So if you were really ready to start losing weight (seriously ready)...

[DB in NJ]

Would you change your eating habits AND start a new exercise routine at the same time? I know WW has you focus on eating for a few weeks before the exercise kicks in. On the other hand, Bob Greene recommends getting into an exercise habit and then making changes in diet.

 

*sigh*

 

I have tried, off and on for the majority of the past 10 years, to lose this stinkin' weight. I am so sick and tired of it....and it's *always* on my mind. Always. I don't want to set myself up to fail, which it seems I tend to do (i.e. weird eating plans, workout plans, etc. that I can't live with). I'm asking your advice on what has worked for you, how you got started and stuck with it. I'm open to any and all suggestions on how to start.

[DB in NJ]

Wanted to add that what seems to happen with me is I do really well with changing my eating habits and then fall out of the exercise routine. OR I do really well with my exercise (especially running), but then revert back to old bad eating habits. :glare:

[The Governess]

I always get my eating under control first. If I'm not watching my eating, I'll start eating *way* too much once I start exercising. IMO, it's better to get your body used to the reduced calories, let your stomach shrink a little (maybe), and get those first few pounds off before you start working out.

 

Also, I tend to get discouraged because when I start exercising after some time off I actually gain weight because of the muscle that's being built. So it's better for me if I've already gone down a few pounds initially.

 

I have had good luck using the website http://www.fitday.com to record my calories consumed and burned. No matter what exercise I'm doing, I have a hard time getting weight off if I'm not tracking calories. It's too easy for me to "reward" myself for exercising with more food. :D

 

Good luck!!!

[snickelfritz]

I really have to be exercising to lose weight. Now, to start....I focused on my points and just tried to get in "something" in the exercise department. Mostly, just walking for 30 minutes.

[AnnetteB]

I would post that smiley face with the popcorn bucket, but that isn't on my diet. I lose weight best when I diet and exercise...or at least keep really busy so that I am not nibbling all the time. My body is really good at storing calories for the famine that never comes. A small plate loaded with veggies and a piece of fish or chicken is my best friend. Rinsing it immediately and not going back for seconds is helpful. I read something funny the other day about the S Diet...No Seconds, No Sugar, No Snacking. I am hoping that the warmer spring weather will get me moving. Good luck to you :)

[Rose in BC]

While I think it's possible to start both at the same time, if you're choosing one I'd start with exercise because I believe it's virtually impossible to loose and keep off weight without exercising. I know this from experience. I also know, from experience, that once you start exercising you begin to feel good about yourself and you naturally want to make healthier choices.

 

Given that I'm 43 and have been down this road before, I have come to a big conclusion . . . do not make any changes that you can't live with forever. That's my number one rule. Sometimes that means making small changes that eventually lead up to big changes. Sometimes that means eliminating a trigger food from your diet. But always include some form of exercise in your day (I have one day off a week.)

 

You can do it. I have lost and kept of 60+ pounds for two years now and feel confident I've made changes that I can live with forever.

[fshinkevich]

I started both at the same time. I changed my eating habits and started a light exercise program, which I increased over time.

[Alicia64]

I lost 45 lbs. three years ago - and I think it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I'll just tell you what I did/learned. None of it is totally Weight Watcher sanctioned or "politically correct" ~

 

Btw, your picture is really cute. I bet you're way more attractive than you realize. Still, it's not fun when your pants won't fit, I know.

 

1) I'm devoted to Weight Watchers. If you can find a leader that you love, great, but definitely find one that doesn't annoy you. At different points in my journey (whatever you call it), I needed a great leader. Other times I was fine with an ok one. I've been going for almost ten years now. I will go forever. What's an hour a week out of my life to have my pants fit??

 

But the weight was totally off for good -- with no more pregnancies interrupting three years ago.

 

2) Exercise is important for the bones/heart/blah blah blah, but I didn't consider it part of how I was really going to lose weight. If I did too much exercise and exhausted myself, I ended up eating more.

 

For me, the only way to see the scale move was to limit my eating.

 

3) Lose as slowly as possible. I know that sounds weird, but fast weight loss will return. Period.

 

Go slow. Celebrate losing 1/2 pound.

 

4) I knew a leader who went to a WW mtg. every day for three months. Not a bad idea. Wish I'd thought of it.

 

5) I looked at weight loss as a part time job. In other words, not as something that I could semi-ignore. I took it super seriously.

