Looking for a buddy for motivation and encourage and I'll do the same. I am married, 55 yrs old and live in SC. This is my first day of trying to eat better. Thought about doing Nutrisystems, but have decided to go with WW and Lean Cuisine dinners, combined with fruits, veggies, or salad for lunch and dinner and cereal and fruit for breakfast and drinking lots of water and decaf tea.
Exercise is the hardest for me. Leave home @ 7 am and get back home around 6:30 pm - it's hard to get motivated to go to the gym @ 7 pm, but I have a membership and know it's what I need to do. I weigh 160 lbs and would like to lose 30-35 lbs.

Starting this journey just in time - my 3 yr old granddaughter told me yesterday that I have a bug tummy just like her aunt Angie (who is 7 months pregnant) Ugh! - from the mouths of babes!!

Hi Lana, I would like a buddy too. I am married, 1 son, 2 grandchildren. I work part time and I know how hard it is to exercise, especially carve out enough time to go to the gym. I exercise at home or I wouldn't exercise! I do walk outside when the weather co-operates! Right now the temp is high 80's and too hot to get side so I'm walking on the treadmill in the basement. And Using my tapes and weights. I lift weights too! Not heavy ones, just ones to tone my arms. I am on a plan to eat healthy too, no special diet. Lot of vegetables and fruit, lean meat....I do use the frozen dinners for work. Can you take a walk at lunch time at work? I usually can't but I do try and I climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Every little bit helps.

Those grandkids are wonderful, but they don't mince words do they?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Hi Lana and "slim", I'll buddy up with you guys. I'm a 57 year old mother of three and grandmother of 12. (I had rabbits). LOL. I've road the diet roller coaster all my life and then decided after I remarried 14 years ago to another plump individual, that I looked fine the way I was and I didn't care anymore. Now that I don't have that self esteem problem anymore, I want to lose weight to live long enough to see my grandchildren grow, marry and give me great-grandkids. At this weight, it ain't gonna happen. My step daughter told me about this site last week after I bugged her on how she lost 190lbs and has kept it off for over a year. She's boiaby in the winners circle of the over 100 club. I have lost 6 pounds since Thursday. There are so many great ladies (& men) who want you to succeed. It's okay to brag here about even a little loss or a little exercise. We're all in the same boat. The more we have to help row the boat, the faster we'll get to shore. Welcome aboard!

Let's go for it ladies!

I am going to push myself to go to the gym after work this evening.

I don't have anyone keeping me from going except myself (my husband is on his way into town to go to BJ's Discount Club (one of his favorite places and then to Tai-Chi - see, he's the disciplined one in our family (he also goes to the gym @ least 3 times a week).

Take care and hope to hear from you girls.

You're on! I had a thought. When I worked at a desk all day years ago, we would do isometric exercises. Have you heard of that? You tense up your butt. Make it really tight. Hold it for a count of five or what ever moves you. You can tense various parts of your body and no one would know and you can do it throughout the day. Just don't tense your face when you do it. Others may think you just farted. teehee. If you see others moving away while you're tensing, it's showing on your face. LOL Good luck

I'll just smile and not tense my facial muscles - ha!

I need to tense my stomach muscles!!

Well, I made it to the gym last night; I kept trying to make excuses not to go, but the 'good angel' won out.

I walked for 40 minutes and did the hip abduction machines. It's a start. But you can definitely tell that I'm out of shape, I was tired. The only problem is by the time I exercised and went to the grocery store and steamed the veggies, etc., it was 9:00 pm when I ate dinner. I'm sure it's not a good time to be eating.

I weighed Aug 1 and weighed 160 lbs. and weighed this a.m. and was down to 157 lbs. I'll take anything I can get.

Of course, I looked like I had gone to the grocery store this a.m. with all the food I was bringing in to work.

How are you guys doing this a.m.?

