alrighty then i'm going to share my strategy to lose weight

check it out...this is what i'm planning.

overview:
goal:to lose 40 pounds in a year...5 gone.

ways:
-strong will or i am *insert bad word here
-gradually/slowly(so it isn't seen as a pain)
-long term so i don't gain it back.
-no sugar and no salt(at least not put into food by me)
-no processed food unless absolutely nothing else to eat.
-low carb if possible.
-5 meals if ideal...no good stuff available then 2-3 that day.
-exercise walking 5-6 days a week. abdominals 3 days a week.
-hobby-gardening.


more details later... share yours? anyone wants to share what worked for you? what to avoid? going for a walk check you later.

Here are my key points:
*drink lots of water (close to 64oz a day for me) and very little of anything else.
*track what I eat and weigh the quantities. (digital food scale = fantastic!) Average 1600cal a day.
*NO fast food. None! (Okay, maybe I get a McDonalds ice cream or a chicken fajita pita every once in awhile... but even that is rare.)
*Eat protein with every meal. Eat less carbs (not low-carb at all, but moderate.)
*Eat whole foods, no chemicals, and lots of veggies. (and I mean LOTS of veggies. I ate 25 different fruits and veggies last week.)
*Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks, spaced out over the whole day.
*Be aware of hunger levels and eat acordingly (ie Stop eating if you're not hungry, duh!)
*Consider this a lifestyle-change, not a diet. I'm can't ever go back to how I used to eat and, frankly, now I wouldn't ever want to! But that does mean that I'm going to have a piece of birthday cake, for reals.
*Take it easy and be patient - it's gonna take time and I'm gonna screw up. That doesn't mean I can't do it!

... Still working on the whole exercise thing! But I just committed to at least walking a 5k in April. The walking won't be tough for me, so I'm going to try to be ready to jog some of it!

thanks for sharing,just came back from walking.

agreed on all of those...never used a digital scale. i don't want to get into calculating calories because i feel that i would see the diet as something stressful. errm i have been bought taco bell stuff by relatives.

a problem is that i usually don't cook, it's done by relatives or the maids. i pretty much accept what they make plus the food i buy for myself.

dividing 5 meals into:
breakfast 7am: apple+something else(no cheese here if possible)
snack 11am(if the lunch is coming late):tomatoes
lunch 1-2pm: meat,broccoli,egg plant or sweet pepper.
snack 4-5pm: oranges or more egg plant
dinner 7pm:salad and/or soup

after 7pm only water until the next day.

weekends can be a mess because my relatives invite me for pasta...so i try to eat only 2-3 times a day then. same when people bring me foods that only have carbs. rice, rice or pasta, pasta BAD but not as bad as eating hamburgers+pizza+soda+cookies+sadwiches+rice like i used to.

The best diet and exercise plan is the one that you can stick with over the long haul.