Hi everyone!

By way of brief introduction, I'm a thirty-something guy from Australia and would like to think that I've got myself reasonably well sorted out when it comes to my weight management goals. Having had the positive experience of being able to work in the fitness industry from time to time in my younger years (although not currently) I've been lucky enough to mix with some very switched on people and be a part of a larger supportive group that's very focused on achieving physique and activity based goals (i.e. the general gym/sporting environment).

So how have I ended up here?
Well... my mother has recently begun asking me for advice on how to achieve her own weight loss goals, and while she can make progress here and there I've found that her challenges aren't necessarily the same as mine. This of course makes it hard for me to give her solid advice she can work with and see results from. For instance, she understands when I explain to her about portion control, manipulating macro-nutrients (e.g. limiting carbs), exercise for weight loss, etc. However actually consistently sticking to her program is often difficult for her (isn't it usually!), and I'm having trouble pin-pointing the triggers for why. I don't get the same cravings she does; I don't react to low-carb regimes the same way; we don't have the physical or mental response to different types of exercise; etc.

So the reason I'm here delving into these forums is to see if I can answer these questions for her (well for us both really). I feel like I've only scratched the surface of these forums too, looks like there's LOTS to get through!

Cheers all,
Mark

Well Mark, it's kinda hard to answer questions about your mother without really knowing what her specific issues are, but reading the forums IS the best idea to start with. Not every plan works for everyone; something personal for her is best. The same goes for exercise.

For me, the best plan is one that I can stick to, and the best exercises are the ones I can do. I still eat what I love and I do activities that I don't mind. That is the only way to do something long-term, IMHO. I am on a portion-based calorie plan, which I find to be the most flexible.

I do avoid trigger foods: that is, ones that I really have a trouble binging on, but I still eat lots of others in small portions which makes up for that. I made all our favorite dishes more healthy so we still can enjoy them. We do eat out on occasion, picking the most healthy thing we can find but it must fit within my daily calorie limits for the day too.

I have had to work on my emotional-stress eating -- developing personal strategies based on my faith and some other ideas; and this has helped me immensely in my "back-to-good-health" journey. I hope you find some good ideas here to help your mother ...