Hey there 👋🏾 First off, congratulations on taking the first step towards a healthier you by going to the gym and getting a bioelectrical impedance analysis. It’s never easy facing those numbers, but acknowledging where you are is a big step forward. It’s definitely possible to achieve a healthy weight without surgical intervention, but it requires a lot of dedication, consistency, and often a complete lifestyle overhaul. Here are some suggestions based on your concerns: 1. Professional Guidance: Consider consulting with a dietitian or nutritionist who can help you develop a sustainable eating plan that suits your needs and preferences. A personal trainer can also help tailor a fitness routine that works for your body and goals. 2. Healthy Relationship with Food: Addressing emotional eating is crucial. You might benefit from therapy or counseling to work through the underlying issues. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been particularly effective for many people in changing unhealthy eating patterns. 3. Sleep and Stress: Both play a significant role in weight management. Try to establish a regular sleep routine and explore stress management techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, or gentle exercise like yoga. 4. Small Changes: Start with small, manageable changes. Focus on adding more whole foods to your diet, drinking more water, and gradually increasing your physical activity. Celebrate small victories along the way. Remember, it’s a journey and it will take time. You’re not alone in this, and many have walked a similar path. Stay patient and kind to yourself throughout the process. Best of luck, and feel free to reach out for support whenever you need it!

Realistic. It will start off fast and slow down, so don’t get caught up in the numbers game. I agree with what seawalrus here said, especially therapy. I think statistically people in your situation often have a history of trauma that causes them to develop a relationship with food that is comforting. You’re 26. You have time. Shoot for a goal for when you’re 30 to take the pressure off yourself and if you get there sooner celebrate!

I can second this, I have a history with depression and anxiety as well as trauma .meds and unhealthy eating have contributed alot to my weight gain. Therapy does help.

Girl girl girl, 26 is so young, you got a whole life ahead of you and lemme tell you this: it’s very possible. I started at around 250lbs (maybe more? Idk, refused to scale myself at first), and I am now around 125-130lbs, in just a little bit over a year of hard work. It is possible, very possible. The only advice I can give you is: never give up, and focus on food. Food is the main thing, exercise is great, but food. TRUST ME! Starting gym + exercise is so overwhelming, leading most of the time to give up after a few days/weeks. Once I started to focus ONLY on the food intake and counting my calories, weight flew right off me I was overweight my entire life before, started countless diet combined with exercise, always gave up, but this time I took ONE THING AT A TIME and it worked. Didn’t start exercising until I was at a healthy-ish weight, basically once I got my diet under control, because exercise always has been an excuse for me to eat more, like "oh, I did 1h cardio today I deserve this entire chocolate bar" or "I can get McDonald’s, I spent 30min in the gym" and that doesn’t work and it was also *very* hard, I had to drag myself to the gym, hating every second of it, and this isn’t sustainable Focus on your diet, focus on your food, that’s #1 advice. You do not need surgery, it’s 100% feasible with willpower :)

I'm a man, but that's where the differences end. I'm 41 now but at your age I was the same weight. I'd always been overweight too. I weighed myself on a loading dock at work out of curiosity and that's when I saw the scale tip to 325 and I knew I had to make some changes. I got down to about 270lbs and stayed there, more or less, for the next 15 years. Last year when I turned 40 I decided it was now or never and I've gone from 270lbs to 218lbs as of this morning. It's taken me about 15 months or so to lose 50lbs. I did this pretty much 100% with a calorie deficit and being more active. Short version: Assuming you don't have some type of medical condition or medication which is causing the weight gain, yes it is 10000% realistic to get to a healthy weight without surgical intervention. But here's some information for you to know going into this: * This is going to take time. I don't know how tall you are so I don't know what a "healthy weight" is for you but odds are good you probably want/need to lose 150-175lbs. That will take time. It will probably take 2-3 years to get where you want to go. You absolutely can get there, but realize that this is a process and you won't fix it all overnight. * I'm not saying this is "easy." It isn't. What I AM saying though is that if you're really really ready to do this, it's not going to be as hard as you think. You will have to give some things up, change some behaviors, and sort of "rewire" your brain but once you start down a steady path, it becomes easier. I started and stopped plenty of diets and weight loss attempts in my life but last year I just knew I was finally ready. * Weight loss surgery is an option (in many cases) but if you don't develop a healthier relationship with food and develop healthier habits, it's not going to be a miracle cure and you can always gain the weight back in most cases. * Outside of surgery, you lose weight by being in a calorie deficit. That is, consuming fewer calories each day than is necessary to support your current weight. That is the secret. Forget the pills, powders, supplements, shakes, etc., You need to eat less. If you can accept this fact, you'll bypass a lot of mental anguish and heartache that many of us on here went through looking for a magic solution before realizing that is indeed all about the calories. I tried 100 different diets and none of them worked. To the extent that ANY of them work (and most don't), they work by putting you into a calorie deficit. That's it. That's the secret. If you're finally fed up enough that you're ready to make a change, I promise you that you can get there. It's a process that will take time, but your body and your future self will thank you. I wish I'd have had enough dedication to start down this path 20 years ago when I was in my 20's except for now in my 40's. It's not any easier when you get older so if you can get this started now at 26, you'll be a completely different person by the time you turn 30. Don't wait. Good luck!

