well ladies I finally made the decision to start taking my weight seriously.I never had trouble losing weight untill I turned 30.Now it hangs on for dear life.I am already fast walking,and now I have joined an online support community that lets me journal my calories and activities.I am looking to lose 37 pounds by next spring,so wish me luck and pray for me!!I have a question though.I am a late night snacker,and need some ideas for some healthy snacks.If you could give me a few ideas that would be great.GOD-bless

Good luck with it, i always make the decision to do something about my weight but never get around to it.

I medicate myself with food literally! i was abused as a child and instead of my mother giving me a hug she used to give me money to go to the corner shop! so now i equate food with comfort.

I wish it was like smoking, COLD TURKEY! but you have to eat to live.

I wish you well

Lady E, I'm not really qualified to give advice on weight, since I have about 20 pounds to lose myself, but here's my thoughts (and I should follow these as well!)--

- Do the "grease" test--if what you're eating would leave a greasy stain if you dropped it on your clothes, don't eat it (like ice cream, cakes, cookies, chips, etc.)

- Try eating some fruit that fills you up, like grapes or a banana

- Some nice tasting tea at night helps sometimes, or low fat hot chocolate

- Some pita bread with a low fat dip

- Set a time that you will absolutely not eat past

- Some low fat yogurt

- Frozen yogurt (I make mine in an ice cream maker--not as fattening as ice cream)
- Some popcorn, plain or with cheese sprinkled on it

Good luck! Now if only I can take my own advice...

Frisbee

I'm with you LadyE! I need to lose 20lbs by January. I'm going to do it!! Don't eat anything white. No white flour, no sugar, no white rice. I was shocked at how many things have flour and sugar!

WE CAN DO THIS!!!!

Hi Lady E


I am also in the weight loss boat. I am carrying around an extra 25 lbs I could do without. I know you are a late-night snacker but you may have to give that up.
I read somewhere that for optimum weight loss one should not eat after seven o'clock.Easier said than done right? Good luck to you!

Take care
Tara

I too need to lose about thirty pounds...at least. I am also a late night snacker as well!!! I wish you luck too and am looking for words of encouragement also...hopefully we can do it together!

Suzanne

I highly recommend fresh fruit (I love cut-up mixed fruit) and popcorn for snacks. Popcorn has a lot of fiber. I get the Orville Reddenbacher 100 calorie packs, they toned down the salt but still have too much for my taste. I'm thinking about getting an air popper.

My diet recommendation (which I am currently doing with success): do not go low calorie, try 1400-1600 cals. You will lose weight slowly but not feel like you are overly deprived.

That is GREAT advice!! I think my downfall is always trying to keep it at 1100-1200 calories. I end up hungry at 8PM, and that is the kiss of death for me. Getting hungry is the worst, all good judgement flies out the window!

Thanks for the tip. I think it could be the answer for me.

It really does work. It takes longer but you feel much more in control. Oh, my other piece of advice: NO GOAL DATES ! Just make your goal to lose weight, that's all. None of that "I have to be xxx pounds by Christmas" stuff. :-)

And can I add... just weigh yourself once a week. Try not to obsess daily on the number!!

Definately,lets just keep posting!I am actually doing great today.I am under my calorie limit,and walked for 45 minutes at a very brisk pace.I still have a few calories left for the day so that if I get a craving it won't hurt my success.according to the website I am using I am allowed 1728 calories daily if I want to lose the weight by April 9 of next year.That is my birthday and I can't think of a better gift to give myself.We can do this!GOD-bless

I hate scales!!! I do not even have any at home right now.I plan on buying a new scale,but I dread it because I am a weigh every day and get dissapointed kind of gal.Good advice though,Thanks and GOD bless

Thanks all for the encouragement and advice-I hope we can all reach our goals.GOD-bless

I had salmon for dinner, with some sauteed veggies. I put a tad of olive oil in a pan, whisked around some fresh red peppers, onion, mushrooms, zuchinni. In a different pan, I fried (NO oil or butter) a salmon filet (when the pan got hot I kind of added a little bit of water to create a steaming effect). I put the salmon on the plate, poured my veggies over it, added a bit of lemon and there you have it! It took 15 minutes to prepare AND cook!

