Hi everyone. Well im new here and im not sure where to start in my weight loss goal. A lil info. Im 40 and a mom to six. I guess my weight gain started when i quit smoking about 15 yrs ago. Neways im 5'6 and i weigh 353 lbs. (Wow that was hard) last i was told my bmi is about 57. I want and need to lose weight i just dont know how to start a diet or exercise. So any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. I just want to be around as long as i can for my kids and my grand babies.

As strange as it sounds, and I've told this to a few others, even making small changes will make a difference.

For instance, if you have to have a snack, try to make it just a little bit healthier (veggie chips instead of the fried potato chips, maybe). If you have to have candy, have a small piece instead of a whole candy bar, etc. If I've got to have SOMETHING for ME during the day, it'll usually be a hot cup of coffee instead of that sugar filled latte or whatever. If I've got a craving and I have to have something, I try to make it a smaller portion.

I did WW for a good while, and the focus at first was not so much portion (fresh fruits and vegetables, anyway), as eating healthier in general, and then focusing more on portion.

We all still have our bad days, but just focusing on "better" choices is a good start.

Dean

Welcome Starryeyes!

A good way to start is by walking. Do you have a fitness routine now? You can incorporate more walking into your day by parking a little further away at the mall, walking your kids to school, walking to the market, doing a few extra laps at the grocery store, find reasons to get up and go to the next room. Get up during commercial breaks and do a few stretches. Your body was made to move!

As far as diet goes, there are many and there is no one size fits all approach to losing weight. The basic premise is to eat less food, move more, and incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet while removing processed foods as much as possible. I don't like to restrict myself on anything, I practice portion control. I eat french fries, but I don't eat a whole basket of them. I'll have a burger but I don't usually finish it. I'll eat potato chips but I won't sit on the couch with a whole bag, I'll pour out a portion into a bowl and savor them. I'll keep good dark chocolate around the house, but not loads of cookies.

Welcome and good luck! You're making a big chance not just for you but for your whole family! It's important to get your kids into good nutritional habits now, eliminate sodas and juices and get those veggies on their plates too!

Thank you both for the advice. Walking is what i keep hearing and i do try to do more of it when i can. My back sometimes just wont allow it. I never thought that changing my eating habits would be so hard though. But im gonna keep at it. I do like the idea of making small changes at first. I think thats just what i need. So say a prayer for me and thank you both again. I ll keep updating.

Welcome Starryeyes, and for what it's worth, it becomes so much easier when you start to see the numbers going down on the scales.

Best of Luck,
D

May I suggest Tosca Reno's books? They have a lot of delicious, healthy recipes. It is easier to eat healthy when it is flavourful and you are proud of what you have made. You will discover new foods and start to enjoy real food and feel better.
The advice on walking is good advice. If it is hard on you at the moment, break it up into a couple of small walks during the day. Maybe week one you only do one block twice a day, week two two blocks three times a day, etc.
Also, starting gentle yoga stretches to get your body moving before and after walking will help, will get your body awareness up, and also be a nice gentle exercise.
I found too, that starting with one focused change per week, evaluating once a week and then setting a new goal worked very well. Trying to do the whole shebang at once can be very overwhelming!
Most of all, good for you for being here and joining the discussion and for taking your first steps towards a healthier life.

For now i would focus what WOE you will be following which imo will provide the majority if not all of your weight loss. Once you are feeling comfortable and moving more in general then look into adding some time of exercise regime.

Hello Starryeyes...Being a large woman myself 270# at present. 7 years ago I lost 100# following the South Beach diet principles...it took 2 years. Unfortunatly i have gained most of it back due to not having understood what truly loving yourself means...regardless of what your body looks like. When you are heavy as we are, it hurts to move. Be kind to yourself and VERY realistic, and start with just stretching, even in bed to make it easier to get out of bed. The rest will come as the others have said.
I am back to starting the SB and i can say that we need to focus on one thing at a time. If you try to change your eating habits AND start an exercise program, it will usually be too much. One of the nasty tricks we tend to play with on our minds is that if we are not doing EVERYTHING and doing it PERFECTLY, then we have failed. I can only truly speak for myself, but have heard this common sentiment from many (mostly women) who are trying to change old habits.

When I was 300# it was hard to move. I started with the food changes first as I am doing now, but understand that if I eat what is not on my food plan, I have to just start where I left off and not punish myself. It takes multiply times doing an activity before the habit is changed. Once some of the weight is off then you will be able to move easier.

Love and be kind to yourself...that it the main thing.

