Weight problems

[Sabine]

I love to bake and to cook..and to eat..:neutral:

BUT I always have Weight problems.. I tried Low carb, Weight Watchers and some other Diets..

Right now I am trying Low Carb again, but I not happy .. I am missing all the "Bad" Carbs..
*(


What are you doing, if you have also Weight Problems?

[Father Christmas]

My weight has always gone up and down but I've consistently found 2 things that work -

- Eating a main meal during the day and just a light snack in the evening.

- Regular exercise...obvious but really makes the difference.

I love sweet stuff also but just try to moderate it.

[Courtney]

Have you ever had your thyroid checked? Low thyroid can cause weight gain. I have thyroid problems and am always on one diet or another, I haven't really found one that works yet. Although, protein and fiber are pretty good tummy fillers. I think after the 1st of the year I am going to try the 'baby food diet'. Couldn't hurt. Good luck!

[rodmonster]

Secret to my success...
I train hard all week - hit gym 4-5 times a week and do cardio. Count calories, carbs, fat grams , and protein Mon - through Friday at lunch....and you have to COUNT THEM ALL and not surpass the number you have in place. If you cant find the numbers - YOU DON'T EAT IT....
Then on Friday night through Sunday night - i eat EVERYTHING i want...

So i lose some during the week...gain a little over the weekend...and i stay balanced....and still enjoy all the goodies....

If you want to loose more you just throw in a couple of weekends that you don't get to enjoy and you are back on track.....
=)

[XmasDreams]

Weight is a tough thing to handle from time to time. My wife and I both have had LapBand surgery. While that is good for us, the down side is if you don't change the behavior then it wont change a thing.

[ReineV]

I have been struggling with my weight since college. Like you, I LOVE food. There was a point when I was "effortlessly skinny", then all of the sudden, dorm life hit and midnight pizza cravings and all night study sessions that led to 2am runs to the Waffle House killed my metabolism.

My sister has a similar body type as me and she lived a pretty sedentary lifestyle her whole life (she's 35). One day, she went to the doctor's and found out that she had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was pre-diabetic. This was scary because we know people who have died prematurely because of these problems. She didn't want to die young, so she decided to make a change and ended up inspiring our whole family.

She simply started it all by eating better and exercising more self control. She ate slower and made better choices. Instead of five cookies, she stops at 2 or 3. She eats slower and she cooks at home more and she also doesn't eat after a certain time in the evening. She never skips meals! That's a big thing. If you don't eat or skip meals, your metabolism will slow down. Also, one thing that often gets us is our portion sizes. If one thing visiting another country has taught me was the fact that our portion sizes ARE OUT OF CONTROL! No wonder obesity is the leading preventable cause of death in our country. We don't need all of the food that we pile onto our plates!

If you go out to eat, simply divide the food in half as soon as you get your plate and only eat half of what you're brought. Pack up the rest to go and voila! You have lunch for the next day AND you're saving money.

I watched my sister and noticed she still eats the same things she did before, she just eats them in moderation. Once she got used to the whole "eating better" thing, she started working out. It started with just walks around her neighborhood, then progressed to jog/walks (5 minutes of jogging/10 minutes of walking). She continued increasing the amount of time she jogged and lowering the amount of time she walked until she was doing nothing but jogging. Then she purchased a gym membership.

Now, she goes to the gym 5 days a week, has done her first 5k and has lost nearly 70lbs. All from eating better and exercise. I've already begun my journey! I'm hoping to lose 50lbs.

[UnchosenFragmnts]

Gastric bypass patient here. I've lost 254 pounds since having it. Tough to lose the taste of food and the feel of a good fill though.....

[XmasDreams]

Gastric bypass patient here. I've lost 254 pounds since having it. Tough to lose the taste of food and the feel of a good fill though.....


Congrats,

Btw did you ever have any issue with the bypass, I had a friend that had an issue and ended up getting the band few years later.

[MsChristmas]

My Dad always taught me to watch or semi watch what you eat during the week and allow yourself some goodies on the weekend. Also exercise even if its just walking a few times a week. I think every little bit makes a difference! I told my Hubby I was thinking of hibernating this winter and I would start packing on a few pounds between now and through Christmas so I can really enjoy myself cheesy. In realitity though I think portion control is also very important. Like ReineV said instead of eating 5 cookies eat 2 or 3!

