need help and inspiration for losing weight

[vcusell]

hi my name is Vanessa.  I am 28 years old, im 5'4 and I currently weigh 194lbs. I am a recovering drug addict, and I was 130lbs the day I got sober which was almost 3 years ago. since I got sober I have had 3 miscarriages, was diagnosed with hep c which I have been treated for and am currently undetected, but I put on a lot of weight.  I am very unhappy and depressed with how I look now, going from a size 5 to a size  14 and every diet I try never works.  Does anyone have any programs that have worked for them?  I am currently starting to do atkins but it is so hard.  I also have hypo thyroidsm which also makes it a little harder for me to even lose weight and its very frustrating.

[thisismyname2]

Cut out all fizzy drinks. That alone will make you loose 15 lbs a year and help your metabolism. Also things like ranch and mayo. That's where the unnesisary carbs come in at.

[Barb135]

Hi there.... Since you have hypothyroidism, the first thing I'm going to ask is that you make sure your thyroid levels are right for you.  Even though they may be within the reference ranges, they might not be high enough for you to be comfortable.  

The easiest programs to stick with, are those that let you make lifestyle changes that you can stick with from now on.  I don't think I'd ever be able to do atkins... while some carbs are not good for us, some of them really are and should be included in a healthy diet.

The main things to do are to make sure you get plenty of lean protein, lots of veggies, which are basically "free" (meaning you can eat all you want, as long as they don't have fattening sauces, etc).  Switch from products made with white flour and sugar, to those made with whole grains.

Keeping a diet diary is also a good idea, because that let's you track everything you put into your mouth.

Have you calculated the number of calories you should be eating each day?