Congratulations for reaching out! You have an overwhelming journey ahead but getting the right advice to begin with will make all of the difference. You don't need a gym membership! You don't need to go on any radical diets because they don't work! Start changing your life gradually rather than radically & the changes will be permanent lifestyle change! Change 1 thing every week in your nutrition & activity level & you will notice the difference. eg. reduce 1 bad food (if you eat 1 family block of chocolate per week cut it down to a small block (& slowly keep cutting this down each week until you don't need it anymore) & add in 1 good food (vegetables, whole grain bread, fruit). Cut down gradually on your portion sizes every week eg. by 10-20% eg. if you have a cup of rice with your meal for dinner cut it down to 3/4 cup for 2 weeks & then a further cut down in the next 2 weeks. If you gradually replace, change and cut down on your food you won't even notice the changes & it will be EASY! With exercise, it is the same thing - gradual! If you watch TV, every time a commercial comes on get up & move eg. stretching, walking around the house, squats behind a chair, walking on the spot - normal walk, legs up high (like a high march), kick your butt walks. Little things you can add in every day and gradually build up is highly important. Stretching is vital so this is important to add in every day. That is a start. I will check in in the next couple of days in give you some other really easy tips & hints. The journey you are on does not have to be overwhelming IF you do it slowly & effectively. You can change your life and the life of your family. You can become an inspiration!

TheFatWhisperer has a lot of good advice... something else that helps is keeping a journal, writing down what you eat and drink. Try not to judge yourself when you write it down, just use it to help you see what you are eating and how you can make little changes. It is going to take a long time, but don't give up... you can reach your goals!

I am here for you, I am young too...I am 20 and I weigh 380..this is the biggest I have ever been...but seem soo addicted to food...Please feel free to message me, if you ever feel like talking, cause from being around the age range, i know what it is like!!

Hi bestrong. I want you to know that this is a judge-free zone. Nobody is going to make fun of you here - we are all here for the same reason as you. We need help. We all want the same thing as you - to get a handle on what we eat and to come to terms with the habits we've formed and the reasons for why we have gained this weight. I started a true attempt to change my eating habits back in September. I started off with switching from regular coke and sodas to coke zero and diet drinks. Then, I switched from white bread and white pasta to multi grain bread and multi grain pasta. I started cooking at home and stopped going to McDonalds and the fast food places. I stayed away from candy for 2 weeks and now I don't crave it anymore. I'm still trying to deal with snack food like chips and that sort of thing, so I'm going to start toasting pita bread and crunchy vegetables when I craved crunchy snacks. I march in place and move my arms up and down in the privacy of my room to my favorite music to get more exercise in for 3 songs a day. I'm also going to my doctor's once a month to weigh in. I've lost 15 pounds since September and have a long way to go. For me, it's going to take a few years. I'm in the 350 range. I am determined to do this, and I am so thankful that I've found this place for support. I am here for you and I hope you find strength here as I do.

Susan has the right idea gradually change things. I'm going back on weight watchers starting Monday (ya it's always monday) I like the plan because you can have some of your favorite foods or a cheat day. If money is an issue you can join for one day (like 15 bucks)get the materials and then use this website and or the weight watchers website for support. As far as exercise you can start simple, us overweight people can do the smallest things and burn calories because we are lifting our own weight. Your not alone so many people have addictions, just food addictions we wear on our sleeves