I have been trying to lose weight for a long time now. My problem is that I don't have too much support and lately have been getting discouraged about it.
I weigh abot 300 pounds and would like to lose at least 150 pounds.
Could someone help me with a workout plan and a detailed healthy eating plan? Or help me get some support and have confidence in myself (e-mail, info on yahoo answers, etc)?
Please Help I have almost given up

Good luck on your journey. There is a lot of misinformation that actually help keep people fat. Try to always check out what you are told and don't believe all the hype that different diets talk about. Search for the facts that will help YOU. Keep in mind it will take time to lose 150 lbs but it is doable. How and why you got to the 300 lb weight can help determine what will work best for you. Medication, food sensitivities, allergic to food additives, emotional issues, are all reasons why people gain weight. Overeating is not always the main reason. Knowledge of what is in your food and emotional issues make a huge difference in weight loss.
You need to figure out how you got to where you are so once you lose the weight, it will be forever.
Without knowing more, here are a few basic points that will help.
1. Diet: Avoid all processed foods including all sodas, sugars, fake sugars (splenda, aspartamine, nutrisweet, etc.), refined foods, and anything not in its natural state. If it comes from a box or a can chances are it is not good.
2. Eat veggies, starchy ones should be limited, greens eat all you want. Eat quality proteins such as lean meats, eggs, and nuts. Milk should only be in raw form. Homogenized, low fat, and skim dairy cause weight gain and restrict the absorption of nutrients. Raw milk has the proper enzymes to help lose weight and control appetite. Not getting the proper nutrients, (vitamins, minerals, and fats), is a main factor in overeating and fat gain.
3. Grains for most people cause weight gain and make it difficult to lose fat. If you have grains make sure it is whole grain. Processed grains lose their nutrition and facilitates fat gain.
4. Memorize this phrase and repeat it daily. "Eat when hungry, only to get satisfied, never to get full" This will keep you from overeating. Also eat slowly and chew your food. People who eat fast end up eating double what they should.
5. Exercise: Do anything that you can, walking is usually a good one as well as swimming to start. Also work on gaining muscle, lifting small dumbells, resistance bands are a good start. Gaining muscle will burn the fat so working out daily will be beneficial and building muscle needs to be a priority. Working out every day with building muscle and cardio will excel the fat loss. Workout for an hour each day. This is where a good trainer could help target the exercises best for you given your abilities. Good idea to turn off the tv and the computer and do something physical like walking, biking, or a sport.
6. Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
7. Avoid anything labeled as low fat or diet food. Most of it will only make things worse. Go natural in everything you put into your body.
8. Find a friend, trainer, etc in your community that can help keep you motivated and help.
9. Learn about foods and what their role is. Knowledge in food types etc. makes it much easier to follow a good diet for life. Avoid all hydrogenated products, MSG, and hidden sugars like sucralose, high frutose corn syrup, etc. avoid fruits and frutose. (Fruitose inhibits leptin which tells the brain when you are full). Know your food so you can make good choices. I lost 40 lbs after realizing I was sensitive to homogenized milk. I now use raw milk and and avoid all chemicals. Now I can lose weight where before no matter what I ate or how much exercise I did the weight remained. Lots of hidden chemicals and stuff in food today that will make so you can't lose. Go natural.
10. Discover what your metabolic type is and follow a diet for your type. Check out Dr Mercola's book on metabolism at www.Mercola.com. Eating the wrong foods for your metabolic type will keep the fat on. Also make sure you get 6-8 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep or staying up late at night make it hard for the body to lose weight. It needs enough sleep to burn the fat.
11. Never give up! Start wherever you can and then improve and intensify your diet and exercise routines. You can do it!
This will be a lifetime change, don't get discouraged, it does take time. You can do it, stay dedicated and focused on the goal. Good luck...
"Before starting any exercise program you should check with your doctor."

WWW....Water, Weights, and Walking. Start by walking, at least 1/2 hour to 1 hour a day. Drink as much water as possible each day....try for between 1 to 1-1/2 gallons daily. And start a light weight, strenght training program (weights) that will start to burn calories(fat) and add some tone(muscle mass) to your body.
Also, I don't want to appear rude, but you do fall in the obese catagory. You should see a doctor before you start on ANY diet or exercise program and follow and advice that he/she gives regarding your perticular health issues.

I have two friends who have lost a lot of weight. One did it with weight watchers and found the support outstanding. She lost over 100 lbs and has kept it off for about two years now.
The other one just stopped snacking and cut her portions down at meal time. She started taking walks when she would normally be snacking. She would walk until she felt she didn't crave the snack any longer. It's working for her. She has lost 55lbs since Oct. 1...that's not too shabby!!
You can do it. It's mostly resovling in your mind to stick to a plan and not let anything or anyone derail you. You will reach your goal if you focus daily on what you need to do. Hang in there and know that the hard work will pay off in so many ways...looks, health, energy, etc..DON'T GIVE UP!

