Diet advice

[Sharilynn29]

I'm really just looking for ideas or words of encouragement. I've been overweight my entire life, but I'm now more than 100lbs. overweight. It's starting to affect my physical health and I need some advice.

 

I've done every diet in the book. I KNOW how to eat healthy. I KNOW I should exercise. I feel as though the Lord is laying this heavy on my heart. I need to be a more disciplined person. How do I change a lifetime of bad habits? Please help.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Go to Sparkspeople.com They really have good advice, support and tools to help you. There is a WTM team there. It is a private team, so if you decide to join Sparkspeople, give me a PM (I'm Jeaninnewcastle there) and I'll send you an invite to the WTM team.

[Tracy in Ky]

Being specific can help stir your motivation:

 

Specifically why do you want to lose weight? Try listing out the reasons. List them on here if you would like.

 

I would also recommend reading Younger Next Year for Women.

 

:grouphug:

[kroe1]

So far, clinical trials at the 5 year mark have not shown good results with anything other than gastroplasty. It doesn't mean other methods won't work for you personally, however.

 

In regards to encouragement, I think it has to come from you. Here's some things to ask yourself, although I know you know this stuff already. What is a list of reasons why you personally need to lose weight? Are those reasons important to you? Do you have some thin active friends who can help coach you on days you feel weak? Are you involved in activities conducive to weight loss? Are you able to avoid buying problem foods? Are you medically and spiritually healthy?

 

In summary, can you remove all the obstacles to weight loss? If so, then the encouragement you seek will be there.

 

:grouphug:

[gingersmom]

I would join Weight Watchers and attend meetings.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I would join Weight Watchers and attend meetings.

Ditto. This was the only way for me to get weight off. I knew everything I was supposed to do. But the doing it wasn't happening.

[Sharilynn29]

Thanks for the replies. I do need to keep focused on why I need to lose weight. I do have a great friend who can help keep me motivated. A lot of things to think about.

[warneral]

Dieting really can mess with your mind. I lost 35 lb 4 years ago with weight watchers but maintenance left me continuing the diet mindset. I ended up bingeing/starving from the mindset. I eventually gave that up for eating sensibly and plenty of exercise. I within 5 lb of my goal weight.

 

My advice is to make some changes in your eating habits (for instance, eating 3 square meals plus 2 snacks and get used to gaining to bed without eating past 7:00pm) and add in exercise (walk 30min per day, gradually increasing time and intensity )

 

Ellie krieger's http://www.amazon.com/Small-Changes-Big-Results-12-Week/dp/1400051029 is a great way to do this. Mthe big thing is to not get into the strict rules mindset which can result in overheating in response.

[PiCO]

I'm really just looking for ideas or words of encouragement. I've been overweight my entire life, but I'm now more than 100lbs. overweight. It's starting to affect my physical health and I need some advice.

 

I've done every diet in the book. I KNOW how to eat healthy. I KNOW I should exercise. I feel as though the Lord is laying this heavy on my heart. I need to be a more disciplined person. How do I change a lifetime of bad habits? Please help.

 

The advice I received on this board made me a "formerly obese" person rather than an obese person. I watched the movie "Fathead", about a year ago, after researching online and reading book suggestions from here such as Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It and Wheat Belly. Then I started monitoring how food affects my blood sugar.

 

I now eat high-fat, low-carb paleo. My blood sugar is now normal, my blood fats are better than they were, and my weight is down about 50 lbs now with out ever being as hungry as I used to be eating "normal".

 

I have come to the conclusion that is wasn't my lack of discipline or my personal issues with food, I was trying to work against my physiology. I used to try to eat "healthy"- low fat, "healthy-whole-grains", etc... and I always felt like I was starving. Now I feel like I can eat as much as I want, when I want, and I feel satisfied. (I am actually eating fewer calories- I checked with an online program- I'm just not as hungry.) I was working out like a maniac to keep the weight gain to a minimum, now I lift weights 1-2 times per week, and walk about 4 times per week... and the weight is melting off.

 

So, do your own research and find out what works for your physiology. Get a blood sugar monitor and see what different foods do to your blood sugar, and avoid foods that spike it.

 

Good luck. :grouphug:

[Julie in Austin]

I've lost >25# with sparkpeople--I can't believe how easy it has been. I strongly encourage you to use it or one of the other (free) online calorie tracking websites.

[WishboneDawn]

Thanks for the replies. I do need to keep focused on why I need to lose weight. I do have a great friend who can help keep me motivated. A lot of things to think about.

