Originally Posted by Sarae878:
I see that all of you are basically in my weight range when you started your diets. How did you reach your goal? I started my diet on Jan 5 and have only lost 3lbs. I exercises 5-days per week. I figured it was going slow b/c I only had 20lbs to lose but this is ridiculous. I had 2 pieces of cake (on 2 separate occasions) and that is the only time I have slipped in 9 weeks.

I lost 15 lbs. in 9 months. I have slipped :o so many times in such large ways that it's too embarrasing :o to detail.

There are as many different methods for weight loss as thee are people on this site. I would suggest reading a bunch of different posts in a bunch of forums to see if you can't find something to work for you.

You could also detail your plan for us and we could maybe make some suggestions. We have many "expert" dieters on board.

Dagmar (let it snow - NOT!!!)

Since I have a long way to go until goal. I can only give some general advice from what I have learned so for on this journey I am taking.

Do I find the journey easy, yes most of the time. Now, that might be because most of my weight gain was from meads. It could also be because before the weight gain I was always reasonably thin and in shape so I have never had to lose weight before.

I think if a person is eating the required amounts of the four basic food groups a day. If a person is staying within reasonable ranges of calories, fat, carbs and proteins a day for their build and age. If they aren't doing without all the things they love but are instead incorporating those things into their daily meals. They are doing what is good for them.

We have all learned we do not live to eat, we eat to live. There are a great many people that need to learn something else. We do not live to watch what we eat and exercise. We watch what we eat and exercise to live a long and healthy life. There are a great many people who really don't eat enough. They do not get enough of the food groups in and all that is on their mind 24/7 is to get thinner. Those people are not having a very healthy life. A great many people never lose all the weight they need to lose or they don't maintain their weight loss. Why, because they can lie to them selfs about how they are eating but they can't lie to everyone else.

Those of us that have had to lose a great deal of weight and maybe even some people who have only had a few pounds to lose know we don't always see our selfs as others see us. I don't see a great deal of difference in how I look right now than how I looked 48 lbs ago. Yet, everyone else around me see a huge difference.

Sometimes I think others don't want us to be thinner, healthier and look great. Sometimes I think we need to pay more attention to what others see. They see us as we don't see our selfs.

When someone says to me you don't need to lose anymore weight and I have a few people doing that to me even now. I tell them, I should be between 110 and 125. When I get into that range I will start asking those of you in my life that love me and care about how I am, if I still need to lose weight.

Wow, I completely relate to all of these posts. There is always someone in better and in worse shape that you so how can anyone say, "you don't need to lose weight" or whatever, their opinion is usually based on their own insecurities. EVERYONE can be healthier. You have to know you're own limits. But I don't tell people I'm trying to lose weight bc they get almost angry with me bc I "don't need to lose weight". The best bet for me to say that I just want to be healthier. I love this thread, its great to see people who feel the same as me. -JILLLLLLL

Well I have tried calorie counting and it has worked in the past but this its not I'm constantly thinking about food and hungry even after I have reached my calorie limit. So now I am trying low carb. 25lbs is the most overweight I have been but getting weight to come off has been hard.

If I receive these comments.. I simply tell them, it's not that I want to weigh a certain amount... I want to "Feel my best"... Feeling your best and feeling lean and strong is a big motivator for me...

I feel the same way everyone. I don't want to lose weight to look good for having two kids. I want to look good no matter how old I am or how many kids. My husband doesn't think I need to lose weight but knows that I want to make changes because *I* am not happy with me right now. I don't care if anyone else knows I am thinking about dieting or losing weight, in fact I probably won't let my friends and family know just because I don't want there to be any pressure. I feel like if they do know they will judge me on how much I have lost, etc.

I really want it to be a change towards a healthier lifestyle for life. And I expect that if I really do have a healthier lifestyle I will be in that target weight for my height.

I'm starting to get those comments and "don't get too skinny" now that I'm shedding my last bits of excess fat.

FairySarah made a point that i can completely relate to, especially as i'm also 19 - friends telling me it's not 'natural' for me to be any thinner...

That got me so angry! I'm not overweight but I overeat, so by cutting down to healthier portions and exercising more, weight has been coming off, and I don't see how that's unnatural!! Fair enough I can't eat takeaways every night like some of my friends do without them gaining a pound, but THAT doesnt make me unnatural - you're just blessed with a fantastic metabolism if you can do that and not put on weight, not the other way around!!