All one needs to do is walk around Wal-Mart, or eat at a fast food restaurant, to see that obese people are everywhere.  The citizens of the USA spend about $40 billion a year on diet products. That is about $130 a citizen. Judging by the muffin tops and crammed airplanes, these diet products aren't doing the job.  Adding confusion to the issue is the fat acceptance movement which wants obese people accepted as if they're a minorities with rights who have no choice in their body make up. This is a flawed movement because it doesn't address the health problems that accompany obesity, i.e.,  type II diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, arthritis, poor posture, heart disease, etc. It is accepted that some people have higher amounts of fat cells than others, and that they might be more inclined to put on weight, but few people get obese eating a healthy diet and exercising. The truth is too many people are fat, and a lot of these people aren't doing enough in terms of nutrition and exercise to make a big change. You can watch all the Dr Phil shows, read all the books, sign up for every exercise group and nutrition seminar, start a "pat yourself on the back" support group,  but if you're not burning more calories than you're consuming you will continue to be fat, or worse - get fatter.

What is obese?

The National Strength and Conditioning Association defines obese for a male at 30 percent BMI(body mass index) and 35 percent BMI for women. However, BMI is not the best indicator of body composition given that muscle weighs more than fat. A Football player could be classified as obese by his BMI and actually have a low percentage of body fat. A body composition analysis is the most effective way to measure body fat. This can be done with a variety of methods as simple as a body fat measuring hand held device, or as complex as being weighed underwater on an expensive scale. All body composition measurements have their limitations but if you use the same devices to track body fat percentage over time you will be able to track fat loss.  

I've tried many things but have not had results.

So you have the total gym in the garage, the p90X dvd's in the closet, a juicer in the cabinet, and a shelf full of trendy or once trendy diet books.  You are making the fitness industry rich but not having any success.  Most neighborhood fitness facilities survive on having about 3000 plus members but about half or more rarely workout. These people who slip through the cracks of fitness are a huge part of the fitness industries financial success.  A lot of these people are dipping their toes in the water of fitness but never diving in. A lot of times they are looking for "fast food" fitness. At worse, they end up with "shake weights" or other meaningless contraptions.   There are some great workout videos, books, and exercise classes available to everyone but if you have a history of dropping out  or "just putting your foot in the water" you will never have any success if you don't change the pattern.  If you have gotten to this point, I recommend sitting down with a fitness professional for a consultation.  A good consultation consists of going over exercise and nutrition habits. The consulted should also be weighed and measured for body fat composition. Finally, if the consulted wishes to hire the trainer, they should set some mutual goals. The client and the trainer both accept that being in the obese category is a problem that needs to be solved. You agree to track weight loss and the trainer will make it a point to inquire about daily food consumption. This is why one on one training is more successful  than group training in helping a client get off the obese list.  Often in a group setting, everybody is made to feel accepted in order to keep the group working out together.  Trainees are more likely to skip group workouts, and be less committed to maintaining a good nutrition plan.  From a trainers perspective, it is easier to spend 5 to 10 minutes with one client going over what they should and shouldn't be eating, or how they might have strayed from the plan, than it is to discuss those topics in a group setting.  One on One training is going to cost more than group training but the success rate is higher which might make it more cost effective in the long run.

So if I'm obese, what is the first step in losing 50 lbs?

So if you need to lose 50 lbs, and you've tried many different things with no success,  hire a personal trainer.

You Need to Get the Nutritional Plan in Order.

Someone who is 50 lbs overweight needs to cut out sugar (alcohol included) and flour consumption. Initially, They need to get their calorie consumption under 2000 a day and more depending on their target weight.  They need to learn how to measure their food. If a serving is one cup, then they need to make one cup. They need to start looking at the labels on the food.  The need to go into a restaurant prepared.  The trainer can help them with this.  If a new client gets their calorie consumption down, and drops the flour and sugar, within a week they will start losing weight. It's not uncommon for a client to lose a few lbs between the consultation and the first workout  on diet change alone.

Start Walking

The average person burns about 100 calories a mile. If you walk briskly you can burn up to 400 calories in an hour. For an obese person, walking to burn calories is a low impact no brainer. To lose a lb of fat you need to burn 3500 calories. So you've removed the junk from your diet and that amounts to about 500 calories a day or 3500 calories (1 lb of fat) a week, now throw in four hours of walking a week minimum to burn another 1600 calories.  Now you're burning about 1.5 lbs of fat a week.

Working out with the trainer.

For an obese client, I recommend working out three times a week. If the intensity level is right, the client will burn about 600 calories or more a workout. You do this by mixing different exercises with small rest intervals. Weights and bodyweight exercises are all done with good form. (Another reason why people fail with the videos is form).  A good trainer enables the  client to execute the exercises with good form without killing the intensity of the workout.

Muscle

The trainer is going to help you with your workouts by making sure that you maintain good form, intensity, and focus. The trainer should also see signs of when the body might need a break from the intensity and modify the workout as needed. These are all aspects of training that are harder to do with exercise dvd's  and group training classes.  The trainer needs to  get you to confide in your daily caloric intake. It does the trainer and the client no good for the client to lie about what they don't eat. Often times confiding in someone else helps a client avoid eating crap food and gets them to realize just how much junk makes up their daily caloric consumption.  The client needs to be held accountable if they are not sticking with the plan. You cannot out workout bad nutrition.

As the client progresses, the trainer will increase resistance and intensity during the training sessions. The trainer might also prescribe more intense cardio exercise for the client to do on their own time.  The healthier the client gets the more likely he or she is to pursue more productive hobbies. Choosing to do a home project over sitting on the couch gets a lot easier when you're fit.  The trainer should measure the clients success, through body comp analysis, and the clients own greater satisfaction with body image and general health. The client needs to be reminded of how they felt and looked then and how much better they feel now.

What is the Bottom Line?

If you have every exercise gadget, tried all the dvd's, purchased all the fad diet books and you still need to lose 50 lbs, something needs to change. How much would you spend if your roof had a leak, or the tires needed to be replaced on your car? How much do you spend at fast food restaurants when you could be making healthier meals for half the price. What do you need to change in your life? What if hiring a personal trainer, and working out hard for a half year to burn 50 lbs of unhealthy body fat makes you less risk averse to colon cancer, type II diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, etc.  The risks definitely outweigh the costs.  
Tom Pollard