-30lbs in 5 months?

@Deanna sometimes, but I am all about kitchen gadgets and I invested in an air fryer and a pressure cooker. I make chicken breast in my pressure cooker and it turns out great and cooks quickly with minimal effort! Air fryer is great too. You don't have to only make fried foods. I make salmon for my FH in it. Oh and crock pots are great too. Lol these things make cooking so easy so you aren't spending hours cooking for the week

@Maria, Soccer was a blast. I have thought about getting a league together or just getting people together one night or two nights a week and play a small game.

Running....I have my ups and downs with it. I will start by walking and we will see if I work my way back up to running.

@Amanda, I will look into one of those, I've honestly never heard of one.

Thank you

@Deanna omg they'll change your life lmao Good luck hun!! You got this! Xo

First you have to forgive yourself for the weight gain being mad at yourself and thinking about it is just counterproductive

Lucille is right about figuring out you energy expended. A lot of people live off their fitbits and eat back every single calorie that they burn as well. Then they wonder why they fail. You start with eating balanced meals and create a small deficit. When you feel more confident you can create more deficit by a small reduction in the cals you take in and more movement.

You can do it!!

Here are the top things that helped me:

- Stop drinking calories! Aka, don't drink anything with sugar.

- Cut out carbs or cut way down on carbs. I eat as many veggies and fruits as I want, and lots of protein, but rarely have bread or pasta. This was tough for about 3 weeks (your body goes through carb withdrawal) but then was easier later on.

- Meal prep/pack a lunch. I totally hear you on the eating out for lunch thing! My coworkers are the worst influences... I love them dearly but they order in for lunch almost every day. Once they realized that I was consistently packing my lunch, they stopped asking if I wanted to order with them and even starting bringing their own stuff too.

I would definitely recommend Pinterest for healthy meal prep recipes. I also use an app called Yummly which lets you sort by ingredient or type of recipe (ex: low carb).

I hope this is helpful! Best of luck on your journey.

@Future_mrs.F I am downloading that app right now. Sounds like it may be helpful!

Thank you so much! It's actually funny, I work for a company that certifies products as organic so we have a lot of organic health nuts in here. You would think I would have learn something by now LOL

Sing up for 5K- good way to get started. the way i see it, i paid money so better get the training done (walk/run or run), so just forget about the time. go an have fun w a group of people

Yoga is also good to deal w depression- its your time! and if you do it at a hot yoga studio you are going to sweat!

Good luck!

@Deanna - that's awesome, I hope they're a positive influence/motivator for you then! And hope you like the app too, it's great because it basically searches the internet for you for whatever you're looking for and complies the recipes in one place! Then you can save them based on categories and it will generate things it thinks you might like.

@deanna,S. Going organic was the best thing we could have ever done. We needed a life change, including my son. All three of us have come so far. But we also aren't "every little thing organic",..we do have our cheat days lol moderation is key...best of luck to you : )

It really depends on how overweight you are whether or not losing 30lbs in 5 months is going to be difficult. It is 1.5lbs per week (not 2 and that seems like the same thing but it really isn't). I think this is a very doable goal, it won't be easy, but most things aren't easy. You will have to work for what you want, but it's not out of reach at all. You can do it! Track your food (and calories), pack your lunch, make your own food, and move more.

@CatLady5x I definitely want to keep off and keep taking it off because I don't plan on dress shopping until January/February. I like the idea of having a "Meatless Monday" or something of that nature. I'm not sure I can afford a gym membership at the moment, but I have access to a bike and a treadmill at home and my best friend can get me into Planet Fitness for free with her pass. I just have to start using all that is available to me.

Get rid of soda and alcohol to start. Try cooking at home once or twice a week to start. Check out the Leslie Sansone walking videos on YouTube for free. They're only 15 min and get you sweating.

I'm seeing a lot of good tips that I will have to try also! Something I want to add that often helps me is to park far away when you go somewhere. I park as far as I can from the building I work in so I get some extra walking in and also wearing high heels helps! I know that sounds crazy but it takes more effort to walk in stilettos than flats and helps your posture winch is good for your back and belly! Just standing up straight can make you look slightly thinner!

Carry you groceries back to the car if you can instead of using the buggy. u go shopping don't look for the closest parking space (unless its raining real bad then I take a pass). Find ways to incorporate fitness into your everyday routines. Take the stairs whenever possible, go the long way to the bathroom or use the bathroom further away from your office. Get up from your desk between tasks and stretch . If you have a private office you can close the door and do a quick workout like some jumping jacks. The scientific 7 minute workout is good for when you don't have alot of time!

@Kiera, I love these. Luckily I have a brand new car so parking far away from everyone isn't a problem. I would cry if someone dinged my car HAHA. I wish I had a private office but the girls who are in the same room with me probably won't judge me if I started to do some stretches and stuff

30 pounds may be doable, since that is only 6 pounds in a month. Yes, you can safely lose 1-1/2 to 2 pounds per week, so you only need to do 1.5 pounds each week to reach your goal. I recommend not weighing yourself daily, as you will see lots of fluctuations due to water retention/loss. Pick one day a week, right after you get up and use the restroom in the morning, then weigh yourself.

Also, focus on weight training (even small weights) as well as cardio. I know you have heard it before, but muscle does not weight less than fat, it just takes up less space. 1 pound is 1 pound regardless, but 1 pound of muscle is tiny compared to the same weight.

Also, you may see a slight increase in the beginning because you may not be losing as much but are gaining muscle. Don't let that discourage you, because that muscle will help increase your metabolism which will make losing weight easier.

I second MyFitnessPal, when I use it I am so much more conscious of what I eat and I am able to shed some pounds.

The most important thing in my book is, don't get discouraged if you fall off the wagon and eat something crappy. Just start over the next day, and try all over again. That is all you can do.

I second MyFitnessPal. The forums are really helpful.

I've been doing the couch to 5K program to get my cardio in check for the past 2 months and it really helped increase my stamina, something I was not able to do on my own. I only have 2 weeks left until I'll be able to run for 30 minutes straight.

@Pickles, I have done the couch to 5k app before and like it, but I stopped in the middle of it. Not sure why, laziness probably haha

I will keep it in mind!

Due to my back pains, I will stick with walking first, then slowly move my way back up to running.

@Maria H, I love Just Dance!

OP, that's a LOT of weight to lose so quickly, BUT everyone is different. You may find you'll lose it quickly by eating healthy and working out, especially if your new calorie intake is a substantial differential.

Maybe if you startt working out you'll be happier with your body even if the scale indicates more.

Good luck!

It is doable. Monitor your eating and stay active

I've seen a lot of these lately. My suggestion (because I do it) is Beachbody. I'm not a super fan of shakeology which is their meal replacement shake so I just skip that. They promote the 21 day fix eating plan which when you look it for the first time seems very daunting. However it is amazing and you are gonna be eating all damn day so you won't be hungry.

It's about portion control and exercise. You have MANY options for exercise from beginner to advanced (think p90x which you can do if you so choose).

Everyone here is going to tell you to cut carbs and sugar and blah blah blah. They aren't wrong but this gives you a way to do it with little effort on your part.

I suggest this to anyone and everyone who asks. It's a game changer and a life changer