 

6) I realized that losing weight was about totally changing how I related to food. An easy sentence to write, harder to do. Even today, I'm down to 139 lbs. at 5'7, my old habits are just waiting at the door to mob me. I have to be careful -- and I know it.

 

I just love food too much. When I'm sad. When I'm happy. When I'm celebrating. There's no reason not to eat in my mind and I have to deal with that "sick" way of thinking.

 

7) I used to reward myself with little and bigger things and yes, we're on a budget. If I stuck to my plan till Sat. I'd get that new cookbook I'd wanted. Or a new plant for my desk. Or that Mac lipstick that at $14 seems like a total splurge. Those little things really helped me.

 

Privately email me if you'd like more tips. I'm more than happy to share.

 

Take care,

 

Alicia

[OnTheBrink]

I started changing eating habits before I started exercising. No particular reason, it's just how I did it.

[Vicki]

I find it is easier to eat right if I am exercising. Plus as I have gotten older I really have to do both if I want to lose weight.

God bless,

Vicki

[Loupelou]

I am just coming off my 7th baby, and I have definitely noticed a difference since I am now 35. It's no longer about redistribution, it just doesn't come off as easily!:001_smile:

 

I think you have to figure out what works best for you. If it's easier for you to add 30 minutes of daily exercise and then slowly change your eating habits, do it. Or, maybe the opposite is true.

 

I always have a tendency to overexert myself, and do too much exercise.

 

This time I am easing my family into an eating lifestyle that is healthier but not so strict that we can't live like this from now on. I have not been able to add exercise yet, other than a couple of walks a week.

 

Whatever approach you take make sure it's one that you can live with!

[MicheleinMN]

Exercising made/makes the difference for me. If I exercise, I am a lot less likely to want to eat extra food....it just takes too long to have to work it back off.

 

Check out Spark People. Write down or log your food to help keep track of calories. Watch your portions.

 

Definitely add in strength training....it makes a huge difference!

 

(I've lost between 30 and 40 pounds....slowly....about a 1/2 pound a week average...with some weeks with NO weight change....but I still kept at it because I knew I was getting stronger...and still am.)

 

HTH

[sandellie4]

This is me! I've tried doing the exercise first (eating what I want but trying to be healthy and running). The running was good for me, and I wasn't so tired all the time. But I didn't lose weight, so I wasn't happy. Then I dropped the running and tried just eating light. But the diet was so austere because I wasn't using extra calories with exercise.

 

I'm now on sparkpeople.com (free) and I've lost 14 pounds by doing both, exercise (running and on an exercise bike) and dieting (though I've found lots of healthy, filling meals to make so I'm more satisfied after eating than I was when I was overeating). I discovered that the days I exercise, I actually have fewer cravings. I don't know why, but when I don't exercise, especially if I skip more than a day, I want sugar or salt. I'm most at risk for breaking my resolve on those days.

 

Good luck on your weight-loss journey. Really, you can do it! :grouphug:

 

Sandy

 

quote=DB in NJ;848653]Wanted to add that what seems to happen with me is I do really well with changing my eating habits and then fall out of the exercise routine. OR I do really well with my exercise (especially running), but then revert back to old bad eating habits. :glare:

Edited March 21, 2009 by sandellie4
Forgot to close one of the parens! I hate when I do that!

[sandellie4]

Congratulations!!

 

Sandy

 

 

While I think it's possible to start both at the same time, if you're choosing one I'd start with exercise because I believe it's virtually impossible to loose and keep off weight without exercising. I know this from experience. I also know, from experience, that once you start exercising you begin to feel good about yourself and you naturally want to make healthier choices.

 

Given that I'm 43 and have been down this road before, I have come to a big conclusion . . . do not make any changes that you can't live with forever. That's my number one rule. Sometimes that means making small changes that eventually lead up to big changes. Sometimes that means eliminating a trigger food from your diet. But always include some form of exercise in your day (I have one day off a week.)

 

You can do it. I have lost and kept of 60+ pounds for two years now and feel confident I've made changes that I can live with forever.

[Jean in Wisc]

Sparkpeople.com worked best for me. It helped me figure out how much I could eat and it helped me work out an exercise routine.

 

I need to go back and lose another 10 lbs. I'm still doing my core exercises and weights, but I need to get the aerobics started again. I can stabilize my weight by diet, but I must exercise (weights/aerobics) to lose.

