Hi all,

I'm 42 and today when I got on my new scale I hit the highest I have ever been in my life 262. Up until 8 years ago I had never been over 200 but after I got pregnant with my son I have never been able to get my weight back down. It has caused me so much anxiety about how I look I stopped dating after I had my son (his dad left me when I was pregnant). I want to be healthy again. I want to have confidence again. I have lots of books like south beach, Mediterranean, the zone. I have tried to do Adkins in the past but I honestly don't seem to have the willpower to do it. I don't really like meat all that much. I'm not sure what to do. I started counting my calories again today and and tracking my steps. Please I need advice on what to do next. I'm not sure what diet plan I should be doing.

Thanks,
Jen

If you have trouble following a plan, I recommend not trying to stick to a plan.

What is ONE change you could make to your regular diet that makes it more healthy? Can you change from white bread to whole wheat? Or eat fruit for a snack instead of cookies? Simple stuff. Try to focus on foods with 1 ingredient, or foods you prepare yourself, instead of processed foods.

I'll be 42 in April and in the last 2 years I've gone from 267.4 to 167.6 (although I'm up a bit in the low 170s right now). I didn't ever follow a "diet plan", I just try every day to make the best decisions I can. Posting here every day in an accountability thread helps too.

I second Lacerta, small changes work better, so for January I have decided to try walking even for ten minutes per day and have a banana at work as a snack instead of anything else. Good luck with everything.

I agree with the other responses. Fad diets just aren't sustainable. I'm not big into meat either. I suggest starting with some small changes. Do you snack? Particularly in the evening? Maybe stop or minimize or substitute bad snacks with healthier ones? Maybe cut out pop or alcohol? Incorporate some exercise?

Don't punish yourself with a fad diet that you don't want to do forever. Maybe make a challenge for yourself, like not eating after 7pm for a month or work out 3x a week during Jan?

I forgot to add a rule I go by - Don't drink your calories! No drinks loaded with sugar, or why have a juice when I eat the fruit?

I would say that dieting is 90% elimination of bad habits/foods. As long as your basic nutritional needs are being met, it doesn't really matter what diet you choose. And, having done many diets, I find that the most effective ones actually cost me less than what I would normally spend on groceries. In other words, I eat whole foods, and just less of them. Almost no processed foods in plastic bags or cans. I cook my meat and eggs myself, then supplement that protein with fresh fruits and veggies. I occasionally have a slice of bread with Laughing Cow cheese as a special snack. Plain berries as a dessert. If you can purge your home of the things that are either bad for you (any straight-up junk: sweets, chips, sodas) or that you tend to overeat despite them being "healthy" (for me, that's quinoa and rice), then you may have a lot more success because self-control won't be a major factor. You may not look forward to meals as much (or sometimes at all), but, as a popular diet documentary noted, "people should eat to live, not live to eat." I have spent way too much time living to eat, and am glad to have my priorities straight now.

hi, didn't know where to start and ended writing a short introduction of myself in another topic or thread... before finding this one.

i started a diet program a week ago and already lost around 8 pounds, im really excited. i tried other solutions in the past but this one is working like crazy for me. my goal is to lose around 30-35 pounds before summer. think im gonna make it this time! i feel super motivated and energized! wish me luck!