Hey everyone,

I joined a while ago, but fell off the wagon a bit due to studying and being busy with my daughter and then allowing myself to make excuses like that lol.

Anyway I am back and I am trying again, I have 135lbs to lose....and really no idea where to start. I know about healthy eating and portion size and going to the gym and being active and all those things but in terms of motivation, and keeping myself on the straight and narrow i find that really difficult. Does anyone have any tips for me? What helps?

Also I know this isnt a quick fix but does anyone know a way to kick start my weight loss...eg has anyone done say a detox or something, do they work?

Another thing as well...does anyone know any good healthy snack foods and recipes that they could share with me? I need some healthy food inspiration!

Thanks alot, and I look forward to getting to know people and getting on with my weight loss journey

135 lbs would put you at my goal weight (130) and you are 5 inches taller. I respect your ambition and drive, but that doesn't seem like a realistic goal. My sister is about your height and weighs 135 and she is a size 0 and her doctor is constantly on her about being too thin.

A weight of 169 would put you in normal range! So you actually only have to lose less than 100 lbs! If you aren't happy once you are there, you can tweak. I would break your goal into mini goals and give yourself non-food rewards along the way.

I started with the south beach diet to give myself a kickstart. For a healthy snack, I enjoy reduced fat wheat thins with laughing cow cheese.

Motivation is the hardest. Some people put up photos on the fridge -- of themselves, of what they want to wear, of the weight they want to be -- as a visual reminder. For me, it's my upcoming wedding and the wedding dress (not posted on the fridge, but always in my mind). I've found the motivation gets easier the more I lose, because I'm finally starting to see results with my own eyes (progress pics are excellent for this), and with combining the dieting with exercise.

As for kick-starting weight loss, best thing for me has been going very low carb and high protein for about 2 weeks. The cravings kill for the first 2 to 4 days, but after that I'm golden. A lot of what I lose is water weight, but it is nice to see the scale go down every day.

Healthy snacks and foods? I love the recipes in the South Beach diet cookbooks. I like to munch on beef jerky, chewing gum, cheese sticks, protein bars, eggs, and fruit (not recommended if you're going to a low-carb detox). Other good things are veggies and hummus and edamame if you can limit the salt. I tend to cook a lot of stir-fry as it gets my veggies in and my protein, it's quick and easy, and not too tough to add variety to it.

Good luck!

I agree with some sort of detox phase... the first two days are brutal, but after that, you'll feel great. I'm preferable towards low carb - mostly veggies (usually have carrots/sugar snap peas/green peppers with hummus for lunch), some lean meat, nuts, and apples, apples, apples. I have 2-3 apples per day. Raw nuts - not roasted - are best, especially walnuts (i find them in the baking section), and great for snacking. I love a good roasted chicken, or chicken on top of a salad full of leafy greens, banana peppers, some feta cheese, etc.
I have recently discovered the wonderful spaghetti squash - a great substitute for any pasta lover. I also make good veggie lasagna (layers of summer squash, zucchini, and eggplant, with some onions and mushrooms and some marinera and shredded cheese - yum). One more dish I like that I have sometimes as a snack: a scrambled egg with shredded cheese, marinera, onions, and turkey pepperoni. Good luck! If you start with a detox phase - dont' get discouraged in the first few days!

Welcome!

I'll throw out a few tidbits, and then let other folks add.

1. "keeping on the straight and narrow" ... doesn't work! Life isn't straight or narrow. For me, the key is flexibility, and learning how to make solid choices and staying active DESPITE life's twists and turns. This means something different for everyone. For me, it means that if I know I'll be out of my house for more than 3 hours, I bring an apple and a granola bar with me. If I know I can't do the exercise class that I want on a particular day because of a showing at an art gallery or something, I make a point to get off the train/bus a few stops early and walk. There's ways to make it work, and the key is going with the flow, being realistic, and NICE to yourself.

2. I vote no on detox.

3. Some of my favorite healthy snacks:

-a handful of baby carrots and garlic lover's hummus
-an apple and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
-1/2 cup strawberries and a honey greek yogurt

I'd recommend reading all of the Stickies in the Food Talk/Fabulous Finds area. Lots of great ideas there.

Good luck, hope to see you around on the forums!

I also vote no on the detox.

Whatever you decide to do needs to be livable.

For healthy foods/meals recipes, check out skinnytaste.com amazingly delicious and tells you the calories!

