Originally Posted by lillyw (Post 3841026)

In the past, if someone had said to me that their "secret" was to eat less and exercise more, I would have been one of those who would be discouraged. Not because I didn't want to put in the effort, but because I had and it wasn't that simple for me! I actually eat more now than I used to.

What I try to tell people, if they're genuinely interested, is that I learned to eat smarter, not less. I learned what works for my body--eating often, lots of lean protein and veggies, moderate amounts of good fats and fruit, much less whole grains and starchy veggies than the government's food guide, and almost no simple carbs at all. That evened out my blood sugar enough to give me the energy to be able to exercise, and the more exercise I did, the more activities I could do and enjoy doing. And I emphasize that I'm never hungry and have loads more joy in life.

I'd tried losing weight by eating less and exercising like mad, and it just wasn't sustainable. What finally worked was deciding that whatever I did this time, it had to be something I could live with for the rest of my life. It's taking longer than I would wish, but since I'm out of the "overweight" BMI range (just barely), I'm not fixed on reaching a goal by a particular date. That doesn't work for me at all (my body seems to get stubborn if I try to force it). I am a smaller size than I'd ever thought possible. My size 6 jeans are starting to slip!:o I'd like to lose another 10 to be able to get my wedding ring on and indulge in a pizza occasionally, but I'd really not change much of anything, goal weight or not. I wouldn't say it has been hard. Hard was getting through the fat years, being exhausted all the time.