After reading and looking at pics of so many of your success stories I decided to finally weigh myself... I couldn't believe when I saw how much I weighed, I mean I knew I was reaally... REALLY overweight but damn 259. I guess I can only go down from here, I refuse to let myself hit the 300s because I feel like I'm already at rock bottom!

Has anyone got any tips to share? Anything would help right now!!

Thanks so much!

You put one foot in front of the other and work it BABY!

Pick a plan. Stick to the plan. If for some crazy reason you should stray from your plan, get back to your plan ASAP. Forgive yourself. Stick to the plan. Repeat for life.

Couldn't have said it better myself

I would alter that a little. Try to find a sustainable plan!! If your plan requires you to eat grapefruit every day and you find you hate it, well, then, change your plan!!

Figuring out what works for you can be a lot of trial and error (not to mention that you may change over time). It can also be overwhelming to start!! If you are overwhelmed, then I suggest starting by picking one or two habits to focus on at first, rather than feeling you need to start with a full-blown "plan". For example, I started by bringing my lunch and snacks to work and watching portions. Then I built on that. Others give up soda, or substitute foods... whatever you can start with!

Commit, commit, commit! Know that no matter how hard it may seem at one particular moment, you CAN do it and it WILL get easier!

Every minute is a minute you can do something good for yourself, so don't put off until later what you can do right now! Good luck!

Don't think of it in terms of all the weight you have to lose. We all lose it one pound at a time, and we were all overwhelmed when we first started. Make a "bite-sized" goal, and tell us when you get there, we'll celebrate with you!

Definitely second commitment. A plateau really busts motivation--so commitment is the key! And you have to want it bad. We're here to support you.

Yes, exactly. I should have mentioned that. If you want it to work for life, it has to be something that is nutritionally balanced and "livable" for your lifestyle.

Hey! I weigh 259 too!

I weighed at the gym yesterday. It was my first time working out and my first appointment with my personal trainer. She took my measurements then told me I had to hop on the scale. *Eeek* 259 even.

I nodded and said, "259, that's where I'll be starting off from."

And that's all it is; what your starting point is. Don't get horribly wrapped up in the number. It's just a way to judge how much you lose! The numbers don't matter that much as long as you make yourself healthy.

I never ever ever thought I would weigh over 250lbs. But, I do. And it's time to fix it. <3

Stop the self-loathing! You haven't KILLED anyone, for goodness sakes!

Weight loss isn't permanent, and you have the power to do something about this if you choose to.

So don't panic! Pick a plan that fits with your lifestyle! That you can sustain! Give 100% to it. And relax and watch what happens.

Whoots to you for putting a stop to the weight gain insanity. Things will only get better from here on!

Kira

Good for you... TRUST me you don't want to hit 300. As bad as 260 feels, 300 is that much worse. You can totally DO this. My advice is to write down what you eat... It really helps keep you honest and helps you figure out the right deficits you need to lose the weight you want to which helps keep you motivated.

Hey SoulSurvivor,
Big congratulations for taking a big, difficult step. You did it! Good job!

I would encourage you to spend some time this weekend thinking about what sorts of changes you would like to make and then ranking them. Maybe just sit down with a blank piece of paper and a cup of tea and just write about changes you can see ahead. Once you have a list, take a stab at highlighting or marking the 5-6 changes that seem the most DOABLE for you right now. I wouldn't worry too much about what they are or getting the right variety or anything like that. I would just find 5-6 things that seem very straightforward. Once you have those identified, figure out if they are doable in one step (you already eat 1 fruit serving a day and now you'll have 2) or if you need to break it down into smaller steps (maybe you drink a lot of soda and you think you could calm that down but maybe not go cold turkey). Find 5-6 things you can change and only worry about those for this week or even a few weeks. Don't worry about doing them perfectly, don't worry that it's not enough, just try that.

This will allow you a few things:
1. It'll start your thought processes around what changes you'd like to make even if you don't start them right away. Your mind will naturally start looking for some solutions around those.
2. You'll learn a bit about yourself and what makes changes easier or more difficult, etc.
3. You'll get some success and momentum going and that will help you avoid the trap of making some elaborate plan that no person could get going all at once and then being discouraged/quitting because you 'failed'.
4. It'll illustrate to you that small changes are worth doing. It's really all the little changes that add up, not some big moment in time or major life change.
5. If you decide to take on a more systematic approach like WW or other plan, it's very likely these will fit right in and you'll have a little headstart.

HTH with a little more specific approach you might consider.

Peg

Hi Soul

You can do this!

One foot in front of the other, other foot in front of the other, other foot in front of the other... you can do it. A year from today, you will be SO glad you decided to go do this. Good luck!!

everyone has written such great advice, I'll just add a congratulations on taking your first steps and I know you can do it to the mix.