Who else is starting a diet tomorrow?

[teachermom2834]

I've put on about 5 pounds over the last year and what seems like another 10 over the past month or so.  I had to really work to find a skirt I could fit into to wear to church this morning and it was not comfortable.  I need to get on track asap.  Can't wait until the new year.

 

Anyone???  If so, what is your strategy to get the pounds off?

[Jkacz]

DH and I are starting tomorrow am. I'm up about 15 pounds (10%) since I started homeschooling DS in September. Before that I was exercising 4 to 5 days a week. Now I can't remember the last time I broke a sweat. Goal tomorrow is to weigh in, cook a healthy dinner, and not eat any sweets. Bonus is to cut back on the diet coke. Will start exercising next week.

[PIE!]

I've been dieting for about three weeks. I healed from baby birth, and now it's time to get back to my regular size. I took yesterday and today off, but tomorrow is back to losing weight. I've got no clue what I weigh (don't have a scale), but I've got about two more sizes to drop before I fit into my regular clothes.

[bolt.]

I'll be going back on my, "Healthy Eating is Normal" plan-phase shortly, but not until I eat up the bulk of my leftovers from my "Special Occasions are Indulgent" phase. Probably two days or so.

 

On my "Healthy Eating is Normal" plan-phase, I tend to loose a pound every 2 weeks or so, so it will probably take me until summer to loose the 10 pounds I'm currently annoyed with.

[VeteranMom]

Me.  I am honestly afraid to stand on the scale.  I think I might just cut back and start exercising over the next couple of weeks.  Once I feel my clothes become a little looser, I will step on the scale.       

[Negin]

I'll be going back on my, "Healthy Eating is Normal" 

Is this a specific plan? Do they have a site? I tried to do a search. 

 

I'm racking my brains as to what do. I have lost a lot of weight in the past through HCG. However, as with pretty much all diets, one does gain the weight back if you don't stick to it. That's the hardest part for me. I'm trying to think of a plan that's do-able and practical given my current lifestyle. I hate being on a diet and having to cook and prepare food for others. That, for me, is the absolute hardest. If I lived alone, it wouldn't be hard for me at all. It's all the food prep that's killing me. 

[Laura Corin]

I started a diet on January 6th this year.  I had between ten and seventeen pounds to lose (the ten took me well into 'normal' and the 17 would put me right in the middle of 'normal').  I've lost the ten and am aiming to lose the seven this year.

 

I have been on the 5:2 diet - losing slowly, about a pound a month, but finding that the pattern suits me.

 

L

[Joyofsixreboot]

Today is " get back to normal" day. I usually eat pretty well and stick to a healthy diet so I'm getting back to that after two crazy days. Today I plan on sticking to mostly fruits and veggies just to get rid of the bloat.

[Onceuponatime]

I started a diet on January 6th this year.  I had between ten and seventeen pounds to lose (the ten took me well into 'normal' and the 17 would put me right in the middle of 'normal').  I've lost the ten and am aiming to lose the seven this year.

 

I have been on the 5:2 diet - losing slowly, about a pound a month, but finding that the pattern suits me.

 

L

 

I just checked out the website, this looks like something I can do easily! I'm going to try it this year. I just need keep off  about 5 lbs that keep sneaking back.

[DawnM]

I am starting a diet January 2nd.  I have a big party to attend on the 1st and probably *could* start then, but I am going to choose to wait an additional day.

 

I am quite possibly the heaviest I have ever been.  Nothing fits.  I feel miserable.  I would weigh but the boys broke the scale this summer and I need a new one.  I will be ordering one soon.

 

I have everything here to start low carb and just need to DO IT!  Part of me really wants to join a weight loss center type place (WW doesn't work for me as I normally eat like that and still weigh this amount.)  But the cost is keeping me from plunging in.

 

I need to lose at least 50 pounds to be in my weight range, probably more like 65 to actually be thin.  But I will settle for in my weight range.

[linders]

Me. I have become pathetically undisciplined (both eating habits and exercise) the past 2 years and now need to lose 20 pounds. DH is an inspiration - in an effort to help is injured back, he has lost 40 pounds this year! And he couldn't exercise at all during that time - walking even a half mile was too painful.

