Ok I did my HUGE shopping trip..... I got nothing but healthy foods. I cleaned out all my cupboards and even got my workout equipment out and ready!!! I feel fully motivated and excited! I just hope this feeling lasts..... I am fully prepared for the bluh days (easy to say that when your not having one). I have already met one challenge.... I bought slightly different food for me and my kids and I can't get the 3 of them to stay out of mine lol! I got some 100 calorie snack packs that my dietician recommended if I have my chocolate craving (which I will) . I also got them a couple boxes of little debbies to pack for lunch or what not. However, they don't want theirs they want MINE! They wanna eat all my yogurt when I bought them gogurt! They ate all of theirs in a flash and now they want mine...... Any of you have this issue???? What did you do?

I don't have kids so I am no help there but I wanted to wish ya nothing but success with your journey. You CAN do this

Thank you so much...... I am going to give it EVERYTHING I have got!

Are you able to put some things in the freezer, like waaay back where the kiddies won't think to look? I wonder if your good example will make them want the healthier snacks (fruit, pretzels etc) too... and the temptation for you to sneak a Little Debbie won't be there if they're not in the casa? Just a thought, it's probably obvious I'm not a mom!

Oh and good luck and best wishes on your journey... you're gonna do AWESOME!

Thank you.... I'm sure it will set an example and thats not a bad thing. I just need them to eat it in moderation. I am holding myself to a strict 1200 calorie diet starting tomorrow and I will kill for my fruit if u know what I mean??? I can't have them digging into appleas and eating 3 at a time each (there are 3 of them) I need my food I can have to get me through this. I can't buy a bag of apples everyday! I have hid them but then they find everything. Its not wrong for them to eat it but they don't understand why its so important to me and the fact that I NEED that food. If I don't have it in the house I will turn to other things.

If you find yourself staying hungry or something like that with 1200 calories, I really would suggest upping it. Even start at like 1800 calories, wait it out a couple weeks then tweak as necessary. Sometimes jumping in with both feet like that can lead to overeating or eating off plan, etc. It's just a suggestion

Well first of all best of luck. Secondly how old are your kids? That makes a difference.

If you can afford it I would make the same suggestion that Kellygram made which is if they enjoy your healthier fare I would fill my house with it. Making it much easier for them to not have to break their bad habits later. My son has a great palette. He loves this dish that I make with artichoke hearts , spinach, roasted red peppers, and whole wheat pasta. Once I started giving him better food he started eating it.

On the other hand it is much more expensive to feed us that healthier food. So I get that too if that is a factor. They can burn those extra little debbie calories you cannot. I have a special cabinet that all of my dry goods goes into that my son knows he has to ask before he eats anything out of there. So he typically doesn't even look in there anymore. I also keep a lot of my during the day healthy fare at work. I will shop once a week for my work food and keep it there. Not everyone has that option but I do and I use it.

On another note kids are typically pretty lazy when it comes to food. So a lot of times I will cut up fruits and veggies and keep them in see through ziploc bags in the fridge where he can see them and snack on those instead of chips and stuff.

Okay that was lot so I will shhusshh for now. Good luck

Good luck! Post your successes tomorrow!

I'm not sure how many calories I was consuming before, but when I decided to lose weight I cut back to 1550 per day. For the first week I was extremely weak and had to be careful getting up (from bed or from a chair) because I felt so light-headed. The thing is, 1550 was what I was supposed to eat in order to lose 1 1/2 lbs per week...I can't imagine what it would have been like to cut any more out.

Don't feel like you've failed if you decide to up your calorie intake if you have the same experience I did. What matters is that you consume less calories than you did previously!

Since I found those snack sized zip bags, I use them all the time! I have portions of beans and grains in the freezer. I've divvied out chips, nuts, veggies.
For me, it's all about handy-to-grab.

As for the kids ... kids will be kids. Once in a while you'll find that your stash is missing. It'll happen. But you can make it fun for them. Dozens of bags for snack sized portions, their very own yogurt. Timmy's basket of fruit, Tammy's basket of fruit ... ya know?

It is work because it's preparation but ... worth it in the end. And hey ... kids can count triscuits too.

awesome! getting off to a good start is important!

luckily my 7 year old is the pickiest eater alive and never dips into my diet food. i make DH hide all the goodies that i would not be able to resist (for me its donuts, brownies, cookies, etc.).

i dont have much advice for the food, but heres my 2 cents otherwise..

like the other girls said, just remember that it all takes time. most of the times i quit dieting and gained all my weight back it was because i got frustrated at a plateau. you may need to tweak calories or whatever for a while before you get it right. also weight loss is usually big the first few weeks and then slows down, so dont get frustrated. i think frustration is our biggest enemy.

if you can, take some "before" pictures! i didnt do this because i was too ashamed to see a full body picture, but i SO wish that i had. now i can look at old pictures (not many because i always avoided the camera at my biggest) and see the differences, but it would be so nice to have a full body direct shot to compare.

Welcome and good luck.

Remember it's about progress- NOT perfection! If you feel hungry then eat- don't starve yourself- some people do fine on 1200 calories- me personally I'd die on that much lol.

Here's a great dessert to try instead of those 100 calorie packs:

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 packets Equal
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 Tb unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix well.

Add:
10 mini chocolate chips
1 Tb toasted sliced almonds

Mix gently. Makes two servings.

Satisfying and better than those packs- I'd always want to eat more after I'd have those packs.

I have 3 kids also so I totally get it. When I go grocery shopping I shop for everyone. We all eat the same foods. The only thing that I buy my own of is yogurt and I get them theirs and they know it because I make it clear to them. Btw they are 8, 4, and 3. Just give them rules and make sure that healthy snacks are available. My kids still eat chips and candy but rarely. They still are kids but you want them to be healthy and put in their bodies what is best for them. Kids sometimes can overeat just BECAUSE so you set what you think is the right amount for their appetite. I don't allow my kids in the fridge if they want something they must ask first and then I decide. Good luck you are going to do awesome!!!!!

Thank you so much everyone... When the dietician told me 1200 calories I almost fell off my chair!!! She did say if I lose tooooo fast I will need to up it to 1500! I think I have an advantage in the fact that as it stands right now I rarely eat.... I have been told thats part of what has gotten me here. I never eat breakfast, rarely eat lunch, and then I eat dinner and not a healthy one at all!!! So appetite is not going to be a problem at least not at first. The AMOUNT of food that I can eat is way more than the amount I eat now. However, I know all too well that our bodies also can see the difference in calorie intake! I only remember this because I my daughter was a preemie and when she would go through spurts where she would have slow growth the dr.s would suggest we add extra formula to up the calories.... she ate the same amount but took in more calories and of course she always gained! So I know my body will be in shock..... It might as well adjust because I'm not giving up on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I hear you. My 8-year-old son has figured out how wonderful Greek yogurt is, at $5.00 per container! At first I was annoyed, but now I just buy extra so we can both enjoy it. It does cost a lot but I figure if I'm okay with spending that for me, then I should be okay with spending it for him. Otherwise, I should just stop buying it.