[frostyman]

I struggle with my weight, maybe that's why people call me Frosty because I'm shaped like him. I struggle with my appetite and I eat too much. I have recently increased my exercise and drink more water and it seems to be helping.

[novelist]

:cry:I've always had weight issues too. Not that I'm fast, but I wish I weighed less than I do. Who doesn't I guess! Anway, I excercise everyday. I do jump roping, and the treadmill. My husband and I go to a track 5 days a week. if for some reason, we can't get to the track, like today, we take a walk in our neighborhood. Besides excercise, we also watch our portions, thats a big part of keeping weight pff. We have fruit every morning with our breakfast, we don't eat inbetween meals, and we have a salad every night with our dinner. Usually with our lunch, we'll treat ourselves to some cookie, but i only allow myself two. My husband on the other hand has more. During the weeek, we don't have dessert after dinner, but treat oursleves to dessert on the weekends.

[caninemom3]

I too have struggled with my weight since I was younger. I have done all the diets, Weight Watchers (which is very healthy) crash diets, Jenny Craig. I lost 40 pounds with Weight Watchers and kept it off for 3 years by following their program and exercising 3 times a week. Then I started getting "cravings" all the time (I am a compulsive eater) and that was that. It all came back. I lost 40 pounds again by going to Jenny Craig last June and reaced my goal in December 2009 so not quite a year yet. I think if a person just tries to exercise as much as they can and eat sensibly without leaving out any of the food groups even sweets and carbs, that eventually a person will lose.

:tree:

[LightningFlashJack]

I did the low carb diet (and still do to an extent) and lost over 50 pounds in 6 months. I lost 30 of them in the first 2 months. Then I plateaued for awhile as I put on more muscle through exercise but then more fat started burning off.

If you're going to do the low carb thing, look for the low carb substitute of the bad carbs. Atkins puts out some delicious granola bars (with chocolate) that only count for 3 grams of carbs. And look online for an online low carb grocery store. Some things cost a bit more but can be worth it to have the low carb equivalent (bread, ketchup, etc)

And, like everyone else has been saying, get some sort of exercise. Walking 20 minutes a day (a brisk, continuous walk to get the heart working) will help immeasurably! Even if you can only do it three times a week!

Oooooooor you could just start throwing up more. Sure, it's not healthy but look at all those sexy models who do it. They all can't be wrong, can they??? :P

[Christkind]

Weight loss is energy in versus energy out. The complicated plans are why people fail..eat this, eat at this time, blah blah. Calories are calories, whether you eat 1200 calories worth of cake or 1200 calories worth of pork roast. Find out what your basal metabolism is. Then eat 1000calories less than that to lose 2lbs per week (3500 calories to lose 1lb -500 calorie deficit per day, 500x 7 days, so double that to lose 2 lbs per. To lose weight it is like 80% food to 20% exercise. Think about it, you can work for an hour and burn 500 calories at the gym, but all it takes is one burger or a snack here and there to erase that. It is a mistake to take on 2 goals at one also. Most people cut calories and change to a healthier eating pattern. Do one or the other first...cut calories, get to your weight, then change your eating style or change your eating style, then cut calories.
People fail because they make it so complicated...listen to science..energy in versus energy out..

[DoubleA]

Secret to my success...
I train hard all week - hit gym 4-5 times a week and do cardio. Count calories, carbs, fat grams , and protein Mon - through Friday at lunch....and you have to COUNT THEM ALL and not surpass the number you have in place. If you cant find the numbers - YOU DON'T EAT IT....
Then on Friday night through Sunday night - i eat EVERYTHING i want...

So i lose some during the week...gain a little over the weekend...and i stay balanced....and still enjoy all the goodies....

If you want to loose more you just throw in a couple of weekends that you don't get to enjoy and you are back on track.....
=)

Haha, I do that same thing! It is nice to be able and cheat on the weekends, makes it seem like you can really deal with those five days.
I tend to eat the 5 basic meals and throw in a lot of cardio being sure to do some high intensity things going in there so it can raise your heart rate.

