[Charbar]

Okay..
My current plan is not working. I need to re think things.
I am learning where my problem areas are - ie. I get bored (I'm looking for full time work right now) I snack at night when I'm not hungry (boredom again - trying to make some plans at night instead)

I joined the YMCA a month ago - really enjoying that! It's a great hobby for me.

I've been following WW (on my own) for almost a year - but I'm going no where fast!

Should I could calories, do low carb - or maybe just watch what I'm eating? Sometimes I've thought about just doing 5 fruits/veggies a day (my day normally goes well when I get those in!)

Any advice? food wise? I really want to work hard at the the exercise (I'm going about 4 - 5 times a week) and the water.

Thanks in advance!!!!!


Dana

[RavenToy]

Hey Dana -

I've never done WW, so I can't begin to tell you why it's not working for you. I do believe that not every program works for every body, and that's one of the problems. We all just kind of have to bumble around trying this and that and maybe some of this mixed with some of that until we bumble into the one plan that works for us, something that allows us to feel good, and yet lose weight, and is healthy for us.

I'm pretty much just watching the calories and incorporating the water and exercise. I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day, as much of it from unprocessed sources as possible. I balance my carbs and protiens, and keep the sugar and sodium to a minimum. For me, that works beautifully. And it only took me 20 years to figure it out, too! Yay me! Now as long as I can just keep myself OP, I'll be fine. So far, so good.

Have you tried BFL? Low carb? You might want to figure out what parts worked and what didn't for each plan you've tried and then go from there. Or there are a bunch of folks on 3FC who have a lot of experience with other programs and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to explain how their own programs work. Just keep trying!

[Sheila53]

I've found that actually going to the WW meetings makes the difference for me. I've tried following the program on my own, and that didn't work--maybe it's the accountability and support issues. I don't know. But it isn't cheap (I pay $9 a week) so I can understand why people do it on their own. The nice thing about WW, IMHO, is that you can create a low carb or high carbo or any kind of program. They hand out a little booklet about finding the right mix of foods that works well for each person.

The boredom thing gets me, too, during the afternoon, so I'm not a big help with that. I should probably go to the Y at that time, but I don't drive well in the afternoon. I wish I had a hobby to occupy my hands. When spring comes, I'll garden, but I don't have any indoor hobbies except reading.

I do make it a point to quit all eating after 7:30 pm. I just don't go in the kitchen at night.

Maybe just trying something new will get you going again!

[irishwings]

Hey Dana! I agree with what everybody has said. I know! Put on some Sting music ~ now THERE'S some inspiration! I also like to exercise to the Police ~ gets the blood pumping!

I just have joined WW ~ I've committed to myself to attend the meetings. It's amazing how it has helped me stay on track this week. Whenever I get tempted, I know that scale is coming this Thursday, so I somehow distract myself.

Maybe going to the meetings would be a great way to give your program a shot in the arm. It certainly has livened things up for me! And believe me I have been struggling greatly.

And it IS true that you can do low carb stuff on this plan, while still allowing yourself some things, so that you don't feel deprived.

You're doing great!!! We all feel this way at one time or another, and you will keep going and succeed! Hang in there!!!

*smiles* irishwings

[Goddess Jessica]

Okay, I'm the Queen of Boredom (a queen and a goddess, man am I good). I get bored soooo easily. I notice that whenever I'm bored, I'm hungry! So, here's a few things that I've done to alleviate the boredom.

1. Pick a new hobby. Here are some suggestions:

- Write. Short Story. Fiction. Erotica. Pick a genre and go. Who cares if you're not any good at it. Just immerse yourself in it. Don't know where to begin? Start with the life story of Dana. I'd read it!

- Sewing, kniting, decoupage art. Something that requires food to be some distance away but totally interests you. I make cards. Very intricate, beautiful cards that include springs and bobbles and a lot of thought.

2. Recognize your boredom and totally change the situation that caused it.

For example, are you more likely to eat when you're watching TV? Turn the damn thing off. Put on some music! Are you bored when the little ones nap? Learn some yoga poses, try doing a headstand.

3. Food boredom. Okay, this one is tough. I mean, when you're bored with food, you end up overeating because nothing is satisfying. When this happens to me, I watch an episode of Cooking Thin or I put some wild recipes off of allrecipes.com. Cooking Thin is very family oriented, so you'll find more recipes there that the whole family will enjoy (read , "won't make faces at.") I am more likely to stick to an eating plan I enjoy. And I enjoy food that I've cooked a lot more than if I eat it out.

Okay, the Queen of Boredom is out of advice. Hope it helps!

[SuchAPrettyFace]

I, too, would read the life story of Dana.

My best OP days, I have a piece of sugarless gum in my mouth. I like Dentyne Ice, the one with the black label. Clears your sinuses right out.

It sounds like you're doing really great w/exercise. I think maybe you are gaining muscle? Muscle weighs more than fat. I think it's an excellent idea to get your 5 a day in. I'd start w/that & see how that goes.

