[melissa0407]

Hi.. I'm new here.. but I weight 240 and I have been wanting to loose weight ever since I got this way.. I have tried diets and it doesn't work.. its really hard for me.. I'm so stressed all the time, I'm depressed, my husband says he loves me the way I am... but I know deep down inside he wants me to loose weight... when we do it... I feel so nasty and I don't want him to look at me. Means we do it in the dark... I make sure the TV is off and our phones.. please I need help... I can't afford all those weightwachers.. please any advice...

[templelane]

You don't want a diet they are temporary, you need a lifestyle change.

Start walking everywhere. Walk into town, walk to friends, walk to work. I know not all these will be practical depending on where you live but I hope you understand what I mean. Never use lifts always use stairs.

Drink nothing but water- no caffeine no sugary drinks. Aim to drink loads (people say 8 glasses a day but I have no idea how much that actually is). Drink a pint of water 20 minutes before a meal. Don't even drink artificially sweetened diet drinks- the jurys still out on whether they can increase weight gain but it is better not to risk it.

Swap white pasta, bread and rice to brown.
Swap read meat and processed meats (sausauges/burgers) to white meat- fish and chicken. But don't eat chicken skin.
Each fruit or veg at every meal.

Grill, bake and steam everything, don't fry food.

Eat regulary, especially breakfast. Try and have something substantial like porrage oats for breakfast, it will fill you up, kick start your metabolism and stop you snacking. Eat at the same times each day. Never miss meals.

Snack on apples and other fruits.

Portion control- find out how much of everything you are supposed to eat, no use eating right if you eat for three. There are loads of internet sites which explain the portions for everything. Stop when you are full- learn to judge this, eat slowly taking sips of water and chatting through your meal so that you have a chance to notice.

You don't have to clear your plate! And when you are full and finished take the plate away so that you don't pick at it.

Don't deny yourself completely. When I want chocolate I'll have two squares or a funsized chocolate. I also keep boxes of expensive super nice chocolates, I'll have one or two a day.

Eating healthy does't have to be too expensive, I know I am a student. Depending on where you live something's can be cheap, seasonal is always cheeper. On the off chance it does cost more rember that health is worth much more than money, and in the run eating healthy will save you money.

Oh almost forgot- low fat dairy, skimmed/semi skimmed milk, low fat yogurts, cut down on cheese (it is awful for you).

I hope this helps you get started, once you are feeling up to it pick up the exercise try something you enjoy that way you'll stick to it.

Good Luck :)

[BartsDiamond]

I agree 100% with the answer above! One other thing that you can do is cut down on portions! That's what I am planning on doing. I need to lose 62lbs of baby weight. This way you can still eat the things you enjoy but eating less food will help you lose weight. Another thing you can do is to get a weightloss tracking worksheet. Here is one that I made... it is in excel. (Just click on the attatchment and you can change all the info I put in there! LOL! :))WeightLossTracker.xls There are no formulas in the worksheet it is just for you to print out and keep track. I agree that walking is great and I plan on doing some weight lifting and other aerobic exercises. Good Luck!