Well... when I "AM" hungry, I tend to eat more (I think). I know one of my problems is that I am a fast eater. I have tried little tricks like putting my fork down between bites, counting how many times I chew something, etc. But I do seem to eat quickly. Then again, I do most things in my life fast. I walk fast. Talk fast. Type fast. Drive fast. Etc. So I think that "fast" is just in my blood.

That sounds wonderful. And I do attempt that. I think another one of my problems is that I don't like to cook. I just am not a kitchen-happy woman. I'm not interested in cooking, not interested in recipes that have more than 3-4 ingredients, and if I have to spend more than 30 minutes prep time? Not gonna happen!

Not to say that I don't EVER cook, because I do. And I rarely eat fast food (maybe 4-5 times A YEAR, seriously) - if I'm gonna go for a quick meal, I'd more likely do a shrimp or chicken salad. Or a turkey sandwich w/low fat cheese on whole grain bread w/lettuce & tomato. Ummmm... yes! - and when I DO cook, I do it healthy. Baked/broiled chicken (rarely eat anything fried), seared tilapia, sweet potaotes, green peas, low-fat beef in my whole wheat spaghetti, etc. And I only have dinner rolls or bread with my meals if I'm eating out (rare) or having some special occasion (Thanksgiving, etc.) Usually for lunch, I eat something like a Healthy Choice meal, or a sandwich (see previous description) or a frozen Green Giant mixed-veggie with a sliced tomato and a piece of fruit. I usually have a banana or an apple as a mid-morning snack. A handful of almonds &/or walnuts or a granola type bar in the afternoon (I have discovered Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars... a truly low-cal (160) delicious way to fight off the binges!... I am also fond of the Quaker "True Delights"... 140 calories of YUM!)

For dinner, if I'm really tired & don't feel like cooking at all, I mix a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with Kashi Go Lean Crunch. And I always have skim milk. And daily breakfast is usually a Slim Fast shake because I'm always in such a hurry in the mornings. On weekends, I like to have eggs, bacon and maybe a slice of toast.

I drink water all day every day. Sometimes I have a glass of tea. I have 2 cups of coffee in the morning. Every now & then I get into a soda mood... but 90%... mostly... water. And believe me, I drink a buttload of it!

When I write down everything I eat, I do not see anything remotely BAD. At all.

So really, I don't know WTH I'm doing wrong. Unless it's the fact that I am not exercising these days. But even that! - when I was exercising faithfully & eating so healthy, etc, I STILL didn't lose a single pound... for THREE MONTHS, nope, not an ounce. But when I did Medifast, I dropped 20 pounds in a snap. So - I CONCLUDED that my problem was simply eating too much. But now I don't know.

I never really thought about it like that, but you are abosolutely right!

I'm confused. Are you or aren't you tracking your calories? And if so, like in the 3 months that you tried and didn't lose - were you tracking faithfully, accurately and consistently - 7 days in a row, 14 days, 21 days? No off ones?

I'm confused because you then go onto say that your problem is you're simply eating too much....

And to get back to your original question. Seems to me like calories just might really matter to you (as the surely do to me). Maybe it's those granola type bars, the cereal, the WW pasta, the sandwiches, the dinner rolls. Maybe you ARE carb sensitive. Have you ever tried doing totally and completely away with non fruit/veggie carbs????

Oh, I just wanted to add, that I too am a fast eater. I was a fast eater before, I'm a fast eater now. So, though I'd love to let my meals last longer, it doesn't really matter in the long run as long as one keeps to their calorie budget.

YES. That was last spring. I completely gave up sodas & vending machine crap (altho I didn't have a lot of that to begin with) and I never ate over 1500 calories per day. Exercised 30 minutes, sometimes more. And NADA. Not one single ounce came off.

you too? ...see... I STAY confused at my non-losing weight issue. That's part of the reason I started this thread about calories.

Yes, I've done South Beach (lost 20) and a few years back I did Metabolic Research (which to me, is the SAME thing basically as South Beach) and I lost almost 20 on that as well. And maybe I AM carb sensitive, because the minute I tried to add carbs back into my diet, one serving of mashed pototoes, or one of mac & cheese, etc, that broke me & I'd get fat again.

God... sometimes I wonder if all this is really worth it. I mean, I KNOW it is, but sometimes giving up just seems so... close.

I agree with Robin - the carbs might be getting you. If you have slim fast, cereal, ww spaghetti, maybe a cereal bar and sweet potatoes all in one day, that could be stalling you. (Even half that). I am insulin resistant (I have PCOS) and carbs are an issue for me. Even frozen dinners are frequently packed with pasta or rice. Replace peas and bananas with something lower starch/sugar. Medifast is fairly low carb, definitely low in sugar, so it could have been the calories or the carbs that worked for you.

Maybe dump the slimfast and try low carb slimfast, replace granola bars with cheesesticks and berries (or apples) or maybe even a veggie burger pattie with mustard. All of those are really quick, and don't require much cooking.

This is a really good book by Dr Jampolis. Everything in it is fast and suitable for brown bagging and on the go.

Hi Jennifer! - thanks for the book suggestion... I'll definitely look into it!