[Charbar]

Thanks everyone!
I guess I need a kick in the a$$ - a chance to snap out of it. Get rid of the boredom!
Irishwings - a little motivation from Sting sounds perfect. I need to watch my dvd of him - that always gets me motivated.
I agree with the ww program - I just need to readjust things.
I do want to add more fruit and veggies - very excited about summer coming - that always makes that easier. I bought some watermelon on Monday

I really can't justify going back to the meetings. I'd rather spend the money on the gym. I don't want to pay $80/month on this diet - and that's how much it would be if I added going back to the meetings. The Y has a "Y weight" program 10 weeks for $35 - maybe I could look into that. It's similer to ww - but I think it's on a individual basis.

I'm thinking too about raising my points range, currently it's 24-29... if you figure out 60 calories/point - that's 1740 calories/day - I like the old program that gave me those 2 points (I didn't have to earn them from exercise) that would be 1860 calories. I burn ~200 calories when I exercise.

I really don't care how slow I lose the weight. I just want to lose it!!!!!

Thanks again.

[muelledk]

Dana, another option is to try WW online. I did that for a while (when I was actually losing my weight). It is way cheaper than the meetings, and I found when I was actually doing the journal and using the tools, it was working wonders! But you have to have the right frame of mind. I mean you are doing it pretty much on your own, but the tools sure are nice.

[irishwings]

That's great Dana! The weight program sounds perfect! I should look into that myself ~ I'm a big believer in developing a little more muscle mass in order to increase metabolism.

BTW, did you see the VH1 Hall of Fame Awards the other night? The Police were on there and performed!!! It was SO cool to see them together again. Stewart Copeland looked so happy to be back on stage with Sting and Andy. He's hardly changed a bit!

I hope they re-run that show so I can tape it!!!

Everybody have a great day!

*smiles* irishwings (Holly)

[muelledk]

Holly, I didn't see The Police, actually I didn't even hear that they would be performing together! I am really upset that I missed it!!! I wish that I had seen it. I am a HUGE police fan.

Dana, hey, maybe you should check out fitday.com. It was mentioned on another thread, and I just signed up. It seems to have a lot of the tools that WW online did, but the best thing about it is that it is FREE! Anyway, I figure it is worth a try.

[irishwings]

Hey Denise! ME TOO!!! I've been a huge Police fan for over 20 years! I think I was in 7th grade when "Synchronicity" came out.
"Outlandos D' Amour" is a great exercise album!!!

I'm going to VH1.com to see if they plan to re-run that show. I am so upset that I didn't get it taped!

I didn't hear anything about it either, I just happened to find it that night! You'd think that with something as HUGE as the Police getting back together to perform, it would have been all over the place in advertisements!!!

Have a great day! *smiles* irishwings (Holly)

[Charbar]

I saw the show on VH1 - it was pretty good to see them together - but you could tell they haven't done it for a while! Sting's style has really changed.

Denise - I'm trying fitday.com today will be my first day. Do you find you have to add a lot of your own custom food? I have already added 3 foods.
Any hints of using the site?

[muelledk]

Dana, I just started at fitday.com, so, I'm not really sure about everything yet, either. I will say this though, it seemed to have as much, if not more of the same information that WW online did. I actually found that I was putting in less of the custom foods that I used to at WW. Although it is a pain to add custom foods, they are still there the next time you need it. And, if you are like me, a creature of habit, you eat pretty much the same stuff every month. I think that only thing that it is missing is the recipe point finder that WW had (where you put in the recipe and it calculates the points). But that was kind of a pain, and if I really want to on fitday.com, I think that I could.
Maybe you should ask Jennelle or Raventoy, as they are the one's who meantioned it on another thread. I think that once you set your calorie goal, it does a good job helping you track it. Also, I think that the reports are pretty neat!

[RavenToy]

I heard my name mentioned... so I thought I'd chime in. I've only been using fitday for about three weeks. Like you, Denise, I'm kind of a creature of habit. I find foods that work for me and I eat them all the time. For about the first week, my BF kept teasing me that we were going to have to install a wireless keyboard so that I could stay upstairs with all my little food containers instead of running back and forth all the time with my arms full of empty boxes and such. Pft. I told him it was good exercise.

Now I find myself only entering in a few things a week. It has been really invaluable in helping me understand how much food I can eat in a given time period to stay within certain parameters. Not to mention it has made me aware of "quality vs. quantity".

And yes, Denise, the reports are great! Last week I ran my caloric intake report and realized that once I averaged it out, I was taking in less than 1200 calories a day. So I bumped it up by adding a boiled egg here, or yogurt there. I find that lately it's very easy for me to just not eat. Huge no no. As much as I am a creature of habit, those habits tend to be extreme. *sigh*

Good luck using the site, I hope it is as helpful to you as it has been for me!

[muelledk]

I've been playing with the reports all day to see what I am missing. I thought that I was eating a well-balanced diet, but BOY was I mistaken!!!!! I can't believe how I don't ever meet the recomended amounts! I think another thing about fitday is that I will not only learn to eat the correct portions, but the foods that I need to stay healthy.
That is funny that you weren't eating enough calories, because I realized that I haven't been either. I either eat WAY too many or WAY too few. No wonder I haven't been losing any weight.
Dana, I really hope that this works well for you. I think that if you stick to it and really give it a chance, it may just turn out to be a great motivator! I'm sure that you can do well here, I think that the key to success with fitday is to use the reports.