Hi all,

Just a brief history: I have been slightly chubby my entire life. I've never felt obese or even fat, really, just uncomfortable in my skin. I've recently gone to the doctor and she informed me that I am 25-30 pounds overweight for my height and body type. This came as a major shock to me as I've always thought 10 pounds at the most. And I have been trying to lose that 10 pounds since high school! Now triple that number, and I have no idea where to start! I have been an on again off again memeber of 3FC, and I really need help. I don't have a lot of support around me. I am going to England at the end of February to visit my friends and go to a wedding, and I would really like to be at my goal weight of 130 by then. Is there any advice you can give me? I feel like I'm flailing around here, not knowing how to get started and most of all how to keep going. I've had countless "first days of a diet" but I have never once been successful. So please, if you have anything you can tell me, please please please lead the way. Thank you all.

I highly recommend WW meetings. It sure has worked for me and no food is denied to me. It just takes some planning. I also exercise 6 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour - 3 days cardio, 3 days strength. I go to the Y and love it. You can just walk or do exercise dvds, dance, anything to move more. I'm 69 and have severe asthma, COPD and osteoporosis so if I can exercise, most everyone can.

By the way, lose the diet mentality. Going on a diet is setting yourself up for failure. You go on a diet and then when its over, you go back to eating like you did before and gain it all back. You need to make positive lifestyle changes that will last the rest of your life. If you continue to eat what you always have, you'll always get the results you have now.

What do you weigh now? If you are 5'7" and 130 lbs is 25-30 lbs away, you aren't that overweight--in fact, you are right on the edge of a normal BMI.

ETA: If you want to weigh 130, that's fine. I bring this up only because if your doctor has told you that any weight above 130 is unhealthy, then I think that is incorrect.

Sorry I wasn't clear! I am about 165 lbs, but i carry most of my extra weight in my torso, which she's concerned about because my family has a long history with heart problems and diabetes. I also have a very thin frame, so it's a lot of stress on my body.

I highly recommend keeping a food journal. I use a great program called Lose It on my iPad, but if you have an iPhone, that works as well. Some people keep an old fashioned journal and some find them online for free. Either way, studies show that people who keep a food log tend to weigh less.

Personally, I like counting calories. It's sometimes hard to figure out how many calories something is, but for the most part, I think I get it right.

How about exercise? I think it's so important for keeping you focused and for toning. I know it's all obvious stuff but I thought it's worth mentioning.

Even if you don't have much support, you can always come here and find great support. Also, maybe you can already take a look at your diet and figure out what little tweaks you can make.....such as cutting out soda, switching a snack here and there to something that is lower in calories. Maybe you could post what you eat in a typical day and we can help you do some tweaking?

Do you have trigger foods? If you do, identify them and stay away from them. I recommend planned treats instead of impulse treats. You know yourself best and some people do well with occasional treats while others do better to quit certain foods completely.

Either way you choose to go, the main thing is consistency....and if you fall off or stumble, jump right back on. Over time, your small steps will lead to great strides!

I have to be honest and say that I had the same reaction Shmead had when I first read your post ... I had a couple friends that were 5"7" and 140 lbs -- and they were very slim even with their slight bone structure. So you may want to rethink your goal as time goes by.

I would suggest you make small changes right now since you have so little to lose: like cut out all junk foods & all fast foods; switch to complex grain carbs like whole grain bread & pasta & brown rice. Add in some salads and more veggies & fruit every day. Eat the leanest meats you can afford like chicken, turkey, and fish more often; limiting lean beef or pork to once a week each. Have fruit and/or yogurt for snacks.

For breakfast, a good whole grain cereal (hot or cold) OR an egg & toast OR english muffin with cheese or peanut butter are all quick; plus a banana or orange. For lunch -- a whole grain sandwich & an apple; OR a salad with lean meat & a fruit; OR soup & sandwich or a wg slice of bread & fruit.

Measuring your portions is a very easy and simple way to go; no second helpings. Cut out the sugar sodas and replace them with water or highly watered down juices ie 1/4 cup juice + 3/4 cup cold water; and try some tea as well.

The best and simplest exercise is walking; and power-walking would probably be good for you -- start with 10 minutes a day for about 3-4 days a week, then work it up to 6 days with one rest day; increasing the time as you go too. You said you carry a lot of weight around your waist so some tummy crunches and leg lifts would be helpful; I know they are helping me a lot. Keep busy and active as much as possible -- any sport activities that you love?

Just by following this simple advice, you should be able to lose that 25 lbs by February. This kind of plan isn't so restrictive; so it is easier to stick to. I must caution you that you must continue to eat in a healthy way after you lose that 25 lbs, or you may gain it all back. For maintenance, you can add in a fun meal once a week; and one treat snack once a month.

Best wishes for your new journey; and come back more often, as this is a great support site ...

My daily schedule is incredibly varied. I'm a Child Protective Services caseworker, and most of my day is spent driving around the city meeting with parents and conducting interviews. So I work my day around other peoples' schedules and don't have a set routine. It's frustrating because I may only have the driving time between one house to another to eat lunch, and It's kind of hard to prepare and eat something healthy in that time.

I don't really have specific foods that trigger overeating. I am a bored eater though. If I have nothing to do I just snack. MY family also celebrates even the smallest accomplishment with massive amounts of food. If I go to my parents house for Sunday lunch (anyone from the South here?) it's a big production. And my grandma will always bring over cakes and cookies that she bakes during the day.

I will surely re-evaluate as time goes on. I'm mostly just looking to feel comfortable.

I'm trying to find something that I like! I was never that into sports, team or individual. But I'm going to try to find something I enjoy.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

I will come back here for support, I'm sure I just want to look in the mirror and look like I feel. And I want my England pictures to be stunning!

Here are some more suggestions, if you're interested.

You have to plan for the disrupted schedule, so that you don't let your schedule become a reason to eat at McD's, etc. You can get a small foam cooler and a couple of "blue ice" packs for not much money. Make your lunch ahead of time, put it in the cooler, and keep it handy, maybe in your car, so that you don't have to wonder what you'll eat.

First, you can come up with things to do besides eat. Second, stock up on low-cal snacks. Don't reach for chips--have baby carrots at the ready. That sort of thing, so that if you do snack, it's not something high calorie.

You're going to need to learn limits and portion control. No seconds, for example. And you could ask your grandma if she could bring you treats just once a week instead of every day, that you feel like you are eating too much of them. Even then, it's always your option to throw away the food you don't want to eat. No, I mean this. Just because someone gives you free food, and even if it's your grandmother, you are not required to eat it.

You don't have to become an athlete! Just something like a half-hour walk per day is a good way to start. If it's too hot outside, go to a mall for your walk (avoid the food court! ). And look into getting a set of small hand weights and a weight training booklet. It's easy to do.

And exercise is really good for stress reduction. Given that you work in child protective services, this is probably important for you!

Jay

I know you said that planning lunches were hard for you, have you considered packing of "little" items in a cooler for lunch instead of a typical lunch? Like a hard boiled egg (yup the whole thing, not just the white!), a piece of fruit, hummus with carrots/ celery/ bell pepper sticks, greek yogurt with fruit, cottage cheese, 1/2 tuna/ turkey/ chicken sandwich (or a wrap!), almonds (just watch your portions), celery and peanut butter, crackers with laughing cow cheese, string cheese, fiber 1 bars (unless you're watching your sugar), etc etc etc. You get the point.

There ARE ways to overcome dieting obstacles. You just have to dig deep and figure out if the small planning inconvenience will be worth it to you in the long run.

I use an online journal called my food diary, it's been great so far.