[Meganator]

I am almost 28 years old, not extremely active, and know nothing about getting fit. Somebody PLEASE help me out! I am brand new to this whole forum thing..it just looks like 3FC is a good place to get support and advice from other people trying to get in shape like I am.

Last year, I had hernia surgery and was off work for quite some time. During that time I gained 20 pounds. After returning to work, I got promoted.. But I no longer have to do all of the heavy lifting or tons of running around so I gained even more weight. Ten weeks ago yesterday, I quit smoking after ten years of the nasty habit. Of course, that has caused me to gain even MORE weight.

Up until a couple years ago, I had always been a small-framed woman with a ridiculously high metabolism who could eat anything and everything (5'6" weighing 125-130 lbs). I think some of it comes with age and the rest of it comes with drinking. I like to drink when I'm not working and I think that's what my main problem is. I eat healthy 90% of the time. If I have time to eat breakfast, I usually have eggs & bacon to try to jump start my metabolism for the day. My lunches usually consist of one of the following:

-turkey sandwich (honey wheat bread, 6 thin slices of turkey sandwich meat, very thin layer of mayo on both pieces of bread, one slice of american cheese)
-Salad (iceberg & Romain lettuces, bacon bits, a small handful of shredded cheese, and occasionally I'll throw in sliced radishes, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and chopped up sandwich meat) with about 4-6 oz of dressing
-leftovers from the night before, i.e. grilled chicken breasts, steaks, turkey filet for entree and steamed vegetables for side item, i.e. sugar snap peas, green beans, potato/green bean medley, zucchini/onion/peppers/mushroom sauteed

On weekends, I like to splurge sometimes by having sushi or maybe a hamburger, hot dog, or bratwurst. I don't normally drink cokes (er, "sodas" for all of you not from the south ) unless I'm drinking it with my spiced rum. I drink at least three bottles of water a day. I don't regularly have fried food or fried snacks like chips unless we happen to go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant. The types of snacks I like to have are cucumbers, broccoli , sticks of sharp cheddar cheese (one at a time, no more than 2 a day), radishes, celery, tuna (mixed with a bit of ranch and a pinch of salt and pepper, although I've been trying to ease off the ranch), any type of nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc.), occasionally cottage cheese with fruit.

I've been trying to run a mile a day, but it is SO humid here in Tennessee that it's hard to run unless it's late at night or really early in the morning. Also, since I quit smoking, I'm kind of sinking into a depression so I just want to sleep all the time. I just need to get motivated but I feel so overwhelmed with everything...work, bills, my house is a wreck, my car is falling apart, our TV recently quit working, just everything seems to be going wrong. Please, if someone out there has any advice for me I would really appreciate it! I have even considered buying the new diet pill Phenteramine (however you spell it) but I've heard so many bad things about it, I'm kind of afraid to get into that. I just want this weight OFF and quick, but I know that losing weight the right way takes time. I'm just impatient and crazy, I guess!

[beth4365]

Hi Meganator,

I have not been so successful myself, but I wanted to welcome you to this site and tell you that I find it to be very helpful.

I can tell you that there will always be stress, always be things falling apart, there will always be challenges. But.... in the long run, taking care of yourself is more important than any of those temporary issues.

You've made a start on this lifelong journey to health. Keep seeking a truth that will work for you. Trial and error is the best way to go as there are no shortcuts.

Okay. I'm starting to sound way too zen. I'm sure other wiser folks will chime in soon.

Best wishes to us all.

Beth

[AcanOfyams]

There are many dieters pit falls that those who want to lose weight fall prey to.
Now let me preface by saying I am making suggestions for a diet for someone wanting to lose weight. These guide lines should be helpful, and show results however one slip up will not make you fat, just like one healthy meal won't make you skinny.
Have you heard that weight lose is 80% your diet and 20% exercise?
Doesn't that make sense, considering you're controlling the thing that makes you gain weight?

When losing weight you should know: carbohydrates are the enemy! Yes, they give you energy but any energy that your body does not use get stored as fat. I used to think if I have a wrap for lunch instead of a sandwich I was cutting out more carbs. However then I find out that a 12" wrap has more calories than two slices of bread! Tortilla wraps, tortilla chips, and hard shell tacos are all the same thing, expect the last two are deep fried. If you could get corn tortillas at a restaurant or the food store it's the slimmer option.

Cheeses and Diary have hidden sugars in them. Try to have them in only one meal of the day preferably breakfast. Instead of the bacon why not have a mozzarella omelet with spinach? And if you have any toast use jam instead of butter. Also on the subject of butter/diary a healthier move would be to a non-diary vegetable oil spread. Which contains healthy fats that will not raise your cholesterol. No cream based dressings. You could be consuming more calories than a burger! Vinaigrette, honey mustard or just plain olive oil should replace ranch or (the worst) Caesar dressing.
Iceberg lettuce gets a bad wrap but it really is not bad for you! However a darker green lettuce will provide you with more vitamins. A lack of vitamins maybe a cause for your body to crave more food to try to attain these nutrients.

There is nothing wrong with eating the food you have been craving on weekends but it is better to do it in moderation. If you aren't careful there can be an over eat of two days worth of food. So obviously if you're eating healthy the majority of the time you will still lose weight but your progress will slow down.

Maybe look up vegan meals and then add grilled chicken, salmon, or tuna to them?
Best of luck! I hope you found this helpful!