Hi, I think I joined this site a couple of years ago (and then lost a few pounds and didn't think I needed "help" anymore... HA!), but now I'm back, and serious this time!

I knew I had been gaining weight recently, but in the process of four moves over the course of two months, I lost my bathroom scale. I got a new one and weighed myself yesterday and was absolutely SHOCKED to see that I weighed over 213 pounds... I'd never been over 200 before!

Anyway, I decided right then and there that something had to be done, and FAST! So I jumped online and did a little research, and I think I have a pretty good plan in place, but I know that a little support from people who are in the same boat can go a LONG way!

Hey! Welcome, I'm new too .

Hey Blackbetty, and

No one -needs- support to do this...but in a game where the odds are already somewhat against you, it does help a LOT to have a team behind you. I'm glad you came back!

What sort of plan are you following? You can probably find a specific forum for it here. Otherwise, look around and jump in whereever. Can't wait to hear more from you soon!

Thanks so much for the warm welcome! I've found it's so much easier when you have a support group... someone to hold you accountable for your goals, and someone to cheer you on when you're staying on track. It's a great motivator!

I'm not following a specific diet plan, per se, because I don't like having to follow rules and count calories or points all the time, and I'm a vegetarian, so it's VERY hard to stick to the low-carb diets. Basically, I'm trying to use common sense... cutting down portions, eating smaller, more frequent meals, and making meals out of mostly fresh, whole foods instead of junks like pizza and fried foods. Fruits and veggies and rice, oh my!

I'm a bar manager, and the bar I work at serves all sorts of lovely quesadillas, cheese fries, and fried goodies that look so very tempting when I'm there on a 10-hour shift. The worst thing ever is to have to eat a salad brought from home while I watch my employees sharing a basket of chili cheese fries! But I'm being good... so far, at least!

One more thing that I think may be the KEY to my weight-loss: Alcohol! Working at a bar, I drink more than most people do (by no means an alcoholic, but it becomes part of the lifestyle). I think some days, I get half a day's worth of calories from alcohol alone! So i'm cutting down on my drinking... one or two glasses of red wine per week, and that's all I get! We'll see how quickly these pounds start to drop!

BlackBetty - the alcohol would become a challenge, for sure! Cutting it down is good not only for weight loss, but for nutritional purposes...you get a lot of vitamins in half a day's calories worth of food that you don't get in the same amount of calories of alcohol for sure.

Have you visited the Vegetarian Chicks yet? Might be a good place to start...we have lot of Vegetarian and Vegan members!