HOTT

Congrats by the way. I'm currently on my own journey of major weight loss. My goal is to lose a total of 160-170 pounds total. It's been five months and I've lost 60 and managed to get past two plateaus. Obviously I'm not a nutritionist or fitness expert… I'm just a person with a weight problem who is doing something about it… so I can only tell you what works for me. You'll have to talk about these and other options with a nutritionist or doctor and see what works for YOU.

As far as food goes, make sure you're eating enough. That may sound weird, but if you don't take in enough calories, your body will go into starvation mode and not burn any fat. But it's so important for you to eat the right things. Celery is awesome, by the way. I used to hate it because it's green and stringy and if you chew it too much, it turns into a gross goo in your mouth… but then I learned what celery can DO. Did you know that it takes more calories to digest celery than is actually IN celery? So I got over my ick factor with celery by cutting it into smaller pieces.

If you're finding that you're absolutely STARVING during the day (like I did), carry green vegetables around with you… and make sure they're veggies you like. I always carried around a bag of green beans, sugar snaps, and snow peas around with me because they're sweeter but they're not as loaded with sugar as my favorite fruits are. It gives you something to munch on (which satisfies that urge) without ruining all of your hard work for the day.

Does your gym have any personal trainers? If so, definitely have a few sessions with one. Don't let the characters on TV scare you away from getting a personal trainer… the fact of the matter is that they are a fabulous source of knowledge and are great at motivating you. Plus, if you have any medical issues or physical limitations, they can give you a work out that will work around those limitations. Not to mention that they will show you how to do everything WITHOUT injuring yourself. (Remember that if you injure yourself because you're doing something improperly, you'll need to take time to heal… which means you will lose time to be working out… which means you may gain weight and negate some of the hard work you've already put in.)

My gym also offers nutritionist-run classes in addition to nutritionists on site. They are the people you should talk to about what's right for your body. That's their job.

It's absolutely wonderful that you want to lose weight the natural and SAFE way without FAD diets. Fad diets are horrible because when you go off of them, you almost always gain all of the weight you worked so hard to lose right back… and in a lot of cases, you gain even more back. If you commit yourself to making a real LIFESTYLE change (changing the way you eat FOR GOOD instead of for a few months, changing your activity level FOR GOOD instead of just for 10-20 pounds, ect) then you're going to lose weight slower, but you'll lose it for good. It's so important to remember that the diet industry is just that, an INDUSTRY. If they were able to actually create a magic drink or granola bar that made you lose weight permanently, they'd eventually be out of business because no one would gain the weight back and buy more.

Just keep your common sense about you. If you make a commitment to this and make good choices, you'll be able to lose that weight and keep it off.