Hi guys,

Today is the very first day of my plan, and I'm feeling very good about it. Let me explain it to you and you can tell me what you think!

First, I've decided to jog or walk the same route 5 days a week (I'd say it's about 2 miles). I figure if I keep the route the same, then the only difference between running and walking is that if I run, I'll get done faster, so I won't get down on myself for not feeling like running if I chose to walk. Also, for breakfast I'm giving up the bacon or the poptarts or the bagels with cream cheese, and I'm going to start eating yogurt or cereal with water or a glass of milk. For lunch, I'll eat a nice big salad, and for dinner I'll just have a glass of milk or water (I read somewhere that if you cut out dinner and just drink milk or water, you'll jumpstart your weight loss). I KNOW I'm gonna be hungry the first couple days (or weeks), but nobody said this was gonna be easy.


They say it's healthy to lose about 2 lbs a week. With this in mind, I hope to reach each of my mini goals (7.5 lbs) every month, which means I can reach my goal weight in 10 months (BY MY BIRTHDAY!!!), and everytime I reach a mini goal, I'm gonna buy myself something pretty (I'm a shopoholic, so only shopping when I reach a mini goal is gonna save me a TON if money). While I was jogging today I kept thinking about how happy I'm gonna be on my next birthday when I'm healthier and thinner. It's sooo exciting!! 10 months is such a short amount of time!!!


I was also watching Ellen the other day and Ewen McGregor was talking about how he quite smoking. He said he just woke up one day and decided "It's quite simple, just don't smoke! and pretty soon you won't want to!" I was thinking about that philosophy with food. Eating is necessary to sustain life, just like breathing. But eating bad things is just like smoking, it's bad for your health, and it may feel good, but it's not necessary. So I've decided that the easiest FINAL way to stop eating bad foods is to just not eat bad foods. Pretty soon, I won't even want to!

I'm very optimistic this time. I KNOW I'm gonna do it! I'll keep you updated when I reach my first goal (200-7.5=192.5).


peace out

I agree your plan sounds good but I think you might need to drink some kind of (protein, vitamin etc) shake if you don't feel like eating actual food.

I love your enthusiasm! But I think you need to add variety to your meal plan. You want to change your eating habits into something you can sustain for a lifetime. Do you really want to give up dinner every night for a glass of milk? You can easily spread your day's worth of calories across three meals (plus a snack if you like) and still lose weight. You can even still keep your "big meal" as lunch and eat a lighter dinner. I just think not planning to eatanything for dinner might sabotage you in the long run.

And HUNGER, over time, will also sabotage you! Just some things for you to think about! Good luck! You're right about 10 months being a relatively short period of time -- before you know it your birthday will be here!

Getting a regimen down that you can LIVE with long term is in my mind the important factor. Some of us stick with eating the same thing day in day out, while others find they want some variety.

It sounds like you've got some great ideas to get started in terms of switching out unhealthy foods with healthy foods and getting an exercise plan. But I see a few potential pitfalls:

1) Boredom. Be open to changing things up. It is likely you will get bored with that walk over time and with the food you're eating. Making a commitment to a healthier lifestyle does not mean you have to commit to a specific plan.

2) It really doesn't sound like you'll be eating much at all. Poke around on this board and you'll see a lot of information that you don't need to starve to lose weight -- in fact, it's often healthier to eat more, because you get in more important nutrients and it's SUSTAINABLE. The risk you run with an extreme plan is that when you stumble and fall off plan, you may stay off plan.

3) Setting mini-goals is great, but many of us have realized that the scale doesn't always go along with our timeframe -- even IF we're doing everything right. And if we go off plan, we can feel a panic as we watch the timeline slip away. We may end up feeling unsuccessful even if we're losing weight. Why set dates for those goals?

Lots and lots of people start on a diet all gung ho, but only a small percentage stick with it long term. I believe that one of the reasons is we have plans that are not sustainable and/or set unrealistic goals. You may run that risk too. The end goal isn't weight loss, it's keeping the weight off. That's why plans need to be sustainable...

Just some things to think about.

Hey there! Yes, it's great to be enthusiastic, but enthusiasm alone isn't usually enough to sustain an effort.

Looking at what you have planned, I don't see nearly enough nutrients there, let alone enough calories. For one thing, I see very little protein, and protein is really necessary to support exercise. And there isn't much else, either!

When I entered what you plan to eat into FitDay, which is a calorie tracker, I get something like 500 calories. That's starvation level, and you probably shoudn't go there. Most sources say that you shouldn't go below 1200 calories if losing weight on your own. If you are on a medically supervised plan, calorie amounts may be lower--but medically trained people are monitoring your progress, planning your meals, providing supplements, etc.

fitday.com has a free online calorie tracker, as does thedailyplate.com.