 

I'd also consider not focusing on the weight.

 

Things always go much better for me when I focus on exercise and a healthy diet AND on looking good at the size I am. I find that if I focus on weight loss, I'm lost. If I focus on a healthy day, things fall into place.

[kwickimom]

Are you religious? I would read Made to Crave This book is changing my life. Its not about the "diet" Its about the mindset. You can do this :)

[vmsurbat]

I've lost 55+ pounds by following the NoS principles (found here: http://www.NoSdiet.com) which focuses on developing GOOD eating habits (not so much the "what" which you already know). Even after 3 years, I'm still losing even though I'm in normal range for my BMI, over 50, hypothyroidal... I love it.

[DawnM]

I have found that I have to journal all that I eat. This does two things for me. One is that it helps me remember what the heck it was that I ate for the day (and count whatever: calories, fat, carbs, whatever you want to count) but it also helps me see what works.

 

So, if I was lower carb for 3 weeks and the weight came off, and then I at the same calories but added in rice or potatoes or whatever, I can see what might be causing the stall.

 

I need to get on the bandwagon too.

 

I have two friends who have recently lost large amounts of weight. They both went Paleo. Meat, veggies, limited fruit, and no sugar or flour or white stuff.

 

Dawn

[love2read]

I was in your situation and what finally did it for me was realizing that while I cared about my health, I didn't care about it enough because I had gotten the message as a child that I was bad. I hate the idea of blaming things on other people, but if you got that idea when you were a kid you're going to keep trying to cover that wound with food. I battled the idea that I was an emotional eater, but I was, so first I would suggest that you probe deeply to find the cause of your overeating. It's not just that you like food.

 

I've also had to go low carb and that only worked after I figured out that I really wasn't bad and really deserved to take care of myself.

 

Finally, the approach that I'm finding I can live with is Chose to Lose by Chris Powell. It's a new book that I picked up from the library, but he is on TV. It's a balanced approach to low carb and while I've only been doing it for a month I have lost weight and find that it's easier to do and live with than any other approach I've tried.

[Sharilynn29]

I know I need to do some sort of low carb eating. I don't have diabetes, but I will soon if I don't change my ways. I also have PCOS which is a huge sign that I need to lower my carbs. I'll have to look into paleo eating.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I have lost 10 pounds in the last month by cutting out all sugar and going very low carb. I mostly eat chicken, soy burgers, eggs, cheese, veggies, salmon, protein drinks (with stevia, no sugar), rarely eat fruit (I just tested diabetic and do not know how the fruit would affect me so for now, I am not eating it).

[LuvingLife]

Dieting really can mess with your mind. I lost 35 lb 4 years ago with weight watchers but maintenance left me continuing the diet mindset. I ended up bingeing/starving from the mindset. I eventually gave that up for eating sensibly and plenty of exercise. I within 5 lb of my goal weight.

 

My advice is to make some changes in your eating habits (for instance, eating 3 square meals plus 2 snacks and get used to gaining to bed without eating past 7:00pm) and add in exercise (walk 30min per day, gradually increasing time and intensity )

 

Ellie krieger's http://www.amazon.com/Small-Changes-Big-Results-12-Week/dp/1400051029 is a great way to do this. Mthe big thing is to not get into the strict rules mindset which can result in overheating in response.

 

Well put!!!:)

[NanceXToo]

The advice I received on this board made me a "formerly obese" person rather than an obese person. I watched the movie "Fathead", about a year ago, after researching online and reading book suggestions from here such as Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It and Wheat Belly. Then I started monitoring how food affects my blood sugar.

 

I now eat high-fat, low-carb paleo. My blood sugar is now normal, my blood fats are better than they were, and my weight is down about 50 lbs now with out ever being as hungry as I used to be eating "normal".

 

I have come to the conclusion that is wasn't my lack of discipline or my personal issues with food, I was trying to work against my physiology. I used to try to eat "healthy"- low fat, "healthy-whole-grains", etc... and I always felt like I was starving. Now I feel like I can eat as much as I want, when I want, and I feel satisfied. (I am actually eating fewer calories- I checked with an online program- I'm just not as hungry.) I was working out like a maniac to keep the weight gain to a minimum, now I lift weights 1-2 times per week, and walk about 4 times per week... and the weight is melting off.

 

So, do your own research and find out what works for your physiology. Get a blood sugar monitor and see what different foods do to your blood sugar, and avoid foods that spike it.