 

It is hard to do it all at once, but I cannot lose unless I do.

 

FWIW,

Jean

[Lovedtodeath]

I have read about a book that says that you should only exercise for 10 minute spurts because more than that and you will raise your appetite. It was called the 10 minute miracle or something like that I think. No one needs to argue the theory, I was just throwing it out there.

 

I do better if I go for exercise first. I also do better if I pay for some kind of system. GR2 Control works well for me.

[kiana]

I've had pretty good luck using www.mypyramidtracker.gov to track food. I also increased my exercise at the same time. For me, the real key was finding exercise that I loved enough that I want to go not because it's good for me but because I love doing it. I do Aikido 3-4x a week now for 2 hours. It's been wonderfully good for me, both physically and mentally. :)

[Colleen]

Okay, I admit I'm not a person who needs to lose weight ~ nor do I play one on t.v.;) But I'm your friend, so I read your post. My first reaction is that you should just move more and not fret about "diets". I am absolutely, totally convinced that so-called "diet plans" ~ be it Weight Watchers, South Beach, whatever ~ are part of the problem, not the solution. They contribute to what I consider a really bizarre hyper-focus on calorie counting, food journaling, etc.

 

Here's what makes sense to me:

 

Eat real food. Enough to maintain energy. If it's not all whole wheat, etc. that's okay. If it's not all "healthy", that's okay, too. In fact, don't stress about eating stuff that isn't all "super healthy", but do try to keep it in the real food realm. Enjoy, but don't pig out.

 

Move. Walk. Ride a bike. Live in such a way that moving is part of your normal routine. Not necessarily part of your "Hey! I'm Following an Exercise Plan!" routine. Just part of life. Because, well, moving is normal. People are meant to move.

 

People are designed to eat to real food and to move. And I know you know that. I just really want to encourage you not to get caught up in trying to follow this or that plan, because I truly believe it isn't that complicated. I also think you should get rid of your scale if, like most American women, you own one and weigh yourself regularly. Scales are yet another cultural phenomenon that more often than not serve no good purpose, imo.

Edited March 21, 2009 by Colleen

[snickelfritz]

Here's what makes sense to me:

 

Eat real food. Enough to maintain energy. If it's not all whole wheat, etc. that's okay. If it's not all "healthy", that's okay, too. In fact, don't stress about eating stuff that isn't all "super healthy", but do try to keep it in the real food realm. Enjoy, but don't pig out.

 

 

I can't speak to others...but *I* lost all perspective on sensible eating. My portions were way too big. Foods that are ok to indulge in occasionally....I was indulging way too often. On WW, I went through a period of time where I relied on their frozen entrees for breakfast and lunch, because I needed to re-train myself on what true portion sizes should be. I had to snack all of the time and be really careful with my points AND exercise to get more points, because my stomach was stretched and my brain was trained that I should feel overly full.

 

I needed some sort of system to re-train everything on how much I should really be eating. Now, I feel like I could drop the WW and do OK. I'm not honestly even counting points right now and I'm still losing by doing what you suggest. I eat reasonable portions and make reasonable food choices. But, I needed some help to get to where I'm at. AND I do still like the accountability of weighing-in each week.

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

I haven't read the replies, but I just wanted to give you a testimonial --- from my husband. He's been trying to lose 60 lbs. for about 10 years. He has always loved exercise, but he loves his food more, lol.

 

He has been using http://www.myfitnesspal.com successfully since the beginning of the year and is *finally* losing weight at a manageable pace and he is not starving himself to do it. It is a simple calorie counter, but since it is online, he can access it at work and at home, and he is *finally* keeping track of what he is eating. Apparently is can work with lots of weight loss programs. He is not using it with a program, just the old fashion eat-less-calories-than-you-burn method and I'm so thankful that he is seeing success. About a month ago, he wanted a before bed snack, but didn't have enough calories for what he wanted, so he ran up and down our stairs for 20 minutes, burned the calories he needed, had the snack he wanted and he was happy as a clam.

 

eta: I forgot to say that it has a huge database of foods, including restaurants and fast foods, so it is easy to keep track of what you are eating on-the-go.

 

Good luck!

[Sweetpeach]

The brief, in a nutshell version:

 

Eat real food.

Move. Walk. Ride a bike.

 

:iagree:

 

And add just one little word at the end. Sweat.

