Dare I ask? Anyone starting a weight loss program?

[HollyDay]

Okay, holiday feasting is about over. I'll admit, I gained 3 lbs. So, instead of being 5 lbs from goal, I'm 8. Not a bunch, I know, but those pesty 5 lbs have been sitting there and sitting there for ages and won't leave the hips. Now, they've invited unwelcome company.

 

So, here's my plan:

Stop eating fudge, cookies, dips, etc. :glare:

Continue walking and/or biking 4-6 times per week. :)

Go back to carefully watching portion size :)

Increase fiber (beans, oats, healthy nuts/seeds) :)

Increase water/herbal teas :)

Make wiser food choices - almond milk over egg nog; brown rice over mashed potates :glare:

 

I need to be more faithful to The Core Program by Peggy Brill. I was doing good with that until just around Thanksgiving.

 

I need to add a strength training program. But, with my back issues, I cannot do something ambitious like Shred or P90X. Also, time is a huge factor this next semester. Whatever I do must be streamlined and effective.

 

How does all this sound?? I'm not looking for rapid or drastic changes, just steady and even lifestyle changes so it will stay off.

[....]

No, but I've lost 10 pounds since September - it doesn't sound like much, but Woohoo! :tongue_smilie: And it hasn't come back, so I guess it's gone. OTOH, my husband has gained 5-10 pounds, so he suspects that I gave my 10 pounds to him when he wasn't looking.

 

Anyway, I've been walking or jogging for 40 minutes a day on the treadmill and that's it. No diet...:D

 

Good luck!!

[KatieH]

Not yet, but soon! After the new year I'm going to start following Eat Fat, Lose Fat (a diet based on traditional foods principals).

[2cents]

Weight Watchers Jan 2nd.

[LizzyBee]

I am going to get back to my low carb/sugar diet. Not really a diet, but a change in lifestyle I made awhile back. Over the holidays, I've been eating way too much sugar and my weight is beginning to creep up.

[Blueridge]

ME!! Oh my, I have reached the desperate stage, and there are so many beautiful cookies left. :tongue_smilie: Now I can't decide on the right way to go. I had much success several years ago with low-carb, but I cannot believe that is a best way for me to go since I (sadly) gained it all back. McDougall is just too boring (tried that recently). WW is too portion-controlled ;). Vegan is too scary for me to rely on for the whole family. Honestly, I can gain weight on bread and water...Well, I'll have to pick something because I'm going to travel to see my mom in late March, and she *will* notice the 20 lbs I've gained since last seeing her!

Edited December 27, 2010 by Blueridge

[Mejane]

Oh my, I have reached the desperate stage, and there are so many beautiful cookies left.

 

We were sent home with all the food sil didn't want around her house: two cakes, a huge bag of cookies, another of candy, sausage bread, salami... We're doomed.

[Blueridge]

We were sent home with all the food sil didn't want around her house: two cakes, a huge bag of cookies, another of candy, sausage bread, salami... We're doomed.

:eek:

I'm in major trouble around here, too. Since we don't have family nearby, we made a big feast and tons of sweets, and just sat around eating it all ourselves!! Oh my.

[DawnM]

I was starting WW a few weeks ago and got the materials, but I haven't been able to do much with it yet because I have been so sick.

 

I am finally getting better after 3 rounds of antibiotics in 5 weeks! :tongue_smilie:

 

So, my plan is to get through this week eating less but somewhat normally, and then get on a full program at the start of the year.

 

Dawn

[Night Elf]

ME!! Oh my, I have reached the desperate stage, and there are so many beautiful cookies left. :tongue_smilie: Now I can't decide on the right way to go. I had much success several years ago with low-carb, but I cannot believe that is a best way for me to go since I (sadly) gained it all back. McDougall is just too boring (tried that recently). WW is too portion-controlled ;). Vegan is too scary for me to rely on for the whole family. Honestly, I can gain weight on bread and water...Well, I'll have to pick something because I'm going to travel to see my mom in late March, and she *will* notice the 20 lbs I've gained since last seeing her!

 

The problem is that weight comes back after any diet if you stop following its plan. I don't think it matters what plan you choose, it's whether you will make that all-important lifestyle change which means the rest of your life. I have a very hard time with that bit.

 

I know WW works. I lost 21 lbs. the first time and 20 lbs. the second time. And both times I've gained it all back because I went back to my old eating habits. I stopped following the plan, plain and simple.

[DawnM]

BTW: If anyone would like to buy the WW points calculator and any other materials but doesn't want to pay for joining locally or online, you can do a 7 day trial WW online for free and place an order during that time. I did this as my local WW (I say local, it is 15 miles each way) center won't sell anything to you if you are not a member.