Hi to all,
Looking for buddies. I'm from Ga. and as the fat chicks have already said, The food is just too good in the south and it shows up on my belly! And what makes it worse is i LOVE to cook. I have tried every diet known to humans (even considered diets not known to humans) like birds, but I don't care to eat worms and grasshoppers!

After years of dieting I checked into lap band surgery, several times. Right now I'm waiting on the insurance. But I can't wait forever, so i'm checking out some more diets. I'm thinking the peanut butter diet or Sonoma. If anyone has tried one of these please let me know.

I have diabetes and extremely high cholesterol. Need to to lose 50 lbs. and get the cholesterol and sugar down. If I wait on the insurance I will be dead. But maybe that's what their waiting on, then they wouldn't have to pay up!

Nice to meet you Lanabs,Harkeyvalley,The Slim Me. What diets are you girls on?
I'm 56 so I hope I fit right in with you gals.
Hope to hear from ya'll

Hi Everyone,
Lana, good for you for getting to the gym! And for loading up on the vegetables too. Great start!

Hawkenvalley, I have health issues too (cholesterol, BP) and want to just feel better. I'm a firm believer that "diets" don't work. You have to retain yourself to eat differently. That is what I am doing. I don't eleminate anything, but watch portions and eat the way I should. I think we've all dieted enough to know when we're over eating.

Susanna, I'm from the south to, Ky. I live in Michigan now, but once a southern girl always a southern girl. I love the food there too, but it doesn't love me back. Everything is fried! With lard! Most diets work if you stay on them. That's the problem. Most of them you can't stay on that long! That is why I am just changing the way I eat. I'm an RN in a local hospital here and i'm pretty familuar with the lap-band surgery. It seems to work well but there are complications. AND you can gain the weight back if you don't change the way you eat. I hope you try to lose some weight and change the way you eat before the surgery.

Everyone have a good day

Susanna, welcome aboard! Being from Arkansas I can tell you that fried chicken is our state bird! I don't have a diet plan. I bought the 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet book and they tell you about everything they tried and also input from their members. I want to change my habits for life so unless I plan to stay with a food plan or diet for life, I don't want it. I love fried chicken, so I eat fried chicken. I like thighs and my hubby likes breast meat. If I buy a large package of each, divide them into 1 thigh and 1 breast packages before I freeze them, then I can only eat 1 piece. I pull off the skin, season as usual (no breading), sautee on each side in a little olive oil (better than deep fried) and put in oven to finish cooking. I get my chicken, great taste, less calories and I'm changing my eating habits. Don't quit eating what you like unless you are planning on giving it up for life. "Slim me" is right. Don't change what you eat, just how much and how oven. You have to crawl before you walk. You didn't wake up one morning and say, "Oh my, I swelled up 100lbs overnite" It took you a long while to put it on, so it may take a long while to get it off. Sorry, but it's the truth. Hurts doesn't it? But, we will be with you all the way. Cheering your successes and try to lift you up when you need our help. Welcome 3fc buddy.

Hi all,
Over my lifetime I have lost and gained thousands of pounds. I can lose weight, no problem. The problem is keeping it off. And I would say that is most peoples problem. Especially when you have a family. My kids are grown now and my husband got a job transfer, so I'm stuck in an apartment gaining weight. I can't find a job, so I decided maybe I could use some friends while here. Maybe it will help with the weight issue.

Yea, I know what you mean about the lap band surgery, I have been it considering for about a year and a half now, but would take it over other weightloss procedures. It just seemed the best idea to get the cholesterol down since I have tried everything. Even when I walk, diet and exercise it is still up there. But I will try another diet. Right now it is toooo hot to walk outside. I have weights and a gazelle. Just trying to find something that will work for me. (I think a busy job would help with the problem.)
Thanks for the welcome!

Hi slim me, harkeyvalley and welcome susan - well aren't we just a bunch of southern belles

I agree with everyone, most of the time it's not what we eat (sometimes it is), but how much we eat and how often. Portion control is a problem for me; that's why I am doing WW and Lean Cuisine dinners for a while and adding veggies and fruits. I think cutting down (not cutting out) on potatoes and pasta and bread helps also, because if I totally give it up, i start craving it.