[Blessedfamily]

While I think it's possible to start both at the same time, if you're choosing one I'd start with exercise because I believe it's virtually impossible to loose and keep off weight without exercising. I know this from experience. I also know, from experience, that once you start exercising you begin to feel good about yourself and you naturally want to make healthier choices.

 

 

 

Here's what makes sense to me:

 

Eat real food. Enough to maintain energy. If it's not all whole wheat, etc. that's okay. If it's not all "healthy", that's okay, too. In fact, don't stress about eating stuff that isn't all "super healthy", but do try to keep it in the real food realm. Enjoy, but don't pig out.

 

Move. Walk. Ride a bike. Live in such a way that moving is part of your normal routine. Not necessarily part of your "Hey! I'm Following an Exercise Plan!" routine. Just part of life. Because, well, moving is normal. People are meant to move.

.[/color][/font]

 

These are sort of the way I approached it. The exercise was most critical for me. You could start with both, but if I had to choose one, it'd be the exercise. Exercising and moving make me want to make better eating choices.

 

Also, I read that since calorie-cutting slows your metabolism, you can start exercising first to boost your metabolism, and then reduce your diet(not too low, of course).

 

Either way, just get moving and make better food choices. Find an exericse you enjoy!:001_smile:

[TeacherZee]

I can't speak to others...but *I* lost all perspective on sensible eating. My portions were way too big. Foods that are ok to indulge in occasionally....I was indulging way too often. On WW, I went through a period of time where I relied on their frozen entrees for breakfast and lunch, because I needed to re-train myself on what true portion sizes should be. I had to snack all of the time and be really careful with my points AND exercise to get more points, because my stomach was stretched and my brain was trained that I should feel overly full.

 

I needed some sort of system to re-train everything on how much I should really be eating. Now, I feel like I could drop the WW and do OK. I'm not honestly even counting points right now and I'm still losing by doing what you suggest. I eat reasonable portions and make reasonable food choices. But, I needed some help to get to where I'm at. AND I do still like the accountability of weighing-in each week.

 

Wow! You have just articulated my problem. I read your entry and thought "THAT is what I am doing wrong". I have taught my body wrong and I need to re-teach it. THANK YOU!!! If we had reps...

[TraceyS/FL]

The easiest thing for me was to start eating low carb. Sure the first few weeks were hard (i'm a carb addict), but after that it was easy to keep up. I dropped 60 pounds - gained some back with a baby. I'm going to get back to it shortly. Life dictates brownies right now! LOL!!

 

But i see Colleen said eat real food - that is what doing Atkins did for me. Meat and veggies for my carbs, it was the best i had EVER eating in my life!

 

Good luck - you can do it!!

[mrsdash]

I echo everything Colleen said. Real food and an active lifestyle is the key to being healthy. Stay away from food that comes in a box with ingredients you can't identify as real. Get natural in your thinking toward your body. Feed your body what it needs and deserves...natural, real food that comes from the ground and grows on trees. Change your attitude from "I need to lose weight" to "I will take care of my body so I can feel good and live longer." Go for long walks, hike, stretch. Put yourself in the mindset that says " This is good for me. This is what my body needs." I lost over 40 lbs. when I was 40. I changed my eating to clean eating and I began doing simple pilates and weights. When I got use to that, I ran, I walked and I hiked on the weekends. I did everything with the attitude that "this is good for my body; the only body I have." I treated myself like a child that I loved. So my advice is to not just change your eating and activity level but to change the way you think of yourself as well and make it a life long plan, not a temporary change. Good luck!

[MicheleinMN]

And add just one little word at the end. Sweat.

 

 

:iagree:

 

This is KEY...work hard enough to sweat.

 

Thanks for the reminder!

[Blueridge]

I found the book French Women Don't Get Fat to be very encouraging and inspiring...really! Their whole approach to living and life in general is so refreshing. They eat fresh, whole foods...never seconds...enjoy treats like a bit of fine chocolate or a fresh, tender croissant on occasion...and walk everywhere. So I think a combination of both eating and exercising is the key to a joyful life. Don't discount the value of any kind of movement, like gardening and running around playing with the kids. Don't look at food as the enemy. Look at wholesome things like multi-grain bread or beautiful freshly prepared fruits and vegetables, and lean meats if you're so inclined, as your friend. Each bite should bring you a sense of enjoyment. Besides a wholesome diet and some daily movement, a third component is a happy, joyful attitude about life. Be aware of the fresh smell of spring air, the sweet sound of morning birdsong, the peace of a few quiet minutes you can spend alone to ponder things. You are a beautiful lady! Blessings and happiness~

Ginger

[Brigitte]

I think the key to getting started with either diet modification or exercise is to make subtle changes rather than dramatic ones. Change a bit here and there and you will be more likely to stick with whatever plan you choose. A drastic change in lifestyle is not going to become a habit. So, I would recommend adding a little exercise and a little diet modification to start. As you make the small changes habit, you can make bigger changes.

