EXCELLENT !!!!!!!!!!
I am going to definitely use these techniques..... present tense. Thank you

Sorry it's taken me forever to reply. Life has been crazybusy (that's a new word I just made up!) and I simply did not have time to check in on the boards.

I REALLY like these goals. My attitude at this point is that if I can't maintain a change for life, then it's not a realistic change. When I lost 20 lbs a couple years back, I did it with intense daily exercise sessions. But, that was unsustainable! My knees rebelled, and so did my ankles. What is sustainable is 4-5 days per week at a moderate pace. I'd put money that you can keep off those 40 lbs better than someone who dropped it more quickly. I read somewhere that 95% of diets fail (defined as regaining the weight + more a year after stopping the "diet") That's an absurd number! Why would anyone "diet"?

[QUOTE
I do most of my losing by walking more and eating "cleaner" not necessarily fewer calories.[/QUOTE]

What do you mean by "cleaner" calories??


It's from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home" . It starts with onions, garlic and eggplant sauteed in olive oil, then stewed with tomatoes, dill and lemon. Top it off with fresh spinach or basil stirred in at the last minute and sprinkle with low-fat feta. It begs for a slice of crusty bread, and I usually give in to that!! It's delicious, and uses eggplant, tomatoes and basil which are all nice and fresh this time of year.

hopefuldreamer

Hermitgirl! I just noticed your updated ticker!! Congrats. You're on the right track. I've had an unbelievably busy week and am trying to catch up on things here.

Great job!

hopefuldreamer

hopefuldreamer, By cleaner calories or food I mean mostly low calorie, high fiber, natural foods...when I'm maintaining I keep a general off the cuff record of what I've eaten throughout the day in my head. It isn't odd for me to substitute a cookie for a half of a large baked sweet potato or maybe I'll eat a snickers bar instead of cottage cheese and fruit. They have roughly the same calories, but nowhere near the same nutritional value. When I'm eating clean there is no substituting. I eat only good for me whole foods. Ultimately I end up eating fewer calories, because the good for me foods fill me up and keep me going A LOT longer. Plus I'm in a better mood, because my blood sugar doesn't fluctuate so much and I have the energy I need to exercise more. So, why would I ever do anything else?? Because just like anything you do that's good for you or is the "right thing" to do eating good healthy foods all the time is time consuming and takes more thought and energy. That's another reason why I do maintenance times. Just to get a break from all the thinking and planning, but never for too long, because I do feel better when I'm doing the right thing...Sorry this got so long and kind of repetative!!

Aahh.. I understand. I know what you mean about the "right thing" taking far more energy. We garden, and buy a lot from local farmers (CSA and farmer's markets), a food co-op, etc.. It's a hodgepodge of sources that are all trying to give us a good quality natural diet. But it's a LOT of extra work and hassle at times. Sometimes I just want to have a quick heat/eat... or pizza take out!! That's a lot easier, but it's not as good in the long run.

Still, what kills me are cravings!

hopefuldreamer

What's killing me is the business of my children's lives....Many nights I'm sitting down with 2-3 6oz glasses of red wine and a couple oz of cheese and calling it supper...I'm feeding everyone else in shifts because soccer, football, and volleyball all get done at different times and then about 8:30pm I just sit with my wine and cheese while everyone finishes school work around me...

Everyone do so hard work)