[kaclimer]

Hello everyone! I am new here but not new to dieting. I have had a problem with my weight since the birth of my 6th child. And since I had my hysterectomy....things are totally out of control. I have 100+ pounds to lose. I know it took me years to put it on and it will take a long time to get it off. I really need motivation!!! I live in a house with skinny people. They just don't understand.

Any ideas on how I can start out?

Also, I would love to know what kind of cheese I can use on salads and such that is low in fat and still tastes good. The key here is still tastes good.

I look forward to chatting with you guys and getting great motivational support.

Kim in TX

[gma22]

Hi Kim, it is nice to meet you and welcome to 3fc!The word "diet" to me is a dirty word because the connotation is that you do something for a time and then quit. That cannot happen for someone who needs to lose weight. YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TO A TOTAL LIFE CHANGE. Now though that sounds daunting, it really isn't but it does take commitment, to changing how you think about yourself, how you think about food, how you eat, ie, do you tend to binge or over eat when you are bored, angry, depressed, etc. You have to break bad habits like eating in front of the tv or while reading, in the car, or on a bus. You need to commit to getting some exercise everyday. I firmly believe if you want to lose and keep it off that exercise is so very important and setting yourself up a routine is the best way. Don't try to do too much with exercise though. Start out slow just so that you can enjoy it and then increase in intensity and length. Though I don't agree with him about everything, I do think Dr Phil's new book has great insights and if you can get it and read it.

I found that an ordinary fat and cal counting worked for me. I did put a LOT of work into it by making myself a months worth of menus and following them, but once I did that, I now can know exactly everyday what to eat, how much etc. I also exercise everyday and rarely miss. Sometimes, I am busy and only get 20 minutes in doing strengthy training, but I try to do SOMETHING everyday. If you would like to see a couple sample menus to get an idea, just personal message me and I will send them to you. They are 1800 calories/410 fat calories so if you need to lose a lot less than I they may need to be tweaked a bit to fit into your personal program.

If you need encouragement, go to www.freewebs.com\trexnonny/ and look at all the stuff. I hope it will encourage you to take this step and help you to realize you CAN DO THIS! I would also encourage you to find a group in the support section if you haven't already to draw on when you are having trouble or when things are good and you want to crow. Check out Time for Serious Fun on Support. There is a lot to do there and the thread is specifically set up to help you have FUN yes FUN losing weight!

Faye

[2cute2Bfat]

Welcome Kim... you have found a great site.
I just wanted to say... don't even try to get skinny people to understand.
Do you understand how an alcoholic can drink to the point of losing his job, his family, his life.?? Do you understand how a compulsive gambler can gamble his mortgage money, food money for his kids, his entire paycheck ?
Just as we cannot understand how they can continue a behavior that is not only harmful to themselves but also their family.... skinny people cannot understand us.

WE DON'T NEED their understanding to get well.
We need our own understanding of what it will take to get well... and then DOING IT. Easier said than done... I know.
BUT... it can be done. And with the support of the people in this site who can understand where you are at and where you are coming from.... YOU TOO CAN SUCCEED.

Read all the threads you can. There are many many to choose from.
I have found all of them to be helpful.
When you find one that you feel like joining... jump right in.
You will be welcomed with open arms.

In fact... you can join more than one... or just surf. There are no rules here you have to follow. REad and find which places feel like they have what you need... then join in.

[fern]

Welcome Kim. I am also pretty new to the site , but not doing my life change. I think the best thing is start a food journal of what you eat and how you feel . Most days I feel good, eat well. but you do/will struggle but the important thing is get back up and go. It is the total picture that counts. So look around and see what other folks are doing. I also have diabetes and I make sure I exercise every day but Sunday. My loss has been slow 20 pounds in 2 years, but people say you look great. So you can do this one day at a time.