Hello all,

I'm curious which weight loss program each of you are doing, and wonder how it's working for you? Personally, I had been on Weight Watchers, but am now counting calories. So far, so good.

Also, what are your special challenges? Mine are family dinners, controlling evening eating, and getting enough exercise.

Please share!

I am counting calories. Its working great! I feel like the pounds are just falling off. I did body for life a while back and lost but I didnt count calories and I def didnt lose weight like I am now. It was REALLY slow, which is ok, if you dont thrive on instant results like me. haha.

I am a student and I dont work or anything so my biggest challenge is getting off the couch. Midnight snacking also tempts me nightly so now I plan for it and make sure I have calories open and something healthy available.

Good luck and stay strong! =)

I'm doing calorie counting trying to keep between 1200-1400 calories a day. Family dinners are always a challenge but I try and keep those days as a free or treat day and that's working quite well if I don't go overboard and eat everything that's not nailed down. Potato chips are my big nemesis. Can't even smell them and I've stopped bringing them into the house. I've been known to eat the biggest bag known to mankind in an evening and not have any lining left in my mouth the next day and still look for more.

I find that using fitday or even just using a notebook to log everything I eat is a big help. And I menu plan for the whole month so I'll always know what I'm having for dinner. I've got menus done until Christmas. Retired One is my name and I have lots of time to do that.

I love calorie counting because I can make room for any food within certain moderate guidelines. But I find that I like to make every mouthful count so I'm slowly but surely changing my eating habits--more whole foods, less processed, more fiber and large amounts of light calorie foods to feel satisfied. I measure or weigh most foods to keep on track. It's amazing how far 1 tablespoon of peanut butter can go.

Hi Jane,

I made it here. I'm new to this group. I am doing a combination of Intuitive Eating and Low carb which is probably more whole foods. It is actually beginning to work for me. I look forward to getting to know everyone.

Retired One I used to do the same thing with large bags of chips. I have actually bought chips for my kids lunches when they were little and eat them while they were at school and have to go get a new bag so no one would know. DH loves chips and we have them in the house for him, but he like the Lays plain and I hate those. I always loved Ridges. So I don't ever buy them. Don't even look at them in the store.LOL

Girl that is great how organized you are. I do well to plan one day at a time.

VernDern - having those healthy snacks sure comes in handy. Right now I'm into tomatoes, cukes, and sugar snap peas with lite ranch dip. I think I like the crunch of the peas.

Retiredone - I got a chuckle from your potato chip visual, haha, but I feel the same way about them! When the cravings become too strong to ignore I have a single-serve bag once in awhile. I'm a menu planner, too, but only a week at a time.

Trish - glad to see you made it here! More and more, I'm shopping the outside edge aisles of the grocery store. No chips there!

What helps you stay OP? One thing I've noticed is how much better I feel if I have a serving of protein at every meal. I also don't get so hungry between meals.


To all - this is an open thread for anyone, so please bring up any weight loss issues/discussions you'd like to talk about.

I'm pretty new to the group, still getting my feet wet, but I do love that I can just lurk and still be part of an amazing group, who like me, have food issues.

Right now I'm calorie counting, before that was WW meetings I did very well for about 2years, lost 88lbs, then it just starting to creep back on. Did not change a thing, exercising daily, staying within my pts, but would gain/lose the same 5lbs for about 6months....so I tried tweeking it, that did not help, so very long story short, tried to document everything that went into my mouth, and added, to my daily tracking, sodium and carbs, I was tracking before, calorie,fat,fiber and protein. I also added serious weight lifting to my routine 3X's a wk, that really is helping. I've found now I feel better, and the weight is again, going down.

I also have some protein at each meal, and try to limit my soduim to less than 1000gms a day. It's an eye opener just how much salt is in just about everything, just because it's low in calories and fat, does not mean much, when the sodium is so high. At least for me, maybe once this monthly thing is over and done with it will be better.

Does anyone else have a sodium sensitivity? Or maybe it's something else?

I'm a calorie counter too. But I also try to eat healthy. Mostly fresh and lots of grain and high fiber. I do have treats sometimes though. I don't think I could stay on any diet where I couldn't have the things i love. I just have them occasionally now, and they are planned

My own "devil" is corn chips. I eat them untill i'm sick. So, since I know I have no control, I don't buy them.

I try to exercise every day, but I don't beat myself up if I miss a day here and there. This is a lifetime commitment, not a diet for me. I lift weights too, which I think makes such a difference. It makes me feel strong and it helps me stay focused.

I plan my menus for a week at a time also. I like to know that I don't have to think about food constantly, I know what my next meal is going to be. My sales papers come out on Tuesday and I plan my meals around that. So, dieting doesn't have to cost more either. I take advantage of the sales, and try to buy local in the summer time.

Institches - About salt usage, I liked the convenience of some of the "diet" frozen meals, especially for lunch, but I gave them up after checking out the salt grams. Also, most of those meals aren't really very healthy anyway, with soggy white pasta, very little veggies, and additives. Kashi makes a couple that I will turn to in a pinch, though.

the slim me - you are so right when you said dieting doesn't have to cost more. Buying fruits and vegetables in season cost no more than the price of the cookies and chips that we used to buy. Some of the healthiest things we can eat are beans and legumes, and they are downright cheap per serving.

