Hi, Guys,

I am new to this forum. I have taken the time to really look around. I think its great how everyone is so positive and helpful. I could really use a good support group when things get tough.

Here is a little bit of my story:

I started Weight Watchers about a year and 1/2 ago. It went great, I lost 8 lbs in one week which I was not expecting. All in all I lost 21 lbs and was close to my 10% goal (which was 23 lbs).

Thats when I started taking the program for granted and getting laid back about its regulations. I stopped recording what I was eating. Then before I knew it I fell off of the band wagon badly. I gained all of that 21 lbs back plus some.

I do have a support group at home, my girlfriend and I live together. We did it and she was pretty much a lifetime member. We both love eating out, and between the two of us we have four jobs. So there is little to no time. Eating out was just easier. We had trained our selves on weight watchers to eat only until we were satisfied. Unfortunately, as we gradually fell off of the band wagon, we started eating out and not making healthy choices; then eventually eating until we felt disgustingly stuffed.

I rejoined weight watchers at work. I thought it would be good to have a support group at work. From the get go, I didn't have the passion about Weight Watchers that I had when I had started it for the very first time. I had lost a little weight, but again put even more weight back on.

I am contemplating what I should do. If I should in fact re join my old weight watchers group that I was so passionate about. OR if I should do something completely different. I will say this, I liked the idea of weight watchers because it wasn't cutting out certain food groups. I do not agree with the idea of "Crash Diets" I have seen my father do those, and he had gained so much weight in the end.

I was also contemplating buying a book at Barnes and Noble about a fitness and diet program to help out. I am not sure.

Anyhow, thanks for listening. I would love any input from you guys.
I appreciate anyones time!

BTW, I am 5'7" and around 240 lbs.

Look forward to hearing from you guys.

Once I start a program I will post pictures of my progress.

Hi, and welcome to the forum! I'll give you a small tidbit about me, and give you some advice.

I'm 21, 5'11.5", and as of around March I weighed a whopping 245 or so. Today, I'm at 209 and still losing. Of that 36 lbs I've lost, about 18 of it was in the past two months (September included).

But, here are some tips, that will help you out.

1. Go to any online site and find out your BMR and RMR. Then, based upon your activity level, find out how many calories you are burning every day by being alive (it is an estimate).

2. Begin counting calories. This is much easier than it seems. You needn't weigh meat before a meal, or measure a cup of cereal. Just pour a moderate portion and look at the label on the back. Add them up as you go throughout the day. Make sure this number is BELOW your RMR.

3. Milk for breakfast, dinner if you want it. Water every other time. Water at work, water at the gym, water between meals. If you don't like water, there's an alternative: water. Water keeps you satisfied and keeps your metabolism running. It REALLY helps with the next point.

4. Shrink your stomach: This is a 1-2 week process and you will hate it. When your body grows accustomed to eating a lot, you are able to eat a lot more. It doesn't like it when you start feeding it less. For about 2 weeks or so, you will feel hungry. But, it's a test of will power, and if you drink plenty of water during these times, it'll help tremendously.

5. Lift Weights: Low weight, high reps. Gets your heart pumping, still builds a little muscle, and it makes it so that all the weight you lose over any given week is fat and not muscle.

6. Run/Walk: If you can run, run. Believe it or not, you can probably do a lot more than you think you can. I went out the other day and just kept putting one foot in front of the other. 4 miles went by. That's the longest I've ever run in my life. The next day: 4.5 miles. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until YOUR LEGS CANNOT CARRY YOU ANYMORE. Your head will want to quit long before your legs have to. I'm not saying collapse, I'm just saying go to the point where you have to walk home. If you can't run, walk 3-5 miles a day. It's relaxing, burns a lot of calories, and gives you time to think about the awesome body you're going to get from all the walking.

7. This is most important. Find a source of inspiration and remind yourself of that every day. Always keep your eye on the prize. If you mess up one day, that day is over, you start fresh every new day and you can make all the right decisions. Never, under any circumstance give up. There is always hope, until the day you die.

Good luck!

I think the general consensus will be that you don't need any special program or book, that all you need to do is start making healthy choices and move around more. I'm really not of that mindset. There are 1,000,000 or more diets out there to help you lose weight. I think that's because not everyone can just start doing the 'eat right and exercise plan'. I tried to do that several times before I was actually successful. The thing that finally worked for me was low carb/Atkins. I knocked off 55 lbs in about 5 months, then started eating better because I was motivated to keep it off, then started exercising because my body didn't look the way I wanted it to. So for me it was kind of 3 phases... 1. find a diet that helped jump start my weight loss, 2. start eating better 3. add in exercise. The only thing that I don't agree with in weight loss plans is anything that requires you to take some sort of drug or stimulant as part of it.

Go back to the food journal, even if you're not on a plan. Once you see on paper what you're putting in your body, you'll start making changes only because it's a real wake up call to actually see it in print.

You can do this. Anyone can. You just have to make up your mind that you're going to do it.

Guys,

Thanks so much for your advice. I have a gym membership, do you have any advice as to what machines would be most beneficial?

I guess my thing is, I don't have much experience as to what is the proper way to use weights and or machines.. the proper reps etc?

Is there a work out routine that has helped you guys?

Either get a personal trainer a couple of times or find a friend that knows what s/he's doing to help you out. You can hurt yourself if you don't know what you're doing.