My suggestion would be that you check out what the Calorie Counters forum has to say about eating. Read the Sticky thread on Frequently Asked Questions.

Good luck! I hope you find a more balanced plan to follow.

Jay

Thanks for all the advice guys! You're right. I don't think I'd be able to survive without dinner. Plus if I add that in, I can get in more protein.

thanks for your help!

I think you diet sounds a bit drastic and you wont be able to keep it up. Plus why starve your body. You can eat quite a few calories per day and still lose weight...plus when you exercise your body needs more calories.
I have lost weight90lbs before doing a drastic shake plan for breakfast and lunch. I wasnt able to keep the weight off because I lost so fast and my body didnt like it. Yes I lost the weight but I also gained it all plus some back. I am now eating a healthy diet and am still losing weight.
Take a look around at some of the forum , maybe you will find a diet that will not be as drastic.
good luck
debi

Congratulations on making the decision to become healthy. That is a great start and sometimes the hardest part is just taking that first step and making the decision to become more healthy.

That being said, I think the plan that you have set for yourself is a recipe for disaster. Here's what I see:

1) The exercise part is definitely a great start, but make sure you switch up what you are doing after awhile. If you are doing the same thing all the time you will most likely get bored with it and will stop doing it. Try biking, or maybe some gym classes, or workout videos at home. I have found over the past year that keeping my exercise routine different every week help keeps me motivated to keep exercising and I don't get bored.

2) What you are saying you are going to eat is not going to be enough to sustain you, especially if you are exercising 5 days a week. It is a great idea to get rid of the poptarts and bacon in the morning, and yogurt and cereal is a great substitute. A salad for lunch is also a good idea, but make sure you don't eat that same thing every day - again boredom may come in. Add some protein like chicken or tuna, have a sandwich or a healthy wrap, have some soup, mix it up - salad is a great food, but it can get boring after awhile.

3) I see a huge problem with not eating any food for dinner. Wherever you heard that it is good to cut out dinner to jumpstart weightloss sounds completely wrong to me. If you cut out any meal you will seriously be depleting your calories for the day (especially with your plan of only eating yogurt/cereal/salad throughout the day) and if you seriously deplete your calories below your daily intake (you should not go below 1200 on any day) then you will actually stall your weight loss because your body might go into starvation mode and it will hold onto all fat and pounds because it doesn't want to give up anything since it isn't getting the nutrients to sustain it. You need to eat at least something for dinner - cutting out any meal is not the way to go to lose weight - cutting out the crap a lot of people eat is the key, and eating healthy is the way to go.

4) Losing x number of pounds per week - make sure not to get down if you don't lose 2 pounds EVERY week. You might only lose a half pound some weeks, or even gain - but don't let it stop you! I've been doing this for over a year now, and some weeks I wouldn't lose much, I would stay the same, or even gain, but I never let it stop me from continuing. Here I am a year later and 52 pounds lighter. You just have to keep in mind that some weeks won't be perfect, and even if you are 100% on plan all week, you still might not lose. That's the fascinating thing about bodies - they are all different and you can never tell what they will do. The key is to just keep chugging along and the weight will eventually come off.

None of this is meant to offend you, I'm just trying to offer some insight into your plan. Please take some time to reflect on what people on 3FC say - I've been on here for about 8 months now and this site has done wonders for me, especially making me see the reality of weight loss - we come up with a perfect plan, but the weight loss isn't always perfect. Everyone on this site is awesome and has some great tips.

Good luck!

I think that's a good call. Eating too few calories can lead to bingeing because you're just so hungry. Of course not eating food for dinner will jump start your weight loss - it cuts out a significant portion of calories and forces your body to drop muscle and water! Protein is also essential to any weight loss program because it makes you feel fuller on less. Fat and protein break down more slowly in the digestive tract than carbohydrates would.

I also think, (like a few other people have mentioned), that you need to vary your workouts. I used to run the same route everyday for an hour and it was like "wow you run for an hour everyday? Why are you still 200lbs?". Variation is critical not only to stave off boredom but to avoid any plateaus. Even if it's changing your route every few weeks, or adding some biking, or doing some workout videos, throw your body a curve ball once in a while. As for variety in eating...I eat pretty much the same thing everyday because I'm a student and a horrendous cook (). BUT if I do want to go out for dinner with friends one night, or I'm visiting home for a weekend, I have the option to have variety. I think that's important.

I think everyone has given great advice regarding the food and exercise so I have one other thing to add. Don't wait until your birthday to be happy about all of this. Be happy that you are making these changes and getting healthier now! Don't wait for the results to show up on the scale. There are so many other ways that you are helping your body that will happen before you lose all of the weight. Remember to celebrate that!