[UnchosenFragmnts]

Congrats,

Btw did you ever have any issue with the bypass, I had a friend that had an issue and ended up getting the band few years later.

Never had any issues that weren't expected. The surgery itself just about killed me but that was because I started at such a high weight. I always tell people that weight loss surgery is 99% mental and 1% physical. Halloweens and Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are not as fun anymore. And its not fun at all to cook and smell all of this food that you know your body can't handle.

And I can't hardly drink milk, which I absolutely used to love.

[Meceka]

I drink a lot of water, workout at least three times a week, and eat in moderation. My biggest meal of the day is breakfast or brunch.

[Kimothy]

I've struggled too. Here is what I've learned that works for me.

1.) Keep a food journal/notebook and write down every morsel you eat/drink each day. **I did this for about 2 weeks in August and actually seeing what I put into my mouth and how many calories it added up to really surprised me. Though I don't do it anymore, I'm still VERY AWARE (in my mind!) at what I consume!**

2.) Have a "menu" of your dinners already set up and purchase those items at the grocery store the weekend before. This helps you SEE for yourself what you intend to put inside your body.

3.) Shake-up your meals. Don't eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner.

4.) Only weigh yourself once a week, first thing in the morning. If you weigh yourself everyday, you're setting yourself up into driving yourself batty!

5.) Go online and print out healthier versions of your favorite meals. Here is a favorite site.

http://www.eatingwell.com (http://www.eatingwell.com)


6.) Don't beat yourself up if you blow a meal or a day. It's just one time! You can start from scratch the next morning!

7.) Don't skip breakfast!! If you do, you actually end up consuming MORE calories during the day to make up that important meal you missed.

8.) Exercise! Now that the weather is s-l-o-w-l-y getting cooler, I'm able to walk myself to and from work. It's a good 30 minutes each way. 60 minutes + 5 days a week = GREAT exercise and muscle build up for my legs!!



Though I'm on the drug Prednisone, I don't make excuses. Yes, it's a steroid but it's not a valid reason for me to be lazy and eat whatever I want! I still force myself to try to eat right (pasta is my weakness!), drink LOTS of water (not quite 64 oz....usually more like 56), eat smaller portions, and give myself pats on the back when I know I've had a good day. Good luck to everyone! cheesy

[caninemom3]

I've struggled too. Here is what I've learned that works for me.

1.) Keep a food journal/notebook and write down every morsel you eat/drink each day. **I did this for about 2 weeks in August and actually seeing what I put into my mouth and how many calories it added up to really surprised me. Though I don't do it anymore, I'm still VERY AWARE (in my mind!) at what I consume!**

2.) Have a "menu" of your dinners already set up and purchase those items at the grocery store the weekend before. This helps you SEE for yourself what you intend to put inside your body.

3.) Shake-up your meals. Don't eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner.

4.) Only weigh yourself once a week, first thing in the morning. If you weigh yourself everyday, you're setting yourself up into driving yourself batty!

5.) Go online and print out healthier versions of your favorite meals. Here is a favorite site.

http://www.eatingwell.com (http://www.eatingwell.com)


6.) Don't beat yourself up if you blow a meal or a day. It's just one time! You can start from scratch the next morning!

7.) Don't skip breakfast!! If you do, you actually end up consuming MORE calories during the day to make up that important meal you missed.

8.) Exercise! Now that the weather is s-l-o-w-l-y getting cooler, I'm able to walk myself to and from work. It's a good 30 minutes each way. 60 minutes + 5 days a week = GREAT exercise and muscle build up for my legs!!



Though I'm on the drug Prednisone, I don't make excuses. Yes, it's a steroid but it's not a valid reason for me to be lazy and eat whatever I want! I still force myself to try to eat right (pasta is my weakness!), drink LOTS of water (not quite 64 oz....usually more like 56), eat smaller portions, and give myself pats on the back when I know I've had a good day. Good luck to everyone! cheesy

Kimothy thank you for this wonderful post !! Sorry I did not see it until now. You have such wonderul suggestions !! I am on prednisone too but I tend to be a couch potato. You have inspired me ! Thanks.