Hi all. I'm new to the forums here, and I was looking for a place with lots of support and advice!
I'm 19, female, and I weigh about 310 pounds, 5'7.
I'm very tired of my weight and the way my body looks. I'm not looking to be a skinny rail and fit into a size 2, but I want to feel like I'm within a healthy range weight and be able to find clothes more easily than having to really stress myself out mentally.
I just want to feel better and I know if I drop some weight that I will.
I have a membership to the YMCA and lately I've been trying to go a bit more frequently. For two weeks I was going everyday and working out for an hour on a bicycle. Which I enjoy. For me, it's being impatient about the results and about getting motivated to go. For the two weeks I was doing great, then I got a cold and felt really sick so I quit going. I'm going to go again tomorrow, I need to get back on the horse!
For anyone who is familiar with exercise equipment, could you please tell me the best machine in your opinion to target lower body weight? I carry most of my belly weight below my belly button so I think that might be a good place to start.
Also, is this true: I heard on the radio that working out everyday isn't good for you? That your body needs a days rest. Is that true, or in my case, for a big weightloss goal, should I be trying my best to work out each day?
My very long term goal is to be under 200 pounds. For right now I think I just want to give myself a goal of under 300.
I need some strength and courage, and of course motivation to get to the gym to exercise.
But I really want to stick with it this time! and not give up!
any advice helps!

Hi and welcome.

First thing that you'll have to know is that you cannot target weight loss. I know - it sucks, but it's the truth. You just have to lose weight all over and it comes off where it comes off.

As far as exercising every day - if you are lifting weights and really working hard, you do need to give your body recovery time otherwise you're just building damage upon damage. But regular daily exercising like moderate cardio - you can do that every day if you want. You just need to not overtax muscles and if you work too hard one day to the point that you're really sore (not just stretchy sore, but really hurting sore) it's a good indicator that you might want to skip a day.

The next thing is that while exercise is good, losing weight is probably 80% or more about what you eat. You can exercise until your legs fall off, but if you're eating unhealthy foods and too much of them, you're not going to lose weight.

So my advice to you would be to really look at what you eat. At your height, you could easily lose weight on around 2800-3000 calories a day. Make sure that you're eating lean protein, lots of veggies, fruit, complex carbs (whole grains, oats, etc.), and getting enough healthy fat in there as well (things like olive oil, almonds, avocadoes, etc.)

Keeping a food journal is a good start - most people don't know what they eat or how much they eat every day. You can register at places like dailyplate.com or fitday.com for free and start entering your food, or you can just start keeping a list on paper. That will really help you get a handle on healthy eating ... which is the most important part of losing weight.

Hi Kara, thanks for the advice.
I know that a food change is much needed.
I was wondering what your take was on the atkins diet? My dad lost a lot of weight on that, but idk if it would work for me.
I'm having a rough time getting started with everything but I know that I need to jump start myself and just get going. I know that some encouragement will come from seeing myself lose a bit of weight, I just need to know that I can lose weight and a big hindrance is that I don't think I can.
Anyhow, thanks!

Hey no problem.

I've done the Atkins Diet. I've done all of them - or most of them, anyway. There are two things I'll say about it.

1 - It works if you follow the REAL ATKINS DIET. So many people follow what they think it is or what someone else told them it is or what they got off the Internet. If you really want to follow the Atkins Diet - get the book and follow the real thing. It does work. It starts you off with an induction phase where you drop all carbs, then you slowly start adding back healthy carbs. It is not a free reign to eat all the fat and meat you want, by any stretch of the imagination.

2 - I think that while it works, most people (myself included) start a "Diet" with the idea that when you finish the diet you'll have lost weight and then you can STOP the diet. And I think the vast majority of people out there do just that - they stop the diet, gain the weight back, and then wonder why it didn't "work" for them or why the weight didn't stay off. And that's because they didn't actually learn to eat healthily - they just ate from the list. And when the list became too restrictive or too boring or didn't allow them to indulge for Aunt Margaret's birthday or New Year's Eve, they went back to their normal way of eating, with predictable results.

So ultimately my advice when people ask me and when they ask me how I did it is to say DON'T DIET. Don't try this diet or that diet or whatever. Learn to eat healthily. Now ... I'll say very clearly that this is MY preference. It's what I believe is the right way for most people to eat and that it's the way we should all be taught to eat. My personal soapbox has a lot to do with the fact that proper nutrition is not taught or practiced at the school level .. with predictable results - obese adults who don't understand nutrition and think a "diet" is going to solve everything.

Ok, sorry ... my soapbox. But bottom line is that I believe in learning how to eat healthily for the rest of your life. That means eating a balanced diet of protein, complex carbs, veggies and fruits, and healthy fats. That means every once in a while letting yourself eat chips or hot dogs or chocolate cake or whatever your weakness is .. but making it a TREAT, not an every day thing. That means following the 80/20 rule - that 80% of your eating should be healthy and good for you and that allows you 20% that's fun and indulgent.

It's not the popular way of thinking. The popular way of thinking is that you have to diet and deprive yourself and be miserable and lose weight and then go back to being "normal". And I just believe that "normal" should be a way of life.

Probably more information than you really asked for there, huh?

Back to the original question ... if you think you need a jump start and that this might do it for you, by all means try it (going back to point 1 - get the book). But while you're jump starting, I do strongly encourage you to learn to eat naturally, healthily and not "on a diet" as well.

Lol! That was a lot of useful information!
I fully understand your need to rant.
I'm not sure what path I want to take right now. I used to be underneath the false impression that you diet/exercise, lose weight, then go back to "normal"
But obviously that's not in the slightest bit logical. It needs to be a lifestyle change. A healthy change.
I don't think that I'll go with the Atkins diet though. I kind of agree with you, I don't want to actually diet, for now. I just want to reduce my food intake.
I eat pretty much a rounded spectrum of food types, but I'm lacking on veggies and fruits. Veggies mostly. But I know I haven't really been trying hard enough to eat right, and that I take the easy way out by just snagging a box dinner or something from fast food.
But before I get into a major swing of things, I just want to try eating less than I am and still adding in the workout.
I don't drink nearly enough water and I find myself feeling better when I've drank more water and plus it is a bit more filling than pop. Pop tastes good but leaves a bit of emptiness, if that makes sense. lol.
I just need to start somewhere. I don't own a scale, so I'm going to try and use the one at the YMCA. I think it will help me if I see my starting weight and then work a bit and check back everyso often.
Even losing the slightest bit of weight for me will help my spirits, and I really need that right now

That sounds like a good plan.

Drink lots of water - one thing that happened to me when I drank more water is that my skin started looking really good. To the point that people commented on it. And I didn't have bad skin with breakouts or acne or anything, just kinda dry and dull. Now people actually comment on my glowing skin. It's weird!

Now is the best time to start adding veggies and fruits to your diet - it's summer time and there are a huge variety that you can find that are FRESH and at their best. Don't be afraid to experiment with new veggies and fruits. Buy a small amount at first and see if you like it.