Start with little changes. Gradually your taste will go to healthier foods. Don't go hungry. Don't go anylonger than 5 hours between meals. PLAN your meals. Fill up on fruits and non starchy veggies. Get a food scale. Cook in a non stick pan with olive oil pam. Take off the skin on chicken. I do it before I cook it. Don't be afraid of fat if it in extra virgin olive oil, raw unsalted nuts (1 1/2 to 2 ounces a day) or avocado if in moderation. I have some fat in all my meals. It helps control hunger and slows the digestion of your carbs. If your going to eat cereal or bread look for ones high in fiber. Soluble fiber is best to slow digestion. Insoluble fiber speeds digestion and you will be hungry sooner. When I ate bread I only bought those that had 5 grams of fiber. Never eat carbs alone. Always include protein and fats. Acid (lemon, vinegar) and soluble also slows digestion. The least processed you food is the better. If you need something sweet use Stevia.

Some of us have been doing this so long if you do what I do you might quit. The biggest thing no matter what don't give up. We all have gains. I have had three weekly gains in the last 6 months. They were not little either. 4.5, 4.75 and 9. But I did not give up and now I am down 31 pounds. Just keep moving forward. Learn from your mistakes and make a better plan so you don't repeat them.

I was always taught to go through the food in your house that you don't want to eat and throw it out or give it away. Don't bring tempting food you have no control over into the house. Ask the people around you to support you. Join a support group. Those that don't do it alone lose more weight and have a better chance to keep it off. I go to TOPS. for $26 a year. Find a diet you like that fits your taste. It does not do any good if you don't like it. I don't like low fat diets so WW wont work for me but other like it. It something does not work try something else. I am trying a new diet just to learn more and maybe it will be my answer. I have been on many diets and use all the things I have learned from them.

There's no secret to how to lose weight: decrease calories, increase activity. But within those two big headings, there are lots and lots of different approaches.

On the increase activity side, find some kind of exercise that you enjoy doing, and do it. This could be on your own, by taking a class, by joining a gym, or with friends. You can easily increase your activity by adding more steps (walking) to your regular daily life. Park your car as far away from wherever you are going as you can stand, and then walk there and walk back. It sounds really silly, but the steps add up.

On the decrease calories side, like Cinnamint said, some people do it through a program like Weight Watchers, others do it on their own, some join a support group, etc. But I think it always involves educating yourself at least a little about which foods are okay to eat in fairly unlimited amounts (fresh fruits and vegetables), which are okay to eat in moderate amounts (lean protein and whole grains) and which you should really try to avoid most of the time (food with a lot of calories that gives you little nutrition, like bad fats, sugary stuff, soda, junk food, fast food, etc.)

You know best how you learn. If you can learn on your own, there is lots of information on the internet and in books that you can check out at the library, for free, about healthy eating. There is a ton of information right here on this board that you can access by reading through the old posts. I did that when I first came on here and learned all kinds of helpful things. If you do better learning from a teacher, you can probably find a nutrition/healthy eating class in your area - a hospital or health program or even a parenting program, adult school, or community college, maybe even a local church may give a class that you can take about healthy eating/nutrition. If you learn better one on one, conversationally, find someone in your circle of family, friends and acquaintances that you can talk to about this. You probably know someone who is pretty health conscious and watches what they eat. Talk to that person. Ask them about their diet. Ask them how they learned to do it, where they got help, what they would recommend.

And like Cinnamint said - try different things. If one thing doesn't work for you, throw it out and try something different. Figuring this stuff out can be trial and error and take some time.

P.S. The other easy place to start is to drink more water. Seriously. This was another thing I learned reading through the posts on this board - virtually everyone said to increase the amount of water you drink. Minimum eight glasses per day. Some say drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. It really does work.

Just cut your portion size in half to start. You'll see results fast. That will slow down in a few weeks. during that time read everything you can and keep a food journal so you can see when and how you get most of your calories. And don't forget to count beverages. Some people will lose just changing to water and giving up juice and soda. good luck..

cnograts on making the decision to get healthier!

