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Old 01-01-2016, 10:34 AM   #1  
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Default 1st Time Ever Trying to Lose Weight..words of wisdom?

Always was a chubby kid, grew up with health food fanatic so no junk food but many trips to Dr to see how I was overweight and sibling was underweight. Grew up to be a teen who could gain or drop 50 at the blink of the eye with no discernible change in diet or exercise. Grew up to be a distracted mom who focused on her family and ignored the weight creeping up and also randomly falling off at times. So...here I am, 34 years old and this weight needs to come off. I have no history of what worked or didn't work for me, no failed attempts because I was too chicken to try, haven't exercised other than chasing kids for a good 15 years, and am waiting to hear back from my Dr on thyroid test that again was off but not enough for meds. My goals are to hound my Dr until I get an answer that means something, start walking 2x a day, decrease my portion sizes and increase my water. I'm a little lost on where to start as far as diet. I know how to eat healthy. I guess I'm not sure where my focus should be right now while I am trying to see what long term lifestyle changes I can make. Cut out processed food, of course. Cut carbs? Eliminate the evil whites? I've stalked this forum on and off for a number of years but I need a plan now and I'm lost. How soon should I see progress or lack of progress to know whether to switch it up or keep going? Any quick advice or words of wisdom are greatly appreciated! Happy New Year and thank you for all your posts. They've really helped me feel like I can change my life.
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Old 01-01-2016, 11:41 AM   #2  
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Welcome Miss Ruby!
Wish I had some answers. For me I know I am an emotional eater and a sugar addict.
Maybe you could start by choosing a diet/way of eating that you can live with. Then be vigilant about keeping track of everything so you can get some history on what works for you.
Make sure and stick around because we all need support.
Good luck on your journey.
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Old 01-01-2016, 12:29 PM   #3  
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Hi Miss Ruby!
I wish I had answers for you as well. With your history of gaining and losing effortlessly, it sounds like a metabolic issue. I have tried dozens of diets, what works for me now is called the Carbohydrates Addict Diet. You can Google that, there is a test on that site to see if you are "addicted" to carbs. And, what that really means is, does your body produce too much insulin when you eat carb-rich foods. If it does, then the excessive insulin will make your brain think you need to eat more, hence, never satisfied and always hungry and craving carbs.
I believe it is a very doable lifestyle. You can have a reward meal everyday, which includes desserts, if you want. You will have to eat that meal within the hour as to not trigger the insulin "dump" that starts the cycle over again. I just started back on this on Dec 9th, lost about 10 pounds since that time. The best thing is, I am not hungry between meals.

Best wishes to you!
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Old 01-02-2016, 09:01 AM   #4  
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Thank you! Tracking is definitely going to be a problem as I'm currently on that fabulous "Eat what your kids left on their plate" diet. I'm taking pictures now until I can get the hang of one of these trackers.
I'm off to Google Carb addict Diet!

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Old 01-03-2016, 10:46 PM   #5  
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1. Calories for weight loss, exercise for fitness.
2. Track everything you put in your mouth.
3. It's ok to throw food away. Really.
4. Never and always are very harsh words.
5. Every day is a brand new day.

Last edited by Vex; 01-03-2016 at 10:56 PM.
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Old 01-03-2016, 10:50 PM   #6  
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Now to something more specific. If you're looking for a plan start simple. So many times we can be overwhelmed by 'eat this and not that.'

Everyone is different, but I've found that picking a calorie limit (for me that's 1200-1500) and sticking to it has me losing weight. I don't count anythingi specific, just calories. If it's 1200 calories of ice cream that day, so be it, but I hope not

Last edited by Vex; 01-03-2016 at 10:51 PM.
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Old 01-14-2016, 08:42 PM   #7  
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Miss Ruby,

Welcome to 3FC and to the 300+ Club, Good Luck on your journey, Please keep us posted on your progress.
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Old 02-08-2016, 03:41 AM   #8  
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Hi Miss Ruby! I have tried many times to lose weight, and so far, the only thing that has worked for me is to join a gym challenge that combines diet and exercise. I need structure and strict instruction that eliminates guesswork in order for me to both stick with it and succeed. It will be different for everyone, part of the battle is finding out what works for you!
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Old 02-08-2016, 03:27 PM   #9  
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Ruby:

I started simple. I just started cutting out the unhealthy stuff a little at a time. It's much easier not to eat the calories to begin with, than to try and burn them off. I was having a tablespoon of sugar in my coffee. I'm down to only creamer. Then instead of adding water, I replaced one bad drink with water-then another, until I got down to one cup of coffee and water the rest of the day. I did the same for food. Instead of adding veggies, just replace some things with them. The best investments-I had to think of them this way or I would've done the "mom" thing of not taking care of myself-an activity tracker, a kitchen scale, and using calorie tracking apps on my phone. The scale is important. We actually eat a lot more than we intend to. Portion sizes aren't easy to guess when a serving size is an oz. Really? An oz? Humans are notoriously bad at measuring that kind of stuff without a scale.

I eat everything in moderation. A soda once a week. Chips once a week. A square of dark chocolate or popcorn-if I'm under calories in a day.

My exercise: Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home videos. I found my first one on YouTube for free. I bought a couple of more because I loved the first one. I started at a half of a mile-now I am capable of doing four miles. The interval training one is the best imho.
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Old 02-08-2016, 03:58 PM   #10  
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Welcome Ruby. Congrats on your new fresh start!

I agree with a lot of the prior posters here. Keep it simple and keep it basic. One other key thing for me was to think of it as a new way of eating to keep me healthy for the rest of my life. As you said, it isn't a diet - it's a lifestyle change.

Counting calories seems to work best for me. I can see what I'm eating and spot small changes that make an impact over a period of time. My morning oatmeal used to be oats, raisins, butter and brown sugar. Now I'm very happy with oats, berries and a bit of stevia. I think it saved about 200 or more calories for a meal I eat often. It's the little things that will really add up.

One other thought - and take this from a person with no kids so I may be WAY off base here. Give your kids less food and tell them if they're still hungry when they finish, they can have more. There's less for you to feel like you need to eat it AND perhaps they'll get in the habit of not overloading their own plates as they get older.

IMO Vex's list of 5 is awfully spectacular! Further to what vex says, when I established a calorie limit, it helped me find the optimal amount of protein I needed to feel functional and the calorie and carb amount I could eat and continue to lose. Then all I needed to do was figure out what combo of foods I could eat that would accomplish the protein, calories and carbs AND allow me a treat from time to time. It's been a slow process for me but I'm happy to say that there hasn't been a single day I've felt deprived. Yeah, you go over from time to time. But working within your own plan seems to make it easier to get back to what you really want to be doing.

Personally, "diets" I think aren't a good idea. If you veer from someone elses plan either you feel totally derailed or don't know what to do next. You've already said you know how to eat healthy. That's your key.

Tracking is a lot easier than you might believe. A food scale is a VERY handy tool as well.
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