[emily3B]

I just wanted to quickly chime in here...I am actually a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise....and my advice to anyone is to start including strength training (aka resistance training, bodyweight training, etc) into your world. Get yourself a set of 8 -10 pound dumbells and a stability ball and get a full body workout doing things like pushups, lunges, squats, chest presses, rows, etc. The possibilities are endless as to the number of exercises you can choose and there are tons of great ideas on the internet, or in a book at your library. But you NEED TO START challenging your body, increasing your metabolism through strength training. This in addition to "eating clean" with supportive nutrition. Doing cardio and cutting calories might help you lose "weight" but if your true goal is "fat loss" then you need to incorporate what I'm talking about. Otherwise you become what they call "skinny fat". But by changing your eating to more supportive food and challenging your body with resistance training, you will help increase lean muscle mass, increase your metabolism (since muscle requires more energy or calories to sustain than fat) and ultimately decrease your body fat percentage. I am assuming that that is really the goal. The number on the scale doesn't matter as much as your true body composition. You can have two women who both weigh 135 pounds...but one is 18% body fat and the other 28% body fat...which one is truly more fit and healthy? Anyway, this is an ongoing struggle I realize for people...but you need to decide to make eating clean and living an active lifestyle truly that..a lifestyle, with a new outlook and perspective, not a quick fix. You make baby steps, changing a few things gradually, until eating this way, and exercising consistently is a part of your schedule, your life. You can involve your kids, they should be eating this way and exercising as well. That is why we have the childhood obesity epidemic...kids are eating crap, their parents are eating crap...I'm going to have to stop.

 

In a nutshell:

 

Resistance training+Shorter bursts of high intensity cardio+supportive nutrition=fat loss

 

No short cuts. Just do it! If you really want your body to change, you have to.

 

Best wishes to you all.

 

Emily in Texas

[DB in NJ]

I just wanted to quickly chime in here...I am actually a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise....and my advice to anyone is to start including strength training (aka resistance training, bodyweight training, etc) into your world. Get yourself a set of 8 -10 pound dumbells and a stability ball and get a full body workout doing things like pushups, lunges, squats, chest presses, rows, etc. The possibilities are endless as to the number of exercises you can choose and there are tons of great ideas on the internet, or in a book at your library. But you NEED TO START challenging your body, increasing your metabolism through strength training. This in addition to "eating clean" with supportive nutrition. Doing cardio and cutting calories might help you lose "weight" but if your true goal is "fat loss" then you need to incorporate what I'm talking about. Otherwise you become what they call "skinny fat". But by changing your eating to more supportive food and challenging your body with resistance training, you will help increase lean muscle mass, increase your metabolism (since muscle requires more energy or calories to sustain than fat) and ultimately decrease your body fat percentage. I am assuming that that is really the goal. The number on the scale doesn't matter as much as your true body composition. You can have two women who both weigh 135 pounds...but one is 18% body fat and the other 28% body fat...which one is truly more fit and healthy? Anyway, this is an ongoing struggle I realize for people...but you need to decide to make eating clean and living an active lifestyle truly that..a lifestyle, with a new outlook and perspective, not a quick fix. You make baby steps, changing a few things gradually, until eating this way, and exercising consistently is a part of your schedule, your life. You can involve your kids, they should be eating this way and exercising as well. That is why we have the childhood obesity epidemic...kids are eating crap, their parents are eating crap...I'm going to have to stop.

 

In a nutshell:

 

Resistance training+Shorter bursts of high intensity cardio+supportive nutrition=fat loss

 

No short cuts. Just do it! If you really want your body to change, you have to.

 

Best wishes to you all.

 

Emily in Texas

 

WHERE'S MY BLASTED REP BUTTON?!?!?!?!