Make sure you take a vitapak, I recommend Women's Ultra Mega Active from GNC...this has helped me get over my plateau.

As for the main advice, it's going to sound so trivial but...DONT GIVE UP. Anything worth having is worth working for. Life gets in the way, which is why it NEEDS to be livable (your plan).

Calories in vs. Calories out, Strength Training and Cardio.

Also thought I should add...if your goal weight is 135, that's great. We all have different body types and only WE can access what is right for us. Also remember, muscle weighs as well. So if you start weight training and keep all of your current muscle and gain some new, you'll look totally different than a girl 5'10 with your same build who is 135, you'll be toned and HEALTHY, not skinny fat! (That's a GOOD thing!)

Your BMI (altho I tend not to put TOO much stock in it) would be in the normal/healthy range and I see nothing wrong with having a lofty goal. I know when I set mine it was never about it being too lofty, it was about HOW do I get there and make it work for GOOD!

Some people may think mine is too high, all that matters in the end is IF IT IS LIVABLE for you.

You do not need to detox at all. My tips are to drink plenty water, find a fun activity that you enjoy (zumba for me! ), and to find a weight loss buddy. We are similar weights and you are just 2 inches taller than I. I would love to be your partner because its a great way to stay motivated!

Also, i count calories and i'm pretty flexible with my number. This seems to work best for me. I aim at 1500 on days i dont exercise a lot and 1700 for days that i do. You just have to find what works for your body but keeping a food journal is key!

I am a calorie counter, too. Calorie counting will help you learn to eat properly for life. It is flexible, reliable and FREE. ! No special foods to buy. I agree on the detox, totally unneccessary.
What I find most motivating for me is stepping on the scale and seeing a loss or at least not a gain.

Our bodies aren't toxic, so you don't need to detox ever

Motivation. Motivation is fleeting and fickle. It comes around when it wants. It leaves when it feels like it. What's left when motivation isn't there? Commitment.

Commitment is strong, and doesn't allow for excuses. When I tell myself "Self, you're going to exercise every day this week. No excuses," I do not wait until I feel like it to start. I simply DO it. I get up in the morning, it's already scheduled in first thing, and I just DO it.

I don't always feel like doing the dishes, but if I never did them they'd be piled all over the kitchen. I don't always feel like taking out the garbage, but if I didn't I'd have a stinky house. Sometimes we just have to be an adult and tell ourselves things -have- to get done.

I love when I'm feeling motivated. It makes the day that much easier, but I never rely on it. I never break my commitments, because I don't feel like doing something. So, I commit, plan, and follow through. There is no other option for me.

Keeping on the straight and narrow... that's a difficult one considering life is a winding, wide road. I'd say that fitting a plan to YOUR life and not the other way around is going to be one of your biggest factors in being successful. If you try a plan that does not fit your life at all, you're bound to get frustrated and give up. As an example, if you like having drinks with your friends on the weekends and you don't want to give that up completely, then trying to follow a plan that doesn't allow for any alcohol is going to be frustrating and annoying.

So. Find a plan to fit to your life.

Lastly. No one on Earth is perfect. Sooner or later, you're gonna have a "stumble day". You'll miss a day of activity, or eat something you didn't really want to, etc. I don't say this to scare you or discourage you, but rather to prepare you.

No matter what happens that stumble day, no matter what the mistake was... Get. Back. On. Plan. The very next meal. We cannot undo mistakes, but we can always prevent mistakes from turning into "falling off the wagon". Always.

No one will judge you here about it. I have yet to speak with a single person who could honestly say they never made a mistake while losing weight. Heck, check out the Maintainer's board. You'll see right away that they still have some days that are a struggle. But, they got to goal by learning from mistakes and continuing. Always continuing.

You can do this. No matter what plan you find to suit your life. No matter the obstacle. You can do this.

You've gotten some great advice!

I don't really have much to add, except to remember that weight loss is about eating fewer calories than your body uses every day. That's it. The diet industry would like you to believe it's about complex processes that we can't understand that they have finally found the secret key to, but it's not.

It's true that some people lose better on different methods (tinkering with carbs/fat/protein, etc) but I wouldn't worry too much about that until you're well into your weight loss journey.

So you ever feel yourself getting incredibility overwhelmed by all the information flooding at you just remember that really it comes down to eat less, move more