i need help

[lil_smiley92]

Iv been over weight since i was 9 im 24 now iv tried every kind of diet im able to afford its also hard to stay on a good diet since i dont have enough time in the morning to cook anything and im too tired to cook when i get home we have got in the habit of eating out constantly. i try exercising but i cant stay motivated and im constantly in pain because i slipped and fell straight on my knee a few years ago. now its difficult to walk very long or climb for more then a few minutes im pretty active at my job but i just want to sit when i get home. i weigh 198 now my goal is to be atleast 140 to 150 by august. Can anyone suggest something that might help me out. Thank you

[PegRidgway]

I am 73 and trying to lose 21 pounds. I really admire you for A) recognizing that you cannot continue your current life habits and eating habits, and B) sharing that you are ready to take action. You really can, really, really can achieve your goal! Some things that work for me: When you eat out, ask for a to-go box when the food is brought to your table; immediately put half of the food into the box and close it. Save it for the next lunch or dinner. Be really good about this. (Don't open the box between meals!) Also, eat only 40 percent of the food on your plate, then put a napkin over your food when you are finished eating - and leave it like that. Don't nibble. At home, keep a glass or bottled water with you all the time. Fill up on water. Look, this is not easy, but you can do it. You just have to care enough about who you are and how you look and how you can be healthier. Seriously, think about the fact that no one is taking care of you except you - and you are going to do the best job at that!

[Barb135]

You'll have to make up your mind to make life style changes that you can stick with, rather than going on "a diet"... diets, typically, only work as long as you stay on them and as soon as you go off and eat "normally", you gain back any weight you might have lost and often even more...

When you make life style changes, you're not going on a "diet", you're changing the way you eat, permanently, so once you reach your goal weight, you don't have to worry about regaining the weight.  

You don't have to do a lot of cooking to eat healthy meals... there are a lot of recipes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare.  You just have to make sure they're centered around veggies, lean protein and healthy fats.  Try cooking a couple of meals on the weekend and cook extra to freeze, so you only have to defrost and eat, during the week.  This works good with soups, casseroles, etc.  Make sure you have salad ingredients on hand to go with it and you have a healthy meal - provided you prepared a healthy soup or casserole... Stir frys are good and healthy.  Try getting a rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club or your local grocery store, then have a salad with that... use leftovers to make other chicken dishes; freeze leftovers so you have it on hand to use in dishes that call for cooked chicken. Cook the carcass to get all the meat off the bones, then use the broth and leftover meat for tasty chicken soup; just add veggies and some noodles.  The broth can be frozen and used in recipes that call for chicken broth.  It can be used to cook rice in, for extra flavoring...

If you're going to eat out, forego the fast food places and go to decent restaurants where you can get "real" food, that's healthy and have it prepared properly.  The biggest problem with eating out is that most restaurant food is laden with salt, which causes fluid retention and the wrong kind of fats, plus excess sugar.  

Exercise often give us more energy, even when we think we're too tired to exercise.  Give yourself a push and try it for a week.  Try yoga - it's good for everyone and helps increase energy levels. It's good for the whole family.