 

Thanks, Emily....that was awesome. I own the dumbells, I own workout videos, I have a flight of stairs in the house, I do 100 squats in 2 minutes twice a day (every time I brush me teeth!!!).....I've heard everything you said before -- I just need to DO IT!!

 

:grouphug: to you all!!! You're awesome!

[CalicoKat]

this is me.

 

I started using Shaklee's Cinch plan. It works for me. But you wouldn't have to buy their particular program. I think it can be done using similar stuff, maybe less expensively.

 

1. Yes I have to count my calories--using the program they've provided I can do this. It has flexiblity to add my recipes. There are also some free online websites that provide this similiar service for FREE. Google them. It takes a lot of my time to sit down andn plan what I've got for meals, figure out portion sizes to make it all work within my 1500 cals and using the ratio of 30/40/30 for carbs, proteins, fats. The cinch program helps.

 

2. Plan for energy drains as you're not used. Shaklee's program has 2 shakes that are filling and help control the hungries.

 

3. There is also an energy boost tea that helps when I'm dragging cuz I'm not used to so few calories in my day.

 

4. Exercise. Calories In require Calories out. Start simply by adding in 1-2, 30 min of walking or whatever you enjoy each week with the goal of increasing.

 

5. Wear a pedometer. It will be a reality check on how much activity you're getting. Shoot for 10,000 a day. I'm hovering between 5000-6000 most days and so I know I need to exercise more.

 

6. Weigh yourself AND measure. The scale doesn't always go down, but I am surprised to find that I inches are still slipping away. Still waay encouraging.

 

7. Write a list of why you're doing this. I think it helps on those days that the choc. is calling to review the bigger picture. It is tough limiting yourself. It's waay hard. Don't let yourself loose sight of the deep reasons you want this change. It's not an Olympic gold medal, it's your health.

 

I followed this program for a month. I lost 4 lbs and 4 inches. BUT I had to stop for a bit because I got sick with my abcessed tooth, had to go off my arthritis meds and that makes my life waay difficult and I needed to not be buring the candle at too many ends when I'm hurting. BUT I am waay more away of how and what I'm eating and now that I'm back on my meds and the arthritis symptoms are going away again I'll be back on the diet soon. I'm convinced this is going to work for me.

[CalicoKat]

I can't speak to others...but *I* lost all perspective on sensible eating. My portions were way too big. Foods that are ok to indulge in occasionally....I was indulging way too often. On WW, I went through a period of time where I relied on their frozen entrees for breakfast and lunch, because I needed to re-train myself on what true portion sizes should be. I had to snack all of the time and be really careful with my points AND exercise to get more points, because my stomach was stretched and my brain was trained that I should feel overly full.

 

I needed some sort of system to re-train everything on how much I should really be eating. Now, I feel like I could drop the WW and do OK. I'm not honestly even counting points right now and I'm still losing by doing what you suggest. I eat reasonable portions and make reasonable food choices. But, I needed some help to get to where I'm at. AND I do still like the accountability of weighing-in each week.

:iagree: couldn't agree more. That's what counting calories and planning BEFORE my daily meals what I'm going to eat. It really makes you think about that chocolate bar if you know it will cost your waay more filling dinner.

 

Get out those measuring cups and use them. Don't rely on your instincts at first. Measure, weigh, and count those serving sizes. :D

[wagnfun]

Would you change your eating habits AND start a new exercise routine at the same time? I know WW has you focus on eating for a few weeks before the exercise kicks in. On the other hand, Bob Greene recommends getting into an exercise habit and then making changes in diet.

 

*sigh*

 

I have tried, off and on for the majority of the past 10 years, to lose this stinkin' weight. I am so sick and tired of it....and it's *always* on my mind. Always. I don't want to set myself up to fail, which it seems I tend to do (i.e. weird eating plans, workout plans, etc. that I can't live with). I'm asking your advice on what has worked for you, how you got started and stuck with it. I'm open to any and all suggestions on how to start.

 

 

Hubby and I resently lost 50 lbs each. For me, the best way was to exercise first then healthy eating followed. I started paying attention to what I ate & really the thing was after 40 minutes of cardio, it became VERY apparent that those handfull of bbq chips were NOT worth that 40 minutes!!! No candy bar was worth another half hr on the tread mill!