 

I bought the start up kit, 2 calculators, and a food scale and will be doing it on my own or may join online eventually.

 

Dawn

[Twinmom]

Started on Medifast a month ago...figured that I'd try before Christmas since after Christmas resolutions have never worked for me! ;) During the holidays, I lost 10 lbs! Not much, but still...I'm pretty proud of myself! If I can keep up this pace, I'll hit my goal (my wedding weight...MF's suggestion, not mine! :D) before I see my parents in the spring.

[Blueridge]

The problem is that weight comes back after any diet if you stop following its plan. I don't think it matters what plan you choose, it's whether you will make that all-important lifestyle change which means the rest of your life...

 

:iagree: That's why I have such a hard time deciding which way to go. I am looking for something that is so natural and reasonable that I will want to and be able to do it for the rest of my life. Maybe I'll look at WW again, because of all the directions I could take, it seems the easiest to include the rest of the family.

[EarleneW]

I love WW and am starting back next week. I lost almost 60lbs the last time and then I got pregnant and used that as my excuse to eat whatever! Now that my "baby" is 4, its more than time to get back. To me WW is a lifestyle change not a diet. I kept that weight off for a few years before I got prego.

[susankenny]

Yes, I''ll continue to eat as much as possible until the new year (calories do not carry over, did you know?). Then I will try several fad diets accompanied by exercise.

 

Susan

[Night Elf]

I am looking for something that is so natural and reasonable that I will want to and be able to do it for the rest of my life.

 

Yeah, I understand. I loved that WW allowed for me to eat anything I wanted as long as it was in moderation and I was honest when recording it in my food journal. The problem is that my idea of moderation doesn't exactly match the norm so it was very easy to go back to my old habits. Really, I was successful on WW because I learned to just stay away from my trigger foods. For example, bread is an absolute favorite of mine. I had to limit myself to 2 slices of high fiber/low calorie bread per day and give up the biscuits, bagels and crescent rolls that I loved. It's like the Lays potato chip commercial. I simply can't eat just one. I had to be honest with myself about that but I never truly accepted it. It made me miserable. :( So now I've got to start that all over again. Oh, and I'm editing to add that I have to lose weight for medical reasons. My mom had no problem with that because bad health scared her. It's not affecting me the same way. It's still hard and I'm quite resentful to be honest. Egads!

[snickelfritz]

YES! Dh is taking me on a cruise in April for our 15th anniversary. That's my motivation. I sent all the candy, fudge, and Bon-bons to work with him. Besides that, I know what has to be done. It's a matter of doing it.

[amyable]

Yes, I''ll continue to eat as much as possible until the new year (calories do not carry over, did you know?). Then I will try several fad diets accompanied by exercise.

 

Susan

 

This sounds like what I'll do too. :lol:

 

The kids all chipped in and we got a Wii Fit for Christmas so I'm going to try to add that to my day. A PP mentioned The Core Program and I really need to start back on that also. My core muscles are shot.

[LizzyBee]

ME!! Oh my, I have reached the desperate stage, and there are so many beautiful cookies left. :tongue_smilie: Now I can't decide on the right way to go. I had much success several years ago with low-carb, but I cannot believe that is a best way for me to go since I (sadly) gained it all back. McDougall is just too boring (tried that recently). WW is too portion-controlled ;). Vegan is too scary for me to rely on for the whole family. Honestly, I can gain weight on bread and water...Well, I'll have to pick something because I'm going to travel to see my mom in late March, and she *will* notice the 20 lbs I've gained since last seeing her!

 

When you went low-carb, did you use one of the drastic diets? I read a lot of low-carb diet books and websites (Fat Loss 4 Idiots, Atkins, South Beach, The Belly Fat Cure), but I didn't strictly follow any of them. Instead, I started eating meals such as a big salad with a packet of salmon, albacore tuna, chicken, or hard boiled egg on it; a 3-4 oz portion of meat, lots of veggies, and only a small helping of starchy foods such as rice or potatoes. The SSS diet helped me out, too - no seconds, no sweets, except on days that begin with S. It served as a simple reminder to stop and think about whether I was actually hungry before reaching for seconds. Sometimes I want seconds only because the food is so good.

 

By reducing slightly instead of drastically, the weight came off slowly, but I know I can keep it off because the way I lost it wasn't a diet, per se. I never starved myself to lose weight; that doesn't work for me anyway, because if I get too hungry, I binge. I weigh myself daily so that when I eat too much sugar, I see that weight coming back and I am immediately motivated to cut back again.