1. dont bank on the word fast..to stay safe,you shoudnt lose beyond 4 pounds of fat per week
2. start brisk walking 1-2 hrs a day
3. drink only water,lowfat milk and lots of green tea
4. severely limit carbs n fat but eat lean proteins and veggies very well..
5. do lots of pilates/yoga/strength training to get the best from your other efforts
6. get a dog or 2 if you find your walking routine boring..or if you are at a gym,experiment all forms of cardio available and stick to all that you like
7. always push yorself n never give up!

Why don't you try this site. I'm a member there and I know there are some pretty helpful people. The motivation has to come from within yourself but if you need help in finding the right way to do this and support along the way, they are pretty good with that.
http://www.weight-loss-forum.com/

I think I can help you Michelle. I have been in your situation. First things first. Slow down. I was 275 lbs 2 years ago, I lost 100 lbs, it took me almost a year. Dont worry about losing too fast because your body wont let you lose too fast if you are doing it properly and you will only frustrate yourself trying. You may end up quitting because of it. I have gained approximately 25 lbs of muscle. Right now I weigh 202 and am at 8% bodyfat. Now i will tell you how I did it.
The first thing I did was ask people what do I do just like you are doing? I took the weight-coaster ride that everyone takes at some point.
Then, the most important thing happened to me. I read Dr. Phil's weight loss book. It taught me that getting fit is not about losing weight, its about getting real with yourself and facing the problems in your life that made you fat or stay fat in the first place.
For me it was self esteem. Once I faced that problem head on, I stopped making excuses for why I was fat and confessed my problems to everyone around. Its amazing how supportive they all were once they realized I was for real.
Right now for you, you need to find someone in your life (husband, sibling, parent) and confess what your fears are and make a pact to change yourself.
Next get a journal and write down everything (how you feel, everything you ate, what you are going to do about it) everyday -- this was the hard part for me because i had never kept a journal before and thought it kinda of sissy, but it was an incredible tool that helped me succeed. I was able to go back and remind myself what worked and more importantly, what didnt work.
Dont forget to set up a great diet plan for yourself. Your diet plan is 80% of it. You will not succeed without a good diet. I went with weight watchers because my wife has done it for years. Spend a little money and get involved with a local weight watchers group. You will meet people who will encourage you because they are going through the same thing you are.
The last thing is to just do it. Dont wait till tomorrow. Do it now today. When I first started jogging at 275 I could barely get once around the track without almost collapsing but literally within a month I could get around 4 times with little problem and now I jog 5 miles a day.
Whatever you do, do not feel like your life is over because you are overweight. Over half of the people in our country is considered obese. When I look back at my journey, I dont see all the hard workouts or cravings for bad food. I see the excitement I felt when I got to buy new clothes cause my old ones were too big. I feel very proud of myself and you will too. Good luck. I really hope you succeed.

Ok.first talk to your doctor and ask him if its safe for you to start a health plan and excersize program. You are going to have to change your eating habits and your excersize habits.
First of all you need to find out what your BMR(Basal Metobolic Rate) is. This is the amount of calories your body would need to burn inorder to keep you alive if you were to sleep for a 24 hr period. Im 5ƌ 26 and weigh 202 pounds and moderately active so mine is 2300. Now subtract 500 calories from that number and that is the amount of calories you need to eat a day to lose one pound a week. I eat 1500-1600 a day. You don't want to eat less than that. Plus i walk, so I burn a little more than a pound a week. It takes 3500 calories to burn one pound. Now your diet needs to have these five foods in it to lose weight. well, you should eat them if you are losing weight or not. Dark leafy greens, veggies and fruits, low fat Dairy, whole grains, green teas, and a handfull of nuts or seeds. You must drink 8 cups of water a day. Add some fresh squeezed lemon to it and that will boost your fat burners. And start walking every day for 30-60 mins. Set your ideal weight and then make short term goals of like say 6 pounds a month. Dont eat any fried food, white flour, sweets, fast food or processed food. If it doesn't need to be cooked or is premade then you don't need it. Eat small portions of lean meats like chicken or turkey or lean beef with large portions of veggies and a serving of startch like a baked potato. stay in your calorie limit though. You should start losin 1-2 pounds a week and its not healthier to lose more than that. Make you a daily journal and menus to stick to. Keep track of your progress and that will keep you motivated. I was 210 on april 14th and now I am 202 3.5weeks later. I feel good, energized, and healthy. And Im working on my next 8 pounds to lose. Just keep at it, don't get discourage. Know that it can be done, will be done. If you have a bad day don't let it get you down, just promise yourself you'll do better tomorrow. ANd never give up.
Foods that are good:
Non fat yogurt, cottage cheese.
All fruits
all veggies
Tuna
salmon
skinless chicken
skinless turkey
lean steaks
oatmeal
brown rice
whole wheat bread
pickles
raw spinach leafs for salad
Frozen veggies to steam
whole wheat pasta
unsalted nuts and seeds(one handfull a day is all you need)
baby carrots
deli meat