 

He hasn't follow a special diet, just used a great deal of discipline to focus on nutritious foods and avoid bad snacking and large/second helpings. Every morning he has the same breakfast - oatmeal with a sprinkle of nuts and maple syrup. Lunch is a large salad - vegies and chicken. Dinner is whatever I make. Snacks are nuts, fresh fruit, or dried apples. That's it, but he follows it almost without fail, even when we travel (we are on the road a lot for scouts and swim meets and family fun). He "fell of the wagon" for Christmas Eve and Christmas, and is eager to resume his good habits.

 

My main problem is snacking, endless snacking, both healthy and unhealthy foods. We need to keep a lot of high-cal food around because the teen and preteen swimmer dudes have large calorie requirements. I don't need to eat whenever/whatever they do - but I tend to.

 

Good luck everyone!!!

[MyThreeSons]

Not a diet, exactly. But when I did a blood pressure test recently, I was borderline high for the first time ever. So I plan to start walking. Dh needs to walk, too, so I hope we can do it together. Unfortunately, we will have to drive at least a short distance to someplace to walk. Our road has no sidewalks or even shoulders.

[kwg]

I need to get back on board with healthier habits.  I have been making some pretty bad choices, even before Christmas.   :o  There really is no excuse for me other than I lack discipline.  

 

But I am eager to get this weight off!

[Lady Marmalade]

Ugh, yes.  I've put on about 20 pounds this year, and I'm mad at myself for that.  I have had Mark Bittman's VB6 on my shelf since July.  VB6 stands for Vegan Before 6:00, and it's a way of eating that I feel I can totally adhere to if I have the will to do it (and can take the time to menu plan and grocery shop for it).  We have one more Christmas celebration tomorrow, and after that, I think we don't have any plans for New Year's, so I'll get rolling with it.   It's not been a good couple of days here with all the cookies and sweets lying about.  While I'm not starting VB6 today, I am thinking that it may be an almost-fasting day to try and get all this sugar out of my system.

[trinchick]

It will be a New Year start for me, but I'm starting to get ready emotionally. After all of the excess lately, I'm actually looking forward to getting things under control. 

 

A friend is doing the Ideal Protein program and the weight is seriously falling off of her. She lost 40 pounds since September! I'm too cheap to spring for the program, which involves buying their shakes, foods, and supplements, but I've done some googling and it looks like you can pretty much replicate the program with readily available items. I think I'll give it a go.

 

I've never been a believer in shakes, fake food, etc. In fact, I think Paleo makes the most sense, which is the opposite of this program. But I'm sick of trying and failing. My thought process is to try this program for a few months and take off the worst of the weight; then feeling motivated and successful, try to transition back to paleo/primal.

[KrissiK]

Well, I need to lose 15 lbs., but have no idea what strategy. I've done low-carb in the past and it has worked fairly well, it it is just not practical for my family and lifestyle. Starting December 1 I attempted to do just straight calorie counting. I got an ap for the iPad and thought I did a pretty good job not perfect, but I measured and weighed, sometimes I was over calories by 15-20 cal. a day. But not every day. I thought it was a reasonable diet. The program calculated I needed about 1580 cal/day, which is not extreme, but I should have at least lost something. By the end of 3 weeks I had gained half a pound. I haven't done any exercising beyond my morning walk, so don't say I gained muscle or anything. I'm just extremely discouraged. I don't know what to do.

[songsparrow]

I am going to try Primal (a version of LCHF) eating & activity, plus I joined the 6-month challenge to lose 10% of body weight at DietBet. The challenge begins 1/7, but I'm starting to change my habits now.

[blondeviolin]

I will be starting after our anniversary next week. I've still got some baby weight I'd like to lose.

[Just Kate]

I am going to try Primal (a version of LCHF) eating & activity, plus I joined the 6-month challenge to lose 10% of body weight at DietBet. The challenge begins 1/7, but I'm starting to change my habits now.

