[guynna]

I second (or third or fourth) the idea that you have to treat yourself well rather than feel deprived. It's also important to take care of yourself in non-food ways: meditate; stretch; luxuriate in your bath; enjoy brushing your hair and and noticing how silky it is. We need to LOVE ourselves and take care of ourselves, not get into the cycle of denial/failure/self-loathing --- can I get a chorus of "been there, done that"? You can do this! And it will feel really really good : )

[NightAngel26]

Hey thanks for the support.

Justwant- yes I'll try those, I'm not the best at choosing seasonings and the best time/thing to use them on but hopefully I will find a mix of things that are pleasant to eat that are healthy. I'm used to mac and cheese from the box and fast food once a week or so....only because I crave these things...

guynna- thanks for the advice....I agree that it is important to feel like you're caring for yourself... I lose track of that sometimes with all the other things to do in the day.It's good advice. I used to love to take a bubble bath....miss my old claw foot tub . eh....

[lm3898]

I think it's great that you have a plan! That is a great first step! I remember when I first started my eating was as bad as my workouts [i.e. bad eating, non-existant workouts]...instead of some crazy day 1 plan, I just started on one thing, then the rest started to follow. First I said I would workout 4 days that week no matter what, then finish 30 day shred, then no eating after 8 p.m., then smart ones dinners 3 times a week instead of eating out, then an apple before any big bkfst. etc.

For me at least, slowly incorporating new things to my diet/exercise plan helped A LOT b/c it never felt too restrictive. I know it's bad to rewards yourself with food, but I would do so in the sense that I wouldn't feel bad going out to dinner w/ friends as long as I made sure to workout prior...etc. etc.

Calorie counting from livestrong helped me A LOT too! Then I got the fitbit so I couldn't lie to myself about cal. burns...just a few more helpful suggestions. Good luck & remember NOTHING is hopeless!

[aliasihaya]

I totally understand the difficulty in starting up. I think I've written about 10 posts asking for help. In the end, a switch flipped for me. After all my whining and complaining, one day I just started up. I thought I was serious about starting up for over 6 months now, but just couldn't do it. So I pushed myself by doing a few things. In October I hired a trainer. But I was only working out once per week with her for a few months and never doing anything outside of that. I also hired a nutritionist, but I never really followed her plan. So I still needed another push. So I started seeing a therapist who started pointing out to me how much I beat myself up about what I see as my failures. I'm also diabetic and have hashimotos, so I'm fighting against that as well.

So one day during my christmas break from work, a little before new years, I didn't eat much one day and just had a bowl of chili for dinner. Basically no carbs. And then I finally tested my blood sugar (I always avoided it) afterwards and it was finally at a normal level. Low carb really does matter for my health. All of a sudden it hit me that I needed to really change. I needed to put more energy into it. That doing things slowly wasn't going to work for me. I think it works for some people. Making small changes and then increasing. But for me that gives me too many outs and excuses. I'm an all or nothing type of person. So the next Sunday I just started working on it. I just did it. It just happened. Like everyone else said, I'm not sure what it is that just changes in a person from one day to the next to get them motivated. But it just happens when you're ready for it to happen as cheesy as that may sound.

So long story made longer, I've been at this for 3 weeks seriously now and have lost about 6 pounds! I'm very nervous that I will soon get tired of this. But I'm trying not to think that far ahead. So here are some of the things that I've been doing. You've done this before, so this might not be new to you but it's definitely been helping me out.

1. I only go to the store with a shopping list and I never go hungry.
2. I take the time on Sunday to go shopping and prepare food for the whole week. Cut up everything or cook things so that all I have to do is throw it into my lunch bag or warm it up when I get home from work. This is the sucky part because it does take up a good 4 to 5 hours to do this. But my week is much better for it.
3. I try not to skip snacks. My nutritionist has me on a low carb diet for the diabetes and it consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks. I find that the day is harder when I don't eat the snacks. I might not be hungry for a snack but I'm learning to force them down.
4. I go to the gym now 3 times per week. This is the hardest. I've tried home workouts and have bought so much home videos and equipment that I never use. I've found that once I actually get in the car that exercising is easier once I get to the gym. One day is with my trainer so it's a long workout. I'm responsible for the other two. And the best thing is that my Mom is really trying to help and goes with me 2 times per week.
5. Start staying away from your triggers. This is easier said than done. It's one thing to empty your house of all of the not good choice foods (which I've done as well), but it's another to try and deal with it when you go over to a friends house. So for the moment I haven't really been socializing as much. This is a controversial one. But I consider it like being a drug addict. When addicts hang around with their old friends then they tend to 'fall off the wagon'. Some people don't think it's good to put this many constraints on yourself. And I'm not saying that I'm getting rid of my friendships. But I'm putting some distance in the middle for the moment until I can control myself better around my triggers.

Anyway, sorry this was so long. But this is my 2 cents. Plus it always help me reinforce what I'm doing when I write about it. Thanks for listening.

Good Luck! You've done it before. I'm sure you'll do it again.

[Justwant2Bhealthy]

200 Calorie Mac and Cheese (from Bobbi in 50+ forum)

Butternut squash is puréed with milk and vegetable broth and mixed with three kinds of cheese to create a rich, decadent, and slightly healthier dish. This might just find a place on my Thanksgiving menu!

