Hi there, my name is Violet.

I am 21 years old and for the first time in my life I am trying to take my weight loss very seriously. I am tired of being the weight that I am. I have weird body proportions and it is very hard to find clothes because of that, plus being obese on top of that. I want to have a style and I also want to be able to be confident in my own body. I plan on having children in the next 10 years, and I want to be a healthy mother for them and be able to set good health examples for them as they grow up. I unfortunately didn't have good health examples myself growing up, which is part of why I am the weight that I am today.

I have been making small changes for the last two years which have helped me eat better, but it is slow going and I haven't really seen any "benefits" so far. I quit emotional/boredom eating, I take daily medicine to help with my digestion problems, I've cut back drastically on my portion sizes as well as any sweets/desserts. I mainly drink water with all my meals (though I have fallen back into having the occasional soda/juice since I had to quit cow milk). I only eat wheat bread (never white) and I almost never eat cereal or any food like it that won't fill me/give me decent protein. I have cut back a ton on fast food and only eat out if I absolutely have to. I have also figured out that I often crave sweets when I am still hungry and I try and combat that by filling up on my favorite fruits (I know fruits have a lot of sugar but it is natural sugar and it helps combat both hunger and general sugar cravings).

Despite all these changes and more, I have yet to see much progress in terms of weight loss. I've tried counting calories but it made me miserable, obsessive, and I felt like I was starving all day long. I do very little exercise at the moment (mental and physical health issues get in the way of that) but I have always read that your diet is the more important part of diet and exercise. I am having issues finding a doctor where I live so I can't speak to a nutritionist. I have also read that lack of sleep plays a huge role and I am an insomniac. I need to get on some decent sleeping medication (I've tried every natural remedy in the book and nothing works) but with my issues with finding a doctor, it is slow going... I think my digestion issues may also play a role as I am having signs of malabsorption, despite taking medicines to help that sort of thing. I am trying so hard to turn a lifetime of bad habits around, not only in my weight loss but in other areas of my life as well. It is very stressful and I just want to see some progress. I am in the 300s with my weight... Things have to change! I just don't know where to go next.

Thank You for reading this far if you have. Sorry for the super long post! I hope I posted it in the right spot. Any and all advice is appreciated. - love Vi

Hey Violet thanks for sharing your story! I understand how you feel girl. My advice would be to let go of your negative thoughts about your body. Stress can lead to you forming bad habits. The key to staying fit is sticking to one solid routine no matter what. And If your like most people you probaly have a breakfast first thing in the morning. I suggest you skip out on breakfast and cut down on the bread as well. You cant get rid of your bad habits you can only replace them with something better. Oh yea and you should add some tumeric to your tea or food. It helps speed up metabolism so you burn fat easier. Hope this helps!

Hello, thank you for telling your story. I can advise you to get yourself a program and try to follow it.
I keep a food diary, I started posting it here too. I need to know in advance what to eat and so I avoid making mistakes. in your program try to do a little bit of movement, it helps a lot! I can not go to the gym and then I take the stairs up and down 20 minutes. a hug

You're correct that for losing weight, diet is more important than exercise.

It's good that you drink mainly water. Soda and juice should be avoided. It's also good that you avoid sweets.

You say you eat "wheat bread". Do you mean whole wheat bread? When you check the ingredients, the first ingredient should be something like "whole wheat". If it says "wheat flour" or "enriched wheat flour" then it's not whole wheat.

What else do you eat? Do you eat a lot of vegetables? Do you eat enough protein?

Thanks for sharing! I found that getting a program done for me was the way that finally worked. It has recipes and measurements all worked out and prescribed training. It was 12 weeks long and based on carb cycling where you only eat carbs after you do a HIIT workout. Your other meals for the day are reduced carb.

Hello Violet! Welcome!
I agree with you that counting calories can be difficult for some. I can't do it, either, because it makes me think about food too much.

What has worked for me is concentrating on portion sizes and being fully aware of what I'm eating. That would mean being aware of the calories, fat content, nutrition and what-not in the foods I'm eating, but not counting the calories, per se. I have a kitchen scale and measuring cups and I'm careful to look at the portion size.

It wasn't truly surprising that my portion sizes were way too generous. That might be a place to start.

Moving a little more might help if you can do something gentle. Can you do any chair yoga or limited tai chi movements? Even just gentle walking around the house a bit more helps, if you can do that.

As others have indicated, cutting out the sodas completely and all the takeaway/fast food options would really help. Have you tried no-calorie flavored sparkling water? I favor the kind that has no artificial sweeteners and just has natural flavors.

Wishing you all the best.

Hi Violet! It's always nice to see another young person on here! (I am 23).

I calorie count as of right now, but I only do it for a few weeks until my stomach adjusts to the amount I'm eating. If you're starving when you count calories, try decreasing your carb intake a little (or just don't eat carbs after lunch) and REALLY increase your protein intake. Make your lean meat servings a little bit bigger. It helps a lot!

I don't sell beachbody, but I LOVE their workouts so I'd recommend them because you don't even have to leave your house!

Good luck and if you need more help, don't be afraid to reach out to me on Facebook (Same name as my username here).

Hi, Violet! Well done for sharing your story, I'm now also 21 and I'm not the first year struggling with the remnants of excess weight, I drive him back and forth. But I can say for sure that ask for support from your friends, relatives, they will help you very much. It's the truth. Fill your life with things and events, go to a nutritionist, calculate the exact number of calories for your weight. Act right and everything will be fine. It takes a lot of effort, but it's worth it.