I have had a problem with my weight for as long as I can remember and in the past year it has gotten way out of control. I find myself constantly complaining about my weight but yet I'll sit in front of the T.V at night and munch on endless bowls of cereal and ice cream.

I feel like I've spent too much time complaining and I feel like I'm actually getting to that point in my life that I can commit to changing my ways... I'm just not sure where to start. This is the first Forum I've joined and not too sure how it all works. I just know I need to start somewhere.. and I'm hoping to get support online.. since most of the time it embarresses me to talk to my friends and family about this. I'm not looking to loose weight quick.. but I know if I never start... i'll never be to that point...

Welcome to the forums!!!!
I don't know what happened with me. I was the exact same way and one day it clicked(Literally, just bit me in the butt one day)
and I was READY!
These forums were a blessing when I wandered accidentally onto them!
The people here are amazing and I am more and more inspired on a daily basis when I get on here looking for support.
I don't talk to my family and friends a lot about my journey just because I feel that over the years they have heard me say so many times that I'm dieting and then failing... So I'd like to just work my own things out and then say "Bam! Here are my results"

Anyways! We're all here for support and any questions!

agree

Hi there, and

I believe that weight loss and maintenance take a commitment. A hardcore, no holds barred commitment to taking the best care of yourself that you can.

BUT...it also requires setting yourself up for success. What foods can you not resist when they're in the house? Get rid of them! Stock your pantry with tasty, good-for-you foods, and get rid of the things that are taking you farther from your goals. I can't have most cereals in my house because I eat bowls and bowls of them...so I don't keep them here. If it isn't here, I can't eat it.

Find some healthy recipes that you're EXCITED about cooking. Look here, or at other online recipe sites. Go to a farmer's market and look at all of the glorious fruits and veggies...buy whatever looks the best, take it home, and really enjoy taking care of yourself.

I'm glad you've found us. My opinion is that once you start a healthy lifestyle, you start really finding out that it's more enjoyable to keep going with it.

Thanks for the support guys!!... I still dont know if I'm fully committed to starting a diet. I am thinking of going to a Nutrionlist and maybe a counseler because I do believe I have a food addiction... and then starting from there.. I have rid my house of ice cream and have started buying healthier food.. most of which are wasted tho I need to get out of my old ways and really buckle down... I have a two year old son who needs his Mommy for much longer and even tho the last doctors visit went well.. you never know when life hits ya!!

It is nice to know there are really people out there who have the same problems as me!

Welcome to 3fc!

Welcome and I wish you the best of luck on your weight loss journey. Getting started is the hardest part. There are days that I just want to crawl up on the sofa and not workout or eat healthy, it happens to the best of us. However, I will tell you once you finish your workout it is that sense of accomplishment that keeps you going the rest of the day. Remember even if at first you don't see the results you want, you are doing something to start being healthy & every little bit helps.
First things first are you need to get rid of all junk food from your house and only buy healthy items when you are at the store. I have found that if I just want that piece of chocolate I bought some Fiber One Bars and I will have one of those.
I went to my doctor yesterday, been a little under the weather past few days and he was very proud of keeping up with my exercise and weight loss journals. He also suggested that I start keeping a food journal so I can see what I am eating. I was already keeping an exercise log and I can look back over the past 6 weeks and see what I have accomplished which has really helped me keep my ground this time around on my weight loss. Below is a web site that you can get some free logs from and they also had a lot of useful information for nutrition.
personal-nutrition-guide.com
Don't ever give up, you owe it to yourself to be healthy.
You can do it!!!!

Welcome to 3FC =)

One year from now you'll be happy you started something today. I keep that in mind almost every day that I'm working to be on plan.

I'm two months out from a re-start... and I'm already happy I started two months ago.

I don't think you have to fully commit to "a diet"... but rather commit to just being healthier. Not even healthiest... just... healthier. Buying better foods, more fruits and vegetables instead of using your freezer for ice cream and other junk is a huge step in the right direction. That's being healthier. That's where it all begins.

You'll find what works for you, and I've found that the 3FC members are more than supportive and knowledgeable and very willing to give advice when needed.

Keep coming back and you'll see =) Best of wishes!

