I've had it! I've been on some kind of diet/weight loss plan for the last 10 years or so. and all I want is to eat a like a normal person for once! I've done it all it seems (low carb, low fat, no fat, meal replacement shakes, etc) and they work for a while then it is just unlivable for me.

So, all I want is to just be like a normal person have ice cream when I want it and not feel like I'm bad or cheating. like the 4th is coming up and I'm feeling nervous about the cookout I've been invited to.

I love exersize and I do 5 days a week plus I that dance classes on the
weekends but I still have this 30 pounds that just is driving me crazy.
As of right now I'm following a low carb plan that's getting really old.
if I see another egg I think I'll go crazy! I never had a weight problem when I was a child or a teenager or even a young adult it
all started about 10 years ago so. I just want this to not dominate my
life so much.

I prefer calorie counting because nothing is "off limits", it just needs to be approcahed with moderation. So, if you want ice cream you can have it - you just need to be good for the rest of the day.

I'm with marbear on the calorie counting - I ate cake this weekend, and budgeted it into my day. I feel a little guilt at eating more than I planned, but had I stayed with my original budget the guilt wouldn't have been an issue. I find that if I kick things out of my diet it makes me crazy, calorie counting lets me eat what I want as long as I plan for it.

On the 'eat like a normal person' topic, I don't know if we as a society even know what that means. I don't think there is anything normal about what most people eat. It scares me watching people sometimes, actually. I'm redefining my own normal eating, not going by what I see other people eat.

Good luck honey.

My story used to be just like yours. Tried all the diets and just got tired of the restrictions and so I went to the grandaddy of them all and started calorie counting, This is a less restrictive , more fllexible way of dieting. I can sometimes have ice cream or other treats. I just remember to stay within my calorie limits. This is not to say I am rigid about it, I can make changes when the occaision calls for it. But I do plan ahead.

catcookie - welcome! I think we all got here because we were fed up and ready to take on a "new kind of normal". I'll toss in one more vote for calorie counting. For me, its highest value is that it's teaching me portion control. I still have to look a lot of things up, and I measuremeasuremeasure. It's been a very good tool for helping me figure out my limits. "Normal" is never going to be eating everything I want - that's taken a little time to accept! But my new normal is knowing what I'm eating, how it fits with my life, and that is actually a lot more freedom than I ever thought it could be - because now I don't waste energy hating myself, feeling guilty, or throwing myself crazily into the latest fad. It's all good - join us!

Thanks guys for the support and suggestions. I guess the most sane way would be to rejoin weight watchers. I haven't been on there plan in years
because it was too slow for me! and I'm guessing it's changed as well.

I'll see if I can find I meeting tonight.

Another vote here for calorie counting. Like you, I have always been pretty physically active but still weighed more than I wanted (a lot more!). Calorie counting is the most flexible option for bringing the food part of the equation (which is more than 90% of losing weight, in my opinion) into balance.

WW for me!! For sure. It works and for me it is easy -- the "thinking" is done, so to speak.
And nothing is restricted.
Age and metabolisms sure can catch up with one -- I used to eat enormous amounts years ago that I just can't eat now without serious consequence...

Kira

WW isn't a bad idea but if you've had it with programs you might be better off just calorie counting unless you need the accoutability. I have that "I just want to eat normally" tantrum every once in awhile too, but we have to accept that its just not how our bodies operate. The reason those plans only work for a limited time is you stop doing them. Think about what you can live with for the long term... even if it's slow like WW isn't it better if it works forever if its slow rather then crash diets that work quickly but never last?

I do the Weight Watchers plan, but I don't go to any meetings or pay money to the company. I treat the Points system as an abbreviated/flexible/simplified method of calorie counting. This is definitely an option if you've done WW in the past and know how Points work.

I know there are several people on 3FC that do this and have been very successful substituting the 3FC support community for WW meetings.

And calorie counting is free !

I started out with WW and counting points. I also never attended meetings and did not subscribe to their online stuff either. A friend gave me a point calculator, I figured how many points I was allowed to start and went from there. Now I'm watching my portions and making better choices as far as healthier foods. I'm exercising every day. I'm losing at a much slower pace now but I am still losing and I don't feel like I am on a diet, I've just changed my way of eating and weight loss happens to be a benefit! Nothing is off limits, I just plan for it. If I want ice cream or other treat, I'll eat a lighter dinner or add an extra walk to my day.

Hope you find what will work for you.

I am also a fan of calorie counting after trying every diet known. The only thing those diets did was set me up to fail; I never learned to eat healthy all I ever did was restrict stuff and as soon as I would introduce it back into my diet the weight would come back and then some.

With calorie counting I have excluding NOTHING. I eat Ben & Jerry's at least once a week (3.6 oz. cup NOT a pint) I have chocolate (couple kisses NOT a King Size bar).... you get the idea. What I can tell you is that by not having restrictions I don't feel deprived. I know that not all calories are created equal and as time goes by I continue to find "healthy" foods that I love and fill me up.

The bottom line is I LOVE to eat and if I am going to truly experience a life style change is HAS to be something I can live with.... for life otherwise I'm just going to yo yo yet again.

I used to calorie count years ago, but was still in a bit of an obsessive place - a carry-over from anorexia I guess. But I am finding it really good so far. I am so much more aware of what goes in my mouth and how much of my daily intake it represents. And I can have a wine too! I am mostly managing quite well, but have to be careful not to eat too little for lunch so I can have a bigger evening meal. Sometimes I can get a bit hypoglycaemic when I get home, and that is a temptation to stuff anything I can find into my mouth. Have to balance the day a little better.
Finni

I am back, I have fallen off the wagon. I am trying to figure out if I should go with the Lapband or if I should give my willpower one more try. I look at myself and honestly the changes that my weight is creating to my body is very alarming. I think that perhaps I should try a WW meeting, I need the support that my husband cannot provide me.