Doing it the old fashioned way..
My SO has had surgery and is starting to lose some weight. I have a lot of weight to lose, but am not going the surgery route right now. I'm just going to try to keep it simple.. eat less, move more and see how it goes. I've lost weight on several different plans and books, but have always managed to gain it back. While I plan to draw inspiration from wherever I can find it, and I will listen to any and all ideas, I'm not planning on following a specific diet, other than try to follow the percentage guidlines laid out by my nutritionist.
Just looking for a place to get some inspiration and check out what is working for ya'll.
-pbg
Just looking for a place to get some inspiration and check out what is working for ya'll.
-pbg
(deactivated member)
on 2/21/10 6:17 am - West Central FL☼RIDA , FL
on 2/21/10 6:17 am - West Central FL☼RIDA , FL
Hi!
I didn't follow a specific plan....I just decided to eat healthy and exercise. I cut out almost all the junk, added a lot of fresh fruit and veg to by daily meals and eliminated the biggest food issue....butter. I did not bring any butter into the house for almost 2 years. I only recently did this past Dec so I could bake cookies. I knew if I eat one slice of toast with melted butter on it I will end up eating 4 slices so it was just better for me to not have it in the house. Now I can have it in the house and it doesn't "talk to me" anymore...well once in awhile I see it wink at me but I've been able to resist.
Simple changes can add up fast.
Bottom line it's all about calories in and calories spent.
Like you said....eat better and move more and you should be successful.
FYI- It may not be that you have to eat less...but you may have to eat healthy. I actually ate more while I was losing weight than I had done before....the difference was instead of eating 6 cookies in the afternoon or 1/2 a bag of potato chips I had an apple with peanut butter, or cottage cheese with fiber cereal. Try to eat your calories, not drink them (i.e. cut down on sodas and juices)...you'll do better eating an orange rather than drinking 8oz of OJ.
I know you can do it if you put your mind to it and stay focused. If I could do you can do it too!
PM me if you have questions or want to chat about it...
Best wishes
Ruth
I didn't follow a specific plan....I just decided to eat healthy and exercise. I cut out almost all the junk, added a lot of fresh fruit and veg to by daily meals and eliminated the biggest food issue....butter. I did not bring any butter into the house for almost 2 years. I only recently did this past Dec so I could bake cookies. I knew if I eat one slice of toast with melted butter on it I will end up eating 4 slices so it was just better for me to not have it in the house. Now I can have it in the house and it doesn't "talk to me" anymore...well once in awhile I see it wink at me but I've been able to resist.
Simple changes can add up fast.
Bottom line it's all about calories in and calories spent.
Like you said....eat better and move more and you should be successful.
FYI- It may not be that you have to eat less...but you may have to eat healthy. I actually ate more while I was losing weight than I had done before....the difference was instead of eating 6 cookies in the afternoon or 1/2 a bag of potato chips I had an apple with peanut butter, or cottage cheese with fiber cereal. Try to eat your calories, not drink them (i.e. cut down on sodas and juices)...you'll do better eating an orange rather than drinking 8oz of OJ.
I know you can do it if you put your mind to it and stay focused. If I could do you can do it too!
PM me if you have questions or want to chat about it...
Best wishes
Ruth
Hermit-Crab
on 2/22/10 2:05 am
on 2/22/10 2:05 am
I'm going to do about the same. Best diet that ever worked for me was a shake diet. I lost approximately 60lbs each time, but lost my motivation and went back to eating the wrong things. (I always do that because i need to lose around 140lbs and that seems overwhelming).
This time around I'm going to focus more on finding healthy foods that i enjoy eating. I'm tired of torturing myself, BTW the shake diet i did - i actually loved the flavour of the shakes!
On the shake diet my day went something like this :
Breakfast - shake
Mid morning - piece of fruit from the allowed fruit list
Lunch - Shake + veggies from the allowed list - these veggies are "Free" you can eat as much as you want throughout the day. I would make soups and veggie bakes, salads.
Mid afternoon - Fruit from allowed list
Dinner - Protein serve which was around 90-120grams - from the allowed list, so lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese. LOTS of veggies again.
Plus you MUST drink a large amount of water. That is the key.
I know lots of people knock shake diets, but i figure everyone is different and whatever works for you is what you need to do. For me i simply am not a very good cook so i was eating the same things over and over, every day until i got tired of it. I know people who have successfully lost all their weight doing the shake diet though.