Welcome No Will Power! I was going to say what mandalinn82 said. It takes a full on commitment to change your life for the better. Make a plan. Gather what you need to make that plan work. Remember that will power is an emotion that comes and goes. A commitment lasts!

Be blessed.

Welcome to 3FC! I am so inspired by the people on this site- it's a great place to have found. One thing that really helped me when I was first starting out was to learn as much as I could about weight loss and the science behdind it. I would read articles online, get books from the library, listen to podcasts, etc. I'm a teacher so I am committed to that whole 'knowledge is power' thing . Out of the several books I read, Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels completely changed my thinking about food. Love her or hate her, girl knows her stuff.

Know that you can lose weight. You can completely transform yourself and the women on here are living proof of that! I will say that you are going to have to change your 3FC handle eventually though . You're going to realize that you do have the power, baby!

Darling, think seriously about a name change. Give yourself something to live up to, something that will inspire you. This name sounds like something someone told you once, long ago .. someone really mean ... like a bad mommy. Or like something nasty the mean beeyotch inside you once came up with, so that now, you tell people aloud "I have no will power" & you probably even believe it.

Changing your weight can mean changing your thinking. At least, it did for me.

Are you ready to make that change? If so, welcome. If not, welcome anyway & read a lot of the posts here as people share their changes.

Start, just start. You will see results quick, it's later when you have to push harder.

It's all about breaking the habit. Turn that tv off and go for a walk instead. Put all your favourite songs on your mp3 and try going every evening for 30 min. Ice cream is evil. It's in the name; cream. High in fat, high in sugar. Don't find an alternative, cut out on the ice cream.

Educate yourself; losing weight can be fun! Try new recipes. Go for food that is high in protein, it will make you feel full for longer.

Don't diet. Following a diet is difficult, you'll be fine for a week and then quit and feel bad about. Change the way you eat, don't get takeaways, eat fresh. Healthy doesn't have to mean all salad and yuck, it can simply be grilling instead of frying, low fat salad dressing instead of mayo. I simply don't believe in thing such as Atkins. You need carbs for energy.. but good carbs. Eat brown rice instead of white. Something that has really worked for me is cutting out red meat. You can have it once in a while but chicken and fish are the way to go.

And don't start to reward yourself after a work out or when you've been good. It will result in overindulging. You'll allow yourself one chocolate, then two, then three. No! You've done well keep it up!

And Never ever starve yourself. Its not good for your body and you'll want to binge eat the next day. Less fat, less oil, replace the high calorie intake for something healthier.

That's my advice, from my experience I'm no expert. Hope it helps

I agree that if you can just start with something, just a little step in the right direction you will see great change, which will motivate you to keep going.

I just made a firm commitment to myself 5 weeks ago to get healthy and since then have been making a real attempt to eat healthy (have had some treats like sorbet, but am avoiding the chips that keep taunting me!) and exercise (dusted off the treadmill and got a DVD).

In the 5 weeks I have lost 16 pounds. My clothes fit better and there are so many little things to keep me motivated. Like one of the cool down stretches in the workout DVD - it is where you stand, bend your leg back at the knee and reach back with your hand and grab your ankle. The first month of doing this DVD I had to hold on to the wall and contort myself like a human pretzle to be able to grab my ankle, but last week, I was able to do it normally without falling over!! A small victory, I know, but it meant a heck of a lot to me and my self esteem!

What is also helping to keep me motivated is that I have signed up to do a 5 k in the fall. Since my mom and two of her sisters are currently fighting cancer (and another sister passed away from cancer a few years ago) I have decided to walk for the Canadian Cancer Society. Now, I am not saying that I am going to run the whole thing (this time) but I will complete it. This makes me work out even when I really just want to spend what little free time I have relaxing in front of the tv!

Now, since I am really just starting out, I have wanted to quit (at least once a day) and have thought I could start again next week....but so far, it is really not as hard to make the little changes as I thought it would be.

GL!!

The best advice I can give you is to just TRY and give it your full effort. There is nothing more motivating then seeing those first few pounds come off the scale. Give it a try and hang in there!

Thanks again.. so much... I have a LONG road ahead of me.. but i'm thinking this site will be a good step in getting myself healthy!