Ta-da.. Yup, I think that may be it. You have an *issue* with carbs. And yes it IS worth it. Your quality of life is at stake here. As well as your very life. And it's worth it. Accept the fact that this is how it is. Accept it. Lots of people have lots of issues with all different foods - celiac's disease, diabeties, chrohns disease just to mention a few.

Don't dwell on what you can't eat. Revel and celebrate all the luscious foods that you CAN eat. Ones that are delicious and provide you with optimal health - both physical and mental.

It's worth it. 10000% so.

I think that the older we get, many women have issues with carbs. Whether it is insulin resistance or some other force at work, controlling the type or reducing the amount of carbs does work for many of us. I agree it's truly worth it. And you know what, I feel better. I sleep better. My hot flashes are lessened. I can wear great clothes. My endurance at exercising is improved. I'll take all of that. That's not to say you can't have an occasional treat at a birthday or holiday. But this is a way of life for me now. I used to hate to cook too, but I don't mind now because the food tastes sooo good!

...so... am I to just never have macaroni & cheese? no whole wheat pasta? no any kind of pasta? like... EVER? Just stick to proteins (lean beef & chicken & fish) and a few veggies (not the kind I like of course... no green peas, no carrots, blah) and VERY few fruits and that's it... ?

I know I could never stick to a diet like that because I won't be satisfied. That's why I couldn't stay with South Beach even after I'd lost some weight... It would only take a few weeks/months for me to completely go off the wagon trying to eat like that.

THERE SIMPLY HAS TO BE A DIET THAT WILL WORK FOR ME.

I'm on SB and I eat whole wheat pasta, but not white pasta. I eat 100% whole grain, not multi-grain (No white flour). I really read labels to see what's in the food I eat. I use brown rice, couscous, quinoa, barley, lots of whole grains. I eat 1 or 2 fruits every day. I don't just eat a few veggies, I eat over 4 cups a day. I would never be satisfied with "just proteins and a few veggies and very few fruits". I also incorporate beans, lowfat dairy, healthy oils, and nuts daily. Don't use anything that has added sugars, like some pasta sauces or salad dressings. It's really pretty easy and satisfying when you get used to it. My weight plummeted once I started doing this.

I don't believe so, but only because you must have a certain amount of nutrients in your body to aide with weight loss and .. well, just overall health. If you lack calcium, protein, fiber, or even fat, your body can have a negative reaction. I believe in getting as much as you can of the nutrients you need - no one is going to get every single gram, but it's better than eating 1200 calories worth of whatever you want. Protein and fiber are especially important to aide in weight loss, muscle systhesis, and proper digestive health, which many people with weight problems have an issue with. Calcium is essential to people who have more weight to carry- it's good for the bones. There are a ton of nutrients that are necessary, even more so, for us.

I recommend taking a multivitamin and fiber/protein supplement if you don't feel you're getting what you need daily. At GNC, we have a ton of products marked down, so it really won't cost an arm and a leg.

Dang, girl! Good for you.. I don't wanna get off track (as earlier posters mentioned) but you look wonderful for your age.

You know, BeachPatrol, once someone starts putting things in terms of foods they JUST WON'T give up, and using that as a reason they CAN'T follow a plan, it's an indicator that there's something odd going on...

It is only food, Beach! Maybe it's a food that you have developed an addictive process with, but it's still ONLY FOOD.

Let me give you an example. Suppose you went to the doctor, and the doc told you, "I'm really sorry to tell you this, but you can never again eat celery." Well, you might feel a bit bad about that if you really love celery, but probably you wouldn't have any trouble not eating celery. Now, suppose the doc said the same thing, only the food was mac & cheese... The fact that your reaction would be more extreme indicates that it's become something more to you than "only food."

It is all only food. Some foods are wonderful, delicious, and our favorites--but no single food should be a deal-breaker.

Also, try not to think in terms of "never again." That just gets you into scarcity mentality.

Jay

Well, in that light, all food is only food. I've had to give up food that I loved more than once in my life (i.e. when I was hypoglycemic/anemic... NO fried foods, NO sugar foods... not even a little!) and Vitamin K foods (salads, mostly... greens!) when I had pulmonary embolism. So giving up a food is not that horrible. But (There's always a but!).... I cannot eat something I do not like. For instance... onions. Don't like them on my burger, don't like them in a salad, etc. But I LOVE THEM in pot roast and I love onion rings. (go figger!)

However, I do appreciate your advice & taking time to type out to me... maybe I should give South Beach another go-round... sometimes certain things just take a while to "sink in" ya know? ...THANK YOU!

I was thinking along the same lines as Jay quite frankly.

The truth is there has to be a diet that you are WILLING to MAKE work for you. That if you ask me is the issue here.

Like Jay said, it's only food. If you allow it, your tastes WILL change. The longer you go without those foods, the less and less you will want them. FIND, DISCOVER, SEEK OUT other foods that you love. Experiment. Give em' a chance. Be super creative. Challenge yourself.

And remember when you are feeling all slim and healthy you will feel MARVELOUS and not miss those foods one bit. That's just how incredible you will feel with yourself. Know it. Know that it's coming.

You'll be feeling so incredible with YOURSELF, you won't need to rely so heavily on FOOD to give you that satisfactory feeling. I'm CERTAIN of it.

Give it a whirl. Find out who you were meant to be. This is a time of rebirth and self discovery. Amaze yourself!