Hello all,

I have been lurking for some time now and thought it was time I took the plunge and asked to join this great group! I am a nurse and mother from Louisville, Ky

I feel like I have learned so much from all of you already.

That being said I also feel lost. I like many have been here before.I feel like I am at a desperate place this time though. For many reasons.

Here is what I am struggling with in an effort to make a plan and get going.

What eating plan should I follow? I know WW works but after awhile the journaling becomes a struggle for me and although others use it sucessfully I don't believe the Core plan would work for me either. I thought about calorie counting but wonder if the need to journal food would get me there too. I want to find a plan that is applicable to real life and can be used into maintenance.

My other major challenge will be with exercising. I work behind a desk and have for many years. Now when I try to walk or stand for long periods I am noticing knee and lower back (hip) pain. Even using my treadmill.

I am open for any advice you would like to send my way.

Deb

Hi there! I am from Louisville too. Well, I live in Shelbyville but I work in Louisville still.

I've just re-started but, I've already had to tweak my original program in the first week.

As far as finding a plan, you just have to experiment and find what works for you. I started w/ calorie counting but I've tweaked it to fit me. I journal what I eat and how I'm feeling when I eat it. I eat every 3 hours or so. I worry more about healthy, unprocessed food choices, and count my protien and carb intake more than anything else. I find if I do that, the fat grams take care of themselves. I've also noticed I make my 1800 calorie limit just fine, without having to count every calorie and plug it into a program.

It doesnt have to be black or white, this or that, all or nothing. Its about finding a way that works for you so you can have a healthier, more livable relationship with food. I have had a hard time realizing that. I kept thinking I had to follow a strict food plan and if I cheated then I was a god awful failure. Now I know its just a matter of choices. I like the way I work now. I can choose what I want, when I want it and there is nothing but me saying I can't have something. I found out that while it works great for others, the worst thing for me is to have a strict, dictated food regimen.

As far as exercise goes, I'm sure you already know this but getting some of the weight off will help decrease your knee and back pain. Just move slow, don't overwork yourself and make sure you are moving. It doesnt have to be heavy, high impact to count, just has to be movement. Try swimming if you can find an indoor pool. It does WONDERS for the whole body and takes all the pressure of your joints while you do it.

Welcome to the board! Post as often as you can. Everyone hear is wonderful and it's a great place to find support.

Welcome to the group!

Thanks for the wonderful welcome!

Welcome to the group!! I'm relatively new also, and love it so far.

Just as JustWannaBeMe said, you will have to experiment with your diet. I did WW and yes it did work as far as weight loss goes, but I felt I was still making unhealthy choices. There are SO many processed foods that were low in points, and I want to eat healthy choices, not just low fat processed garbage. Now that doesn't mean it wouldn't work for you, but thats what I found myself doing.

I'm currently on South Beach, and I love it. I'm someone who needs a lot of structure with litte effort. Journaling and calorie counting isn't for me, because I just can't commit to keeping track. South Beach has a strict set of foods you can eat and foods you can't. I loved that structure. I didn't count the calories I was eating I just stuck to the appropriate foods. And before I knew it I could distinguish between healthy food choices and unhealthy choices. So that type of diet might be something you could look into if you don't like calorie counting.

Hope that helped a little!!

Welcome to the group. Well my 1st bit of advice is to make a small change (baby step) until you come up with a plan. Maybe you could switch from reg to diet soda or drinking more water. I have found that no one set plan works for me but one made up from many. I basically follow WW but it's not written in stone. I too have a hard time writing all but it's something I must try and do. I find that if I let it go I tend to over due stuff or fool myself that I didn't eat that much today. So play around their are no plan police just try and make better choices. One major thing I did was when I go out for dinner I try and choose the more healthy thing and then when I order I ask for a to go box. When my food comes I put 1/2 in the box and eat the other 1/2. My son usually eats my left overs. But if not I have a nice lunch or dinner for the next day. Also don't pour your salad dressing on your food. Get on the side and dip your fork into it. You still get full flavor with out full calories. These maybe little steps but they sure add up.

Welcome!

I'm one of the oddballs here...I follow no particular plan and don't count calories. I practice "mindful eating". For me this is a sustainable plan and is working well. I focus on being very aware of my eating, enjoying every bite. I eat at the table, not on the run. I stop when I am full...and am learning to be very aware of that.

I've noticed that over time I eat much less sugar and fewer processed foods. Last night we went out to dinner to a favorite restaurant...which serves my most favorite dessert. I planned to eat it and didn't even offer to split one with my husband. We haven't been there in six months. The dessert was waaaaaay too rich, I didn't finish it.

When I started my knees hurt. They don't anymore. I am moving more. Swimming or water exercises are a good beginning.

Experiment...you will find what works. It may need changing over time.

Welcome Deb!

Finding the right eating style is going to take you time and effort. As for journaling, studies have shown the the most successful weight loss maintainers are those who keep records of what they eat.
This may be something that you can try to make a habit of. Once you get in the habit, it's just like brushing your teeth.

Since you are having trouble deciding on a plan, why not write down what you are eating now, and see how you can tweak little changes. Making small steps will help you settle into a comfort zone where you don't feel overwhelmed.

For excercise, can you find somewhere to swim? That will get you some cardio but be easier on the joints. The more weight you lose, the more other things you will be able to do.

I would also look into strength training and pilates. All of these will help your body.

Along with what Lori said -

When you learn about counseling/psychology one of the things that gets beaten into your head is "monitoring changes behavior." For many, many people just tracking a behavior leads to a change. So if a client wanted to cuss less I might suggest he/she gets a golf clicker and keeps it in their pocket and click it once every time they catch themselves cussing. Research shows that if that's the only "treatment" there's a good chance they will cuss less.

So even if you don't want to track calories, you can monitor how many meals you ate, if you ate too much or too little in a day (by whatever standards you use) etc. Or just tracking your weight by weighing in once a day or once a week.

You may have to experiment for a bit to find what works for you. We're all so very different. I simply count calories. I track on The Daily Plate every day. I love the information and support both at TDP & here. I've cut my caffeine/pop intake drastically (I usually have one can per day of my Diet Coke). I drink water throughout the day. I've taken time to learn more about sodium, protein, fiber. I've been experimenting with different items in the natural foods aisle. Picking things up when they're on sale, etc.

Good luck!!

I agree that you have to find what works for you. It does help to hear what works for others and then take what you can use and implement it. I track everything on thedailyplate.com. I need to since I lose track of how many calories I've eaten and way underestimate if I don't. My knees were really hurting when I started too. I have a treadmill that has an adjustment that softens the impact. It does seem to help. I started out really slow and have worked up to two miles a day on a pretty good incline. My knees feel great now, and it's just coming up on one year since I started. The knees got better within the first month though, so you might see benefits pretty quickly.
I'm glad you are here!