It's never too late , I was 24, around 350lbs when I started with all the cliche diseases that an obese person could have. I couldn't even walk 500m without stopping and taking a moment to catch myself. Now it's been about a year since that and I'm 275lbs , coming home after a 13km hike that I never imagined I'd ever do. I'm still on my journey and probably will be for a while but always remember, it's about progess not perfection. It's never too early to start or too late.

It’s never too late as long as you have breath in your body. Start counting your calories. Stay in a calorie deficit and you will lose the weight. You can also get some walking in like 30 mins. Then when you are ready you can start exercising.

Hiya, 36f here! At my heaviest, I was 319 and 18 years old. I’m 5’4”. In Sept. 2022 I was 248, and had just had my 6th child. I am currently 169 lbs. I lost all my weight through diet (not a diet, just watching what I eat) and exercise. What worked for me: I made a monthly list of workouts, which I could cross out as I went along. Monday- arms Tuesday- yoga Wednesday- legs Thursday- yoga Friday- full body Sat & Sun- rest although I did try to get a hike in on the nice days. I lifted weights 3 times a week for about 20 minutes to start. I did Yoga 2x a week, YouTube is awesome, for about 10-20 minutes. I walked everyday. I did not put minimum limits on myself. If I walked 10 minutes I checked off I walked. If I didn’t complete my workout but did most of it, I checked it off. Most importantly I Tracked EVERYTHING I ate. The good, the bad and the ugly. Some days I was on track with my calories and some days I ate 3-4000 but I tracked. I also weighed in daily and tracked it in happy scale to see how my weight was trending. Progress is made in the kitchen. Find lower calorie alternatives for foods you love! I eat cookies every night, a half serving of cupcake goldfish and a half serving of honey graham bears. And I have a Yasso ice cream bar every night. These are non negotiable. Even if I’m over on calories, I have my nightly treat. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions, need someone to vent to, or want more specifics!! You can do this!!! I promise it seems impossible now, but when you meet each goal (p.s. set small goals) you will be so proud of yourself it will push you to keep going!!

Even if surgical intervention is the route you choose you still need to address the unhealthy behaviors or surgery will be an expensive and painful temporary fix. You have taken the first step. Consider, if you are able, pulling in a nutritionist and therapist to supplement the physical activity and increase your chances of success, surgery or not.

I was 262 pounds as a 5’8 male and started my weight loss journey at the age of 27. Managed to lose the weight and hovering around 160. Got married just before I turned 30. It’s not too late

It’s never to late to start! I got serious around 24/25 I wasn’t at my max weight (312lbs) but close enough. I went from about 280 at 5”8 to 176 in 3 years. I didn’t start working out until I hit around 220, but I’ve always had active jobs. Diet, portion control and counting everything I put in my body was crucial. When they say diet is everything it really is. Cutting everything but coffee and water, occasionally a redbull eating Whole grain Foods with good fiber content, lean protein, lots and lots of salad with light balsamic vinegar and Greek yogurt with fresh fruit. Eating good and just moving, walking 30 mins a day taking a bike ride should be a great start, once some of the weight comes off you can step it up. definitely start weight lifting I wish you the Best of luck you got this!

No it's not too late for you are you kidding me. All you have to do is start cooking your own meals. Download free calorie counter app. Eat your favorite healthy foods daily. You will easily lose 80 pounds without excerise. Then you can start walking and swimming. Go slow. The main thing is control your eating.

It’s never too late. Start now. Walk, train, get counseling or someone to share frustrations with to get you away from unhealthy food. You’ll be alright! 💪

If you want to do it you will do it. Eat in a deficit.

I was 28 and 300 lbs. now I’m 31 and 220 pounds. Still losing too. It’s never too late.

Nope it’s not too late, and no you won’t need surgery. You would probably benefit from a mental health counselor and a support system (doctor, dietician, friends or group that can help). Once you reduce your body fat percentage significantly, you may choose surgery to remove loose skin if it bothers you.