YUMMY!!

We can do it girls!!!

XOXOXOX

Leanne

Hi LadyE:

I will keep you in my prayers as always. You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugs to you,
Jeaninne

Oh leanne, I so agree about not obsessing with weighing yourself ! I just recently had a few days where my weight went up even though I was faithful to my diet. I know my hormones are causing it, I'm soon to get a period IF I get one this month, and yet I was frustrated anyway and I went off my diet for a day to cope with the frustration. Now I'm back on and I refuse to weigh myself for several days, just so I won't be frustrated again !

I am on day three of counting my calories and I have been under my allowed limit all three days!!Yay me! I walked again today-35 minutes very brisk.I am also trying to drink a lot of water.Tomorrow I buy a dreaded scale.I need it for weekly weight checks.GOD-bless ladies!we can do it!!

Thanks!!

YOU GO GIRL!!!! My big test will be the weekend. I'm usually pretty good Mon-Fr, and fall apart and undo all the good on the weekend.

I KNOW WE CAN DO IT!!

Oh,weekends are very hard as I am a chinese buffet kind of girl!! But I can actually eat the "good stuff"as long as I do not go overboard and as long as I exercise.We are going to look so good!!!!GOD-bless

Turkey breast and string cheese rollups, small handful of almonds, apple with peanut butter, plain (no sugar or fruit added) yogurt or cottage cheese (works the best as casein digested slowly), high fiber crackers (Bran-O-Crisp) with few sardines and tomato slices..anything with protein, fiber, and some good fat.
You can do it, just don't sweat the scale too much, eat healthy and move around, if scale does not move, you will lose inches and feel good.
Good luck.

Leanne,
1200 calories is starvation, as many experts agree. Weight loss on low calorie plan rarely sticks, eventually your body will stop burning and start saving every calorie you eat, and then we all know what happens... it comes back and brings friends
Hunger is any diet buster, a way to stay at lower calories regimen and never be hungry, avoiding food that makes you hungry: sugar!
Limit your sugar intake, no matter how tempting are those 100 calories treats are, especially low fat variety, and you will take care of hunger.
Plenty of protein, preferable animal kind, lots of non starchy veggies, good fats, and limited fruit, yes, this one is diet buster big time, especially the sweet one, grapes, bananas, mango, pineapple.
Eat berries, apples, pears, they lower in sugar and lots of fiber.
But try them with meal, not as snack.
Bottom line, you can still do 1200 calories a day if you have energy and feel good on this level, but keep away from sugars and starches, this is the easiest way to defeat hunger.
There are different low carb ice cream, if you can't live without it, instead of sugar laden low at variety, plain dairy products, full fat, cheese, nuts, if you limit sugar, you won't be hungry eating fat, and a little bit is very satisfying.
Tried and true, when I want to lose few #, I drop carbs, it is old trick to lose weight and keep hunger at bay
HTH

Just a note about scales ...

Strain-gauge scales, which are what most home scales are, are NOTORIOUSLY imprecise. You can step on 5 different times and see 5 different weights, even with the most reputable brands. You can pee and step back on and weigh MORE !

If you obsess about the scale, it's best to get the balance-beam type, what they have in the doc's office.

I agree totally. Been good all week, and I'm down 4 lbs. I am determined to stay on track during the weekend. A handfull of almonds really helps me when I'm feeling hungry. Thanks Iradan! XOXOXOX

I am so proud of you! 4 pounds is great! I wish I could lose some! I have been doing well on calories,walking every day and have not lost a bit Why! I will keep at it.I will not give up!GOD bless

Hang in there Lady, sometimes it takes a week or so to get your metabolism moving in the right direction. My g/f was on the straight and narrow for over 3 weeks before she lost a pound, but then it came off very quickly after that! SO STICK WITH IT!!

My neighbors are having a "margarita and taco" party tonight. OMG- I hope I don't fold! I just made myself a chicken breast with some broccoli... and I'm really full right now so I hope I can deal with the temptation!! I hate weekends!! LOL

Remember not to deprive yourself completely or you will end up feeling angry and binge.I had pizza today and still stayed under my calories-It is all in the amounts.Have a good night-GOD-bless

Well,guess what?I have lost two whole pounds.I have been doing very well counting my calories.We can do this!!