Mac and Cheese INGREDIENTS ...

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, and diced (about 3 cups)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
1 clove of garlic, smashed
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound whole wheat spirals
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta or cottage cheese
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Olive-oil cooking spray, to grease baking pan

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Combine squash, garlic, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. (Dicing reduced this time to 10 minutes.) Remove from heat.

2. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.

3. Drain pasta, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. (Honestly, you could also stop here. My boyfriend and I ate some of the pasta last night, and we skipped the step of baking it. It was more decadent and creamy as the baked version, but it lacked the crunchy topping. Eliminating the breadcrumb topping will cut half a gram of fat and 11 calories a serving.)

4. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish.

5. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodles.

6. Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, briefly broil to toast breadcrumb topping. Serve immediately.

Serves 8. Per serving: Calories: 200.0 Total Fat: 5.8

PS ~ this is what I meant by making your favorite dishes healthier but still good tasting too. You could make this one night and freeze portions for the rest of the month.

[NightAngel26]

evening everyone....just being accountable here....2 days on 17DD....and I bombed.... just too hungry, those foods I'm allowed don't fill well. On to the next I guess.


I know, I know...exercise and eat less......

[Justwant2Bhealthy]

You may have to do some trial & error to find the plan that works for you; or make one up for yourself from the foods you like and count calories. You can use an online counter to help you get started. I do my own with books I have here; uh, cuz I've been doing this a very, very long time.

Hang in ther kiddo; don't give up. Just keep on trying; you'll find something that clicks for ya ...

BTW, I wanted to share with you that once a week, we have our favorite foods for dinner. Usually on a Friday night; and call it Friday Fun Food Night. Tonight, we had hamburgers: I had a chicken burger with chz, onion, tomato slices, mustard & relish on a whole grain bun. I made some home fries so go on the side: I just had a small serving (about 100 calories or less). I just make enuff for DH & I. I often have salad with mine, but I wasn't as hungry tonight. I am still under my targeted calorie range for the day, and have room for snack later if I want.

[kidjng]

Lots of good advice has been posted for you. Here's mine (some of it has already been mentioned.)

Stop thinking about how you've failed. Only think about what you are going to do about it today and tomorrow. Then when you have those two days under control try to think about the rest of the week - what healthy foods you're going to shop for and prepare. Find ways to create healthier versions of foods you love - like the mac and cheese recipe posted above. Make it fun, creative, learn new cooking skills from the Food Network shows. Shop for vegetables and lean protein that will fill you up. Three to four ounces of chicken prepared a hundred different ways has been my savior throughout this process. Eggs and low fat cheese in the morning with lots of veggies - yummy! Find one delicious satisfying meal that stays within your calorie count or points or whatever plan you are trying to follow and focus on how that meal will fit into your days. You'll look forward to eating it and feel as if you are rewarding yourself and you will be! I find that my satisfying breakfasts set me up for staying on plan the rest of the day. Sometimes I slip up and go back to my indulgent ways. But the next day I exercise a little longer, get right back on track, forget about the past and do it again.

Once you've focused on the small day-to-day eating habits you are going to change then focus on moving more. Once I had made up my mind to change "most" of my eating habits for good it still took me about two months to include exercising into my new life. And I chose moderate walking then moved on to zumba and now I do strength training and yoga.

I think when some people make up their minds to change their ways they change everything all at once, it gets overwhelming and they quit.

So in summary change a couple of things at a time, once you're comfortable with those changes becoming permanent, move on to the next change. One day at a time.

Good luck!

[lossforlife]

HI all, getting started is the hardest part of the weight loss process. It is so important to find a plan that is going to work for you and suit your lifestyle/ tastes. I am an all or nothing kinda girl so when I did decide to finally commit to losing my weight, I felt different about it. Small steps and changes are key.

I think mentally you have to be in the right frame of mind for it to be successful. I pliers a lot of time and energy into losing weight and, at times, I was single minded and selfish about it. We all have different amounts of weight to lose and my
own journey was always going to be a long one as I topped the scales at over 300 pounds when I started.

[Munchy]

Originally Posted by NightAngel26

evening everyone....just being accountable here....2 days on 17DD....and I bombed.... just too hungry, those foods I'm allowed don't fill well. On to the next I guess.


I know, I know...exercise and eat less......

Have you tried perusing some healthy cooking websites? My favorites are:
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.cookinglight.com
http://www.eatingwell.com
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com

Take a look at volumetric eating. It's how many of us are able to eat low calories without starving. Non starchy vegetables can bump up your meals without adding a lot of calories. I think the trick is to find ways to incorporate them into the meal instead of just having "veggies on the side."

Recipes like this chili, pureed vegetable soups taste really rich, adding vegetable ribbons 50:50 (with a peeler) into your pasta, cauliflower into your mashed potatoes or in other ways like this baked potato soup, grated zucchini or summer squash into your meatballs, meatloaf, or your burgers, food processing an entire package of mushrooms and adding to a pound of lean ground beef is almost undetectable in dishes like shepherd's pie.