[ladybugfun]

Good morning ladys. First of all I have joined curves, I am going 3 times a week @ first. I do not want to do to much @ first. Baby steps! Every time I stall out I will up it more and more. But being I am so out of shape I think 3 days a week will probably kick my butt for awhile.

I have completly cut out sweets. It is kinda hard, but I have found now that I am eating other better foods I do not crave them as much as before. I hope that lasts! I am not sure yet about counting coleries. I have cut my portions way down. Which I think is half the battle. I drink NO pop, mostly 100% juice, water and iced green tea no sugar. I have gone from eating no breakfast to eating eggs. I eat smaller more often meals. More fruit, and protien and less carbs. I still need to get more vegies but I am a work in progress. I need to learn amounts. Like how many fruits a day and vegies and what eles? Meats....they are high in protien but according to the food pyrimad meat is not a big amount, grains are followed by fruits and veggies. well carbs are no good but how much of the rest? is it ok to eat mostly fruits and veggies? Or do I need more meat? I am not a vegitarian but I am not fond of meat at all, expecially red meat, yuck. I love chicken though. I am a very VERY picky eater.

I just wanted to share my plan , and would like to hear all of yours too. I could really use some pointers and tips. I can't wait to see what kind of progress I am making. I hope I am not dissapointed. I know I need to lose it slow and steady but I hope not too slow. I am trying not to check the scale to much, I checked yesterday and than agian today and I have gained 1 pound, but it is TOM for me. She was due to show yesterday, I assume she is late due to the increase in excercise. so maybe it is just water weight, I have not been eating salt either. So hopefully I will drop like 5 pds all at once in a few days

Thanks ladys.....

[SherryA]

Some fruits are better than others. Berries are low in carbs, peaches too. Grapes are high. If you eat grains make sure they are whole grains, none of that white stuff.

I'm on Atkins, but I've been reading the Sonoma Diet book and I like both. I am a big meat eater (have to be on Atkins), but low carb works. It is kind of sneaky how it works sometimes though. Last month I had practically no losses and the ones I did have kept coming back on. I was getting discouraged, but sticking with it. This month today I had a gigantic WHOOOSH and lost a bunch of my weight at once. (Obviously it was coming off all along, it just suddenly decided to let me know it).

Starchy foods are not good for weight loss and neither are sweets. Juice is a bad way to get your fruit. You really should eat the whole thing if you are going to have fruit. You wind up with too much sugar when drinking juice.

[midwife]

Juice is really a lot of empty calories. Go for whole fruit; then you get the fiber. I beleive in movement and portion control. That is great you are excercising!

[ladybugfun]

I don't actually drink alot of juice and when I do I delute it 1/2 and 1/2 or less with water. And I am eating lots of fruit, I worry maybe to much. I need to eat more vegies, I am going out this weekend to get frozen ,I dont really want canned because it has salt. I am also going to get my Dance Dance revolution out and start doing it everyday( maybe not @ first, but work up to everyday) Thanks for the support!

[DNR]

I don't think you can really go wrong with your veggies. On WW, veggies are pretty much a free food. They also fill you up, so if you are going to go wild on anything, go wild on veggies!!!

I agree with the juice suggestion that others have mentioned - if you are going to have fruit, have the whole fruit instead of juice. It's more filling and the fiber is better for you. That doesn't mean you can never have juice - it is used in some recipes to add flavor, but for the most part, do the whole fruit.

DNR

[DishyFishy]

I think that's a pretty good plan to start. As you become more comfortable with the changes you've made, you can tweak it as you see fit.

I believe the key to lasting success is to find something you can live with for the rest of your life. You can get ideas from other people, but ultimately you need to settle with something you're happy with. It's easy to stick with almost any plan for a few weeks, but getting rid of large amounts of excess weight, takes a heck of a lot longer than that!

I started off counting kcals (1600 plus unlimited "free" veggies), and stayed with that for about 6 months. During this period, I started eating a healthy breakfast, added more exercise (still not too much, really! ), and refined my food choices to include more fibre (upped the veggies and whole grains), and less fatty snacks. Now that I'm comfortable with what works, I've stopped slavishly counting kcals, and instead aim for healthy choices (usually ) and reasonably sized portions.

In the beginning, I cut out butter (and a few other things) completely because I couldn't trust myself to exercise restraint. Now, I'm able to have my "trigger" foods around. I can weigh out a portion of whatever I fancy, and know I'll be satisfied with it. (For those that know me, I've had an open packet of Munchies in my cupboard for the last month, and I haven't touched them! ) For the first time in my life, I actually feel comfortable around food. To be sure, I still have "off" times, where I prowl the kitchen looking for something to stuff down, but these times are getting fewer as time progresses. I think that's because nothing is off limits to me now. It was a revelation to me how quickly a craving disappears when I know I can have that food whenever I want. (I think I picked up that piece of info from some wise sage on this forum. )

Anyway, I've rambled enough about me. I'm not sure where all that came from!

I wish you every success in your quest for a healthier you.

[ladybugfun]

Thank you all so much for your replys. It's good to know I'm on the right track. If I don't see good enough results than I may need to adjust it some, but I know that you all are here to help, That and along with my sister, I know I can do this. I hope that I can shed some words of wisdom for you chicks too. Good luck.

[jtammy]

Hi and welcome. I have also cut out sugar, as well as other empty carbs, like white bread, white rice, pasta. I've found that I don't crave sweets and other carbs like I used to. I started it in September and I crave sweets less now than I did at first. For me, when I tried to just count calories and continued to eat small amounts of sweets, I had cravings that would eventually lead to bingeing. Although I still keep track of my calories, I've found that completely avoiding sugar is the best way to stay on track.

Lots of others have had different experiences of course, and you may also.

I think 3 days of exercising are great to start with. Keep it up and good luck.

[Less of Lena]

Good morning and , Ladybug! So glad you found us!

I think you made a very good point right at the start of your post. Baby steps. I think one of the reasons my past attempts (and there have beem MANY of them) at "dieting" didn't work long term was because I always tried to change EVERYthing at once. This time, like you, I'm making small changes, one or two at a time.

I'm finding it much easier to stick with this time out.

I'm a Calorie Counter and find this method really fits with my lifestyle and personality.

[Plan B]

Watch the juice AND fruit levels - depending on what fruit you're eating you could be eating A LOT of sugar!!!