Hi peoples,

I'm feeling a little discouraged here. I haven't lost any weight in a while and I will admit that I have been slacking. Due to stuff going on, like myself hurting my shoulders a couple months ago, which really pulled me away from working out, being sick, and going on vacation. One thing that I hate about going on vacation is that I always tend to pig out on food that I shouldn't be just because I'm on vacation...lol bad me.

I'm 23, 5'0 and the most that I can remember myself weighing was at 187, that was in Janurary, and now I've been sitting around 160. I was at 157 but I blame the vacations...lol

I haven't worked out like I have in a while and I haven't really been watching what I've been eatting like I use to be. I used to be pretty strick with myself, but allowed myself to a small candy bar or something every now and then.

I'm estimating that I lost about close to 30 lbs in 4-5 months...is that good or bad? Could I have lost more during that time? Since I've been around 158-160, I want to lose at least 20-30 more lbs before my wedding which is on September 18th. My fiance thinks that I dont need to lose any weight but he's always said that....aren't all men kinda like that? Saying you're beautiful no matter what? But I dont feel beautiful and I want to lose the weight so that's why I've been doing this....I acutally pushed myself to lose some weight throughout all those years I've slacked on it.

I need something that I can acutally stick to, some sort of diet or excersize plan. When I was on my so called "die-t" I mainly would eat veggies, fruits, yougrt, crackers, cheese, any meats unles they were fried and in grease..etc, uhmm, dry cereal, slim fast shakes, rice, chicken, fish, soup...etc
Is that okay or shall I add or take something away?

I used to go to the gym 3 to 5 days a week, and I would walk at least 1-1.5 miles, work on my mucles in my legs and thighs, use the stairmaster, and do sit up. I have a stair master thingy at home but it's not as good as the ones in the gym and I dont have a stair case where I live at. Got any good excerisizes that I could do? I have some workout dvds but haven't tried those out yet.

Okay, I feel like I'm blabbing too much and I usually do...I'm just feeling discouraged...I need to kick myself in the butt more... and it's hard with so much stress going on as well Anyways, thanks for reading and if you have any advice or anything, lemme know...thanks in advance.

Hello there. Welcome to the message board. Your weight loss is something you should pat yourself on the back for. Just take a deep breath and take things one day at a time. Why not go back to what worked for you before? Have you considered joinging a support group like TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) or Weight Watchers. You may just want to eat a balanced meal. Fruits, veggies, lean meats, starches, milk, low sugar-high fiber cereal, use olive oil to saute meats, go easy on the high fat cheeses, and the margaring. Slim fast is nothing but sugar and sugar turns into fat. You should do cardio and weights. Anyway honey hope this helps. Stick with us and we will help you the best we can. God Bless.

Hi there!

Well, it sounds to me like you have all of the components down pretty well, you just need to create a plan and put it into action. Sometimes it's hard to move confidently toward a goal if you don't have a direction. I would suggest planning out your meals for the day or the week, writing down everything you eat on a 3x5 card everyday to really see what you're consuming, creating an exercise plan and sticking to it, and setting realistic goals (like losing 1-2 lbs. a week, by doing x, y and z...) Maybe a website like the Discovery Health Channel diet and nutrition site, or a book like "Body for Life" will help you get a direction and give you a plan to follow. There is a thread in "Buyer Beware" with the address to the Discovery site. It's free for the first month. I think under the weightlifting forum as well as general diets, they discuss "Body for Life". I think you did really well losing all that weight, maybe now you just need to change things up a bit, reassess where you are and where you want to be, and devise a solid plan on how to get there. And yes, I think for the most part, once men are in love with us, they think we're beautiful no matter what! I guess it's a good thing and a bad thing. Good luck to you, and congratulations on your upcomming marriage!

the previous two posters have given you some very good advice... and it sounds like, diet-wise you were on the right track to begin with (except for the Slim Fast stuff)

i have to agree, don't be discouraged that you've "only" lost about 30 pounds... you should feel accomplished! that's not easy to do, after all... so, YAY FOR YOU!! hehe

congrats on the upcoming wedding, as well that's so exciting! when your fiance says you're beautiful no matter what, consider it a blessing... and allow that to keep you from feeling discouraged when you plateau. most likely, he's not trying to stop you from losing weight, he's just trying to keep you from being down on yourself when you -don't-... (my husband says the same thing... *lol*)

good luck!

try cutting out the frying in oil. broil your food instead. snack on healthier foods.
glen