm new to the site and I figured I should introduce myself. I'm 25 and I've been battling with my weight since I can remember, mostly since high school when I noticed I was bigger than my friends. In college I gained a tremendous amount of weight (about 60 lb) and no matter what I do I keep slowly gaining. Now I'm in medical school and I hover between 205-210 lb (5 ft 1 in) and I've finally reached my breaking point. Everyday I see with my own eyes the kind of health problems that go along with being this obese and I really want to make this time different and be successful at becoming healthy. I also feel like my patients might not take my health advice seriously if I'm clearly not healthy, either. On top of that, i've just had a lot of emotional roller coasters these past two years and I just want to start over with a fresh beginning that doesn't involve emotional eating. I just feel really lost at where to start and how to maintain a healthy diet, especially with my crazy work schedule in medicine. I'm hoping reaching out to this forum for support can help! One of my biggest problems is making myself workout regularly and eating healthy. I am a SUPER picky eater (how many future physicians do you know that hate vegetables?? haha) so it makes eating healthy feel like torture or starvation sometimes. In general, I think I have a fairly good level of self confidence despite being a bigger girl. It's when I see pictures of myself or compare myself to friends that I'm shocked at how big I've become over the years. Well, I'm hoping that will all be in the past and I can start taking the baby steps I need to be happy, healthy.

Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thx!

Welcome Gifted! I too am new to this forum and really to dieting. Although I am currently 206, I am tall and most wouldnt say im too overweight. THe reason I am here is because of what you mentioned, my health. Ive decided its time I invest in a healthy lifestyle, not a diet. I will be following the South Beach Diet until i get to a weight i feel comfortable in *not sure wehre that is, i think i put 175 on my profile*. More importantly I am planning on continuing with the lifestyle when ive reached my goal; drinking lots of water, eating lots of fresh produce and lean proteins, exercising. I think key to this whole weight loss issue, no matter who you are, is to make sure its a new lifestyle, so that when the 'dieting' is over, you maintain. Best of luck to you! I have a feeling you are going to do awesome!

Hi Gifted, and welcome to 3FC! You'll find a lot of wonderful support and advice on these boards

It sounds like you have some great reasons to be on this journey, both personal and professional. Just take it one little step at a time, and don't get overwhelmed. Have you thought about cooking and bringing your own food to work? That helped me so much when I started, because it was harder to justify eating that cookie or donut in the kitchen when I had my snacks sitting in the fridge 2 steps away. You could start by cutting down on/cutting out white carbs, such as rice and pasta, and replacing them with whole grains instead. Eat lean proteins, and just try MOVING a little more. Keep in mind, working out is great but if your diet is shot, you could run on the treadmills til the cows come home and it won't do very much. So try little things, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking a little further away from work and walking, or getting up to talk to a coworker instead of sending them an email. All the little things add up

You mention you hate veggies - are there ANY that you like? Have you considered making a smoothie out of them instead, with a base of juice to kick the flavor up a little? You could also try V8 juice or pureeing some in soups to "hide" them.

Good luck to you, I look forward to seeing your progress!