[charmtime]

Okay....so I first got on here this summer...ate around 1500 calories....dropped from 150 to 145 and all was good. I then went back to my real world of teaching almost 100 middle schoolers and going to grad school. So....basically I work ALL THE TIME. I quickly gained back the measly 5 pounds...but have held to the 150.

Here is my problem...my daughter is getting married in 7 months and I really, really, really want to look good for her. If I lost 15 pounds, I would look great (well, as great as I can...hehe). I have been 135 before and I know I would go from an XL shirt to a M and since almost all of my weight is in my chest/tummy area....that would be perfect for me.

My one issue is I have bile reflux which is a lot more difficult to control than acid reflux. I basically have to eat often. I also have trouble exercising as this revs up the reflux. I am good to walk as long as I don't get too aggressive.

So....how do I lose 15 pounds in 6 months? I barely have enough time to grab a frozen meal and throw it in my lunchbox. I do, however, have more time on the weekends so I am smart enough to realize I need to do something like plan lots of meals on the weekend.

I need help!! I was able to count calories in the summer, but I know it won't work with my current schedule. I go through this site and read about what everyone else does and just can't seem to make it work for me.

I wish I did not have reflux or I would just eat oatmeal for breakfast, soup for lunch...you get the picture?! I have to be super careful to eat quite a bit of food anytime I start getting symptoms. Apparently the volume of food holds back the acid.

Thanks for your help

[bargoo]

You can count calories no matter what your schedule is. Plan ahead ! It takes me about 5 minutes to plan my menu for the day. I usually do this the night before. My breakfasts and lunches don't vary much so they are easy.If you are using Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice the calories are already counted for you. I think you can lose 15 pounds fairly easy in 7 months, but you need to stick to it.

[charmtime]

I think I make it too complicated. I come up with all these charts, put them in binders and make this huge deal out of it. And then when I have a "bad" day, I just feel like a failure and give up.

I do the same thing with exercise. I will set my alarm for 5:30 and wake up and work out for a couple of days. I always feel great (as long as I don't bend over/aggravate refulx). Then I miss a day or two and it is ALL OVER for my exercise.

Guess I will need to just do one day at a time so I don't give up so easily.

[Wildflower]

Charmtime -

I work fulltime and go to grad school at night twice a week. My schedule on school days is up at 6 - leave house at 7, get to work at 8. Work 8-5 then school from 5:30-9, home at 10:15.

The thing that helps me most is making my lunch/dinner the night before. It takes about 15 minutes, something I have time for at night but not during the mornings. I also keep food in my office. My drawer is filled with packets of miso soup (35 calories each), "juice boxes" of chocolate almond milk (100 calories), Luna bars (140-180 calories each), and the tea I like.

My dinners on school nights consist of peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread (330) and an apple (100) and sometimes a greek yogurt (140).

For lunch I try for salads, or sandwiches, but a lot of times lately I am eating Amy's Frozen Dinners. I like to eat whole foods, but with my schedule sometimes it's not entirely possible. Those frozen dinners are organic, vegetarian, whole grain and whole foods based with nothing processed and no chemicals.

I can't get up and work out at 5 AM on my schedule. I go to yoga class twice a week and I try to make it to the gym at lunch to run.

Breakfasts are quick - eggs and toast, oatmeal with peanut butter, bagels and coffee.

I snack a lot. I snack on low fat cheese and fruit and yogurt and luna bars mainly. I also eat every few hours, always. Check out my meals for the last week in the daily calorie thread.

I think the most important thing about eating healthy on a tight schedule is to NOT eat out and buy healthy foods to take with you and also stuff to leave at work. Stock your desk and work fridge with snacks, or carry a large tote with lots of snacks. If your school has a salad bar, use it, otherwise, bring your food from home. Bring things that are easy and get used to eating the same foods. I know I could eat more fresh foods but I don't have the time, so I do the best I can. I personally feel like my diet is probably better than 90% of American's anyway, so I am doing OK.

Good luck to you!

[Wildflower]

Also, have you talked to your doctor about the reflux and are you on medication? I used to feel this way too...i would get horrible stomach pain whenever I went without heavy, fatty starchy foods. I was always eating cheese and crackers, anything low fat or non-starchy didn't fill me up and made me doubling over in stomach pain. I take a round of prevacid once a year and it keeps it under control. I didn't have reflux though, my stomach lining was inflamed.

[charmtime]

Wildflower, I am going to mirror your meal suggestions. Thanks so much. I love Amy's, by the way. Bought some today in fact.

Concerning the reflux, I have been to many doctors, had surgery, tried ever drug made for it....currently it is better than it has been in the past. I found out this summer that it is bile reflux instead of acid and my current meds deal with that. Unfortunately, lifestyle changes such as losing weight, lifting bed, etc... don't affect bile reflux the way they do acid reflux.

Thanks again for your posts. I actually am like you were...feel better after eating heavily. He scoped me again this summer and all he found was bile in my stomach.

I agree about eating frequently, etc... I think what gets me is not planning ahead. I should do as suggested and carry a large tote full of "my" snacks. I tend to be in a crazy hurry and stop by Chick-fil-A on the way to work and by enough for breakfast and lunch. Crazy, huh?

[charmtime]

By the way...you lost 9 pounds in the first month? Wow....I am impressed as you and I are basically the same height and weight. I am encouraged that I can lose 15 pounds by June.

[Wildflower]

Hi Charmtime -

Yep, I lost 9 lbs the first month. I wish I'd kept better track of the weekly breakout, but I didn't. I was trying hard to lose weight for a planned vacation. I stuck to 1500 or less calories a day, most days were 1500, but some 1300 or 1200. I don't think i had any less than 1150.

When I was on vacation though, I tried not to overeat, but ate whatever I wanted. I didn't gain, but I didn't lose either. So I had about a 2 week break and I am just getting started back up as of Nov 1. I was down another lb as of Wednesday and I will weigh again tomorrow. I am trying to step my exercise up too. I do a lot of walking as I work in a large city and I have a partial walking commute each day. I try to get to yoga 1-2 times a week and I was running 3 times, but it was making me too hungry, so I stopped in August. I want to start back up though, maybe just once a week.

You can totally lose 15 lbs by next June. I was eating about 2000-25000 calories before I started cutting back, which is why I chose to go down to 1500. If you aim for 500 less than you eat now, you should lose about a pound a week. Depending on how much you are currently eating, you might be able to eat higher and still lose slowly, since you have some time.

You can do it! Just be consistent. Pick a calorie amount and stick with it for at least 2 weeks and you will see the scale move.

[charmtime]

Thanks for your support. I feel like I have started/stopped this weight loss thing so many times. Just took dog for a walk....took 23 minutes to walk a mile...but I did it