Great idea

I'll look forward to it...I should be here as well by then

I'm not even near the 130's but seeing you guys and you starting weight is like looking at goal posts for me!!

You guys are doing so great!! I hope I can be on this thread one day!!

Sum, let's make sure of it...Monday February 3rd (if not sooner for you, you're so darn close)...we're outta those 140's!!!

Hi hhm6 You'll get there, trust me. It's just a matter of time and discipline You're doing well!

Chardonnay! thanks!! If you dont mind me asking, what have you been doing for your weight loss? You're doing amazing!!

Thanks hhm6 I can tell you exactly what I did from day 1, if you have nothing to do but read lol...it's not all that complicated. I'm a former bean-counter, so numbers are a big deal for me. My greatest tool was an excel sheet where I kept track of everything I ate, calories, workouts, calories burned and how I generally felt.

For food: I went to a bunch of different websites, just to figure out how much I needed to eat based on my BMR and TDEE. I saw how many calories I'd need based on being sedentary to MAINTAIN my 217 pounds...then I checked how many calories I'd need to weigh 207 pounds and I ate according to that. I'd do that every time I reached a 10 pound goal, then adjust to eat for someone who weighed 10 pounds lighter. I also realized I was drinking too much wine (which slows metabolism) and eating way too much cheese...gosh I love cheese....anyway, I very slowly changed my eating habits by adding fruits and vegetables. I cut down on the wine, but never gave it up. I only ate cheese once a week. I started to force myself to drink more water (didn't like water back then!)...I started to ease up on the flour products too, bread and pasta mainly. I had to cut out sweets pretty much cold turkey at first though because I didn't think I could eat them in moderation at that point.

For exercise: I'd gained 97 pounds in just over 1 year by being on meds, due to the rapid weight gain, my joints hurt and my ankles buckled, so I had to walk with a cane. I had no choice but to just start off by walking. I would just walk back and forth to the mail box and that's all I could handle. I made sure to do a 20 minute stretching routine daily though, to help my muscles remain flexible and injury-free.

After I lost the first 20 pounds, I could walk without the cane (woohoo!) and I joined the gym. I usually did 45 minutes of cardio with a full weight workout 3x a week, then 60 minutes of cardio 3x a week, then one day off. Always followed by stretching. In the winter I'd work out at home. When spring came, I was down to about 165, so I took up hiking in the mountains (I lived up north)...barely went to the gym, but continued the weight training at home.

That was 2+ years ago, last summer I reached 140 and well, didn't give up, but didn't try to lose any more really. I met my bf and we had a lot of fun, eating and going out...but this xmas, my little ab-flab was really bothering me when I wore a nice dress and had to hold my gut in all night at a party, so I decided to buck up and try to lose that last 15 pounds, so there you go. I'm back at the gym 3x a week to do cardio and weights, then 3x a week at home doing yoga. I'm eating for weight loss, actually just started an eating plan called 5:2, where you eat healthily for 5 days a week, then 2 non-consecutive days you "fast" (500 calories for women and 600 for men). Yesterday was our first fasting day (bf is doing it too) and it was easier than I thought. I think that'll help me to get rid of these pesky 140's!!!

Thanks for reading!!

Thank you for such a detailed response!! =) and wow! You really got it together and changing your cals every 10lbs I never even thought to do that! I don't know why but this time starting has become so much harder. I just can't seem to get a good grasp over it, and it's making me sad and almost willing to stay fat. I really need to get it together!

Would you recommend not exercising and just controlling calories? and how on earth do you fast!! and what do your 500 calories consist of?

You're welcome I can't really recommend anything because I'm not an expert, I know what worked for me. I'm an avid exerciser, I believe that dieting alone doesn't work, I know some will disagree with me, but that's how I feel. You don't have to spend hours at the gym like I do, but at least some cardio every day will help with the fat-burning. I would definitely encourage anyone to do some strength training because it boosts metabolism and makes your whole body strong. I think it's also a very good motivator, once we shed some fat, we start to see our lean body underneath!

