Hi everyone. I'm new here. About four years ago I lost 20 lbs on ww and have gained it plus ten back over the last two years. I have a desk job for about ten hours a day and live about 30 miles from work, so figure 11-12 hours sitting on my butt everyday during the work week. Plus, I travel a lot..so hotel food etc.

I just don't know where to start. Should I do WW again? I'm 5'11 and weigh 180, female. How many calories should I aim for to loose 1-2 lbs a week. I would like to have this weight off by XMAS as I have a family beach vacation. yikes. Plus, I am the biggest I have ever been and it just doesn't feel good.

So where do I start? Currently breakfast is a Kashi Granola Bar (180 calories I think, 6 grams of protein). For lunch I usually have a veggie sandwhich or turkey sandwhich from the cafe at work. I try to stay away from the chips and cookies, but its hard to resist. I drink green tea, unsweetened, throughout the day. Seems like around 3-4 I get hungry.

Dinner is a crapshoot. I don't know what to do here. I tried those super supper places where you make a month of meals, but DH doesn't like them. I don't like to cook. We eat out a lot and I think this is the problem. Even ordering off the kids section, its got to be too many calories. I will eat veggies if they taste good...meaning not just heating up a bag of frozen grean beans. I like some fruit, but I just seem to never eat it. So, I know what I eat needs to be changed.

So any advice on how many calories and what I should be eating, specifically. What are some good dinner ideas? The other thing is I have such a sweet tooth - always craving sweets.

What about exercise? How much and what kind. It seems like I wear out so quick.

I want to loose this weight, but I just don't know how to get started. Any advice?

Oh I meant to say I am in my early thirties...

Hey riley123.
I really don't have any advice since I know zilch about ww, but I just wanted to send you good vibes for your new journey. I'm a super shortie- at 5"1" and need to lose about 25 pounds myself. I did it a couple of years ago on Phentermine and starvation, but that was super stupid cause I gained it all back - then some. I'll never do that again.
Anyways, best of luck to you!

I don't recommend WW to people. One of my favorite notes to bring up is the fact that everyone says "it worked so well for me the first time I did it" really... then why do you need to do it again?

I would start by getting some solid basic education down.

First go here..

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/nutri...ines-ever.html

That there alone will help you lose weight period. To take it further though you will wont to work on adding some exercise but I will get to that in you later question.


So any advice on how many calories and what I should be eating, specifically. What are some good dinner ideas?

Before you buy a workout ball, weights or anything like that, buy a cookbook, a good instructional cookbook. Cooking is truly the secret to fat loss. If you like the food you are eating, you wont cave in. Don't go all or nothing, have some sweets, just have them smart.

Start small, do only what you have to to lose he weight and then take it from there. If you lose weight just cutting some calories, do that for a bit, but cut the calories smartly. Then add some aerobic and resistance work. Information on both can be found here (read the sticky threads at top) http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weigh...ough-exercise/

Take it one step at a time and build up. This is a for life process, you don't have to make it all at once.

If all else fails, hire someone to help you or get a good book to guide you step by step. Just check with us first on if its a good book or trainer



I want to loose this weight, but I just don't know how to get started. Any advice?

Hi Riley,

First I'd figure out how much you would like to weigh, be realistic, if you are 5'-11" probably it isn't 120. There are plenty of online resources to help you figure out how many calories you need to eat each day, how much body fat you have based on measurements.

Get as much information as you can.

Not cooking makes it more challenging, my wife doesn't cook but fortunately I do, so I can control what goes into the food she and I eat.

Best to order simple things, in restaurants, where the ingredients are obvious, it's hard to tell what goes into sauces and gravies. Soups are good if you steer clear of the cream soups.

I think you need more breakfast and lunch if you are running out of fuel in the afternoon.

As for exercise, start walking now and take your time figuring out what other exercises you should do. Walking is a great start. If you are very out of shape, brisk walking will be enough. Work up to 45 minutes every day if you can. You can always step it up by going faster or up hills or stairs.

You'll do great! Lots of helpful people here!

David C

Thanks everyone!! At 5'11, I want to weigh right about 150, which is in the healthy range for the BMI that I read about, and would make me a size 8, instead of 12, which an 8 is the size I feel good at. I do not want to be 120 , size 3, or anything scrawny like... because I do like to eat :-)

I used some of those online calculators to figure out how many calories and depending on the calculator it was anywhere from 1500 to 2000, so I am super confused. I figure I want to loose 1-2 lbs per week, so I know that is 7000 calories less a week, right?

I can definitly start doing 45 minutes of walking and even some weights. We have a gym at work I can use.

I think WW is good, I just got lazy and I figured it up...it was an extra 150calories everyday over 2 years and here I am 30lbs needing to loose. So that can of soda or extra piece of bread everyday added up. God, I am so mad at myself!!

So, what if for breakfast I added a yogurt in with the Kashi granola bar. Then what for lunch? I can do frozen meals for awhile, but that gets old. Is a PB&J healthy or no? Tuna sandwhich? Needs to be easy.

I could bring some fruit for a snack and some cheese for the afternoon.

Now, dinner...that is still the hard part. Neither of us are good cooks and its usually 7 before we get home, at the earliest. I need to find preportioned diet size meals that are good that I can heat up. Any ideas? I liked the super suppers, but the portions are too big, and like I said DH doesn't love.

I have a gazillion healthy cookbooks, but none of them are easy quick and good recipes.

Keep the advice coming...

Since you like to cook, I would highly recommend John Berardi - Gourmet Nutrition. This will be the only cookbook you'll need. It also has some great information about certain foods and such.

This book has completely changed the way I eat.