hi everyone! feeling so down about my weight. i weigh 240lbs and need to shift some serious weight. i feel quite overwhelmed by how much i need to get rid of. its hard to focus on small goals without looking at the big picture (no pun intended). i have looked at several plans: you on a diet, 5factor diet, beck solution, volumetrics etc but can never even seem to get started. i want something i can actually do that isnt too scary and isnt faddy. recently i've been going through a phase where i constantly feel hungry and crave sweet things badly (really badly!!). i think part of it is stress and boredom but gaining more weight isnt helping the situation. i would like help choosing a programme thats realistic, sustainable and which works . i am a sugar junkie and am not so keen on meat (fish is ok). i have looked at the goal page for ideas but just get even more confused. any ideas would be much appreciated. thanks for reading this

aboard! I kinda had the same problem when i first started. Maybe you could try to start out with something like calorie counting. Start a journal or get an online food diary like thedailyplate.com I find that this is a lot easier because i am not limited to WHAT i can eat jus HOW MUCH. Everyone around here is very helpful. Hopefully you find the advice and guidance you are looking for.

I definitely agree - calorie counting is a great way to go. If nothing else, you'll learn so much about what the foods you're eating contain. Let me tell you, the first time I counted calories, it was an eye opening experience! I had no idea how many calories there were in all the things I loved to eat.

There are a ton of sites out there that can help you with calorie counting. The dailyplate.com, my-calorie-counter.com, and calorie-count.com are a few. My current favorite is myfitnesspal.com because I find it the easiest and fastest to use, but any of the above are good. The most important thing is just to start one of them and stick with it. You can do it!

I'm almost done with Phase I of South Beach, and it really does help with cravings. I was telling my husband at lunch today (we ate out - my kids had real homemade french fries!!) that part of what works for me on this diet is that I have a strict guideline of what I can and can not eat. So, I didn't even think or wonder IF I could have french fries, or if I did, how many could I have?! I wouldn't do as well on things that I could have anything I wanted, just limited. I'm better off being told what to do!!

Good luck!

You have to find your own best plan . . . and it has to be something you can live with for a lifetime. I'd suggest you just get started on something that sounds reasonable to you and your way of life. If it doesn't seem to be comfortable for you after a few weeks, start tweaking it or try a different approach all together.

There are many, many perfectly healthy and successful approaches out there. Eventually you will find "the one" for you.

I just want to make sure you understand that with Beck you have to find your own plan... and a back up plan... it's not an actual diet.


if you are having sugar and refined carb cravings, I second the recomendation for south beach. but ya gotta love your veggies....

if you like veggies south beach may be for you...

I started SBD May 2006 and today I am nearly 70 pounds lighter.... and I don't work it as hard as I could....

I think more people are beginning to recognize the importance of mindset/attitude/thinking when it comes to adopting a healthy way of life that leads to fitness and weight loss.

Exactly which plan you pick to start your new way of life is probably less important than your attitude. Most plans work well for some people and most people can succeed on several different plans. But with the right mindset, if your first approach isn't right for you, you will keep trying and find something that does work for the long run.

Since you are feeling confused by the food plan choices, it might be best just to pick something and see how you like it. If that plan doesn't work for you, you will be in a better position to judge what changes you need to make (convenience, more flexibility/less flexibility, levels of carbs, protein, etc). Also, consider adding a fitness component along with your eating approach.

As Nessa mentioned, Beck isn't an eating plan -- it's all about changing your mindset. You might want to take a second look at it to see if it can help with your feeling overwhelmed.

I need help controlling my appetite for carbohydrates after exercise. I have become an avid exerciser, but fail to lose weight as I eat too much.
The more I exercise, the hungrier I get. I know this is normal, however I CRAVE carbs and end up undoing my all my hard work.
Any suggestions are most appreciated!
Thanks!
Roberta Lynn

Roberta Lynn, that's the premise behind Jim Karas' book "The Cardio Free Diet". Doing cardio exercise makes you want to eat more.
Are you doing strength training? Try to eat some protein with every meal.
Portion control is a major thing to get under control. I struggle with it constantly. I wish I had some words of wisdom, but I don't It's just a daily battle. One day at a time!
Good luck!

In my opinion you're half way there, adreamer with that attitude. The fact is that over 90% of dieters fail to lose weight permanently. The Big Orange Babe is right, remove the word DIET and insert the word LIFESTYLE.

You don't need a diet, they don't work. If you are prepared to acknowledge that losing weight permanently is only successful when it is done as a slow, steady process, you should have no problem.

Make changes to your current diet (small "d"!). Substitute your current foods with low calorie versions. Try a sugar substitute such as Splenda. Cut down on fats, stop frying your food - broil, steam, microwave, bake, boil but don't fry. Cut down on fats. If you like foods that traditionally have fat in them, substitute with low-fat versions.

One way or another you must introduce exercise to your life - permanently. Walk, run, swim, cycle - whatever. Thirty minutes a day, at least five days a week. If you can't manage that, you're going to struggle.

Don't make any changes that you can't stick to.

Did I mention cut out fats?

None of these measures in themselves make much difference, but together they will have an effect. Even if the effect is only to lose 1/2 pound per week, that will be 26 pounds in 12 months, because your changes will all be permanent.

Good luck!

I told myself that diet is a four letter word. I am making a life change. I decided that I need to be healthy and the way to do that is to eat healthy. I keep my portions small and eat every 3-4 hours. The only time that I may have a craving is late at night after I have settle down at the end of the day. Then I have to decide if I am truly hungry or if I am bored and just want to eat. I am also doing clean eating and have never felt better. Now, whenever I eat something greasy or fatty, it makes me physically sick.

Way to go xraygirl! That's the way to do it!

adreamer,
I'm in the same boat as you, needing to choose a plan but just not knowing which one. And THAT brings me around to the real problem. I don't really want to get started, period. So, as yoyoma said, just START, with anything and move on from there.
Though people know that the key to long-term weight loss is changing your mindset and current habits, the idea of doing something FOREVER is, to put it mildly, overwhelming. There is no need to do that right this instant.
I think calorie counting is the best. Pick a number and do it for a while. You can change later. That's my advice. I have to follow it myself now.

Totally understand where you're coming from, redballoon, that's why I suggest that the changes you make are small ones, changes that you can handle. It's not too much of a shock o the system to change from regular soda to diet soda, or from full fat milk to skimmed milk.

As you say, we're dealing with a mindset here, trying to break old habits and form new ones. Not an easy task, but like many tasks it can be made easier by breaking it down into small, manageable pieces.