[ValRock]

Don't be discouraged!

I agree the Special K probably isn't the best choice. The less non-food (meaning I can't pronounce the ingredients or sugar) I eat the better I tend to do.

I've had so many days where my head was screaming "I cannot do this anymore, I'm not getting anywhere!!!!" but one day I woke up and realized I'd lost 88 lbs! Every day is a new day. Just stick to your plan and things will happen for you.

Is TOM impending? I lose like this... week before TOM - GAIN 5lbs no matter what I do. I don't even bother weighing then. Week after - LOSE 10 lbs. The week after that I maintain and so forth. I lose all my weight during one week each cycle. It's frustrating but it's predictable now so I go with it. Aren't hormones fun?

Hang in there!

[rockinrobin]

i've kinda tired of the cereal but it's so easy to eat, i don't have to worry about cooking and it's low cost. i've tried to think of other things to eat in the morning and in the evening that are low cal but nothing is as easy as the cereal.

Yes, it's easy INITIALLY.. Quick, no prep work, easy to have around. But that's the only benefits of it. Though certain things may take longer to prepare - egg white omlettes, oatmeal, etc.. it will be EASIER for your hunger levels, your health and your weight loss efforts. And THAT'S the easy you're looking for. Convenience foods are only initially convenient. You are looking for long term convenience.

Don't forget no fat yogurt and cottage cheese as well. Your food choices will evolve as you progress and you quickly learn what foods work for you - and which ones don't. You need filling power. You need to be satiated. Not eat some quick food that's out of your system in less than an hour and leaves you munchie, hungry and crave-y. It will be next to impossible to stick with this if you're not full. If you can't stick with it, you can't lose the weight and keep it off. Filling, filling foods - veggeis, veggies, veggies, protein, protein, protein.

the first two weeks were a breeze and i was fueled by the new sparkpeople app i downloaded on my phone and by the 5lb loss but this past week has been hard.

Okay. Lots of people are all pumped and psyched in the beginning, rearing to go and strong. But that initial excitement dies down - and than what?

So I urge you to think long term here. I urge you to start thinking - commitment. Lasting power. "I'm doing this no matter what, no matter what, no matter what. I'm doing this whether I feel like it, whether I get a suck-y weigh-in, whether I've got TOM . I am sticking with this, regardless of how I feel. I'm committed to doing this. I will keep persevering, keep tweaking my plan, keep keeping on. I AM DOING THIS - NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS.!!!!"

Hang tough. It's worth it. And it gets easier as you find those foods that work for you, as you develop more of a taste for the healthy foods, as your desires for the other foods die down, as the healthy lifestyle becomes more automatic, more habitual - and then look out and hold on tight - those rewards will start surfacing.... the *sacrifice* won't seem so much as the rewards/benefits will be so great. Become passionate about this. Take it home. You CAN do it. I'm certain of it. I look forward to hearing of your continued success.

[thesame7lbs]

anajjana, first of all -- congratulations! You have already seen results and you are on the right track!

I just went through the TOM gain -- no fun, but don't let it discourage you because you know what it is and that it isn't going to last. Drink lots of water!

Funny, I was pouring Special k for my DD this morning and grumbling about how it is an evil drug for me. I am old enough to remember the old "Can you pinch and inch?" ad campaign from the 70's, and how at a tender age I was trying to pinch an inch on my tummy to see if I was too fat (I was a skinny skinny kid!). Anyway, I find that the days I eat cereal for breakfast are my worst -- it just doesn't keep me satisfied. Blood sugar up, blood sugar down, hungry again an hour or two later. "Protein at every meal and snack" is some of the best advice I've ever gotten.

Funny, I always think of cereal as expensive! Eggs are a cheap source of protein and so easy to prepare. I whisk two of em in a bowl and microwave for one minute. You can add cheese, salsa, veggies, whatever, or throw it on a piece of whole wheat toast. Fast, easy, satisfying. Chicken you can buy on sale and put a bunch in the freezer.

A very wise 3FC-er says, "You can't control the scale, but you have complete control over your own behavior." Do what you need to do. Do what is good for your body. That is what's most important. The scale will follow -- maybe not as quickly as you like. But if you eat less (and more healthfully) and exercise more, it will happen!

[mrsgeb2]

I have to say thank you to all of you that responded, you guys have been soooooo helpful and I realize now I jus gotta keep at it and I'll see some major results soon.

you ladies are the best!

[rockinrobin]

Originally Posted by anajjana

I have to say thank you to all of you that responded, you guys have been soooooo helpful and I realize now I jus gotta keep at it and I'll see some major results soon.

Yes!! - You've got to keep at it - and keep tweaking.

[Karen925]

I havew prepped veggies on hand at all times, strips of colored peppers, roasted spaghetti & butternut squash, roasted green beans & beets. If my day is super busy, I make up my meals at one time and then it is done, waiting for me in the refrig. Really, it isn't that much work once you get the hang of it.

Breakfast- fage 0% fat yogurt, mixed berries 70 gm, 10 gm kashi go lean, 32gm apple butter (180 cal total). Use a digital scale with a tare and it makes counting quick and easy. I am satisfied for hours. Cereal never did that for me, even Kashi Go Lean as the cereal. I still get the cereal taste, but the filling power of protein & fiber within a calorie budget that works for me.