I've never heard of dietbet. Can you tell me more?

[Soror]

I need to lose at least 6 lbs. Personally I prefer myself another 5 lbs smaller. I had pretty much lost the baby weight but then my hormones seemed to wonk out more and I put weight back on, which is a first for me. I'm hoping that with my cycle back now it will be easier but so far it is not looking promising (I'm having to use benadryl to even sleep right now, which is certainly not helping the weight). I've recently had some tests as I'm just not feeling myself but I haven't got the results yet. I'm really hoping that I can back to me. On my end I'm going back to regular weighing and am trying to banish all dairy, while keeping grains minimal as that works best for me. 

[G5052]

I've been on Weight Watchers for some time (30+ pounds lost, 15 to go), but decided to take Thanksgiving to Christmas off.  A family member had a major surgery, and being an educator, December is always a nutso month with grading and holiday preparations.  As it was, I had over-the-top stress, and I'm glad that I made that choice.  

 

Today I weighed (+5 pounds since mid-November), and ate wholegrain waffles for breakfast.  I also made myself a healthy dessert for later because we still have fudge, chocolate, and cookies around.

[Night Elf]

DH and I are on Weight Watchers maintenance. We weigh in once a month. I weighed in like Dec. 11th or so and then started celebrating the holiday with sweets. From the 21st through yesterday, I was eating larger portions of regular food and still lots of baked goods. So today, I'm back on track. Frankly, I'm afraid to step on my scale. But I need to go do it to face the music. Weight Watchers works for me. I really did adopt a new lifestyle of eating correct portions and choosing the healthiest foods, allowing myself treats occasionally. I don't know why I let all of that go. I'm rather ashamed to be honest. But I know I'll drop back down. I just have to get back on track and not make anymore baked goods for a while.

[songsparrow]

I've never heard of dietbet. Can you tell me more?

 

It's a website where you bet a sum of money that you can lose a specified % of weight in a specified amount of time. At the end of the time period, the pot of money is split between everyone who reaches the goal.  So if you reach your goal, you can break even if a lot of people also reach their goals, or possibly win extra money if other people don't reach their goals.  (It's also possible to lose money if almost everyone reaches their goals because the site keeps a portion of the proceeds for its fee.)  But you know that you'll lose all of your money if you don't reach your goal.  It's supposed to be a fun motivational tool.

 

You have to take photos of yourself (not published anywhere, just kept by the site to verify winners to attempt to prevent fraud) and weigh in at the beginning and the end (you take a photo of your feet on the scale showing the weight along with a code word written on an index card, again to attempt to prevent fraud).  

 

When they started out, they offered one option that they called "kickstarter" where you bet that you could lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks. I tried one of the 4% bets, but found it hard to reach the 4% in 4 weeks, so it ended up being de-motivational for me instead of motivational.

 

Now they're also trying a 10% bet version, where you bet that you'll lose 10% of your weight in 6 months.  You have to pay each month to stay in the game.  Half of what you pay each month goes to the final 6 month pot.  The other half goes towards monthly pots.  In month 1, you have to lose 3% to share to pot; month 2, 6% cumulative; month 3, 8% cumulative; month 4, 9% cumulative; month 5, 10% cumulative; month 6, maintain the 10% loss).  Even if you don't reach the monthly goals, you can still keep working toward the 6 month 10% goal - with the caveat that you have to have lost at least 6% by the end of month 5.  

 

I decided to try this one because this weight loss process is going to be more long-term for me.  I think the slower goal of 10% over 6 months feels more doable, too.  I am hoping it can help to keep me focused and motivated over the long term.

 

I figured that I could easily spend a similar amount of money - or more - on special diet food, or a gym membership or weight loss meetings.  And this way, if I succeed, I may end up getting all my money back in the end (or even more).  So I am trying this to see if it is a fun way to stay motivated.