 

I looked at Weight Watchers, but it was so similar to the way I was already cooking and eating that I knew I couldn't use it to lose weight.

[Blueridge]

... It's like the Lays potato chip commercial. I simply can't eat just one. I had to be honest with myself about that but I never truly accepted it. It made me miserable. :( So now I've got to start that all over again...

 

:grouphug: I'm right there with ya.

[i.love.lucy]

BTW: If anyone would like to buy the WW points calculator and any other materials but doesn't want to pay for joining locally or online, you can do a 7 day trial WW online for free and place an order during that time. I did this as my local WW (I say local, it is 15 miles each way) center won't sell anything to you if you are not a member.

 

I bought the start up kit, 2 calculators, and a food scale and will be doing it on my own or may join online eventually.

 

Dawn

Thanks for mentioning this Dawn!!! I think I will try it! I want to join WW but I also want to join a local womens gym (it's circuit kinda like Curves) but I can't afford both. This way I can have the materials to do the program on my own, but still join the gym!:hurray:

[Julie in CA]

BTW: If anyone would like to buy the WW points calculator and any other materials but doesn't want to pay for joining locally or online, you can do a 7 day trial WW online for free and place an order during that time. I did this as my local WW (I say local, it is 15 miles each way) center won't sell anything to you if you are not a member.

 

I bought the start up kit, 2 calculators, and a food scale and will be doing it on my own or may join online eventually.

 

Dawn

{sigh} If only you'd told me this 2 weeks ago...:sad:

I guess I'm not sorry though. I started before the holiday, and I've lost about 6 lbs. I paid for the online membership for 3 months, and the financial commitment is probably a good thing for me.

[kwickimom]

I am still on mu caloriecount/exercise plan!!! But, this WILL be ther year i hit my goal weight :D

[Blueridge]

I don't want to spin off here, but can someone tell me if the WW Start Up home kits give you daily meal plans and specific information, or just a description of the total points plan? I was trying to follow Spark people, but I think I'm too rebellious to obey. ;) Strange, because I LOVE the look of daily menu plans, but cannot seem to follow them because I keep tweaking (a lot like planned-out curriculum plans!).

[i.love.lucy]

{sigh} If only you'd told me this 2 weeks ago...:sad:

I guess I'm not sorry though. I started before the holiday, and I've lost about 6 lbs. I paid for the online membership for 3 months, and the financial commitment is probably a good thing for me.

Don't feel too bad, I just did it and they are completely sold out of the member packet. Oh, sure, I could get the $85 one, but I wanted the one for $45 that would give me the dining out companion. I'm going to wait a few days and see if they are able to restock.

 

And, WAY TO GO on losing 6lbs during this time!!!! I have done nothing but eat.:glare:

[holdoll]

I started on the 21st, my 50th bday. Have lost 6.6 lbs as of today. Doing low carbs. Nothing crazy, but no sugar, rice, potatoes, etc. I must say, I'm not having nearly the amount of joint pain that I was experiencing before the diet.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Yes, I''ll continue to eat as much as possible until the new year (calories do not carry over, did you know?). Then I will try several fad diets accompanied by exercise.

 

Susan

 

:lol:

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I've started running again. I'm at 3 days/wk and strength training 3 days/wk. I started several weeks ago but it was really a New Year's thing.

 

I'm thinking about just 1200 calories and no other gimmik. I love No S w/o a kicker, I really just maintain. I don't know . . . we'll see.

[Michelle My Bell]

I started on November 1st and have kept going right through the holidays, just taking a day off here and there for parties. I have lost 14 lbs, lost 2 pant sizes and feel amazing. I have NOT done a fad diet. I have simply kept my calories around 1200 a day, eating 3 small meals and 2 snacks a day. I eat normal foods like eggs, cheese, bread, but I choose to prepare them healthy.

 

A typical day looks like this:

Breakfast

1 Scrambled egg (prepared using water not milk, spay non-stick canola oil in pan)

1 cup healthy cereal

1 cup 1% milk

 

Lunch

2 slices healthy bread (no HFCS, high in fiber, whole grain)

egg salad (made using hardboiled egg, light mayo, onion, salt, pepper)

 

Snack

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 banana

1/4 cup granola

 

Dinner

Anything from Eating for Life (Bill Phillips)

or

Marinated Baked Chicken Breast

Roasted Red Potatoes

or

Cool Taco Salad (Eating for Life)

or

Chicken Soft Taco (use leftover baked chicken, 2% cheese, reduced fat sour cream, lettuce, tomato and whole grain tortilla)

Serve any with Hot Tea

 

Snack

Light Popcorn

 

I also started the couch potato to 5K program and have been faithful to that. I really believe this is what has helped me the most. I am running 25 minutes non-stop at this point.

