So I thought I would start a diary. I think it might help me to write it down. I am so scatter brained So maybe you guys can help me out with some input. I have been reading about calorie intake and so on and so on. I have done the calculations on a couple different sites and I get varied results. For caloric intake the sites tell me anywhere from 3500 to 2000 calories a day to lose. Currently I am doing 1500. Anymore than that and I feel weighed down. I am pretty sure I am supposed to be eating more....but I don't want to. So should I lol. And as far as excercise, I use my stationary bike in the morning for 20-30 mins and free weights for my arms. I am gone pretty much all day until late evening (full-time college student and full-time job) I try to get in another 20-30 mins on the bike or go for a walk around the track at the gym. Should I try anything else?

I also have been taking baby steps for the past two months. In December I cut out fast food all together (so hard when you are on the go and it is oh so convenient). So I am two months without that and I feel it for sure, that stuff is nothing but crap. January I cut out sugar. That was so hard. I never really realized how much sugar I use in a day. Scary.

Hi MJ. Welcome to the forum! I have only been here a few weeks myself, but I find keeping a diary on here to be a great way to keep track of what I am doing, and get great advice from people on here. Sounds like you have already made some great choices in giving up fast food and sugar. I salute you, because I am not sure I could give up either.

With the exercise I would start off slow and build up. You may need to adjust you calories and amount of exercise until you find what is really working for you. Good luck with you weight loss goals!!

So I have been away from the site for a while and I didn't mean to go so long without posting. I have been doing ho hum on losing any weight. I have had some personal issues to deal with as of late and I tried, in vain, to not let them get the best of me. The good news is that I didn't gain any weight, but I also didn't lose any.
Ok so I am back on track.
I was reading today about bariatric surgery. Not that I plan on getting it because I have this overwhelming fear of death. No lie. I had seen on tv how this woman had lost like 80 pounds in 3 months and I wanted to know what was involved in the process. To me the whole thing seems like if you basically follow the meal plan they lay out for you and check in with your doctor monthly you could have similar results minus the agonizing pain and possible side effect of death.
the plan appears to go as follows:
2-3 meals per day, the size of your palm.
no sugars, avoid fruit on an empty stomach and limit milk product intake.
consume approximately 50-70 grams of protein a day
no snacking in between meals, no carbonated or sugary drinks...ever
drink lots of water
aerobic excersize everyday for 20 mins. So your body will burn fat instead of muscle.
and no red meat for the first three months. I know this one they say is due to the fact that the new "pouch" that is made cannot fully absorb the red meat.
Also you are to take multi-vitamins, zinc supplements and possibly B-12 but that is all up to your doctor.
I think if you had enough will power you could do this minus surgery. I know my doctor said that with the right foods, those three small meals a day is all the body needs to function. Very interesting. I just thought I would share that and I welcome any feed back. Also I should note that I am not suggesting anyone do this because I don't even know if it is safe I want to talk to a nutritionist and see what they would think of it
So let me know what you guys think and feel free to tell me I am crazy because I am pretty sure I am.