Hi, welcome on board. A few things to think about:
Do you understand why you are overweight? Do you eat a lot of certain types of food, e.g. sweets and biscuits, fried food, fast food, crisps and nuts? or large portions of most things.... in between meals.... do you drink a lot of calories (as either sugared drinks, fruit juice or alcohol? ) are you an emotional eater? Understanding where the excess calories are coming in can help you formulate a plan to kick them out.
How active are you, and how can you increase your level of activity? Do you/can you walk regularly? Or cycle/swim/play sport? Do you/might you enjoy using a WiiFit or exercise DVD's at home? Are you likely to enjoy exercising in the company of others, or alone?
Where can you find support in your endeavours? Minimins is a great place, but do you also have supportive family/friends, or would you benefit from joining a local group - would your GP practice be a source of encouragement for you?
Remember that what you do every day is more important than what you do occasionally. Whatever method you use to get your weight off, you will only keep it off long term if you change your eating and exercise habits, so that you are only taking in as much energy as you need to maintain your lower weight. If you go back to eating as you currently do once you have lost your weight, you will find it again....
Personally I have found great benefit in reading about the neurology and psychology of both appetite control and habits. This has enabled me to build strategies into my day which make me less likely to succumb to excess eating and more likely to be physically active. I also want to sing the praises of slimpods from ThinkingSlimmer.com, which are a major factor in dealing with my long history of binge and emotional eating.
I hope you find the right plan to enable you to get on top of your weight for good. Good luck!
Barbara