 

ETA:  I just saw that you cannot lose money if you reach your goal:  "New "No Lose Guarantee":  ï»¿ï»¿We guarantee that if you win your dietbet, you won't lose money. Most winners make money (1.5 to 2x on average) but in the event your game has an unusually high percentage of winners, we'll forfeit our cut in order to ensure that winners never lose their bet. (Worst-case scenario: you'll end up losing weight for free.) In DietBet 10 games, "winning" means reaching the 10% goal at the end of the 6-month game. Note: this guarantee does not apply to charity games where the host has designated some or all of the pot to benefit a charitable organization (these are clearly labeled as charity games)."

[Hunter's Moon]

I ordered The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes from my library. I am not Diabetic, but Diabetes runs in my family, and I have a sensitivity to carbs and sugar. 

 

I plan to change my eating habits once the Christmas goodies are all gone. I was doing pretty good by cutting my portion sizes down immensely. It is ridiculous how much I have gained this year, and my portion sizes have slowly moved up, up, up. 

 

My college has a free fitness center, so I am planning on 4 days of intentional cardio and 3 days of strength. I do walk quite a bit already, but I will probably up that, too. 

 

 

[MomOfOneFunOne]

AMDG

 

How about resuming?  I started a "diet" in January and my plan was to stick with losing till June, maintain for that month, resume till October and maintain till Jan again.  

 

Well, I met my October goal by June so that was very exciting.  Then I really did maintain in June (2 birthdays, Father's day, trip) and actually lost a tiny bit.

 

I continued to lose -- and by lose I mean a pound or two per week -- till October.  I did maintain in October.  

 

But in November and December, just two little months, I've gained 7 pounds!  

 

My plan is just to return to normal in January.

 

By diet, I just mean portion control.  That's it; the secret magic.  I started by counting calories and really had to stick with it a few months to get the hang of it.  That exercise helped me to be better able to eyeball an appropriate portion and by daily use, I knew which foods were reasonable and which foods were crazy calories.  When I had my own birthday coming up and a couple of other things, I counted calories for the whole week just to keep myself on track.  Also, when trying a new recipe I'd run it through the recipe analyzer to get an idea of how much I could eat of it in a reasonable amount of calories.

 

So, January 1, per the plan all along, I'll go back to counting calories for at least Jan, Feb, March (that will cover a few holy/feast days that can add up and my own birthday).  Then at the end of March, if I show myself that I've been staying on track, I'll drop the logging and go back to only number crunching in more challenging times.  

 

Before, I began the Holiday Gain, I was so near my goal.  I'm quite frustrated with myself for not maintaining.  

 

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

I vote for that cheesecake diet. Seriously economical, lol.  In all sincerity, I need to be nice and watch my diet.  ugh

[VeteranMom]

I am going to try Primal (a version of LCHF) eating & activity, plus I joined the 6-month challenge to lose 10% of body weight at DietBet. The challenge begins 1/7, but I'm starting to change my habits now.

Thanks for posting about dietdebt.  I just joined for a one month bet.  Wish me luck!

[bolt.]

Is this a specific plan? Do they have a site? I tried to do a search.

 

I'm racking my brains as to what do. I have lost a lot of weight in the past through HCG. However, as with pretty much all diets, one does gain the weight back if you don't stick to it. That's the hardest part for me. I'm trying to think of a plan that's do-able and practical given my current lifestyle. I hate being on a diet and having to cook and prepare food for others. That, for me, is the absolute hardest. If I lived alone, it wouldn't be hard for me at all. It's all the food prep that's killing me.

No, it's not a specific plan, it's just the way I eat.

 

A "Healthy is Normal" day for me:

 

Breakfast: 1 or 2 fruit, a protien source (dairy, egg or meat ok) and just enough of a grain serving to feel like it's a complete breakfast. Water or infused water and/or undersweet tea.

 

Lunch: 1 or 2 veggies, a protien source (usually meat, about 3oz), 1 or 2 fruit, a small grain serving. More water, infused water or under sweet tea.

 

Snack: Usually some dried fruit, some pickles, some nuts and/or some cheese. Caffeine in tea or tablet here, if not before.

 

Supper: Meat (3-6oz), 3 veggies, sometimes a starch (but often not), a fruit serving (fresh, canned or heated-frozen). Sometimes a nice broth soup whils I cook. Water, infused water or decaf tea without sugar.