Ok so what i am going to do will be loosely based on that program, I'm going to try and avoid the same veggies and fruits that i did on that plan. I'm going to try and eat my largest meal for lunch when i can, so that i have the extra hours during the day to burn it off, and I'm not going to bed stuffed full.
No eating past my cut off time (approximately 3 hours before bedtime).
I also want to draw inspiration from the Mediterranean style of diet. Things like eating a handful of nuts a day if i am hungry (walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts). Choosing the right types of fats, not cutting them out - cooking with no oil or butter if possible, otherwise using Olive oil, or olive oil spread.
Using a mashed up avocado in place of butter on bread - cutting right back on my bread intake and replacing it with wholemeal and multi-grain types.
Cutting out soft drinks - i love my soft drink and i HATE water, I'm going to add a little low calorie diet cordial to my water so i can get more of it down. I will allow myself a can of the caffeine free / zero calorie type soft drinks if i need it.
Vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables. If you hate the way they taste... do yourself a favour and buy a juicer, you mask the flavour of the veggies with fruits like watermelon.
Herbs - make these your friend, use them to flavour your food instead of butters, oils and salt. Things like turmeric, garlic, paprika.. they are all very good for you. Use lemon juice to flavour fish.
Variety - don't keep eating the same things over and over, you will start to hate them and this will make you crack. Spend time experimenting and trying to make healthier versions of some of your fav meals. It's amazing how creative hungry overweight people can get lol.
I like to thinly slice zucchini like it is strips of pasta, boil for a few minutes and use it as though it is pasta, adding my healthy pasta sauce - Tomatoes are your friend, use them with spices and onion and you can make a nice pasta sauce. (Although there are acceptable low cal, low sugar / salt pasta sauces available from the store).
EXERCISE IS YUCK - Does anyone like it? My plan is not to FORCE myself to do 30 mins at a time, instead I'm going to do short bursts of it. 3 mins working my core, a gym ball is good for this. I need to keep my own interest and not feel like the torture will never end. Over time you can increase the length and intensity of what you do. Every little bit of exercise helps, if you can only do a 2 min walk, do it every day until you can walk for 3 mins.. etc etc. It might feel like you are getting no where but you will.
Honesty - Be honest with those around you, tell at least 1 person in the world how much you weigh, don't try to keep your weight-loss a secret. Be proud that you are being proactive!. Go to that ticker-factory website and make yourself a weight-loss ticker, you can post these up in lots of weight loss forums, it's amazing how excited you can get changing your weight on those little things. It's like a badge of honour.
What happens when you just want to eat junk food? - Don't deny yourself if the craving is really bad, you will just fixate on it until you binge. Allow yourself a small portion of whatever it may be that you enjoy, but don't keep these foods in your house! I like to believe the 80/20 rule. Be good 80% of the time and 20% of the time allow yourself to indulge.
Don't ever use food as a reward, don't use it to celebrate an event, don't use it because you are bored, don't use it because you are emotional. Food is fuel for your body, not a way to mask other issues.
Set small goals which you reward and celebrate along the way. EG : First 10lbs = Facial, or whatever it is that you like and can fit into your budget. Some people like to put away money at each weight-loss goal, so that when they reach their final goal... they have the cash to buy a new wardrobe.
Don't go crazy and splurge on clothes that won't fit you in another months time lol. I have done that before and boy did i jump the gun!
TAKE BEFORE PHOTOS - NAKED ONES! - FROM EVERY ANGLE! You are going to wish you did once you start losing weight, it's a good way to see your true losses. I like the idea of taking progress pics wearing the same outfit each time, this gives you a better view of the difference!
HUNGER - Don't be afraid of it, it's GOOD to feel some hunger! It means your body is doing its job. Being stuffed full 24/7 is not a healthy thing. Many people eat 2, 3, 4 times more than they should. I don't mean starve yourself, i just mean you don't need to freak out when it is mid-afternoon and your tummy gives a little gurgle lol.
Emotional and Mental Health - As you lose weight, sometimes emotional issues will come up. Some people self sabotage when they notice themselves getting thin or heading towards their goals. Don't let it happen. Be prepared.... keep a journal to write down your thoughts and keep yourself in check. WHEN you fall off the wagon (because 99% of us do), don't let it ruin you. Make everyday a fresh start.
