How to Start Losing Weight When You're Obese

When you have so many extra pounds on you, it can be difficult to know where to start. Simply walking around or standing up for lengthy periods of time can be a challenge. Getting started is not too hard, but continuing is even harder. Stay focused and don't lose sight of your results, regardless of how small they may be at first.

Tips

1. Speak with a doctor about beginning a diet and exercise plan. Because obesity is innately tied to a slew of other health risks, you need professional supervision to monitor your body regularly, but especially when losing weight. Continue seeing your doctor throughout your weight loss program.

2. Get moving. Small things, such as parking your car a few spots farther from a store's entrance or changing the TV manually, will allow you to start becoming more active.

3. Use weights. Beginning regular cardio right away might be difficult, but lifting weights can help burn calories too. Wear ankle weights and do leg lifts as often as you can. Lift small dumbbells while you watch TV.

4. Cut the appropriate amount of calories. Omitting too many calories from your diet may actually hurt rather than help. It takes more calories for heavier people to function normally, so cutting out more than 500 calories a day, right out of the gate, could actually be detrimental to your health. Discuss what your appropriate daily caloric intake should be with your doctor.

5. Cut soda out of your diet. Soda is filled with corn syrup, which blocks a signal that's sent from your stomach to your brain, saying "I'm full." If you drink soda with your meals, this signal gets blocked, making you feel less full, even if you're eating a full meal.

6. Keep your mentality strong. Be realistic about your goals. Just as you've had the weight on for some time, it will take some time to get it off. But stay focused, acknowledge the progress you're making (small as it may be) and don't give up. This is not simply a diet, it's a lifestyle change, and your head needs to be in the game for the long haul.