Thanks JayEll for recomending this forum.

I am going to make this[ what I eat] up as I go. There are many programs and diets I can draw from and also my own experience to develop something that will work for me. I dont have access to alot of prepared 'diety' foods nor do I have access to anything lowfat. Everything here is full fat and they are soooo proud of that! This for me is going to be a real test for me. I am thinking of going really veggie based. I could really use some ideas if anyone is following a plan or in a similar situation as me. What have you done? Imagine the 1940's.... full fat everything, lots of meat, local produce { no imports ie. no broccoli] and no fake foods. I am at an all time high weight ... not fun. I really want to see my face again what I look like under all this weight. I am so glad this sie exists. I hope hat you all keep on doing great and I will lend support and advice if wanted whenever needed. Have a great day! Kris

Hmm - that would be a challenge. I think the tons-o-veggies plan is a good idea. Can you cook? I think that would help a lot. That and portion control. I also wanna suggest exercise.

Well, it's a challenge, but in some ways you may be at an advantage if there's less fast food on every corner...

What kinds of foods are available? What about beans? What are the local staples? I've learned to tweak a lot of recipes to make them less fatty and healthier, if you cook, perhaps you can do the same.

The other big tool with food is portion control. Can you use smaller plates when you DO have full fat foods.

And what about the exercise side of the equation? That can help some!

I'm pretty new to this journey too. I eat mostly whole grains instead of bread and pasta (steel cut oats, bulgar wheat, etc.), vegetables, fruit, lean meats and beans. The only fat free thing I use is skim milk. I feel very full eating this way and I really don't feel like I'm dieting at all. I don't eat any sugar and I feel amazing now that I'm over the shock! This is the healthiest I've ever felt in my entire life. I drink herbal teas too. I've been doing this for less than 3 months, but hope to eat this way for a lifetime. I think if you can get fresh produce and lean meats or beans you'll be fine.

Can I ask what brought you to Sudan? Are you from there? I love hearing about new places...hope I'm not being too nosey.

Challenging indeed.

I think veggies might be the way to go. I eat TONS of them myself. They make up the majority of my menu. In salads. Roasted. Steamed. Stir-fried. Just what kind of veggies do you have available?

What about egg whites? They're a good source of low fat protein.

Is there any fish available? Another great source of protien.

Get back to us and let us know a bit more what's available to you, so that we can help you further.

As challenging as it may seem, it sounds as if you're ready and up for it! Good luck.

What kind of meat do you mainly eat? Can you buy your own cuts and/or trim the excess fat off the meat? If that's what you have a lot of access to, then you'll learn to work with it! Also, for any veggies you can't get locally, is there anyway you can grow your own? Gardening is good exercise too! Plus you know exactly what you are putting in your mouth. I wish I had a yard so I could grow my own healthy stuff, or even a sun room, anything! LOL!
Good luck starting your way to eating healthy!

I do better with higher fat, it can be challenging, but its really the HIDDEN fats in fake foods that do more damage than the out there fats...even full fat dairy. There is more flavor in full fat food, so learn to savor and eat slowly and have smaller portions. (like the French, they never eat lowfat, they just eat teeny portions)

Trim the meat as best you can, focus on veggies, and savor savor savor your food. Since you cant cut fat, I would say try cutting out as much sugar as possible.

Thank you so much all of you who replied to may mayday!

How insipirational all of you are. I am really blown away by what you have accomplished. I am so lucky that this bunch replied to me! Where I work everyone is thinner or alot thinner than me at least. I sound like a junior high student I know. But to have this forum means alot to me.... plus your before and after pictures just make me smile. I keep calling my 16 year old daughter to c'mere ! Look at this one! [ this has benefits because she has a weight problem too] I had written that I want to see my face as it really looks and you all have achieved that. A mighty congratulations! is in order. Can you ever hear it enough?

I live in Sudan for those wondering because my husband is Sudanese. I have lived here for 14 years. I have 3 fanastic kids [ who are getting on my last nerve cause it's winer break at our school] I have a love hate relationship with Sudan. The cons are....well dont get me started but I could say that list has contributed to my weight gain! The pros are meeting people from all over the world, my kids are bilingual and Khartoum is a very safe city to raise a family. Yes it's true! I've not gone nutty from living here all this time!

I do cook so that is lucky, I tend to snack alot and compulsively eat. Exercise is a hard one. I love to swim adnd I am pretty good. I like what it does for my body shape wise and I can think while I do it. I dont have a niche in the day to go and exercise at the pool this is what I love. Do any of you deal with this problem of how to take time for yourself which in turn takes time from the family. I do live on the 3rd floor and have been climbing the stairs as exercise.

anyway the key lies in portion control at this time and exercise. I hope to post a weight loss soon. Should I continue posting here to meet you all or is there another thread.... Again thanks for replying to me everyone! Have a great day!

Tis me again,
Could you all tell me what kind of program you follwed or are still following. Chick in the hat, Heather, Missingmyerica,RockinRobin, Short 1 and Ennay. Thank you!