Be realistic - Don't set yourself unrealistic goals, like losing XX amount of weight per month, or XX amount of weight before a certain event. (Like becoming a size 8 before your wedding day). You are just setting yourself up for disappointment in the long run.
THE NUMBERS - Don't weigh yourself obsessively, weight changes throughout the day, set yourself a day for weighing in and do it at the same time every week, wearing the same amount of clothes each time. For me i like to weigh in once a week, first thing in the morning after i have peed, before i have eaten - and in my underwear. Different scales say different things, try and use the same scales all the time.
Tape measure - Get one, it's your best friend when the scales hate you. You are going to have weeks where you gain or stay the same weight... yet you have lost inches all over! I measure around my arms, my waist, and thighs...
ALCOHOL - If you like it, try and stick with red wine. You can't drink like a sailor if you want to be healthy, limit it and when you do drink, drink smartly. Choose the "healthiest" option. Oh and another reason to avoid alcohol is because of those cravings you get when you are intoxicated!
SPEAK with your DR about your plans for weight loss.
Water bottles everywhere - keep one in the car, on your computer desk, near the TV, next to the bed lol... you want to spread out your water intake throughout the day, don't just go drinking 2 bottles in the morning and nothing until the afternoon. You are going to pee a lot at the beginning but eventually you get used to drinking lots of water, and the peeing isn't as frequent. Plus just think of all that exercise you are getting when you need to get out of bed and pee at night lol.
I could keep ranting but I'll leave it at that lol. That's just my own opinions and observations. Good luck to all.
PS: Life is NOW, try not to endlessly tell yourself that you will be starting your new lifestyle tomorrow, because tomorrow may never come. Losing just 10% of your body-weight will reduce your risk of heart attack and other diseases. I'm making it my primary goal to lose that 10%!! Why not set yourself that challenge?
This time around I'm going to focus more on finding healthy foods that i enjoy eating. I'm tired of torturing myself, BTW the shake diet i did - i actually loved the flavour of the shakes!
On the shake diet my day went something like this :
Breakfast - shake
Mid morning - piece of fruit from the allowed fruit list
Lunch - Shake + veggies from the allowed list - these veggies are "Free" you can eat as much as you want throughout the day. I would make soups and veggie bakes, salads.
Mid afternoon - Fruit from allowed list
Dinner - Protein serve which was around 90-120grams - from the allowed list, so lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese. LOTS of veggies again.
Plus you MUST drink a large amount of water. That is the key.
I know lots of people knock shake diets, but i figure everyone is different and whatever works for you is what you need to do. For me i simply am not a very good cook so i was eating the same things over and over, every day until i got tired of it. I know people who have successfully lost all their weight doing the shake diet though.
Ok so what i am going to do will be loosely based on that program, I'm going to try and avoid the same veggies and fruits that i did on that plan. I'm going to try and eat my largest meal for lunch when i can, so that i have the extra hours during the day to burn it off, and I'm not going to bed stuffed full.
No eating past my cut off time (approximately 3 hours before bedtime).
I also want to draw inspiration from the Mediterranean style of diet. Things like eating a handful of nuts a day if i am hungry (walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts). Choosing the right types of fats, not cutting them out - cooking with no oil or butter if possible, otherwise using Olive oil, or olive oil spread.
Using a mashed up avocado in place of butter on bread - cutting right back on my bread intake and replacing it with wholemeal and multi-grain types.
Cutting out soft drinks - i love my soft drink and i HATE water, I'm going to add a little low calorie diet cordial to my water so i can get more of it down. I will allow myself a can of the caffeine free / zero calorie type soft drinks if i need it.
Vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables. If you hate the way they taste... do yourself a favour and buy a juicer, you mask the flavour of the veggies with fruits like watermelon.
Herbs - make these your friend, use them to flavour your food instead of butters, oils and salt. Things like turmeric, garlic, paprika.. they are all very good for you. Use lemon juice to flavour fish.
Variety - don't keep eating the same things over and over, you will start to hate them and this will make you crack. Spend time experimenting and trying to make healthier versions of some of your fav meals. It's amazing how creative hungry overweight people can get lol.
I like to thinly slice zucchini like it is strips of pasta, boil for a few minutes and use it as though it is pasta, adding my healthy pasta sauce - Tomatoes are your friend, use them with spices and onion and you can make a nice pasta sauce. (Although there are acceptable low cal, low sugar / salt pasta sauces available from the store).