 

Options: A "Simply" bar if i misjudge meals and get genuinely hungry (or half). A small sweet dessert after lunch or supper (but not usually both). A haloween pack of chips/etc once every couple of days. An extra serving of nuts if I need/want it. An extra serving if dairy if I need/want it. Fruit for a snack anytime.

 

I don't have any trouble prepping these kinds of meals for others. Often they have more grain/starch than I choose (or I choose a child-sized grain serving, even though I'm an adult). Other than that, it's a pretty average way to feed a family... Isn't it? (I've been known to be odd and not know it.)

[marbel]

I lost 18 pounds through a weight-loss program our health insurance paid for.  It is not a diet but a life-long method for keeping weight off.  Basically it is:  eat only when physically hungry (not bored, not because it's a special occasion, not because food fulfills a non-physical need). That may mean not eating at typical mealtimes.  Meals should be 25% protein and sugar should be a rare indulgence, but other than that, there are no restrictions. Eat only foods you like, and eat very slowly to savor every bite of the food.    Do not snack.  Drink water or diluted orange juice to stay hydrated (and keep blood sugar from spiking/dropping via the diluted oj.)  There's more to it than that, but that is the basic information. 

 

So, I've been quite indulgent and will probably be a few more times this Christmas season.  I've put back on a few pounds but I started back to my "normal" eating plan today and will stay on it till the next celebration event.  The pounds I put back on will probably go away within a few days.

 

I'm not perfect at it and still have weight to lose, but so far this has been the best method for losing weight that I've found. 

[Negin]

No, it's not a specific plan, it's just the way I eat.

 

I don't have any trouble prepping these kinds of meals for others. Often they have more grain/starch than I choose (or I choose a child-sized grain serving, even though I'm an adult). Other than that, it's a pretty average way to feed a family... Isn't it? (I've been known to be odd and not know it.)

This is very helpful.  Thank you so much. I may very well do this plan. :)

[tshirtyogapantmama]

Wish I was starting but I have decided to wait until after New Years. We have a family thing with my DH side and we are traveling out of state for my side for a few days so I hate to start dieting and exercising when I know I can't stick with it. I've been on maintaining my wt. since Halloween. I really want to get losing again. 

[Negin]

Wish I was starting but I have decided to wait until after New Years. We have a family thing with my DH side and we are traveling out of state for my side for a few days so I hate to start dieting and exercising when I know I can't stick with it. I've been on maintaining my wt. since Halloween. I really want to get losing again. 

New Year's isn't that far away. Enjoy your trip and family time, I say. :)

 

I think I've come up with a plan that's do-able for me. The Denise Austin diet until March, when I have to fast for religious reasons. If anyone's interested, I can copy and paste that info here. After that, something like Bolt's plan of Healthy Eating for maintenance. HCG has worked very well for me in the past. I may, just may do that if needed, but more of a last resort. 

[momto2Cs]

Ugh, yes.  I've put on about 20 pounds this year, and I'm mad at myself for that.  I have had Mark Bittman's VB6 on my shelf since July.  VB6 stands for Vegan Before 6:00, and it's a way of eating that I feel I can totally adhere to if I have the will to do it (and can take the time to menu plan and grocery shop for it).  We have one more Christmas celebration tomorrow, and after that, I think we don't have any plans for New Year's, so I'll get rolling with it.   It's not been a good couple of days here with all the cookies and sweets lying about.  While I'm not starting VB6 today, I am thinking that it may be an almost-fasting day to try and get all this sugar out of my system.

 

I just started VB6. I was a vegetarian for about 8 years, vegan for 3, so it isn't a hard transition for me, even with low carb and primal in the more recent past. I chose VB6 because I can still make dinners that everyone in the house will enjoy, and I think it will be cost saving. I'm the only one in the house really doing it, though the kids will, by default, be at least mostly vegetarian until 6! I like the flexibility this plan offers, since he doesn't really put anything off limits, which is always an issue for me (mentally and emotionally).