I don't want to wait for new years, I had the worst Christmas ever and I don't want to do this anymore. I am done.

My problem is I am lost.

I follow so many boards and blogs. Today I read Tom ventuos blog and it led me to Leigh Peel's Fat Loss Troubleshoot.

Her trailer is really good. It seems very legit and promising. I did a search on the boards but didn't find a lot of information.

There are 2 books and audio, the price seems fair for that and it isn't like those other pages but still, I am a scared. Not so much that it wont work, obviously it does but that I am not ready or something.

Help

Also, I am getting a food scale regardless of what I do, does anyone have a recommendation on them?

Well, this all depends upon several things.

How old are you?
How tall are you?
How much weight do you want/need to lose?
What is your lifestyle like?
Do you like cooking or not?
Are you a vegetarian? A fussy eater? Etc...

Here's a thread about scales.

3FC has reviews of pretty much every plan here.

Which plan to use is a pretty individual choice - what I will suggest is that you pick a plan you think fits you best. Best case scenario is that you find a lifestyle you can live with forever.

Check out the different forums here - there's tons of info about all the plans, all kinds of exercise....you don't have to know everything at first, maybe start with logging what you eat and going for a walk?

I don't know how old you are or how much you are looking to lose...but it's a safe place to start. And healthy habits to start building.

I don't think you need to pay money to learn how to lose weight. Anyone who says they have the "secret" and you need to buy their book to learn it is just taking your money.

There is SO much good information on this board and in books you can get at the library and even online. Give us some more information about yourself and I know that we can help you out a lot and maybe help point you in a direction to get started.

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I'm going to defend Leigh a little here. She's actually pretty smart, and her e-books are very good. I bought them a while back (and although there was nothing earth shattering in them) they can be helpful to some people who don't have a clue where to start. From another board I hang out on, there have been a lot of people who do well with her stuff. In fact, I've been tempted a couple of times to suggest her metabolic repair program for people who seem to maintain on some pretty low calories. That program takes people through a very specific number of steps to raise their maintenance calories. Although, eventually I tell myself that it's none of my business and keep my mouth shut.

Having said that, I agree that there's nothing 'new' in her stuff. And you can learn probably as much doing your own research. Leigh's work is not a 'eat this and you'll drop a pound a day' kind of thing. She's all about working smarter, not harder. And although I've avoided it for a while, I'll probably do her 12-week OPT program starting Monday. It's a 'ready made' program that came with the package. I'll complain and whine about it (since I don't like some of the macro suggestions, and I'm not sure I'm a foam roller kind of gal). However, I'm a little burnt out with my diet, and have pretty much maxed out some of my lifts working on my own.

What I can say that I took from her writing is the concept of a diet break every so often. Think of it as a physical and/or mental break, letting your body recover and to gain energy for the next round. I'm not sure if that's why, but I've managed to keep my calories quite high and still continue to lose weight. Well, except for the last couple of weeks when I just haven't been into it. So, I'll take a little more structure and try her program for 3 months. What have I got to lose? Well, more weight of course.

Forgot to answer this one. I can't suggest a brand, since mine is old as anything. However, look for something that does ounces and grams if possible. As well, one that allows you to zero it with something already on the scale is perfect. When I bake, I put the bowl on the scale, zero it. Then I add the ingredients one at a time, zeroing as I go.

And weighing your food is an eye-opening experience. My Fitday calls a medium apple 81 calories. My medium apple today at lunch is 96 calories. 15 calories isn't a big deal, but imagine that with lots of items, and with higher calorie stuff. I love using butter for my eggs in the morning. That's where the grams comes in handy. 1 tsp butter = 5g This is where I'll put the pan on the scale, and make sure that I'm only getting 5g of butter.