[Breannaj1215]

I was doing well for about a week and totally flew off the wagon. This always happens to me. I am now getting extremely obese and I cannot stand it. I dont know how I let myself get this way. Well I do know but I cannot believe I did. I now have to try and chg 10 years of bad eating and not excersizing. Im going to need some help and a lot of advice. The girls from my job suggested that I try something easy for breakfast like ww food or healthy cereal or oatmeal. And stick with lean cusine for lunch. i enjoy those. and then for dinner just use portion control on healthy dinners. I was thinking of keeping a lean cuisine tray and using it. It looks good on paper though and then I try and start but I fail.

[rachinma]

Hi!

Maybe you could start by only eating whole foods -- fruit, veggies, lean meats, whole grains (oats/oatmeal; whole wheat bread), and lots of water.

See how that goes. It will feel less like a "diet", so you can't actually fall off the wagon. There is no wagon.

I'm not a huge fan of the Lean Cuisines and such. I find if I take the time to prepare something, I will enjoy it more and it fills me up much more than prepared foods from the market.

For example, my meals for today are:

B'fast @ 7am
coffee
1 whole wheat english muffin
1 kiwi
1 plum

Mid-AM snack
plain yogurt with fresh picked and sliced strawberries (mmmm!)

Lunch
1c. raspberries
ground turkey with mango salsa (lots) & lt sour cream (1T)
1 red pepper (sliced)
2 wasa crackers

And everything was prepared fresh. I find it hard to binge when I'm eating fresh, in season foods that are healthy and unprocessed. And I do eat until I'm full, but not uncomfortably so. I feel full and satisfied after today's lunch, but know that I would feel completely unsatisfied with a Lean Cuisine.

Maybe start out that way and then see how it goes. Focusing less on teh weight loss and more on how you're feeling and how your habits are changing.

Good luck!

P.S. I do work full-time and have two kids, so it does take a lot of planning to be able to do fresh meals all the time, but I find that it is totally worth it. And I'm modeling good behavior for my children.

[rochemist]

Wow can we beat ourselves up much? Like you said you have 10 years of habits to undo, and if you go restrict-o-rama on yourself you will end up frustrated just like today. I got to recommend lifestyle changes, not starting a diet. So first things first?

Do you understand your diet? Are you eating too much out because your busy? Are you emotionally eating? Why do you do what you do?

Now what is a change that would be a healthier choice?

Me I am an emotional and volume eater. The emotional stuff I work on with visualizations at this point. The volume I try to weigh and measure as much of my food as possible. The biggest thing I can do, is have a food and exercise plan for everyday. But these are mine. You will figure out yours.

Its a journey to lose and maintain, and it happens one day at a time.

[2behealthy]

DON'T GIVE UP!!! You are worth it. You are worthy of a healthy body.

Just keeping trying till you find what works for YOU. Whatever you were doing didn't work casue you could not stick with it. That's ok casue now you know something that doesn't work and you can move on.

Keeping the lean cuisine container is a good idea, I use a similar plate and it helps with portion control.

If you can share why you fell off the wagon, maybe we can help you discover why you plan didn't work. Were you hungry all the time, or didn't like the food?

You can do this, just don't quit and keeping trying till you find your niche.

[jendiet]

Aww, I have to give you a hug. Yes you got there over 10 years. But it doesn't have to take 10 years to get it off. I agree eating more healthier would be a good idea. You most likely will be cutting your cs way to low and then binge and feel even worse hun. You can do it for y ou. You know where you want to be. You can get yourself there!

I do agree a ww shake would be good for breakfast, lunch and then a sensible dinner using the dinner tray (great idea by the way) You will cut out a whole lot of guesswork and counting calories....

however, if you are a carb fiend, I recommend no carbs except at one meal. And the meal last only an hour. That should help you get your cravings under control. (principal of the CAD diet)

[blueridgegirl]

Breanna - I agree with what other posters have said, you're not going to change 10 years of bad habits over night. Maybe start with one thing - cutting out soda, taking a daily walk or not eating after 8 pm (if night snacking is a problem) or whatever makes sense for you. It's easier to change one habit at a time than to do a major overhaul. Have you checked out 'chicks up or a challenge?' Perhaps you would like to join a challenge so you can have daily accountability and support in working towards a mini goal. I have found that very helpful.

