[Sadler]

Greeings everyone! My problem is I need to figure out the best way to move forward in what I'm doing to get the results I want. I'm hardly new at the weight loss game. Like most of us I know what I'm suppose to do, it's the doing all that I need to do that I tank at.

First the facts:

• 37 year old female (38 next month)
• evil scale at home says 272 lbs.
• 3-4 days a week cardio (elliptical, cross trainer, recumbent bike, treadmill) at 75-80% heart rate (wear a monitor) for 40-45 mins.
• 2 days circuit training with weights for 50 minutes (worked w/personal trainer so my weight routine is varied and really good in intensity)
• measurements every two weeks (Wed. nights) and inches are being lost
• "official" weigh in at gym on same day as measurements and consistantly gaining
• no formal eating plan
• my goals are to be stronger, smaller and healthier. I'm trying not to get hung up on the scale
• I have next to no real time support in my life.
• live with my boyfriend who will eat almost anything I cook, but buys things like giant bags of chips for me

I was doing weight watchers but when I started with the gym in January I started gaining weight. My particular leader kept pushing that I was doing something wrong since I was gaining, even though I was following the program. Quitting was a result of few months of frustration and being told "exercise is where you went wrong!" I also gave up following the food plan on my own.

I did 5 sessions with a personal trainer, mostly focusing on learning to use all of the gym. It was a great investment. I was in a car crash and have some limitations on what I can do and she worked with me to really expand my program. She's since left the gym, so I don't have her support any more, which I greatly miss!

Obviously I'm getting frustrated. Even though my focus isn't the number on the scale, I would like to be getting smaller. I'm losing little bits of inches here and there, but like everyone I want it all NOW!

I'm trying to decide if I should go back to following the WW (although I guess it wasn't really working was it?) or start counting calories. If I do that, I am confused on how many I should aim for. I know I need more protein as well, but again, not sure how much. I work an office job, am mostly at my desk, easily bored w/work and I turn to food to entertain me.

I'm an emotional eater (bored, sad, happy, lonely, stressed) and it seems 95% of the time I make the wrong choice of food or quantity of food.

What I am looking for is support, suggestions, advice, and so forth! I would completely adore having someone (or ones!) to be a companion on this journey. I am serious about doing this. I love my time at the gym but have no one in my life to celebrate it with. I'm also surrounded by "oh you can eat this, it won't kill you" people and people who just don't *get* it.

My thanks to anyone who's read this far! I'm so looking forward to getting familiar with this site. I must admit, I'm already in love with this guy ---> Gotta love a super carrot!

[HarpoChicoGroucho]

to 3FC fellow midwesterner!! Okay you've got most of it down pat. You have the right attitude. You have a great exercise plan. You have a healthy perspective on weight loss. OKAY, so we need to work on your new and improved way of eating. Personally, I'm a calorie counter and when I actually stay within my range, I lose weight. If you can, it's greatly valuable to go get your BMR professionally tested, so you can figure out your EXACT calorie deficit. Most of us have to guess ours by using an online BMR estimator, which can be very inaccurate.

Now, just for a bit of guidance about what to eat. Eat whole grains, high fiber foods, lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, and lower fat/fat free dairy. Limit refined & processed foods, sugar, fast food (I recommend cutting it out altogether), full sugar pop (switch to diet if you can), starchy veggies (potatoes, corn), and white rice. And start using spray instead of oil or butter to cook with. Measure your portions as well. If you aren't sure of how much, just follow the serving size on the label.

And don't be afraid to try new foods.

Grab a ticker and good luck!!!

[srmb60]

I'll second the calorie counting. There's also wonderful support here in the calorie counting threads.

[Sadler]

Harpo! Can you be my new best friend and push that message straight into my brain daily? Pretty please!

Susan, I will check out the calorie counting threads, thanks!

I don't have a clue where to get my BMR professionally tested, but I'll start some detective work to get an idea where to even start.

Thanks to both of you!

[ryanzgurl]

Hello Sadler....how did you come about your screen name? (just curious)

As far as being an emotional eater...high five sister...I am there with ya!! I am in the middle of Dr. Phil's book "The Ultimate Weight Solution" and I am loving it. It is the first book that I have read in a long time that deals almost exclusively with the behavioral aspect of weight loss, and I recommend it if you are looking for some insight as to how to deal with your eating patterns.

Good Luck, and feel free to leave me a message anytime if you want to chat, discuss the book, dish on skinny people...lol...whatever you need! LOL

[Sadler]

Originally Posted by ryanzgurl

[B][COLOR=darkorchid]Hello Sadler....how did you come about your screen name? (just curious)

Let's see, I'm guess because you have a picture there of Mr. Newman that you might have already made the connection

Elliott is my driver. I would have done my name w/38, but he's only with that ride a little bit longer.

I'll have to check that book out. I just started counting calories today ... I need to go to the book store tonight any how, so I'll add that to my list of things to check for.

thanks!
so now we can talk about racing too right?

[fiddler]

Sadler,

I'm new here too.

I have the same issue as you with the gaining weight while at the same time losing inches. The way I deal with it is to not weigh myself. The lady at the gym weighs me every two weeks when she takes my measurements, but I've told her not to tell me my weight. Who cares about what the scale says when you're wearing jeans that are a size smaller than what you were wearing two weeks ago? I've gone from barely fitting into a size 24 to a comfortably loose size 20 in a little over a month, and I couldn't care less what the scale says.

As far as eating, I eat anything I really want to eat. But that doesn't mean I eat junk food, candy, cookies, sodas, etc. I have made it a point to learn how to cook healthier foods in such a way that they are tastier than anything I could buy in the store, or in most restaurants (at least the restaurants I could afford, LOL), so I almost always prefer my own cooking to anything else. And conversely, I don't eat anything I don't really want. For example, I don't eat a donut just because someone brought donuts to the office that day and they happen to be there.

Maybe you just need to re-evaluate your relationship with food? It's your friend, not your enemy, but like any friend you need to respect it and not abuse it. It sounds like you're on the right track with your exercise program.

And don't be afraid to take the big bags of chips your BF buys to the office to make your coworkers fat