YAY Lady!! Good Job!! Yes, we can do this!! I managed to do well over the weekend, I did have one beer, but hey... so what, you gotta live! I stayed away for all the food at that party, so that was good. I'm not weighing myself until Thursday.

YES, WE CAN DO THIS!!

Well I am now in my second week of calorie counting and I feel good.I actually feel more in control of my eating habits.No more late night snacking,no more emotional eating.I have been staying under 1700 calories daily,and walking daily.I went grocery shopping today and bought things that were not huge in calories.I still eat normal food,I just don't gorge on them!I may not lose the weight fast,but I feel like I am changing my eating habits completely.I feel really good about this.So far,three pounds down,31 to go!!GOD-bless

Well,my naked weight(no clothes after the shower)is down another pound!I feel like I am making progress-slowly but surely I guess!I am going to try a Jillian Michaels workout today,it is a 20 minute workout with cardio,abs,and strength training.I watched it last night and it looked do able.I am a bit of a work out wimp lately,all I want to do in fall weather is curl up under an afgan and nap!!!I am still sticking to my calories,even went to a buffet over the weekend and did really good!we can do this!!!!GOD-bless

LadyE: I am on a diet too! In my case, I'm going to heed the words of our ever-wise sister here, Iradan....lot of lean protein, healthy fats, non-starchy veggies, and for at least 2 weeks, no fruit of any kind. I'm in the pre-diabetic category, and need to adopt a style of eating that will keep my blood sugar levels as low as possible and healthy.

Iradan, if you are reading this, what is your opinion about ketosis? Do you think it's worth it to test your urine and see if you are passing ketones? Also, if I'm trying to jump start my body into burning fat vs. burning carbohydrates, is it reasonable not to eat any fruit for a week or two?

Thanks, and best of luck to all of us!!!

Round Robinjust wanted to wish you luck!! I decided to finally start counting calories.I thought it would be awful but it is wonderful.I allow myself 1700 a day,and so far have been staying under that.I have been walking,today I did a Jillian Michaels circuit training for 20 minutes-so hard!!I really feel better about me.We can do this!GOD-bless

I had a terrible food weekend. Pasta... pizza... beer... I must have consumed over 2000 calories each day easily. I'm back on track this morning (eating my fruit!) I don't think I will weigh myself this week

Robin.. Be careful with going into ketosis. When I go too low carb, and too high fat my kidneys start hurting. I can't do it. I think you're fine if you just pay attention to your body. Drink LOTS of water!!

Good Job Lady!! You're my hero!! I think you are totally right... slow and steady.

I'm going to Vegas for one night this week. I've already told my g/f's: NO BUFFETS! LOL

Don't be hard on yourself just move forward.Try to eat alittle protein with meals it will help you feel more full!GOD bless

Good for you! I would join you, but I'm just not motivated enough right now.

Have you seen the weight loss tickers? Fun to play with and it's so encouraging to see the ticker "go down."

I don't have the ticker,but I am using a free website that allows me to log in all my calories and activities and weight.They then tell me when I can expect to meet my goal.They have the calories amounts for tons of food even fast food.If anyone wants the name of the site just send me a pm.GOD-bless

Thanks Lady for the PM about the website... I'll check it out later.

But I DID check out my BMR. I guess this is the number of calories I need to consume to MAINTAIN my current weight. I found the formula on a website. If you good "calculate BMR" you'll find it.

Anyway... to maintain my current weight I need to consume 1755 calories a day. So FOR ME 1700 calories a day wont do a lot of good. I need to cut it to 1300-1400 to see slow but steady weight loss.

Check out your BMR's. It's very interesting!

Leanne

I did the bmr on the website I use,thanks though!

Well here I am about two 1/2 weeks into calorie counting and I have lost 5 pounds!!Seriously!I am so happy.I am looking forward to wearing flattering clothes again.I love flare leg jeans,and I plan on looking good in them again! Of course this is period week,so I will probably have some bloat.I will try not to pay attention to the scale this week.GOD bless ladies and have a great day.

Weigh to go! That's great progress!!!

Thanks! I am so happy.GOD-bless