You should start by making small changes - do not overwhelm yourself with to many new ideas...you just set yourself up to fail.

Record your starting weight and also take body measurements...when the scale does not move you more than likely will see the loss by the measuring tape.

Keeping a food/mood/exercise journal is one of the best tools! You can do it with paper/pen or online. I use fiday.com but there are tons of online weight loss sites with journals.

Water is important...you should drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces each day. Example" 200# = 100 ounces. If you find this difficult at first start with 50 ounces and add 10 ounces every 3rd day.
Here is a link to a great site to get you started :

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/weight-loss.php#contents

Good Luck on your weight loss journey!

Keep a food journal for a week. Buy one of those calorie counter books, or use one online. You really need to know how many calories you are consuming now, to know where you are starting from. I can't tell you how much it will help...Just start with that. It will also make you more aware of how many calories foods have. You will freak out! You know...one boiled egg 70 cal, one pat of butter...etc Start there then cut the sodas out...completely!! Switch to the diet green tea. It comes in a bottle. That worked for a male friend of mine...Lots of water. Experts say now that 80 oz is a must. I would love to help you is you would like.. I am a realistic, and simple approach kinda person.

my opinion.. either eat fewer calories or try a points system like weight watchers. The reason i like counting calories or weightwatchers is because it forces you to choose healthier foods other wise you will be hungry with no points/ claories left that you can use. Now this is just me. everyone is different. My neighbour just has a food journal and it worked for her. Also yes exercise is very importent! gyms are great, but exercise classes (in my opinion) are better becasue you get more motivated and then you aren't doing it alone so much.
Good luck and I hope that helped

Hey, Just check out this site..It is the best. It is The National Heart lung and Blood institute. There is an interactive menu that beats anything else I have seen on the net.
www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Go to interactive tools, and then you will see BMI calculator, and meal planner. This is by far the easiest and best tool I have ever found. Please take a look! And tell everyone that you know!!

See the problem is that I have ADHD/ADD and I can hardly stay focused on a goal and I have no inspiration or motivation to finish anything I start. What do I do about that?

Are you getting any help with the ADHD/ADD? Counseling or coaching to help you learn how to set goals and work towards them? If not, you might look into that.

In the short run, Tobey's suggestions are good and pretty simple - try cutting your portions in half and try cutting out soda and drinking water instead.

Try not to get discouraged. Where weight loss and healthy eating are concerned, lots of people struggle with setting goals and sticking to them, even without a condition like ADHD or ADD. Cinnamint is right about starting with small changes. I encourage you to pick one healthy change and give it a try. Keep working at it, see if you can do one change for a week. Then pick another one and see if you can do both of them. And so on. Don't give up on yourself!

Spellman, you really have to decide it is something you want for yourself. Do you want to be able to move easier, have less trouble getting into the car? (These are my motivations.)

Is it your Mom's wish to see you happy and healthy? Will she prepare healthier meals? Please don't be co-dependent, it is not a good long term behaviour. YOU CAN CHANGE!

Do you want to feel better? Your pic shows you don't have a spark and you don't look engaged or interested...if your brain skips around you are going to have to carry a list of quick rules or goals to refer to...

1) I want to feel better, so, I won't snack so much.
2) I like the way I looked when I was 30 pounds lighter and that is my goal.
3) etc.

You have to start by learning the calories in what you eat.

Make a list of everything you eat, then, look up the calorie values.

There is some great advice here...someone suggested
fitday.com

The best is www.sparkpeople.com and the use the calorie and exercise counters on www.caloriesperhour.com

Once you get the hang of it, you will be fine. It is not easy, but, you will be busy.

Keep the daily food diary because you can write down the calorie values and because we all usually eat the same things, you will be able to look back at that list and not have to look it up again.

I will also suggest a Personal Choice Menu to prepare for yourself to keep in your wallet for when you eat in a restaurant.

Print a copy of this template:
http://www.dailyfooddiary.net/personalchoicemenu.html

You must set a limit! You wil learn when you are getting close and need to stop or save calories for dinner/snack.

You can do this, you are a college man!

Good luck and hang in there!!!