Hi 20-somethings!

I'm not new to dieting. At all. I've pretty much always followed weight watchers when I've gotten on the wagon, so to speak, but I'm looking for something new. I'm tired of counting points. Plus seeing as how it's been difficult for me to achieve long-term success, why should I keep going back for more lack of success?

I have huge problems with bingeing and sugar addiction. I've been reading about sugar addiction lately and how to beat it, and kind of started following the plan outlined in Potatoes not Prozac - however, I find I am gaining weight! The idea behind that plan boils down to a carb-controlled protein-heavy diet, which I honestly do feel great on. But I can't see going super low-carb or super carb-restricted like Atkins or Southbeach. I am hypoglycemic and need the carbs to function!

So I am kind of lacking a plan here... Last couple days I've started using Fitday to track my calories, but I have never counted calories before and have no idea what a good number is for me. 1300? 1500? 1800? I have a sedentary job and am trying to do a little exercise every other day for starters.

I'm getting rambly... One last thing... I am a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding at the end of july and the damn dress doesn't fit!!!! ACK! It would fit 20 pounds from now, I guarantee it... But can I get 20 lbs off between now and then? It seems insurmountable! My confidence about being able to lose weight has been shattered by my most recent regain - I lost 30lb and have put 25 back on, and it has really killed my confidence in my abilities in this area... I SWORE i'd never get above 200 again and here I am! I hate it and can't stop thinking about it... And thinking about how I will be so royally screwed if I can't fit in that dress this summer..........

Oh boy, I better end this here! If anyone made it to the end, kudos and thank you I guess what I am looking for is a little advice on where to go from here. I am out of ideas. But this HAS to happen. I don't fit in any of my clothes anymore

Ideas?

Welcome! I am with you in the bridesmaid boat! My friend is getting married July 10th, and I am the ONLY fat bridesmaid out of 7! I was 209 at the end of February, and today weighed 194.4 at the gym! Of course you can lose 20 lbs by July! If you look for a realistic goal of 2 lbs a week, you could easily see 30 pounds! You have to set your mind to do it and follow through. You should try a week at each caloric level and see what works best for you. I would recommend finding out your BMR (google a BMR calculator) and decide what calorie deficit you want to see. If your bmr is 1700, and you eat 1200, that is 500 calories down a day. You would lose a pound a week at this rate, as there are 3500 cals in a pound. Add in 500 calories a day through exercise, and you have 2 pounds a week and so on. Exercise is super important, so try to stick to your goals and you will see results. Welcome to the board and we will be here with you every step of the way!

Hey I'm new too. I joined this forum because I'm hoping it will help me to stick to a routine, knowing there are others who are doing the same thing.

What's worked for me in the past is to mainly stick to an exercise routine (the last time I lost about 30 lb I did TaeBo about 3-5xweek) and cut back on portions.

Welcome Alicia! Hope you find the inspiration you are looking for here! I look forward to losing weight with you!

Okay, so my BMR is 1756 according to an online calculator. 1200/day seems really low to aim for right from the outset! Isnt 1200 about the lowest you're supposed to go?

I'm glad to see someone has my bridesmaid problem too (ok I am not glad you have the PROBLEM, but I am glad someone can sympathize! )... I'm pretty stressed about it. Thanks for the encouragement!!

Exercise, exercise. Okay, I need to get a handle on that...

Good luck with your weight loss and lifestyle changes. It's a journey to better health and fitting into a new dress.

Yes, 1200 is the lowest you should go. Going below that is too low and can result in your body entering a "starvation" mode. Then your body slows your metabolism down to adjust to the lower energy supplies. I try to stick between 1200-1600. I am not perfect, but that range works for me. You will have to try and see what works best for you. Everyone is different, so you will have to experiment with different levels to see where your body is most efficient. Best of luck to you!

I'll second not to start at 1200. Honestly, you'll likely lose consistantly starting higher than that. I eat between 1200-1600 a day also, depending on the day and my hunger levels. And I lose at that rate just fine, despite that for my height and weight, my basal metabolic rate was listed at 1800

Just an FYI - I know you said you couldn't go super low carb on Atkins or SB. I do SB and while the first 2 weeks (Phase 1) are really restrictive, you can start adding back in carbs with WHOLE WHEAT. I really like it and have lot weight on it. I've seen a HUGE dimenishing of my sugar cravings. However, it is a lifestyle change so you have to pick something you can live with forever.

GOOD LUCK and WELCOME!

I'm a huge advocate of weight watchers... you can have anything you want, as long as it is in moderation. It focuses on staying within your daily points, which are based on calories, fat, and fiber. I honestly do not find it restrictive at all, which helps me stay on the plan. Good luck!

Welcome! I did weight watchers about 2 years ago and hated it!! I felt restricted too! I was sad when I wanted a snack, but couldn't eat it because i didn't have enough points left in the day for it. Plus I went through a period where I was extremely sensitive to milk, so I had to eat all soy products which were higher in points, so I was REALLY restricted with eating.

I've also gone to weight loss camp 4 times. You do lose the weight, but you don't know how to stay afloat once you leave the camp, which is why I see so many familiar faces returning to camp again and again.

In february I started counting calories and exercising. I was at 160.8, I weighed in at 144 today. I feel so free doing this too because I can eat the foods I love, but I do know that I can only eat them in moderation and I have to plan what I eat ahead of time. Plus it makes me feel proud because for once in my life, I'm losing weight on my own. I'm not depending on a plan or having my parents shell out 8,000 dollars for a summer at camp.

I use an application on my iPhone called loseit. It tells me how many calories I can eat a day, and I can enter in all the foods I eat and the exercising I do. It's great!! I'd definitely say to go the calorie counting route because it seems that we've had the same history. I was tired of being on the gain/loss rollercoaster, and I feel that this time I've actually made a life change. So if you can have applications on your phone, find one like mine, or continue with fitday online.

Thanks for the input everybody. I know with SB after the first phase you can go back to adding in healthy carbs - But again, I'd have to start on P2 for it to work for me. My body just shuts down without carbohydrates. I don't need a lot, but I need more than what SB allows. Sadly.

Samantha, I enjoyed your post. You are so right to feel proud, you've done a great job! And that is a wonderful point about how this time you are really doing it on your own. I think that appeals to me about calorie counting too, that I a) don't have to follow someone else's rules, and b) don't have to pay for it!

Of course I'm sitting here stressed as I just had to take my car into the shop... spent WAY more than I had hoped (hundreds and hundreds... and hundreds and hundreds of dollars).... And now I want pizza. It doesn't help that our local pizza place is donating a chunk of profits to the SPCA this month, so part of me is like, order pizza, it'll be good for the abandoned puppies!!

You can always just go in and donate, you don't HAVE to buy the pizza! That way you can feel good about donating, and feel good about turning down the pizza! You gotta start somewhere, why not right now?