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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have always been overweight, and in fact am 280 at 5'3 and which is very disgustingly obese I know. I eat horribly - sweets, diet sodas, any breads, very little water, fruits and veggies pretty much never, etc. There is no set time that I eat, but anytime I'm hungry and feel like it. I also eat out 3-4 times a week because I shamefully don't know how to cook and haven't bothered to try to learn. Fortunately right now I don't have diabetes, but I know that many factors are probably due to my unhealthy lifestyle (suspected thyroid problem, sleeping problems, low energy). I used to always go on diets but quit a couple years ago because I never stuck with them for any length of time, except about 5 years ago when I was doing Slim Fast and lost about 20lbs....then went back to not caring anymore. I also find myself hungry and eating again after I already ate and I feel like this is part of the thyroid issue or because I don't eat foods that make me full longer.

I am very bitter about myself because I never want to socialize because of the way I look and I don't want to end up dying over an issue I could have prevented. For someone like me who always eats crappy, bad food, doesn't exercise, and eats out a lot, where do I even start to find a diet or type of food guideline for myself? I don't have insurance or otherwise I would go to a dietician to help me find a guideline that would personally fit me.

For any healthy eaters, health nuts, or anyone else, I would appreciate any advice or constructive criticism.[/quote]

Okay. For starters.

1. Stop drinking soda, even diet soda. It is not good for you. I don't care if you "don't like water". Drink it. If you feel like you need to flavor it, do what the PP says and flavor it with fruit. You can also put chunks of cantaloupe in it, and cucumber, in addition to citrus. Do not buy soda. Do not order it when you're at a restaurant. The line you're looking for is "Water is fine for me, thanks".

2. Eat at set times. Have your meals at the same time every day. Commit to not eating past 8pm, ever. If you're hungry, drink a glass of water and go for a walk.

3. You eat again because your stomach expects you to feed it large quantities of food at regular intervals. It may also be because you are eating things that do not make you feel full for very long, but your stomach is expecting you to give it large quantities of unhealthy food. The only way to break that expectation is to stop giving it large quantities of unhealthy food.

4. I would actually advise against making any radical dietary changes (other than giving up soda, which you need to do starting right now). If you suddenly go vegan after living on burgers and fries for years, you are highly unlikely to stick to your diet plan (as you have probably learned over the years). I would start by changing one thing, and then one more thing. You could, for example, stop eating dessert.

5. Get some exercise. Walk everywhere you can. Invest in a good pair of shoes. Enlist a friend. Many people do not consider walking to be very meaningful exercise, but you said that you get NO exercise. Anything is better than nothing.

6. Learn to cook. Watch cooking shows. Read recipes and follow them. Figure out things you like at restaurants and learn how to make them.

7. Lastly, and structurally, get rid of your dinner plates. Eat your meals off of salad plates. I don't know what dishware you have, but my "dinner plates" are about 15" wide. They're enormous. I cannot imagine eating that much food in one sitting by myself. I use the salad plates, which are a more reasonable 8" across.

You can do this. You just need to stick to it. Some people like Weight Watchers for this reason. It provides structure and accountability. I've never done it, but a lot of women at my office are really into it and seem to be getting good results.[/quote]

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