Joining this group was my engine warming up. Now I am going to rev-up. I stepped on the scale (does that count as exercise???) and I am 160. At under 5ft tall there's not a lot of space for extra weight. I'm a Zero on the activity scale, I'm gonna dust off the stationary bike and start with that today. My goal is to stick with this phase for 1 week (I know its longer, but baby steps) I will keep adding on with each weekly success. Who else is on Phase 1? how have you been doing? Keep at it!!!!

i am here! too i am a newby and baby steps is what its all about for me. we can help one another!

Hi,
I am also a newbie. I am excited about this forum. I am also under 5(4'11 3/4) Can't wait to get started..............My problem will be staying off that scale. UGH

I am on week 2 and you can do it. The exercise has been the hardest for me. I was shocked when I put on a pedometer and how little I have been walking.

Well,
Not doing so bad. I moved the old stationary bike to the living room, then I used it I've done well with no soda and more water and veggies. Things are looking positive. So far so good. You go girls!! we can do it!

I'm new to this too. I weighed earlier last week at 200 even and I'm 5'7". Did Atkins quite successfully for a time and have maintained a 60 pound loss but I stay between 195 and 200 all the time and can't get under it. I feel this is the year and am going to try this a little differently.
I'm not weighing, I am doing a little more exercise. I work as a waitress so I already have a lot of steps everyday. Fridays and Saturdays the most by far. Anyway, I have glanced ahead and am trying to get more comfortable with cooking fish of all types and experimenting with ground turkey. By the time I get to phase 2 hopefully there just won't be that many changes to make. Anyway cutting back on the beef and butter from my Atkins lifestyle.
I wish everyone well in this endeavor. Hopefullu a more relaxed approach will be the one that works.

I'm now on phase 1 also!

I started this diet last week. I've tried other things before that I didn't really enjoy, but I really like it so far! I am a level 1 on the activity scale.

I just started Phase 1 too! I wrote out all the breakfast and snack ideas to help myself make a list. I think that if I write out a food plan for a week and shop accordingly it will help me stick to it.

What did everyone get from reading Phase 1? Does it sound like something doable?

Hey there everyone...

I have been hovering on a couple of the other threads...but stumbled onto this one...

I too am working on my Best Life Plan

The exercise has been a huge stumbling block...I always thought that I was busy and active because of work...so I put on a pedometer and man I was very surprised at how sloth-like I really was...I can't get the hang of exercise (because I hate it)...it is like a great unexplored wonder of the world for me...so what I have decided to do is I wear a pedometer everyday and I need to have 5000 steps per day and if I don't get there I dance crazily (full of vim and vigor) to several really up beat songs...eventually I want to use an exercise tape (sweating to the oldies) and then next start to walk 2 km daily...but right now I am really happy getting in my steps...

Ciarra and Fasmata buy yourself the pedometer and then it makes every step count and you will accomplish so much just doing your everyday life...it really makes it seem okay...

The food changes are doable...if you are already in the right frame of mind...The other day I made homemade chicken soup (with homemade chicken broth)because I am home sick...I make it the traditional Polish (because I am Polish) way...the way my Babcia (Grandma) did which is...carrots, potatoes, homemade egg noodle (I used a no cholestrol & no fat egg white egg noodle instead), 1 whole chicken (I deboned 4 chicken breasts so I used only the chicken bones and skin and then you take the meat off of the bone and discard the skin), 1 lemon (juice/zest), 4 cloves of garlic (more depending on what ails you), 1tsp salt & pepper...So there I sat looking at this bowl of chicken skin which I would normally loved to have eaten but I removed all of it and did not eat any...Huge major break through...as I don't have a sweet tooth...I have a fat tooth (Polish heritage love those Pierogi and Kolachky)...and I was really satisfied with myself for being able to do that...So if this little polish lady can do it...I think anysone can!

I too need to plan everything a head as then I don't have to improvise and make poor choices...what I started doing is planning my "cheating" so when I make dinner I eat some celery/carrot sticks or chew gum and at dinner I always make my lunch for the next day (so I am not tempted to eat out at work)...I am over 45 years old (dieting 35 years) and this is the most doable thing that I have ever tried and I have been doing since Jan 16/07 and it is not like being on a diet...it is a Life Plan...

Hello Everyone,

This Saturday is the end of Phase 1 for me. Although I really just started exercising until the last week, I still found it helpful.

So all of you that are just starting really work on the exercise part and will see you all in phase 2.


Also how amazing were the 3 questions in the beginning. They helped me open my eyes to why I'm at this point in my life health wise.

Hey Kimush,

What kind of pedometer do you use? I'm still looking for one and would like any recommendations.

Hello All

mnms24 I won a wonderfully simple one that never worked properly...therefore I bought a terribly complicated on that I promptly returned...no I am using a middle of the road one named "Walking Advantage" by Sportline...and it is just right (kinda like goldie locks and the three bears)...I love this little thing...I now go out of my way to add steps...the other day before I became ill (flu bug) I ended up at 6606 steps...I was really feeling very accomplished...for me that is...as generally I do not like to move more that would be considered necessary...I really hate exercise...so the pedometer isn't like that... it is perfect...but don't buy anything too crazy...the one that did everything was really scarey (with calorie burning modes, and step rate programabilitiy) and way to big...you want something small enough that you can attach to your panties and go (I put mine on my right hip above my right knee as this gives the most reliable step reading)...

By the way where in New York are you? New York City? or New York State?

When I saw Bob G on Oprah on Jan 16/07 talking about the Best Life Diet...it was the questions that got my interest...up until that moment I thought another guy making a buck...I bought the journal and wrote my answers there so that I can refer to them for incentive...

Hi Kimush,

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to my local sports store and check out the various pedometers. It's always good to know the ones w/ all the bells and whistles are not the best ones.

Oh I'm actually from Long Island but live pretty close to the city.

I actually read about him in the Oprah magazine, so I decided to get the book. So far it's helped me alot. I will see how much tomorrow though.

Thanks for all of your help!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm doing phase 1 too. In fact, except for during my birthday week (all bets were off!), I believe this is my 5th week on it. I decided to hold off on formally starting phase 2, because giving up the snacks and evening munchies was difficult, so I want to feel more secure in that before I do anything else. Plus, my meals are generally pretty healthy - I'm already doing a lot of the phase 2 stuff already. My worst foods are generally snacks, so when I cut it back to only 1 snack (which I've been choosing wisely), my food diary looks pretty darn good. It's just that it's still a real exercise of will for me, particularly in the evenings.

Heck, as long as the needle on the scale keeps moving down, even if it's slow, I may never move out of phase 1!