I am at a lose at what to do. I am 18 years old, 5'2, and I weight about 180lbs. I've reached a point right now where I can't control what I eat and I no longer believe myself when I say I am going to change. I have tried everything I can think of to start to diet again and it works for about a week then I binge and upset myself. When I was 14 I lost about 40lbs going from 164 to 125. Over the past 4 years i've gained all that back and more and its so discouraging. I am going to college in just 9 months and I really want to get some of this weight off so I can have a better life along with a different enviroment and different people. Please if anyone has a good way to start a diet, share it with me. I would appreciate it so much.
Hopefully some of the more experienced folks will respond to your post, but having felt a lot of what you described in your post, I do have few suggestions. Here's what I did about a month ago when I felt out of control with my eating and was really at a loss about what to do.
1)I decided to make a few small changes, nothing too hard, things I could stick with (for me that was cutting out most refined carbs, eating 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies per day, and lastly walking--just walking--a few times per week).
2) I started reading about nutrition. Eat, Drink and Be Well, and The Complete Idiots Guide to Total Nutrition were the most helpful for me, and from there I as able to come up with a food plan that appears to be working.
3) I started reading 3fc nearly every day. It helps to know others are struggling too, and I've picked up a lot of wonderful tips.
Thank you so much for your reply. I've been hearing a lot lately about taking little steps at a time. I just really need to work on getting myself out of the mind set that I need to lose weight instantly and everyday, both of which arent healthy. Its wonderful to know I'm not alone. Thanks again for your advice :-)
That mindset that says "I have to take off 2 lbs per day, or I suck." Been there. It's hard to replace old habits! I certainly know that feeling of wanting the weight off right now, and like you know, it is possible to drop pounds quickly, but does that really work for a life time? I decided to try and eat and live better, to take my mind off immediate weight loss and just be healthier, and in doing so, weight is coming off. There are so many interesting and helpful stories on this site. I'm sure if you looked around a bit you would find the motivation and strength you need to get started. We can all do it!! Starting today.
It's a good idea to try a few different things, without looking at them as 'failures' if they don't work for you. More importantly, you can make a commitment to your weight loss - and your health - without it being a black-and-white or good-and-bad mindset
For example, if you want to try counting calories, it's an excellent idea to journal everything you eat (if you might like to do this online, there are lots of options for free, including fitday.com). But you DO NOT have to say to yourself: "I will eat 1200 calories a day and lose all my weight - I will!" You could, at your current weight, quite happily start at 1800 calories a day and very gradually decrease them as you feel more in control. For the first month, say, just count the calories - later you can start thinking about percentages of protein and fat and carbs, if that interests you. SMALL STEPS!
Remember, weight loss really is about calories in versus calories out, regardless of what plan you choose to follow.
Good luck - and it is excellent advice to visit here every day - it will help keep you focused on this life-change you have chosen!
Heather
PS - Thought you might like to know that I started just this way almost nine months ago (it will be nine months in the middle of December; I haven't been 'good' every single day, but I have lost over 90lbs (and still going!). It CAN be done There is a lot of proof of that on this site
Last edited by HeatherAngel; 12-02-2007 at 05:21 PM.
Reason: Addition
hcred123 ... Can I ask you something ? What sort of things do you eat in a NORMAL DAY ... breakfast / lunch / dinner / snack foods / drinks that sort of thing ? Just wondering ... I must tell you that I have lost close to 20 pounds since the start of the year and I have cut a lot of bread products from my diet & it has helped me out a lot ! Here are a few helps ... you can either take them or leave them ... just wanted to lend a helping hand and a for someone as yourself who is trying to lose weight ...
1. Keep yourself a FOOD JOURNAL in that journal chart everything that you & eat & drink & how you feel after each meal.
2. Weigh yourself just 1 x a week ... I do it on Sunday so that gives me a whole week to work at doing things better !! Once the new year starts I am going to try and weigh in every 2 weeks instead of a week so we will see how far that will take me !!
3. Find someone that you can talk to about what is going on. I have a 19 year old who is always looking for a new friend to write or to share with & so if your intrested drop me a note & I can send you over her information she is in college which I am guessing you are too ?
Well, most of all the LORD above is there to be your strength too ... so take care and keep your chin up you will find plenty of friends here too to help you through this !!
hcred, I am much older than you are, but we are the same height and I weighed 182. I have been on lots of diets and gained all the weight back. I started this journey January 19, 2007. I couldn't face still another diet, so I started out by eliminating all of the junk from my diet. I also eliminated some of the stuff that is not junk, but loaded with fat and calories - butter, peanut butter, Ben and Jerry - that kind of thing. I did that for a while and then I started eliminating as many processed foods as I could. I eat lots and lots of fruit and veggies. I used to eat a lot of Lean Cuisine, which I like and have nothing against, but I just decided that I would cook it myself. By doing these things, I lost about thirty pounds fairly painlessly. After that, it started to get more difficult.
