Hello from a returning fat chick, many years have passed since I was serious about weight loss.

So, in lurking here I've been seeing The Beck Diet Solution over and over again, decided to check it out of the library. Read it this weekend and I'm afraid to start it.

What do I mean? Well, I've never tried to count calories before. The only successful weightloss I've ever had has been while eating low carbs and damn the calories. I hesitate to even think how many calories I was eating every day, but the pounds went down.

Looking at a 2200 daily calorie diet in her book SCARES me! That sounds like a lot of calories, first of all, and second of all, that doesn't look like a whole lot of food.

Do I need to change my mindset? Yep. Should I be grateful I get to start out with that many calories? Yep. The thing is, HOW do I do that?

Should I start tracking what I'm eating now? Write down everything I eat (every single unhealthy bite!!) and compare it to a sample day? Just bite the bullet and DO it?

Thanks in advance.

I'm not familiar with the Beck Diet, but I agree with your suggestion. I would write down everything you eat (And measure it so you make sure you can calculate the correct # of calories). Do that for a week. Then cut it down. Either follwo the 2200 that Beck suggested, or just cut it back to 1500 or whatever # is good for a safe weight loss at your height/weight.

2200 calories may not be too much for your height/weight. I use livestrong.com to track my calories daily. I think you can also type in www.thedailyplate.com and it will redirect you. I do know that I'm 245 at 5'6" with moderate activity and it recommends eating around 1900. If I'm eating the right foods, I can go through a day with 500 to 600 calories left. Good luck!

Somehow I forgot to update this thread.

Okay, so please don't run me out on a rail. . .

I was consuming upwards of FOUR THOUSAND calories a DAY. Um, hello? And maintaining the same body weight. . .and the majority of my calories were coming from beverages! When I could have been eating 170 calories worth of food, I was swigging down a 12 ounce soda instead and whining about being hungry.

So, for a beginning, I put down soda. Not easy but tolerable, though I still miss it terribly. Also, still having 2 cups of coffee daily minus the sugar and powdered creamer that tasted like blah anyway.

Still can't overcome the snackish feeling at work and have to forcibly restrain myself from hitting the vending machine numerous times daily. Finding it easier the longer I go without.

Here's the rub. I'm still going over my 2200 some days, have to HAVE TO be stricter with myself.

<-------- See that join date over there? I've been reading this site for almost 10 YEARS!! I could have lost this weight back then, and had the last decade of my life so much more comfortable than it was.

So, a plan (everyone needs a plan, right?) for the next bit of tweaking. Bring lunch to work from home, and stop the eating out madness.

Thanks everyone!!