Well, I have slowly but surely worked my way up to 230 pounds. I remember graduating high school at 132, wearing a size 3 skirt. *Sigh*

But, all that is behind me, and I am lookign to get healthy (not thin) Ijust had a check up, and while I am pretty healthy, my cholesterol is slightly elevated, my blood sugars are on the high side of normal, and I don't want to start the slide downhill into worse health.

I am reading both South Beach diet, 3 Fat Chicks on Diet and some of the books that Biggest Loser has put out. I welcome any input, and would love to hear from anyone in the North Seattle area, as I know I will soon have to start exercising, and would welcome any help I can get.

This is a great place for support and advice, so I'm glad you found it!

If you post a list of what a typical day looks like, we may be able to help out. Also, you could mention what your current physical activity consists of.

Some general advice I could offer:

-keep a food journal
-exercise 5-7 times a week....start slow and work your way up....keep the body guessing
-plan meals in advance and always have easy to grab healthy snacks and cut up veggies.
-keep checking in here daily for inspiration
-cut out all soda
-drink plenty of water
-sleep at least 6 hours, although 7 or 8 hours are better
-use a pedometer to see if you can get to 10,000 steps a day
-don't expect to lose it fast because it took time to put on...set realistic goals. If you slip up, get right back up and dust yourself off.

Good luck!

Welcome!

I started off calorie counting, and that went okay, but then I switched to South Beach and it really worked! (until I stopped doing it -- object lesson #1)

For me, what was good was having a range of recipes to make from the cook books at that were all really tasty; I got rid of all soda; stopped drinking alcohol (I'm a white russians kind of girl, so not very healthy at all); I try to exercise every day, even if it's only for 15 or 20 minutes on the exercise bike.

Oh, and the best thing was and is weighing myself daily. Same time of day, no excuses. When I don't do this, I inevitably gain weight. Somehow, seeing that number right away in the morning is a good reminder and way to keep me on track for the day, so I have the hope of a lower number the next morning.

Let us know if you have any particular questions about what to change, etc. We're no experts, and what works for me may not work for you, but I've found the advice here to be good and the support fantastic.

Good luck!

So here is a rundown of my typical day:

Typically, I skip breakfast (I know, I shouldn't but I just tend to, due to running around and not planning beforehand)

Lunch is either a frozen meal (Lean cuisine, Stouffers, whatever is on sale) or sandwich and chips. I really want to move away from this, and support in my office is great, I just need to get on the ball and get serious.

After work is my down fall. I don't snack in the office after lunch usually, so by 4:30-5pm I am starving and hit up the drive thru on the way home.

I feel bad, and have been hiding my drive thru meals, so I then eat dinner that my husband makes around 7pm at home. He tries making somewhat healthy meals, but he needs to bulk up on veggies, and dinners ca nbe really carb filled.

But yup, that is a typical day (I hit the drive thru 3 times a week average)

Wow, writing it out sucks.

Can you eat at your desk at work?
I eat a cup of Quaker Oat squares, dry they are tastey, at my desk in morning. I am not the type of person who can eat a lot in the moring.
Try keeping some easy fruit to eat close by so you can grap it on the way home and eat it when your starving. Grapes, bannanas or apples are easy to grab.
Another treat that is good is Fiber Bars (I like the Kellogg Fiber bars, chocolate chip ones). I keep one in my purse and they do help to curb chocolate cravings and help tide me over until dinner time.