help from anyone

I start my new way eating may 2 and would very much appreicate any advice from anyone. I am a 48 300 pound female and tired of being sick and feeling sick. I am taking a stand and going to motivate myself. 

good luck! stick too it and don't try to do everything at once. it is a process! if you would like any advice about work outs or basic nutrition. I would love to give any advice I can! (not a professional, just a health nut)

Good luck with your new lifestyle.   Best advice I can give you echoes the above i.e. to make small consistent improvements rather than wholesale changes.  Wholesale changes needing lots of gritted-teeth motivation can be too much to cope with and lead to someone giving up, whereas small improvements are less daunting & can be gradually incorporated which makes the whole thing more enjoyable and sustainable.

A simple dietary example would be that if someone didn't eat breakfast they could start doing so...  Or if they didn't get 5-a-day fruit and vegetables they could make that their first improvement.

Movement helps a lot.  You don't have to go to a gym to be active.  If all you do initially is get a 15-20 minute walk twice a day you'd be amazed what a difference it makes.

Best of luck

Edited to say... you might get more responses to your post in the Weight Loss Forum so maybe the moderators could move it..

thank you so much. Yes I do need to remember to keep that in mind. I think I would rather see even small improvements rather none at all.

Congratulations Tess on your decision to become a healthier person. Changing your lifestyle will be easier if you take it one day at a time. Don't try to change everything all at once. Making little changes here and there will add up to make a big difference later on. Friends and family will offer all kinds of "diet" advice, some of it not so good for your body.  It can be hard to determine which advice is the right way to go. Use the Internet as a tool to learn all that you can about nutrition and exercise. Go to the library and pick up some books on the same subjects.  When I started (I was 48 years old too) I didn't know all that much about what to eat that would be good for me. I was surprised to learn that fats were healthy for me and that carbohydrates are what fuels my body. I stopped listening to the ads on TV and in the magazines that show drastic weight losses in 3 days. I'm an individual and so are you. Take it slow, commit to your new healthy lifestyle and you will become the person you want to be. Don't beat yourself up when you make a mistake. Just start all over again. I don't want to sound as if changing your life is a walk in the park, but you can do it Tess. Try your best to be consistent.  Calorie Count is a great place to ask for advice, learn new recipes, or find a shoulder to cry on if you need it. I wish you the very best and if I can help in any way, give out a hollar!

Congratulations on making the decision to step up! I wish you tons of luck. Some advice to tack on to what everyone else has said?

1. Get active! If at first your weight keeps you from doing more difficult things, at least start with something. Walk a little more than you previously were. Swim, or hula hoop! Low impact, but good places to start and get your body ready for more high impact things (I've been working out for a year, but I'm still not ready for the workout programme I want to start! Building up to it with curves gym, and kickboxing.)

2. Since you've got so much to lose, at first, it may seem like it comes off like magic (after just a few small, barely noticeable changes). Don't get frustrated if it slows down after a bit, or stops for a few weeks - the less extra weight you have on you, the harder it is to lose!

I think a lot of people look on here and just see numbers.  They do anything to make those numbers happen.  Usually, they're totally miserable.  Do what you enjoy, and enjoy what you do.  Good luck!

I just started on the 30th of April and I have already lost about 2.5 lbs. What I've been doing is eating small meals every 2.5 to 3 hours. I also workout 1.5 to 2 hours. Start out slow first. I use to be a swimmer and do water polo so I have experince in working out aggressively. Try something you think you'll like and never be afraid to mix it up. Play some heart pumping music to get you motivated. Techno always seems to work for me.

As far as what kind of food I eat...I stopped going to fast food completely, but still go to a resturant now and then. Most have healthy options and some even have a seperate menu for diet food(weightwatchers,caloriecounters,lowcarb) And don't deprive your self! If you want that brownie have that brownie! Just cut it in half. Add more veggies in the rest of your meals, or workout a few extra minutes. And I always have a cheat day. Just one day out of the week to cheat. Your going to diet and diet and diet and you might lose your motivation and you might quit or cheat for a week or more, so having that one free day lets you still have that popcorn at the movie you've been wanting or those chips and salsa at a bbq. And the next day you feel good and ready to pick it right back up! Just don't eat a whole pizza or anything. Also drink lots of water! If you start to get tired of water throw in some crystal light or try diet green tea. Try Nonfat products as well. IF you like coffee have your favorite latte just make sure to ask it to be skinny or nonfat and sugar free. It taste just the same. And don't eat dinner and go to bed/lay down after. That is the fastest way to gain weight! Stay up for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Read a book or take the dog for a walk. Just stay active before you go to bed. And it will also help you sleep better.

Lastly don't get frustrated and lose your motivation when the scale doesn't tell you the numbers that you are expecting to see. In you first month or so you will go up and down like a yo-yo. It's alright! Mostly it's because you are gaining muscle. JUst stay focused and strong! You can do it. And if you are dieting healthy and not exercising aggressively the average weight lose should be between 1 to 3lbs a week. So don't expect it to melt off you like snow. It will take sometime, but if you take it slow and change they way you look at food and exercise the weight lose will be long term.

Tess!  You have already made some excellent choices:  you have mentally decided you want to become more healthy and two you have joined the BEST site to get you to where you want to be!

Everyone has given you not only excellent advice but you can hear how sincere we all are, ALWAYS keep us in your loop of support.

I have been in the program only for about 3 months and it has changed my life!  From just having support with my emotional journey with trying to lose weight to truly some excellent advice.

So my advice to you: one like I said keep chatting on CC and two literally take it no farther than one day at a time.  You have to really stay on the right track to achieve your goal, but you can do it.....like so many others that you will get to know in CC.  Good luck and YOU CAN DO IT!

I definitely agree with the choices you're making, stay strong. I was able to make huge lifestyle changes but based on the fact that I've invested so much time and money. My best advice would be to eat healthier and don't give into all the fads. Weight watchers, Lean Cuisines, etc... They have the right idea but the key to weight loss is cutting sugar, fat and carbs. They hook you thinking its all about calories. Sometimes its hard to go extreme, but even making protein a larger part of your diet will give you the steam to work out. I boil/bake chicken and its not the best but it will fill you up.

Good luck in all that you do. And remember, its not all about losing weight... It's about accepting yourself and making healthier decisions.

If you weigh 300lbs... assuming you're lightly active i.e. moving around reasonably during the day rather than totally inactive, then you need to be thinking about an initial calorie intake of 2000 a day.   At that level you should start losing weight at the rate of about 2 - 3lbs a week.  If you choose plenty of nourishing foods (vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, lean meat/fish) 2000 calories should allow you to get quite a generous menu.  As you lose weight your energy needs will come down a little over time.  So it would be a pity to start too low (re your mail) in that light.  An example of how a 2000 cal menu could break down

• Breakfast... 2 large poached eggs on 2 slices wholegrain toast with a glass of orange juice... 400 cals
• Mid-morning snack... 2oz nuts and raisins... 300 cals
• Lunch....  A wholegrain sandwich filled with chunky cooked chicken, light mayonnaise and salad.  A banana....  500 cals
• Mid-afternoon snack... some wholegrain crispbreads with cottage cheese.. 200 cals
• Supper.... A piece of grilled salmon with a medium-sized jacket potato, plenty of vegetables and followed by a small dish of ice-cream... cals... 550
• Late snack... a low-cal hot chocolate. 50 cals

update:

Start weight 300

cw=275.6 

25 pounds in less than 3 months? So about 2lb/week? That's great! Keep up the good work!