Hey folks. I'm back, and I want to get serious about losing weight this time.

The last time I was on a scale, I was around 360 lbs. I want to get down to a healthy weight, but my immediate goal is to make my clothes fit better. My size 46 pants cut into me, and my 3X shirts that have buttons tend to unbutton when my gut pushes out on them.

The problem is, it's pretty much impossible for me to keep a good diet. I live with my parents. I don't have time for a job because I go to school full time (start back on Wednesday) and I couldn't find a job if I tried. Trying to get my mom to get me the sort of food I need to eat is about as productive as asking my dog to translate Japanese for me. The only thing I can do is cut back on what I DO eat and try to deal with the cravings I have throughout the day and especially late at night.

I'm going to try to go back to drinking nothing but water. It's going to be difficult because I LOVE Coke and Kool-Aid. I'm also going to try to cut back on all the fast food I eat.

I've read that it's important to eat breakfast, so I'm going to try to do that. Again, the problem is that I can't get the right kind of food to eat. Is it okay if I just have a bit of toast when I wake up if I can't do any better?

The most obvious thing I need to get back in the habit of is exercising. I'm going to try to get back in the habit of walking every day.

Your answers/advice/encouragement will be appreciated.

Have you thought about Hoodia for the cravings and hunger? It is natural and might help you get thru the initial changes successfully. Also the oolong tea from China which cleanses as well as reduces your desire for food. Have you had a physical or talked with your doctor about losing? I am here to be supportive, Kathy

I can not recommend "hoodia" as the above poster did. I do strongly suggest you read through the stickies to help formulate your own plan, that we can later critique. I understand it must be difficult to want to diet but not have family with you. Just remember, when speaking of diet alone. So long as your getting the "basics" to maintain health. How much you eat is far more important than exactly "what" you eat.

Remember, a diet is not a fast process. To successfully loose the weight and maintain the weight loss you will have to go about it patiently.

Please list your age,hight,sex and daily activity level. Along with that list any equipment you might have.

I'm Male, 20 years old (will be in 12 days anyway), I'm 5'11" to 6' depending on what shoes I'm wearing. I'm not extremely active because I'm not the outdoor type, but I'm trying to get more exercise. I don't have any equipment.

If you can obtain sugar free kool-aid and diet Coke and drink that instead of the real thing thats a good start.

I've found sugar free kool aid tastes about the same as the sugar filled stuff.

For me it has no bitter taste to it like most diet drinks tend to have.

If you could get a stationary bike that would help tremendously in your weight loss but if not you'll just have to take up jogging like the poster ironman did to lose all his weight and he had more weight to lose than you.

Good luck man.

Limit any calorie containing foods that has little to no nutritional value. Diet drinks should as be limited, imo.

Start a fitday.com account. Log your general food intake and post back the stats you get back from it. From there we can offer more generalized advise on your diet and calorie consumption.

I suggest you get yourself a dumbbell set at the very least. If you don't have a solid place to run/bike you may want to look into treadmills and other calorie burning devices. A gym membership is great, however I understand how some beginners to weight loss may feel hesitant about joining one.

Again, check out all the stickies. Education on the subject will be beneficial to your goals. Besides, more direct questions get better answers than those that are general and broad.

Yes, Breakfast is important for a variety of reasons. Ensure you at least get something for breakfast. Toast is better than nothing. Possibly try adding some peanut butter to the toast to help maintain fullness for longer.

Hi and welcome, Chui!

Congratulations on making the commitment to get started!

I'm another newbie to this forum, but reading the new posts here on a daily basis, and seeing the before and after pictures of members is helping to keep me motivated and on the right path.

Calorie reduction/portion control, exercise and life long behavior modification with regard to eating is the way to loose weight and keep it off.

I know you said you're not the outdoor type and don't currently have any equipment, but there are plenty of ways to exercise inside that don't require expensive equipment.

Look into getting some resistance bands and a step with a step workout DVD. They can be purchased at Walmart, Target, Sports Authority and other retailers relatively inexpensively.

In addition, the game Dance, Dance Revolution (DDR) is an excellent indoor workout and is available for the Wii, Xbox, Xbox360, Playstation and Playstation 2. If you don't have a a game console, there's also a version available for direct connect to the TV with no game console required. You can learn more about DDR here:

http://www.ddrgame.com/

I have no affiliation or connection with the above website. I just love DDR and think it's a great way to get in some fun exercise.

Be sure to keep us informed of your progress!

Good luck and best wishes to you!