[txangelgirl]

After reading some of the wonderful stories on here, I decided that I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am tired of being fat, of the ups and downs of dieting, of being weak and not being able to stick to this. I used to be a model!!!! I used to win pageants!!!! And having kids did my body in yes, but my diet is what kept it there the second time. That was seven years ago. So I announced to my fiance and my son (both of which need to eat healthier too) that I was throwing out ALL the bad stuff in our apartment, to where even if we binge, it's on fresh veggies and very low cal stuff, and we STILL won't gain. Then I pulled some awesome recipes off of this site and went Krogering, came home and revamped the kitchen with our new lifestyle. Then we all sat down, and made a decision together that we are going to stop obsessing over the scale (none of us can stay away from it for more than a day, and the ups and downs get to us when they shouldn't, so it's just as well gone). I mean come on, does it really matter what I weigh if I'm not happy with my body anyway? It doesn't mean I'm going to stop right. So we had our son hide the scale from us LOL. I am watching cals yes, but because the majority of stuff we eat are veggies and fruits and lean meats and whatnot, we can still eat a lot and not go overboard on cals. And I'm a pretty good cook so we will definitely be eating the best of fare, you know, stuff we actually love and will eat. Then when any of us notices a difference in our bodies, we can then go weigh to see what our progress is. And that's when we will weigh - when we see improvement or notice it, in the way our clothes fit, or our bodies look, or our faces, ya know, anything. This way we don't let the scale discourage us like we have been. Also yes we are allowed to have treats, but we can't bring any of that home anymore; it must be eaten away from home. we decided we are each responsible for what we put in our mouths and we are taking action. Anyway sorry for the long post, but I am thrilled about this, and so happy that as a family, we all are going to start a lifestyle full of foods we love and that are good for us, and get our healthy bodies back in the process. Yeahhhh!!!

So what's working for you guys, let's start a new thing here - name the number one thing that works for you, but there's a catch - you can not use what someone else said, it has to be something different that what anyone posts here on this thread. And then we all can use those ideas to reach our goals together!!!

[Lovely]

Txangelgirl - Excellent move on getting the whole family in on feeling healthier (not just losing weight)~! Those are some great moves focusing on delicious healthy foods. You did what I did when I decided enough was enough. I went through my cabinets & cleared out everything I ate simply because it was there, or ate way too much of at one time.

My number one thing is simply monitoring my Points. (I'm on WW.) To broaden that perspective it's pretty much watching how much I eat. That's probably going to be number one for the rest of my life ^^

[mandalinn82]

1. Eating Clean (whole grains, fruits, veggies, and lean proteins)

[synger]

# 1 thing that helps me: Having a backup plan

Food helps me deal with stress. So when I'm stressed, I eat. And I'm always stressed. When I don't have a plan for a meal, or my plan falls through, especially in social or restaurant settings, I am MUCH more likely to overeat.

So I not only have a plan for my meal ahead of time, I make a backup plan and maybe even a contingency plan on top of that. I have a mental list of breakfasts and lunches that are healthy and low-cal, that I can buy in the various places around my workplace. I have at least three healthy options available for dinner at home. I try to know ahead of time what menu options are available when we eat out, and have a couple ideas in mind when I have to choose at a buffet or party.

[Cuter w Curves]

I stripped my kitchen bare of what I can't have as well...

1. Don't let Mondays mess up still be messing you up on Friday.

Quite simply:

We are not perfect... We are going to have days where we go overboard or slip. Get over it and get back on track! Don't let yourselves fall into the "Well I already blew my diet so who cares" mentality. This isn't a diet. "Diets" fail... Lifestyles succeed!

*hugs*

[hellokitty81668]

HI, and conrgrats on your decision.. I don't know what works for me..
I think it is a combination of things...
1. monitering my calories on fitday.com
2. exercising....... even if I dont' want to
3. weighing myself, this is a great accountability for me.
4. looking in a full length mirror.
5. coming here and writing what I did, eat ect..
cheryl

[rockinrobin]

Hi and WELCOME!! You sound so excited and I like that. That excitement can spur you on to great things.

I'm with you on the healthy foods, but for ME, it had to be a combinationof the healthy foods PLUS my number 1 thing (aside from planning) - counting my calories. I can even go overboard on the healthy things. Calorie counting is the only thing that allows me to set limits. And I NEED that. Calorie counting is my version of portion control. A MUST for me in order to be successful.

[Trazey34]

#1 thing: eating protein at breakfast! I NEVER ever dreamed that something eaten @ 8 am would have an effect on the ME stuffing my face at 10 PM!! but it so does!! when I eat a nice protein (my personal choice is 1% cottage cheese) with a bit of grain, like a slice w.w. toast, and a small piece of fruit -- man, I am set for the day!

[Robin41]

No. 1 thing for me is to consciously think about why I am eating BEFORE I eat.

Once I started doing this, it turned out that I wasn't really hungry all that often. Mostly I was bored or stressed or upset about something and the answer always seemed to be food.

Somebody around here has a little saying in their signature line that says that if hunger is not the problem then food is not the answer. I think about that all the time.

[Sheila53]

1. Exercise (okay, it was #2 on someone else's list) because it suppresses my appetite, makes me feel better ultimately, helps me build muscle to burn calories and reshapes my body.

[midwife]

Doesn't go with the OP's post, but my #1 is weighing every day. It keeps me on track knowing that I'll weigh in again the next day. When I don't weigh, I gain and I am usually in denial.

[jtammy]

Something that was really important to me that no one else has mentioned was just the simple act of eating breakfast. I hadn't eaten breakfast regularly since I was in 7th grade (!!). By the time lunch came around, I was starving. Many times, I would skip lunch too, but end up eating enough from the time I got home at 6:00 until bedtime to gain lots of weight. I eat breakfast everyday now!

[CountingDown]

Praise music - sounds odd, but keeping my mind focused on praise, reminds me that if true hunger is not calling, food is not the answer. There are so many more important things in life than food and counting my blessings and keeping my focus are key for me to move away from emotional and stress and boredom eating.

[LaurieDawn]

I would have said Cuter's #1 thing - the whole "get back on plan after messing up," but the OP's rule said that mine had to be different, so...

My #1 thing that someone else hasn't said yet - Allow myself to be an inconvenient pain in the butt. That means that if my exercise gets in the way of my husband's plans, I exercise anyway. If that means that I send back the fried, breaded chicken breast that I had ordered grilled, it's going back. The list goes on and on, but you know what I mean.

[Shy Moment]

My number one thing. Accountability. YES meds and being sick for a very very long time put a ton of weight on me BUT I have to take credit for at least some of the weight I gained. I let it get to me, nothing I could do about it so I stopped bothering to watch how much I ate or how much pop I drank. When the doc gave me a clean bill of health to " try " to lose weight. I had to sit down and really have a talk with myself. I have now gone back to the way I ate before all the weight gain, with just a few changes. I am doing great and feeling better everyday.

jtammy
For my children's whole life I have made them eat breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day I have said over and over. Yet, I never ate breakfast, or at least not most of the time. I now eat breakfast. Really a Pre breakfast and a breakfast, breaking each meal into two meals. I feel so much better and get more food in per day.

txangelgirl
I weight in 2 times a month at the docs office. I don't want to let the scale run my life. So far so good, always a loss.