EXERCISE IS YUCK - Does anyone like it? My plan is not to FORCE myself to do 30 mins at a time, instead I'm going to do short bursts of it. 3 mins working my core, a gym ball is good for this. I need to keep my own interest and not feel like the torture will never end. Over time you can increase the length and intensity of what you do. Every little bit of exercise helps, if you can only do a 2 min walk, do it every day until you can walk for 3 mins.. etc etc. It might feel like you are getting no where but you will.
Honesty - Be honest with those around you, tell at least 1 person in the world how much you weigh, don't try to keep your weight-loss a secret. Be proud that you are being proactive!. Go to that ticker-factory website and make yourself a weight-loss ticker, you can post these up in lots of weight loss forums, it's amazing how excited you can get changing your weight on those little things. It's like a badge of honour.
What happens when you just want to eat junk food? - Don't deny yourself if the craving is really bad, you will just fixate on it until you binge. Allow yourself a small portion of whatever it may be that you enjoy, but don't keep these foods in your house! I like to believe the 80/20 rule. Be good 80% of the time and 20% of the time allow yourself to indulge.
Don't ever use food as a reward, don't use it to celebrate an event, don't use it because you are bored, don't use it because you are emotional. Food is fuel for your body, not a way to mask other issues.
Set small goals which you reward and celebrate along the way. EG : First 10lbs = Facial, or whatever it is that you like and can fit into your budget. Some people like to put away money at each weight-loss goal, so that when they reach their final goal... they have the cash to buy a new wardrobe.
Don't go crazy and splurge on clothes that won't fit you in another months time lol. I have done that before and boy did i jump the gun!
TAKE BEFORE PHOTOS - NAKED ONES! - FROM EVERY ANGLE! You are going to wish you did once you start losing weight, it's a good way to see your true losses. I like the idea of taking progress pics wearing the same outfit each time, this gives you a better view of the difference!
HUNGER - Don't be afraid of it, it's GOOD to feel some hunger! It means your body is doing its job. Being stuffed full 24/7 is not a healthy thing. Many people eat 2, 3, 4 times more than they should. I don't mean starve yourself, i just mean you don't need to freak out when it is mid-afternoon and your tummy gives a little gurgle lol.
Emotional and Mental Health - As you lose weight, sometimes emotional issues will come up. Some people self sabotage when they notice themselves getting thin or heading towards their goals. Don't let it happen. Be prepared.... keep a journal to write down your thoughts and keep yourself in check. WHEN you fall off the wagon (because 99% of us do), don't let it ruin you. Make everyday a fresh start.
Be realistic - Don't set yourself unrealistic goals, like losing XX amount of weight per month, or XX amount of weight before a certain event. (Like becoming a size 8 before your wedding day). You are just setting yourself up for disappointment in the long run.
THE NUMBERS - Don't weigh yourself obsessively, weight changes throughout the day, set yourself a day for weighing in and do it at the same time every week, wearing the same amount of clothes each time. For me i like to weigh in once a week, first thing in the morning after i have peed, before i have eaten - and in my underwear. Different scales say different things, try and use the same scales all the time.
Tape measure - Get one, it's your best friend when the scales hate you. You are going to have weeks where you gain or stay the same weight... yet you have lost inches all over! I measure around my arms, my waist, and thighs...
ALCOHOL - If you like it, try and stick with red wine. You can't drink like a sailor if you want to be healthy, limit it and when you do drink, drink smartly. Choose the "healthiest" option. Oh and another reason to avoid alcohol is because of those cravings you get when you are intoxicated!
SPEAK with your DR about your plans for weight loss.
Water bottles everywhere - keep one in the car, on your computer desk, near the TV, next to the bed lol... you want to spread out your water intake throughout the day, don't just go drinking 2 bottles in the morning and nothing until the afternoon. You are going to pee a lot at the beginning but eventually you get used to drinking lots of water, and the peeing isn't as frequent. Plus just think of all that exercise you are getting when you need to get out of bed and pee at night lol.
I could keep ranting but I'll leave it at that lol. That's just my own opinions and observations. Good luck to all.
PS: Life is NOW, try not to endlessly tell yourself that you will be starting your new lifestyle tomorrow, because tomorrow may never come. Losing just 10% of your body-weight will reduce your risk of heart attack and other diseases. I'm making it my primary goal to lose that 10%!! Why not set yourself that challenge?
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