You will see that most folks on here recommend exercise. I am very resistant to this idea , but I started out by religiously parking my car as far away from the grocery, Wal-Mart, work, etc as possible. Then I started taking walks around the rural area where I live. I don't love doing this, but I am getting better at it. I also started doing stomach crunches. Since I started the walking and crunches, I have not lost much weight, but I have gotten smaller.
I have really worked hard to find food that I really like, that is good for me, and is reasonably low calorie. It turns out that there are many good things. I have found, as others have mentioned, that I don't crave the bad stuff as much as I used to. I can't say I never do, but I don't want it all the time.
So, almost a year has gone by, I am 30 some lbs lighter and it really wasn't too bad. Now for the next 20!! Actually, my ultimate goal is a healthy lifestyle.
I was on quite a few of those diets. I started around 160 or 165. Got down to 140, went up to 180, got down to 140, went up to 200. Somewhere past 200, I stopped trying to diet for fear I'd eventually be the size of the Goodyear blimp and growing.
The problem with losing weight quickly is as you've discovered...you typically gain it back. And...it brings friends.
We didn't gain quickly, so it would stand to reason that our bodies aren't designed to lose it quickly either. Baby steps work better. Changing your eating habits to healthier choices, more fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean meats. Doesn't mean you can't have a chip or a piece of candy. But you can't have them NORMALLY. Instead, you have them rarely and have the good stuff normally. And soda, tea? Same thing. You try to drink water NORMALLY, and the other stuff occasionally.
And then, you try to add in exercise. If you can't find the time, or find excuses not to, start with small steps of adding it to your day by parking farther from doors and bypassing elevators and escalators. Enough to get you started on some simple walking.
The weight will come off slowly, yes. But you'll have more of a chance of keeping it off. And with 9 months to go, you have a very good head start.
Last edited by almostheaven; 12-02-2007 at 11:10 PM.
Start with changing your attitude. Believe in yourself. Know that you can and will make the necessary changes to get your eating habits under control and experience the weight lost you desire.
I would suggest making only one or two changes at a time. Attempting to incorporate to many changes at once will only create frustration. Studies show that we create new habits (and/or break bad habits) from repeating the process over and over for approx 21- 30 days.
Here are some simple steps you can take:
1. Increase your daily water intake.
2. Stop eating earlier in the day preferably by 7pm.
3. Personally, I got excellent results from sprinkling Flax Seed on my food.
Whatever you decide to do, start with believing in yourself!!!
wow, this really is a wonderful place to help you lose weight...everyone is so helpful! Well today I've started out good. I woke up and walked for a half hour. Now I have to see how long I can keep it up!
honestly, I'd take this one day at a time and not think of the long term (for the moment).
Just focus on what you are going to do today: you took a walk today, now focus on your meal plan for today and leave it at that.
Then tomorrow, take another walk and get your meal plan in order. Then I'd recommend you do something you enjoy doing (i.e. take a long bath, put on a mud mask, read a favorite book or watch a movie).
It's allllllll one day at a time.
***I'd also look into reading people's memoirs of losing weight (I really enjoyed Carnie Wilson's memoirs "Gut Feelings" and "I'm Still Hungry"-- even though she opted for gastric bypass surgery) and watch The Biggest Loser on NBC/Bravo and "Fried Green Tomatoes" for inspiration.***
Try something else. Don't give up. Not all diets will work for everyone but you will find the one that works for you. I lost 26 pounds with Medifast and then 14 more with calorie counting. Medifast works but is very restricitve. It was a good boost to get me started. But then calorie counting is the way to go.
You can go to a website but I found it easier to just keep a small notepad with me. I had one page where I wrote the calories of the foods I ate the most and looked up the rest. You will start to learn the calorie counts of everything and appreciate the foods with low ones.
I love the 100 calorie bags of popcorn. I try to eat one piece at a time and make a bag last for 1/2 hour.
I also believe in weighing yourself every day. It's important to learn how your weight fluctuates to not be overwhelmed by it. But seeing the decrease will be very motivating.
Do lose the weight before college. I weighed about what you did starting college. I remember walking with a thin friend and a guy walked by and told her she had great legs. I was there thinking, I have legs too. I wanted that attention for me.
I lost weight finally in the second half of sophmore year. I had so much more confidence and enjoyed school more.
I need help....
, but I started out by religiously parking my car as far away from the grocery, Wal-Mart, work, etc as possible. Then I started taking walks around the rural area where I live. I don't love doing this, but I am getting better at it. I also started doing stomach crunches. Since I started the walking and crunches, I have not lost much weight, but I have gotten smaller.
