[princesslinda]

Welcome Michelle, glad you found the forums. Lots of great advice here.

As an overweight person, let me assure you that if you wait to exercise until you lose weight and become more comfortable...you will never work out. I've lost a good bit of weight since diagnosed, still have a lot to go..and even with my weight loss, i'm still not comfortable with exercise. Also, exercise will "jump start" your weight loss...if you don't exercise, you'll reach that weight-loss plateau a lot quicker.

I'd encourage you to start small...go for a walk after dinner or ride a stationary bike or walk on the treadmill while watching TV...park a little further from the stores or work...take stairs instead of elevators...every little bit helps. Sure you'll sweat, you feet will hurt, you'll feel "winded" at first, but each day this will get less and you'll be amazed at how much your stamina will increase.

As for eating out...I probably do eat more on the weekends than I should..but i've very diligent throughout the week...and I tend to have more physical activity on the weekends as well, so this hasn't seemed to bother me very much. I just make sure that I don't overeat....Often hubby and I will split an entree...and i'll get my own salad. That way, I can have something that might not be that good for me and not have to worry about eating too much of it. When you're out with friends, you don't have to have the carbs they are having...have wings instead of potato skins, get steamed veggies instead of baked potato or fries.

Check out the CalorieKing website or dietfacts.com...they have a list of popular chain restaurant menus and their nutrition content. Knowing the best choices BEFORE you're at the restaurant makes it easier for me. I keep our favorite restaurant menus printed out in my car so I can decide before I get in the restaurant and become tempted.