Okay so here’s the low-down:

-19 years old
-4’9’’
-185lbs
-target weight 140-something-lbs

Basically? I’m sick of living like this.

I do not:
-drink soda
-drink coffee
(been 11 mo off both of them so far, no cravings to go back)

I do:
-Overeat.

I’m trying to keep this short and brief. lol. So I started exercising. I have a treadmil and recumbant bike, so I do both of those for as long as I can. With how out of shape I am, all I’ve been able to do so far is 10 minutes, 15 MAX. But I’ll build up, right? I also do sit ups, push ups, etc.

It’s winter, and I live on a street that never gets salt (we don’t do it anymore, cause of the economy) so I can’t really go out and exercise until it gets a little warmer, so this is all I’ve got.

And as for my diet... Really, I have to eat something every 4 hours or so. I try to eat small things often. I hardly ever eat white bread. And my mom isn’t going to buy anymore sweets, etc. HOWEVER: Lately, I haven't been feeling hungry at all. I'll eat breakfast and dinner and a little snack every 4 hours or so.

Anyway, I really don’t know what to do here. I don’t know HOW to lose weight. :[ I don’t even know if what I’m doing is right.

Hi Cass! I weighed that much when I was 19 too, although I'm a little taller (5'1). I thought the way you did, and wanted to see the 140s too. I was successful to get down to the 150s and decided I liked it there. then I quit my habits like I had metabolism or something! And since I met my husband, I have ballooned in 4 short years to a whopping 256 (current weight.. peak was 262). So now I'd actually LIKE to be 185. But I do know how you feel, and when I'm 185 I won't want to be either. Do you have a plan? I know what works, I just have trouble putting my knowledge in to action. My biggest problem is not having encouragement.. from myself, from others. Makes it rough!

Hey, I'm 19, about 190...and pretty short as well. Sounds like we have a lot in common! You can def. do this!!!! Let's be friends.

I don't really have a "plan" per say. Basically... I'm just going to be exercising like crazy. I just got off the recumbant bike, 15 min. 4-ish miles. My problem is getting my heartrate up and keeping it up. I could sit there and cycle for an hour if I wanted to, but I can't always keep my heart rate up.

Even 150 would be amazing. Right now, all I'm shooting for is the 170s even. Then we'll move onto 160, 150, etc. My birthday August 27th... If I could fit into a nice skirt, or maybe even a bathing suit by then.. I'd be the happiest person ever.

I just don't know if I'm going to see results with what I'm doing.

Like many wise people have said here before me... "Failing to plan is planning to fail." You should come up with a plan (and by that, I mean one of your own design that works for you and that you can reasonably stick to).

Also... I speak from experience when I say that exercise alone will not save you. If you eat back every calorie you burn, you will not lose weight. You need to re-evaluate your eatings habits in combination with exercise to get consistent and lasting results.

Best of luck to you.

I agree that you probably do need to have an eating plan of some sort. I'm a LOT older than you and in my years tried to lose weight by every method possible. But, I did not have success until this last 5 months counting calories in a healthy way. Check out some of the possibilities in the "Diet Central" section of the 3fc forum. There's lots of good advice and knowledge about eating healthy and various plans down there. Best wishes to you!

Welcome to the site and good luck!!

cass: I agree with everyone about you having a plan. Exercising "like crazy" is not going to do it. Recent studies have found that losing weight is 80% eating and 20% exercising. That doesn't mean you should stop exercising or anything like that. Exercising has many wonderful benefits for you.

As for a plan: You should determine how many calories a day you should be eating everyday to put you on a deficit, i.e. burning more calories than what you are eating.
Second, you have to plan what you are going to eat and how much you are going to eat each and every day. Stick to good for you foods (fruits, vegs, whole grains, lean protein). Also, keep track of what you're eating: Fitday or TheDailyPlate are good online resources that let you keep track of your caloric intake.
I would also suggest to measure yourself. Sometimes the scale does not show much improvement but your size does. It will keep you from getting discouraged.

Look around, there's a forum for calorie counters that has a lot of information that you can use.

Welcome!

I definitely think you should start calorie counting. I have to eat every 2-3 hours depending on what I ate. I make sure I allow it in my points(I do WW but you can do the same with calorie counting). I also tend to snack on a lot of veggies. I switched to whole wheat products and a lot of them taste so much better. Trust me, not drinking soda doesn't do much. I wound up developing allergies to soda and stopped. I still was fat and still gained wait. It's a combination of everything, diet and exercise. My friend also would stretch during every commercial break and it helped her. Also, you can try WATP videos. They are so great and relatively easy. I started with 15 mins and ended with 60 minutes.