Be gentle with yourself...one day at a time. We are with you!

[Lori Bell]

As you can see from the previous posts, there are as many answers as there are people. Each person has a little different approach because that is what has worked for them. I lost my weight by counting calories and sticking faithfully to my plan for a very long period of time.

There are many paths to take, one will be what works very best for you. The important thing to remember is that it WILL take some time to get the weight off, you are human, and therefore NOT perfect, and will mess up occasionally. You must dust yourself off and get back to it ASAP...the next minute, not the next day, week or month. You totally can do this. But it will take a major amount of commitment and determination. Sometimes it might not be enough to do it for yourself, so you will need to temperately do it for whoever keeps you motivated. Please remember that every time you decide to "start tomorrow" that is at least one more day of being obese.

[p7eggyc]

Here's how I started, it might work for you:

Give yourself one point per day if:
1. Accountability: record your food somewhere...food journal, on one of the boards, where ever it will hold you accountable to write it down. It doesn't have to be super detailed. Just a place where you are going to have to fess up to the slab o' cake or something like that AND start to figure out what does and doesn't satisfy you. If 5 days in a row of Lean Cuisine starts to create a trip to the vending machine at 2:30pm, you'll be able to see that and make a tweak.
2. Exercise: Any exercise...walk around the block, march in place during commercials, anything. You are trying to establish the thought process that you need to get it in at some point. Again, don't worry about how much, etc., just do something.
3. Water: Increase your water consumption. If you aren't drinking any, add a glass before each meal. If you are drinking it already, cool, easy point.
4. Me time: Take 15 min to do something just for you. Read, journal, whatever is a 'treat' for you.
5. Good/Better/Best Choice: Make one good/better/best choice per day. Skip a treat, count out the chips instead of eating from the bag, leave a bite or 2 behind. Only need one per day.

You can set a reward for days in a row with 5 points or I use a weekly total of 30+ points a week for a reward threshold. Find a meaningful non-food reward and give it to yourself when you get the job done. You'll likely get to a point where one or more of these is too easy and then you can start raising the bar for yourself gradually. Make the exercise goal a certain number of minutes...got the water? Change it out to fruit/veggie servings.

You can do this. You will have to figure out what does and doesn't work for you and what you are and aren't willing to do. It's going to take more than a week and less than 10 years. But you can definitely do it!

Peg

[Breannaj1215]

Thank you ladies. I think my problem is that I love food. I love carbs and tend to over eat everything I eat. I think I think about food way to much. I know that losing weight is going to take a while.I have tried everything. I am now going to try to count calories. they say weight watchers is always more successful that any diet and that counting points which refers to calories. I know I can do this and i just need to think about my health and realize that I am not getting any younger. Before I know it i will be in that stage where one pound takes forever. Now i am at that age that it is easier. I need the encouragement and to think about my goal.

[Tracy]

Breannaj
I wish you the best in whatever plan you decide is best for you!

[rachinma]

I love food, too. I'm a total foodie. I love foie gras and filet mignon and good red wine and cheesecake. I love to bake and enjoy really good food. The key for me is portion control and moderation.

One bite of cheesecake tastes the same as a whole piece, right? One glass of wine tastes as good as a whole bottle (probably even better!).

Good luck! You can love food and eat great food when you're slim. Getting there is the hard part and moderation is your friend.

[kiramira]

Hi hon!
Sounds like you need accountability and a structured diet plan in your life. It makes things so much easier. Check out what plans will fit into your lifestyle -- if you LOVE carbs, you may not be so successful in the long term with Atkins, for example . And it sounds like you'll give calorie counting a try, so you'll have to sort of make the structure yourself. I personally do WW because I'm math-challenged and can count points easier than calories...
And you just have to decide to DO IT.
If you want to seriously change, you are GOING to have to change seriously. And this takes time, determination, effort and patience. You gotta make a 100% committment to change your lifestyle. And you CAN do it!

Kira