Tis me again!!
RockinRobin you are just amazing I hope you know that! I have beans of all kinds [dried] Green beans now in the winter. The produce is as follows... carrots, zuccini, cucumbers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, beets, onions, garlic, herbs, rocket lettuce, purslane, okra [cabbage, lettuce, green beans, peas, cauliflower winter only] Fruits are any citrus, bananas, mango, melons, strawberries [ this is a new import from Egypt yay!!!] apples are now imported too from Syria and not too expensive.no whole grain bread but I could learn. there is bulghor, whole wheat, oatmeal but not steel cut. Does this help? there is more but I think I have told you all probably more than you needed or wanted !!LOL sorry!

I think you've got some great stuff to work with! Not too bad, actually.

You can make some yummy things with those veggies. Zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and garlic make up a great "stew". Cauliflower roasted is FABULOUS. As is green beans. And green beans are a great snack food as well. Just munching them raw. I eat them almost every single day. Sweet potatoes - yum, just baked in the oven. Strawberries are also a fabulous find. Lots of fiber and low cal - oh and delicious. Oats are fine, steel cut is not necessary. But again, what's the protein situation - the eggs, the fish?

Sounds to me as if you just need to make yourself a PLAN. Eating healthy does not happen just by chance. It must be thought out, prepared for and PLANNED. As far as the exercise goes, you MUST carve out some time for yourself. Losing the weight and getting healthy is the very best thing you can do for yourself - AND your family. EVERYONE benefits when mom is at her best.

You've got a lot of food to work with there and robin is absolutely right, you must plan. I would say you need to become much more conscious of your food choices. There are lots of ways to cook healthy food that is really tasty!! honest!

You know, for years I didn't believe I could lose weight because my husband wouldn't, and he ate all kinds of unhealthy food and of course, when it was here I ate it too. He contributed to my weight gain, so what could I do! I have since come to realize that is a very backward way of thinking about it. I was the only one who contributed to my weight gain. No, his choices did not help, but I went along with those choices. Well, it is very empowering (and very scary) to see yourself as the one responsible for your weight gain. Once I stopped blaming him, it became possible for me to succeed, even though he was not supportive at first. So, don't blame the Sudan, or anyone else, but take control of your life!

And yes, exercise helps your family rather than taking time from them. It's a stress relief for you and a weight loss tool. A less stressed, healthier mom is better for the family!

As for my plan, it's nothing complicated. Essentially I am a calorie counter and exerciser. But it started with me just bringing healthy lunches and snacks to work and focusing on portion control. After about a month I started focusing on calories (and I didn't starve myself) and exercise. I'm a "baby stepper" -- started gradually and moved slowly.

Now I pay attention to much more than calories, but you don't need to start with more complexity than just becoming aware of the food you put in your mouth and the movement you do -- finding even small ways to become more active is a plus.

The last thing that really helped me was to make a long-term commitment to myself and to my health...

I'll stop there but hopefully you get the idea!

RRobin and Heather,

thanks for your response so soon. I am checking in alot to keep myself focused. I read your story RRobin... well most of it then my youngest needed me so I didnt finish but I plan to. It is so obvious to me that you are so very happy, and proud of yourself , That you are amazed yet knew it all along you would be where you are now!! Your commitment and just the mental shake you gave yourself is very admirable. I identified alot with your story although never a "pickle" I had a normal weight until about 6th grade. Alot of things went on.... And I began stuffing my feelings. I relate very much about the part of not having energy for my kids. I have a 16 year old the 7 and 4. Yes they have had a bad deal so far. Except when I am in the pool then I have alot of energy and kinda come to life.Thank you for sharing.

I have good access to fresh eggs! My sister inlaw owns a chicken farm for egg production only! Fish is Nile perch or Talapia. I can get catfish but I think it is kinda high in fat. The beef here is lean and not fed on anything but grain and sugar cane stalks... but we are all avoiding red meat now as Rift Valley fever is a problem in Sudan now. Now the price of chicken and fish is through the roof so going veggie based is a good plan. What do you mean by stew with the tomatoes, onions etc. Do you just saute them up until delish with garlic and olive oil and dig in? Is a meal a sweet potato? Can you give me an idea of what you ate or eat in a day. I can make up my own plan ..... but could use some input from both of you. You seemed to have nailed it. On your oatmeal- do you sweeten it with anything?

Well I am very grateful for all your tips and advice. I want you to know that it is not going to waste. Now I cant stop thinking about this goal. Have a great day . Kriss

Hey Kriss -

A lot of us have Fitday links in our profiles - check those out to see what we are eating. Just watch out for mine...it has been a little outta control lately.

Let's see, oatmeal. I nuke the regular old fashioned stuff for 3 minutes with a chopped apple, splenda, salt and cinnamon.

Check out the Vegetarian recipe section. Tons of great recipes there. Also the Whole Foods forum.

As for what plan am I following? I'm a calorie counter and exercise fiend. Lately I've been especially into bicycling, but I also do weight training.

Keep asking questions - we all learn as we go along in this weight loss journey!

Kriss -- I don't worry so much about the fat in fish. We all need fat, in fact! Fats help us absorb nutrients and do other things to keep ourselves healthy. It's the kind of fat you have to worry about.

The fat in fish tends to be higher in omega-3s, rather than the omega-6's in lots of red meat (though, I'm not sure about catfish). We tend to get more omega-6s than we need, so fish, even fatty fish, isn't a bad choice at all!!

Some other source of good fats are nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts and peanut butters) and olive oil... you do have to watch quantities, but don't feel you have to say no to all fats!