One of my (and my husband's) favorite chicken recipes is to use boneless and skinless chicken breast, sprinkle both sides with cajun seasoning, a little black pepper, then coat them in italian seasoned bread crumbs (you won't have too many bread crumbs) and then bake them in the oven. Let them cool, slice thinly and place over green leaf lettuce, along with mandarin oranges. If you use a lot of lettuce, this can be a complete meal. Use salad dressing of choice. Sometimes, we also toast walnut pieces and add some to our salad. Of course, this won't work if you don't like spicy food.

Also, have you ever tried a crispbread by a company named Kavli - it's really thin; they have different kinds; some are low fat, some are fat free, cholestrol free, low sodium food - good to eat with salads and low fat spread (like garden vegetable low-fat cream cheese spread- i think this is the name).

I'm also like you guys in that I have high cholestrol; the doctor wanted me to start taking medicine, but I hate taking pills and want to see if losing weight lowers it - I already take blood pressure medicine.

Susan, are there any ladies around that would like to walk early in the a.m. (or if it ever cools off!!). We are now @ 97 degrees today, with heat index of 107 - I would imagine that your weather is about the same or hotter.

Take care ladies and keep plugging away; a little at a time.

Good Morning ladies, Hope eveyone is doing well with their diets and trying to get some exercise! I have found that without exercise I really don't do well. If you can burn just an extra couple of hundred calories a day with exercise it really makes a difference. And that just means a brisk walk every day. I know it's hard with the weather being the way it has been but hopefuly it will be cooling off a little everywhere! Our weather is starting to get cooler here! We took the grandkids to the park yesterday after dinner and it got CHILLY! Felt wonderful!

Like one of the other members, I have gained and lost the same weight a hundred times and each time I vow "this is the last time". And then I start eating the "old" way again and the weight comes back. Changing the way we eat is the only way to get the weight off and keep it off. So healthy eating is the only way for me. It's hard but its just a habit that I have to break and make a new habit! The worst habit is eating at night! I do fine all day long and the evening comes and I want to eat! I know I'm not hungry! It's a habit!

Ya'all have a good day, Freda

Me too, Freda. I do great in the morning and @ lunch. Then after I get home I'm tired (i'm not an evening person, very much a morning person) and don't want to fool with the extra preparation of washing lettuce and cutting up vegatables, etc. (it's not hard, it's laziness, so I have to push myself). Last night my husband went to exercise and then to the grocery store to get himself something for dinner (got chicken pot pie - remember I'm doing the WW frozen dinner thing). When he got home I told him that maybe we should rethink me doing the dinners in the evening, that we should try to leave off the starches and prepare some meals that we both could eat. He said he was fine; he could always get something to eat. I can tell he really wants me to lose the weight also (he's just nice enough not to say it). He's a really supportive and kind man (love that man to death).

I have to confess that I did not go to exercise last night. Will try again tonight.

You're right; it's hard to break old habits. We just have to keep at it until we get into the good, new habits.

Just think how good we'll all feel next week, when we've lost a little weight, even if it's 1/2 lb.

Have read some posts about the people who have lost inches instead of weight, which would be nice. Any pointers on how to do this. Is it harder the older we get or maybe I just don't do what it takes to lose the inches.

Have a good day everybody and I'll be thinking this evening that all the ladies are working at this and I need to get myself to exercise.

hi all,
may i join you guys. i'm 50 years old and like most dieters i've lost and gained over and over. i really need to learn how to change my habits and make the change permanent~ easier said than done!
i tried losing the weight again in january and have lost 15 pounds but then i hit a plateau and got discouraged and frustrated and stopped exercising and i have gained 5 pounds back. lucky for me i haven't gained all the weight that i have lost YET, so i better start to get back on the wagon.
i've been reading the success stories, and i told myself that i should be able to lose weight as well if i can just be consistent.