[redsoxnation]

Hi, Everyone!

I'm new here, and have been reading some of these amazing posts. I think I've come to the right place!

I'm just trying to start my weight loss journey, and honestly don't know where to begin. I'm 222 pounds, and would like to lose about 110. My physician suggested Weight Watchers, and I did go to a few meetings, but at the last meeting I left after a 20 minute discussion on cole slaw. No offense to WW, they do some amazing things for people, but I think I'd rather try this on my own.

Does anyone have a good jumping off point (insert your own joke here....)? I just turned 50, and I'm the single parent of an eight year old, and also a full-time student. To make matters more challenging, I'm on a very limited budget, and don't really have a kitchen (I just bought an electric wok - yay!)

Is there a good place to start? Thanks so much for your consideration and advice!

Go, Red Sox!

[bargoo]

Welcome and good luck ! How tall are you ? I see your goal weight is pretty low, I am guessing you are short in stature. WW is a good program. South Beach is very popular as well as Atkins and others. I , personally, after trying different programs found that calorie counting works best for me, it is reliable, flexible, easy and best of all, FREE. The best program for you is the one that you will work. You may need to experiment a little until you find what works best for you.

[bnhtla06]

I've had success with WW in the past. I'm trying South Beach now and loving it. It's a good fit for me because the guidelines are easy to follow and there's not a lot of math or journaling required. I'm terrible with tracking anything-points, calories, carbs...just not organized enough for that. There's a ton of information about lots of diets here. I recommend looking around the forums to see what might fit your lifestyle.

[Cali Doll]

Why not just calorie count?

I lost 60-70 pounds on Weight Watchers online (the whole "meetings" thing is really unappealing to me). I LOVE WW online because it gave me the structure that I needed with the flexibility to survive real-life situations. So, I'd suggest that, if you need some sort of structure to help you get started. :-)

[sacha]

I would also suggest calorie counting which is free and the best way to work around a tight budget. Many people eliminate entire food groups but with calorie counting, you can really work with a tight budget.

I would suggest purchasing (used?) a crock pot - a whole chicken is very cheap and you can literally just throw it in there and have enough meat for you and your daughter for 2-3 days. Brown rice, beans, frozen veggies on special. I'm on a strict budget and have a son too (much younger but still) so I try to balance budget with reasonably healthy food without going overboard.