Hi there, I'm not new to this site, but it's been too long since I've visited.
I'm back at my heavy weight, and here looking for support. Have had bad knees since Nov, and just had my knees x-rayed , and have early stages of osteoarthritis... I think I have a hernia.... bottom line here is I gotsta lose weight for good this time!

In the past I've followed South Beach with good short term results.
I've also just been diagnosed with dairy intolerance, and need to give up all dairy... not sure what plan I'm going to follow, or just cut down my portions, and cut excess carbs.

I turned 40 in September, and have a series of wake up calls... so here I am again... looking forward to meeting new folks and giving/getting support.

kitty

Hi. I am a newbie. I just turned 40 as well a couple weeks ago. I have some injury problems to work through so I know how that feels. It is a challenge when you know you gotta move to lose weight.

I tried Southbeach too and Atkins, Jenny Craig, Nutri-system, (not weight watchers though). I think, though, that I am just going to follow a calorie counting diet and not cut any one particular group of food out. The problem with low-carb diets is that, for instance, if you have a birthday party (I have 4 kids) well you can't eat even a bite of cake (at least in the early parts of the diets). As Dr. Atkins once said, "if you don't eat the approved foods, it is the kiss of death!" So, I am not cutting out a particular food group at all. It all really boils down to taking in less calories than you burn. Simple math. I know it is horrible! I hate the challenge and I don't like being hungry. So, I am gonna try to find filling foods with lots of fiber. I am also gonna have to up my intake of water (I hate it unless I have just had a hard workout and it is very cold). I also need to cut out sodas.

I guess baby steps are the way to go....that is what I am gonna do.

Good luck and good blessings.
Anita

Turning 40 can be quite the time to take stock of where you're going and try to change it! I turned 40 last year and it was basically the same thing. A big YIKES!

I had yo-yoed for years, but my big problem was that I had looked at all my previous diets as just an effort to lose the weight, not a permanent lifestyle change. Once I lost the weight I would go back to eating the way I used to and the weight would creep back. I needed to change how I ate for good, not just for the weight loss.

Everybody is different in what works or doesn't work, but for me, baby steps is/was the key. My goal was to lose only 2 pounds a month, and I have managed to hit that pretty well dead on for a year. If I try to do more, it suddenly looms up as this impossible thing to maintain and I get discouraged.

Indigal - you can do it! You did it before, and you can do it again and stay there, now that you know what you need to do. You can learn just as much from doing something wrong as you can from doing something right! This time, you know what to do and what not to do

BP

Welcome ladies! Bopeep is right! You have to look at this as a lifestyle change, not a diet. It needs to be something you can live with for the rest of your life. I started my journey back in September, I have lost steadily since then but have had many weeks where I have stayed the same. I currently average about 2 - 3 pounds a month. I'm OK with that. Start small and find things that work for you. I plan for indulgences like dessert. I've also learned that I don't have to clean my plate! The support on the boards here is tremendous. I visit here often for encouragement and inspiration. Losing weight is not an easy thing but you CAN do it!

Kitty! I am soooo with you. I just turned 40 on March 13. I never thought I would feel this old! I know 40 is NOT old, but I am so out of shape, heavy, and have a couple of injuries (my left foot and my right ankle)...I know my health is what is making me FEEL old. I never in a million years thought I would be where I am. I used to be a runner. I used to be in shape. I remember commenting when I turned 30 that my metabolism was slowed down to next to nothing, but I was wrong COMPARED to what it is at 40. Anyway, enough of the complaining for me! I am just gonna get my big butt in order and get in shape because this "feeling" is ridiculous and I refuse to live this way!

Good blessings to you.

Thanks ladies for your support. Yes, Baby steps it is. Portions I think is one of my biggest downfalls... I think I'll measure my food intake for awhile. Look forward to chatting with you all on this forum. Cheers!

I'm a yoyo'er too and I gotta tell ya, I felt a lot healthier when I was thinner. I did a lot of denying about that up until recently when I've had a cold for a couple of weeks. I don't know how many times I've said "I hate this, I never get a cold." Duh!

I've got little body aches, nagging, persistant headaches, I'm tired. I didn't feel that way 30 lbs ago -nor- did I feel that way when I was eating whole natural foods -nor- did I feel that way when I was exercising regularly.

I've got a few better days under my belt, the weather is warming up ... yes, now is a good time to get our act back together.

WEll lets see, I'm 47 now, and when I turned 40, everything just started changing... but first it was probably in my head, which had terrible consequences , losing belief that I could be young and trim still. I guess. The way it went was I started gaining, and around my middle, as perimenopause seems to do, I always had a tiny waist, but my middle grew and I had to stop tucking shirts in and changed the way I dressed basically. Okay, then, around 45 I missed my first period, for a couple of months, and I high-tailed it to the doctor . Perfectly healthy (not pregnant either). Started gaining more, getting horribly moody. Last year, 46 , I started to get my first hotflashes ! Right now I'm heaviest ever, miserable about it, it seems to rule my life... as I have am having bouts of sweats and chills round the clock, and my periods have long breaks between. ALways a sound sleeper, now I'm up all night kicking off sheets/blankets and pulling them back up, and peeing. Not so good with sleep now. Sex life is seeming in suspended animation (due to bad attitude and weight) . Did I mention that occasionally I'm a B**** from H*** ? Anyway.. Full on in perimenopause, I am finding myself utterly physically miserable much of the time, at a whopping 60 pounds over my leanest weight. I know that if I only lost 30 for the rest of my days I would be endlessly more comfortable? I have been getting so bogged down in the magnitude of the situation, and mentalpause (menopause) fuzzy head syndrom makes it difficult for me to get my goals straight. SOunds like a long rant of excuses... but ladies... life changes in our forties, and I'm just like... duh... getting that I'm 'normal'. Still , no excuse to not lose at least SOME of this weight, so it doesn't rule my whole life, and so I can be more comfortable. I know they say that in perimenopause its suppose to happen , but I just can't accept it. So, I have no other choice now than to DO .

"DO or DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY" quote by yoda