Welcome - wow six kids that is amazing! I am currently expecting my second and I also gained weight when I quit smoking but I think that was also because at the same time as quitting I was on holiday in Cuba at an all you can eat buffet style all inclusive hotel!!!

I agree with the #2 poster and say that small steps is what works best. If for example you are consuming 4000 calories a day then if you were suddenly dumped on a strict diet of say 1200 calories a day your body would struggle to cope with it and before you know it you would be back to old habits.

For example when I was obese we were going to Disney World (I was 15 stone with a BMI of around 32 at the time) and I was concerned more that I wouldn't have the energy to walk around so I started walking for the first time in years.

And this was my mini change

Then when I came back from holiday I started a healthy eating regime.

Another good idea is to start with a goal to lose 10% of your body weight as your first target. Then secondly to count calories for a week to see how much you are consuming and change a few habits and do it gradually.

Welcome! At first i would sugest that you just try to eat healthier until you choose a plan that you feel comfortable with. Walking is great but i prefer using a stationary bike, so i can exercise while watching tv. If you do choose walking, remeber to start with small achievable goals such as walking for 10 or 15 minutes. As you lose weight, exercising will get easier. Oh, take a look at the challenges, most people find them helpful and motivating. And good luck!

I use portion control. I eat half or less of any given meal, whatever it might be. I can't walk, my knees and hips won't let me, too much damage to them at 365 pounds but I do garden, I love being outside.



.

Just to throw my two cents in.. I support what others are saying about changing little things at a time. For me, that has been eating healthier. I've done quite a few diets where I tried to change everything at once.. or reduced calories a ton at once to where I felt as if I was starving, and I've never been able to stick to them long.. I always revert back, and always end up gaining more than whatever loss the diet netted me.

This go around I've been doing weight watchers on my own. My focus right now is just my points per day, and eating the weight watchers friendly recipes. I've been at it for almost four weeks now, which is probably the longest I've been able to stick to a diet/eating change. I think the reason for that is I'm still allowed to have snacks, the food I'm making still tastes good, there are tons of recipes out there so I'm not bored, and I don't feel starved on the diet. The plan still lets you eat your favorite stuff, but does steer you towards healthier choices. So I'm slowly learning to eat healthier, which works well for me.

Baby steps though. Any positive changes, no matter how small, are still good changes.

I didn't see anyone else mention this so here goes... Because of my fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis I knew I couldn't just take up an intensive work out regimen so I started eating less at meals. I'd also saw online someone suggested not eating after 7pm. I was inspired by that and knew I could do that too so figured I'd try it. I honestly think that is a big part of my (mostly) steady weight loss. No more popcorn or snacks at night while watching tv for me.

I also splurge a little bit and have a no-no treat on occasion. Like a favorite candy bar. When I did diets before I was very strict about not eating any candy or having a much treasured Iced Cappucino from Timmy Ho's once in a while. But it never failed that I would miss my favorite treats and at some point I would start eating a lot of it to make up for denying myself for months and, of course, then I was back to gaining weight in a flash and would inevitably give up on the diet. This time I decided I would allow it on occasion and not feel guilty about it because I felt an occasional treat would help me continue my weight loss for longer and not just give up. So far it's worked for me. This is the longest amount of time I've successfully stayed on a diet.

For me... Lots of little changes in how and what I eat have added up to a large weight loss and I'm still going. I'm always eager to learn new tips from others and incorporate their suggestions into my own regimen.

Good Luck!!
Jesslan

PS Setting a goal weight is very important. It just occurred to me that in all the dieting I've done in my life I never set a goal weight. All I had in my was 'I want to be skinny.' I had no clue what weight would be realistic for my tall, big boned (Thanks Grandpa! LOL) body. This time I asked my Dr what would be a good weight for my body type. He said 180 lbs, but that sounded a little to 'big' for me. So I decided to try for 150 lbs. Then I found a BMI calculator online and it said for my height I should be 160 lbs. So that's what I finally decided. My Dr's suggestion may have been right and I'll find out when I get to 180, but until then I'll strive for 160 lbs.

Change one thing at a time. I started with bad carbs due to a dx of diabetes, then after a couple of months I took out wheat. This helped me to get my "need" for sweets tamed. After I had lost about 30 pounds I started walking short distances and then adding more each day, I started by walking to the end of my street and back, now I walk about 5 miles a day. I lost quite a lot the first year (my high was 285) and it has slowed quite a bit (I've lost about 25 since January) but even when I'm not seeing lower numbers on the scale I see changes in my body. Don't give up. This isn't a race and it won't happen overnight just keep taking one step at a time. Congrats on your big family! We have 11 kiddos!