 

My goal is to continue with the above, but I am going to add in 3 days of weight training once the new session at the YMCA starts next week. I want to be down to 140lbs by Feb. That is about 2lbs per week. That is my weekly goal of weight loss.

[mktkcb]

well, I'm continuing, if that counts. I lost 20 lbs last year, gained about 5 back in the last few months, with holidays and whatnot, but I've definitely learned to eat better, and my new goal is to bet back jogging with the Couch to 5k. I downloaded the podcast, to take the first steps toward cementing the commitment :o). I have to lose weight the slow steady way, or I will get wiggy and give up. I was a nutcase before my oldest was born about 20 years ago, and ran & exercised like a crazy woman & was skinny & in good shape. And I knew how to eat per WW. By the time my youngest came around, I was still exercising, but had gained some. Once he was born, it all went to hooey, and I gradually inched up the scale. Once our twice I would diet & lose some, but was too "all or nothing" about it. Being older and wiser now (I hope), I'm being REALISTIC about weight loss & exercise. I'm using Sparkpeople, which is easier than WW (for me), and have been walking sporadically. I love running & would like to do it again, but need to lose a lot more to do it well. I'm happy with my 15 lb loss. It is all about habits, and moderation, NOT deprivation! I will not deprive myself. Period. can't live like that. I can make good choices, but an occasional cookie will not derail me anymore. Things I do:

 

eat oatmeal/cocoa/ww toast/fruit smoothies for breakfasts

make sure I have steamer bags on hand for easy veggie steaming

keep a few Lean Cuisines in the freezer for "those moments"

keep lowfat popcorn around

lots of the same things you are doing

[Evergreen State Sue]

I just joined WW today to try and hopefully succeed with their new Points Plus system. I earned lifetime status when I was in my 20's, but didn't keep it off. I've been back to WW several times with their new programs over the last 25 years but didn't stick with it long enough. I'm going to start the new year with a fresh start.

[PinkTulip]

As of yesterday, I am starting up again with a combination of SparkPeople and Couch 2 5k.

[cathmom]

I am going to do what I did several years ago, before the last baby came. Over about 10 months, I lost 25 lbs by exercising (mostly with Walk Away the Pounds) and eating the same thing every day except Sunday. I had a set breakfast and lunch, and then I could choose an afternoon snack (except it had to truly be a snack, not another meal) and have one serving of whatever I made for dinner. Then I had a list of approved desserts for myself. This plan was very doable. However, when I got pg with my 2 yo, I gained it all back very quickly, plus another 30 or 40 lbs. :glare:

 

I now have 40 lbs to lost just to get back where I was before that pregnancy, and then another 25 to get to my original goal weight. But I have had back problems and foot problems since he was born, and I know that if I lose weight, it will help them. I've been in a catch-22 where I need to exercise but can't because I'm in so much pain, but if I lost weight, I wouldn't be in pain (most likely), but I can't exercise because I'm in pain...see how it goes? :lol:

[Negin]

The problem is that weight comes back after any diet if you stop following its plan. I don't think it matters what plan you choose, it's whether you will make that all-important lifestyle change which means the rest of your life. I have a very hard time with that bit.

 

:iagree:

 

I just started the hcg diet and am loving it so far. No hunger at all. I am so not a diet person. Exercise for weight loss alone, no longer works for me. The only thing that does, is eating much, much less.

[KrissiK]

I am doing South Beach - not only for weight loss, but also to help with inflammation problems, allergies, Candida and everything else that plagues me that I'm convinced is due to a high sugar/simple carb intake. I am also going to try the Couch to 5K program to try augment weight loss and take care of cholesterol problems!

[EKS]

I am. I need to lose 40 pounds. I have had good success with the low carb/low calorie approach before, so that's what I'm going to do.

 

Good luck to everyone with your weight loss goals!

[GraciebytheBay]

I started Weight Watchers last on Friday. So far, so good. I am at the point where I just can't stand it anymore. Nothing fits comfortably, I hate walking around and find myself being very lazy, and I am always tired. Hopefully the pounds will come off at a nice rate and I can continue exercising but without pain. That will be great!

 

Good luck to everyone. We're all in this together!:grouphug:

[Joyofsixreboot]

Tomorrow is the day. I have to make my own 'program' and it has to be thought out ahead of time. It's not having a plan that kills me.

[gingersmom]

I began Weight Watchers three weeks ago and am down 8 pounds (and thats with no exercising).

 

They have a new plan that is completely & radically different from anything they have had in years.