 

Good luck. :grouphug:

 

I know I need to do some sort of low carb eating. I don't have diabetes, but I will soon if I don't change my ways. I also have PCOS which is a huge sign that I need to lower my carbs. I'll have to look into paleo eating.

 

In November, I weighed 247.6 lbs, the highest I'd ever been in my life (and I've struggled with my weight all of my adult life, too). I also found out I had high insulin levels. My doctor put me on metformin and suggested instead of doing something like Weight Watchers, which was the only diet I'd ever followed in my life because I considered it realistic and healthy, that I look into South Beach or Sugar Busters and do a low carb diet instead.

 

After getting started with South Beach and then doing reading and research I just sort of morphed into eating a grain-free diet. No grains, no white potatoes. Other than that, I ate what I wanted- although I tried to keep to whole/natural foods, I ate as much fat as I wanted, I didn't count a single calorie, point, or bite, I didn't weigh and measure my food, I just stopped when I wasn't hungry anymore. And I lost almost 60 lbs in just a few months without feeling starving all the time. Yes the first few days to a week or so of that can be hard but you adjust, you break the cycle of addiction to all those carbs, and then you start to feel great! So, that's my recommendation. :) Good luck! Oh, and check out the Weight Loss Challenge social group here. It's great for support, fun challenges, motivation, etc. :)

[FriedClams]

I would join Weight Watchers and attend meetings.

 

:iagree:

 

The new program works and is as painless as changing your life can be.

[DawnM]

Do you do Dairy?

 

Dawn

 

In November, I weighed 247.6 lbs, the highest I'd ever been in my life (and I've struggled with my weight all of my adult life, too). I also found out I had high insulin levels. My doctor put me on metformin and suggested instead of doing something like Weight Watchers, which was the only diet I'd ever followed in my life because I considered it realistic and healthy, that I look into South Beach or Sugar Busters and do a low carb diet instead.

 

After getting started with South Beach and then doing reading and research I just sort of morphed into eating a grain-free diet. No grains, no white potatoes. Other than that, I ate what I wanted- although I tried to keep to whole/natural foods, I ate as much fat as I wanted, I didn't count a single calorie, point, or bite, I didn't weigh and measure my food, I just stopped when I wasn't hungry anymore. And I lost almost 60 lbs in just a few months without feeling starving all the time. Yes the first few days to a week or so of that can be hard but you adjust, you break the cycle of addiction to all those carbs, and then you start to feel great! So, that's my recommendation. :) Good luck! Oh, and check out the Weight Loss Challenge social group here. It's great for support, fun challenges, motivation, etc. :)

[magnificent_baby]

:grouphug:

 

I lost 30 pounds a few years ago by going to Curves 3-4 times a week. Is that an option for you? Once I began exercising, I didn't want to eat bad. It is so non-intimidating, and the people there were wonderful. 30 minutes and you are done and feel great!

 

I also used sparkpeople to track what I was eating, and that helped kickstart the weightloss.

 

Dh is reading Wheat Belly, and it makes a lot of sense, and I will be reading it too. Also, we are really motivated from watching Forks Over Knives and trying to change our eating habits.

 

Hang in there, it is hard to take the first step. :grouphug:

[Susan in TN]

The advice I received on this board made me a "formerly obese" person rather than an obese person. I watched the movie "Fathead", about a year ago, after researching online and reading book suggestions from here such as Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It and Wheat Belly. Then I started monitoring how food affects my blood sugar.

 

I now eat high-fat, low-carb paleo. My blood sugar is now normal, my blood fats are better than they were, and my weight is down about 50 lbs now with out ever being as hungry as I used to be eating "normal".

 

I have come to the conclusion that is wasn't my lack of discipline or my personal issues with food, I was trying to work against my physiology. I used to try to eat "healthy"- low fat, "healthy-whole-grains", etc... and I always felt like I was starving. Now I feel like I can eat as much as I want, when I want, and I feel satisfied. (I am actually eating fewer calories- I checked with an online program- I'm just not as hungry.) I was working out like a maniac to keep the weight gain to a minimum, now I lift weights 1-2 times per week, and walk about 4 times per week... and the weight is melting off.

 

So, do your own research and find out what works for your physiology. Get a blood sugar monitor and see what different foods do to your blood sugar, and avoid foods that spike it.

 

Good luck. :grouphug:

:iagree: Yep, this. I also did a couple rounds of homeopathic HCG which is fairly controversial, but I actually lost weight on it when I wasn't losing weight with 4 months of exercise and healthy eating. It's not an easy way out but was definitely worth the effort.