Fasting is interesting...500 calories for me on Wednesday consisted of a cup of coffee (I can't give up cream&sugar so that's already 105 calories)...for lunch I had steamed trout with lots of herbs and citrus/steamed broccoli and cauliflower (240 calories), then for dinner I had chicken broth with 4 saltine crackers (63 calories), for a snack I had air-popped popcorn (35 calories), no butter! This was a total of 477 calories for my day. I drank a lot of water, and also in the evening I had some sparkling water with some bitters and lime juice, just to have something different from the water. Maybe add another 5 calories for that. It's a lot easier than it seems, but you really need willpower the first few times because all I could think of were cashews lol...But the next day I felt so great, I had more energy, less digestive problems, and I actually felt leaner...so my bf and I will continue to fast every Monday and Wednesday. I think the key is research, to find filling food to eat that's also delicious so you don't get too bored. I have to think about what to cook on Monday for our next fasting day.

I know it's hard to start. For me I hit a "rock bottom" so to speak. I decided it was either live or die, literally. The meds I was on were horrible and it was no way to live, so I chose to wean off them and get back my health and shape because I couldn't imagine living out what would have been the rest of my life at 217 pounds and full of mental disease and physical problems. You have to really want it and be prepared for the entire journey. There will be slip ups, but in the long run, it's so rewarding!

I've done it, goodbye to the 140's, I lost 3 pounds and my weight today is 139. I'm so happy. Next goal is to get out of this thread and say goodbye to the 130's!! I don't have a time goal, but I'd love this to happen by mid-March or so.

I started the day off well, did my 60 minutes of yoga. I'm fasting today so all I've had so far is coffee, but I feel really good and motivated since seeing the weight loss

Can I join too?

I am not new to calorie counting, but for last year I was low carb girl, then...something happened and I have slowly stopped following low carb life style and went from 120 -> 131/133 lb. Tried low carb again and again...but it just doesn't stick to me for whatever reason

I am counting calories for a second day today. I also keep visual journal of the food I etc. I take photo of my meal and then post it in the spreadsheet....visually its very helpful not only to see my daily menu, but also make a mental note what are the portions look like in my plate etc.

Hi onthedietagain Low carb seems hard to maintain, my body definitely needs a good amount of carbs for energy. If it doesn't stick for you, it's good you're trying something else. I count calories and I find that as long as I eat sensibly and exercise, drink lots of water and get enough sleep, I usually do okay.

Nice job Chardonnay... I seem to be stuck at 144 pound range, it may be a while before I get to participate this thread

Oh no! You're doing so well Sum, I know you'll be here sooner than later!! I think I can chalk mine up to the 2 fast days a week.

The 130's for me are representative of my last little struggle with bad eating habits. I've definitely conquered laziness when it comes to working out. Even if I'm up until 5am with my bf watching movies (like last night, yawn), I'm still up to get to the gym by 11am. I still have little voices that tell me to drink more wine and eat more cheese (my two kryptonites!!). I'm okay with the wine, I can control it, but if I have cheese in the house, look out. I think I just have to realize that I can't keep cheese in the house! I've just been buying what I need for recipes. I wonder if those little voices will ever shut the eff up lol!!!

I'm also rediscovering my womanly figure I'm a lot more confident, and I plan to start showing off my bod a little more as I descend out of the 130's!

Does this stage in the game represent anything for anyone else? Or is it just a means to an end?

I usually just have coffee with cream in the morning (55 cal), small pita with turkey for lunch (200 cal) and saving most of my calories for dinner, incl 10 oz of red wine (240 cal).

Frozen meals are so convenient but I think proportion of protein to carbs is not really what I want. Too much pasta with too little chicken. And evenings is when I straggle the most, to make dinner for myself separate from my family and calculate calories....and all that after work when I am tired and hungry.

How do you manage dinners?