Overweight and cant get off the ground

[Puddlefish]

I was overweight for a decade or so. Some specific things that worked for me included:
- No fast food, or pizza delivery ever.
- Cook for yourself, from scratch. If you have to get up, make the dough, make the sauce, assemble the pizza, then you've earned it. You're more likely to put veggies on it as well. Sure beats tossing a frozen pizza in the oven because you're peckish and a little bored.
- Learn about food in general. Not to the extent of superfoods and specific compounds in foods that some study said are probably good for you... just the basics. Stuff like, whole grains are better than processed grains. Then beware about store bought whole grain breads, because the scumbags put extra sugar and fat into them to make them taste better. Learn to bake, and control the ingredients. Replace potatoes with short grain brown rice. Eat a little less meat, eat healthier meats. Replace some of the meat with mushrooms, or even vegetable protiens. Ground turkey instead of beef. Eat soups, that you've made. Filling and tasty.
- Plan your menu in advance. Shop for what you need to make the meals.
- Swimming is awesome, keep that up. Able to get a bike? Those are fairly low stress.
- Don't get down on yourself if you cheat a little bit. Just make the better choice next time.
- Don't use the word "diet," it sounds like a punishment. Just make choices that make you healthier. Don't use weight loss as your sole indicator. Measure small accomplishments instead, like you were able to swim an extra lap, or stand up from the couch without grunting, or able to breath easier.
- Make it a way of life, not a short term goal. Don't get overly excited if you drop 20 pounds fast. I was able to drop 20 pounds in a month simply by cutting out delivery pizza. But, you'll never sustain that kind of weight loss. It's more sustainable to lose 20, then 10, then 5, then a whole bunch of ones and twos per month. Lose it fast, and you risk it coming back fast.
- Oh, eat human sized portions. Two slices of pizza are enough for a meal. The other 3/4 can be frozen, in single portions. Have a nice salad, without dressing. Strangely enough, vegetables are kind of tasty all by themselves.
- Stay away from the TV and computer.
- Buy a pair of 5 pound weights, look up exercise videos for older people. Turn down the volume, and play your own favorite music, or try something new and upbeat that will get you moving.