[jamnkats]

Okay, I admit I'm not a person who needs to lose weight ~ nor do I play one on t.v.;) But I'm your friend, so I read your post. My first reaction is that you should just move more and not fret about "diets". I am absolutely, totally convinced that so-called "diet plans" ~ be it Weight Watchers, South Beach, whatever ~ are part of the problem, not the solution. They contribute to what I consider a really bizarre hyper-focus on calorie counting, food journaling, etc.

 

Here's what makes sense to me:

 

Eat real food. Enough to maintain energy. If it's not all whole wheat, etc. that's okay. If it's not all "healthy", that's okay, too. In fact, don't stress about eating stuff that isn't all "super healthy", but do try to keep it in the real food realm. Enjoy, but don't pig out.

 

Move. Walk. Ride a bike. Live in such a way that moving is part of your normal routine. Not necessarily part of your "Hey! I'm Following an Exercise Plan!" routine. Just part of life. Because, well, moving is normal. People are meant to move.

 

People are designed to eat to real food and to move. And I know you know that. I just really want to encourage you not to get caught up in trying to follow this or that plan, because I truly believe it isn't that complicated. I also think you should get rid of your scale if, like most American women, you own one and weigh yourself regularly. Scales are yet another cultural phenomenon that more often than not serve no good purpose, imo.

 

I agree with this but also I found that I needed the calorie counting and other informational articles (Sparkpeople put you on a level or step thing and part of moving through the steps is reading different articles) about portion size, etc.

 

Last May I was sick and tired of being fat. I got fat after baby #3 and it just got worse. I'm not sure what I was at my highest weight but it was definitely over 200 with room to spare (maybe 210). My scale is in kilos now, but I'll try to convert.

 

So last May I was sick of it. I joined Sparkpeople and just started seeing what I was eating. My diet was purely whole foods but even too much of a good thing adds weight. The sparkpeople program helped me to see how much I was putting in, how much was going out (basal rate + exercise) and what I had to eat to lose weight. And I did. As of last December (I'm still at the same weight point as last December) I had lost 13 kilos. Converting, I started at 90 kilos (198#) and am now 77 kilos (169.4#). I'm trying to get to 67 kilos (147.4#).

 

I started just by tracking my food intake - I made no changes at all and was shocked at how much I'd been eating. All whole foods, but even whole wheat homemade banana bread will put weight on if you eat 4 pieces at a sitting. I also refused to follow any diet plan. I wanted a lifestyle change - not a diet.

 

So, basically, information from Sparkpeople (I don't do any tracking of anything anymore - I know what a calorie-heavy day feels like and what a normal day feels like - but those first 6 months or so of daily stuff with sparkpeople was essential to my long-term weight loss.

 

I'm running every other day and doing Ashtanga (cardio) Yoga on my days off running. I started by just walking (and SLOOOOOWLY) and am now bringing my jogging speed to about a 10min/mile.

 

It really is basically a deficet of calories (burn more than you ingest) but getting there, having the knowledge of how to manage that for the rest of your life in your life is something that isn't the same for everyone. And that's the part you need to figure out.

[ElizabethB]

If you have allergies, you may have hidden food allergies.

 

I lost weight without trying when I quit eating foods I was allergic to, I was just less hungry. For some bizarre reason, you crave the things you're allergic to until you get them totally out of your system (takes 3 or 4 days.)

 

If you have some allergies already, I would try an elimination diet, here's how (#17): http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88725&page=2

[sheryl]

Oh yes the diet/exercise topic that soooooo many of us are used to! ;)

 

Let me say I've been on/off diet/exer for 27 years. With that said, I believe the trainers I've spoken with first hand and heard on TV, etc. say to watch what you eat for 30 days. You can NOT, NOT go from eating 2,000 cal/day to 1,000....they would say it's too drastic.

 

Here's the plan~

 

Each week remove something that's a no-no and "replace" it with something i.e....2 muffins a day to 1 muffin or slice of pie to flavored water

 

At the end of a month start exercising....start by walking. You MUST know your target heart rate because if you exer too hard you can become anaerobic (which means "without oxygen") and you will NOT lose weight.

 

Maybe at the end of that month when you feel cardiovasularly stronger, add some "light weight" dumbbells.

 

Continue to watch what you eat...

Do not eat after 6 pm

Drink 1/4 - 1/2 gallon a day

Eat oat bran for fiber

Lots of veggies, some fruits, less meats/dairy/carbs