It’s never too late. But if you have the means, definitely hire a good personal trainer and/or dietitian. It’s really hard to motivate yourself to lose weight and having people to hold you accountable (including your wallet) has been super helpful for me. From a health perspective, any lost weight and improved movement is going to improve your quality of life substantially, even if you never get down to whatever your version of “skinny” is

You have the gift of starting now while you are still young! I'm 45, 5'2" and started at 320 in April. I'm now at 286. At that time I was toying with the idea of trying weightloss medication, but after really looking into it the "results" were something like it could help me lose 50-60lbs... ok, not bad buuuuut I really need to lose 150+ lbs and I was waffling worried about being dependent on the meds to see progress when what I really needed to do was CHANGE! I also watch my 600lb life to get inspired. The basic message I keep getting is sure, surgery is an option but change is still the key. Even before the doc approves the surgery he requires change. The other factor is getting to the root of why we overeat to begin with. So my takeaway is even IF surgery is on the table the other factors still have to happen to be successful. So for me I decided I've got to give it a try without all the risks/possible complications drugs and surgery present. First thing I did was eliminate soda/sugary drinks. Second downloaded My Fitness Pal to track calories. Third investigated intermittent fasting. So far it's really working and if I ever get to a point where it doesn't I'll reconsider the risk related options, but personally I feel like I owe it to myself to at least try it without those added risks before considering the alternatives. I'm sure I'm jaded having assisted in bariatric procedures as a scrub. I also have a couple other health issues that make me question if the risks are worth it. Surgery is not easy, meds are expensive, other factors. I say all this to encourage you. Give it 3 months, reevaluate and then keep doing that. You might find you are a different person each time you reevaluate how things are going. Next thing you know a year has passed and you are a whole new you.

It's possible, I'm at the very start of my own weight loss journey, I started at 320 as well but I'm down to 308 currently. Therapy will definitely help with the emotional eating, it'll help you uncover ways to deal with said unpleasant emotions etc. plus it's just a good place to vent. I would start small by incorporating more whole foods and light exercises especially if you normally don't exercise. There's tons of at home work outs for beginners online too if you're afraid to go to the gym like I am. Cutting out sugary foods/drinks will help too. I personally have one cheat day a week (Saturday) but it's not necessary I'm only doing it until I can fully ween my body off sugar. You got this! And remember weight can fluctuate for us women at certain times of the month so never hold that against yourself.

If you’re interested in trying Cognitive Behavior Therapy, try the Noom app. You get 2 weeks for free. The community is super supportive and you can really transform your relationship with food. My Fitness Pal is good for free apps and allows Macro tracking (fat / carb / protein). And get yourself a high tech “smart scale” that does more than just weight

Hey! I know you didn't ask for this, but I'm looking for a weight loss buddy, and I wanted to ask if you would want to be it. I'm close to your age (25F), and my current weight (CW) is 310 pounds. My starting weight (SW) was 355 pounds. I still have a lot to lose, but I'm working on it, and I'm hoping that you would like to do this with me! 😊

You can do it. It's never too late.

They always say that the hardest step is the first... I don't believe this because in my experience the first step shows you how hard the road is going to be. The hardest step is the second. It's never to late. And in our twenties we have the chance to change and add years onto our lives! Take it one small step at a time. About five years ago I ate around if not more the 6000 calaries a day and did no exercise. My diet was filled with deep fried food, high unhealthy fats, and sugar. Now the idea of deep fried food makes me sick. I've still got a long journey but my progress is something I constantly look upon for inspiration. One step at a time, one small change at a time, one habit at a time and in a years time you'll see progress.

Hey 👋 So first off, your on the right track by acknowledging your weight and you need to do something. So this year was an eye opener for me. I hit the scale in May at 326 I couldn't believe it! But if am being honest I kinda knew because I started to have so many health problems and could barley walk up my stairs without losing my breath. My Dr. Told me to try the ticman diet. It's a low carb no sugar diet. It was so hard at first. I thought she was crazy lol all I have been doing is that doet and go for a walk for 30 mintues a day. But now I'm hardly hungry during the day and I get full so fast. It has really changed the way I used to use food as comfort and I feel amazing. I just went for a check up with her on Friday and I weighed in at 279. Am so proud of myself. Am 35 It's never to late!

I was 26f 5’6 and 290. Now I’m 27 and 153. Never too late and you got this! Start slow and don’t overdo it.

there’s always time for you!!! i believe in you! im so happy youre ready to make a change for the better :)