I'm confused about water. Used to be, they said "if you can't rinse you hair with it, don't count it as water". Now all sorts of beverages count toward our water. I guess I'm just lucky that I love plain old water.

Pattygirl, I've done the same thing with chips. So sad thinking back. I've also done it with ice cream. DH loves both chips and ice cream and I've had to replace his stash. But, hopefully we've put those days behind us. He's a bit more constrained than I and can't understand how anyone could eat so much at one sitting. I don't even buy the chips for DH now and he's ok with that. I'll get him a bag for Christmas and wrap it up in pretty paper so he'll know it's a special treat.

Slim, corn chips can do me in too. I picked up a package on Thursday when I was shopping. I just looked at them longingly, then checked out the calories (don't even mention how many from fat grams!) and put them back in the bin.

I had my free day today and had carrot cake with cream cheese icing and ice cream. I'm going to freeze most of the remaining cake for another treat someday in the future unless DS and DIL come and eat it.

Jane, I don't count any beverage for water. It has to be pure water to be water in my books. I know all about the conflicting information but I'm on the only water is water side.

Hey there Ladies.

YES! I have found the same to be true. Healthy eating does NOT have to cost more! I have learned to be much more flexible in what I am buying produce wise. I buy whatever is fresh and ON SALE! Also, I am making my way through my bulk bins at the Farmers Market. I am into the 6-grain cereal, steel cut oats, Quinoa, brown rice, Millet, and all sorts of lentils. Super healthy can be done on a budget!

I am a calorie counter. I have done many programs in the past--meetings, meal deliveries, etc.

Oh, and man I SO know about binging things I shouldn't--mine is cereal. Guess what I did? I have a huge piece of furniture in the library. It has several doors on it and there is a beautiful skeleton key that opens them. Well, LOL--I locked my temptations up in there! LOL. My hubby hides the key and ONLY opens it when I am making kids lunches. It is horrible it has come to this but I am of the mentality--WHATEVER IT TAKES!!!

Slim Yep, I could do the corn chips thing as well although potato chips were my favorite. Now I only eat chips when I make taco salads. I like tortilla chips instead of the taco shell. I don't those much any more because of the salt.

Jane & Retiredone I drink a lot of herbal teas, but I also think of water as water.

Jane I also find myself shopping the outside edges of the store as well. There are some isles I never go down any more.

After MANY years of "dieting" and MANY types of diets, I now am back to calorie counting. Because of type 2 diabetes, I keep my carbs low & limit them to low Glycemic Index.

Lynn

Hello ~

I had the most success when I was calorie counting. I worked a different shift then and it seemed easier to keep up with it all. I am floundering now but need to do better. My health is on the line ~ it sort of has been for a while (high blood pressure). But now the dr tells me I am prediabetic. So, I need to make a better effort to do something and make some progress.

Junk food ~ chips and stuff, but especially sweets are my downfall. Sometimes, I just feel hungry ~ like I just can't get filled up and want to eat and eat and eat.

I have some days that I do better than others. Somedays I do the same thing that had worked on another day and this day it doesn't work

As you can see by my join date here ~ I should have gotten to my goal long ago. I don't have much self discipline. I don't know what the answer is for me.

Being able to come here is a comfort because I know I am not alone in my struggles and people are so helpful to each other.

Take care

I love calorie counting, it gives me the freedom to eat whatever I want. I get this funny high when I stay within my 1200 calories by the end of the day. I've never had trouble losing weight, that's the easy part. KEEPING IT OFF IS MY NEMESIS! The key to losing weight for me is keeping my fiber grams over 40 daily. It keeps me full, I could easily skip lunch because I'm rarely hungry. If I had a dollar for every time I've mentioned Fiber One cereal, I'd be rich. I don't vary my breakfast much, I eat yogurt and fruit over Fiber One cereal daily. I have a yogurt maker so making it costs very little. I eat whatever fruit is in season over it, right now the pears are really delicious over my cereal. I also make either boxed or scratch sugar free puddings, top with fat free Cool Whip, sprinkle 1/2 serving of dry Fiber One cereal on top. It makes the pudding taste like pie with the crunchy cereal on top. For my treat at night I eat a large bowl of popcorn made with no oil, just Pam butter spray in the popper.
If I have a sweet tooth, I sprinkle cinnamon & Splenda on top. I have powdered extracts I use sometimes too, like Coconut, Vanilla, hazelnut. Kernel Season's makes a popcorn Spritzer Butter spray that I spray on my popcorn so the seasonings stick but don't make the popcorn soggy. I love it, they also make all kinds of seasoning to put on top. You can google it if you don't have them in your area. I have one call chocolate marshmellow, not my favorite. I like the Ranch seasoning the best. Garlic and Parmesan comes in 2nd.
Good Luck everyone!