I agree....small changes slowly. it doesn't have to be all or nothing mentallity. baby steps. drop the mountain dew...add water. add an extra mile of walking for the day. eat half an order of fries, instead of the whole order. you could even ask them to not put as many fries in your bag as they normally do. veggies and dip is a great meal companion or snack, but not a meal. not enough calories and no protein there. you need protein to keep you feeling full longer and help add in building muscles and burning fat. take the sandwich off of the bread and throw the bread in the trash. there are all kinds of alternatives to shave off calories and still eat well. and add in extra excersize.

LaBonita, I agree with the advice of making small changes slowly. Sometimes it might be a shock to your system if you suddenly change everything. You are probably causing yourself to feel overwhelmed. Take baby steps one at a time.

I also agree totally with Margarita about exercising. I tried to think back and see why I may have lost weight so easily in the past and it's been exercise that has helped so much.

Wishing You The Best
Denise

Speaking on the emotional aspect of being ready to stick to a healthy food plan, what it took for me was a swift kick in the butt by my doctor. I really hated him on my first visit. Now, I can see he was completely right.. I look and feel so much better now and that is the incentive that keeps me going. Not everyone had the so-called luxury of this kick but it worked for me. He did make me ashamed of how I had let myself go. He's all praises now, but he could see in my fatness that it would take more than just telling me to lose weight, I had heard that for years. Good luck and keep trying.

As others have said, I am in agreement that veggies and dip are not enough! I solve the problem by taking creative lunches that I actually look forward to! I'm sure it is harder with your not having a lot of cooking facilities so you may have to be creative... but it CAN be done if you get creative!

Or as others have suggested, eat the veggies and get the sandwich... but maybe even take off all or part of the bread and just eat the chicken and veggies... with water or sparkling water. Sounds as if you are depriving yourself and turning the proper eating into something negative... make it positive instead!

Also I agree with the rewarding myself with something special for good behavior! Something special for my wall... CD.. or if the budget is low even a little something from the dollar store. It's not how much it costs that matters but that it is YOURS as a reward. Or even pick a flower and stick it in a little vase as your reminder that you did it!

Hang in there!!!

I sometimes have the same exact problem. I bring something healthy into work with me and then don't "feel" like eating it and eat something else. I agree with Misti that you have to see your healthy alternative as something positive. I always use to be so upset and frustrated when I brought something healthy in, like it was a punishment. But the real punishment is if you don't watch what you put into your body. Sure, you like the chicken sandwich now but imagine when you eat it that you had to everyday, then it sort of loses it's appeal. It's all in how you think of it. Don't think of it as the forbidden fruit, or what your missing out on, like I did. I agree you have to be creative. Bring one of those veggie chicken sandwiches in instead maybe? Or what I ended up doing, is saying to myself, "Okay, you can have the bad food, but if you eat it you will have to exercise 20 more minutes just to burn it off.". I know it takes more than 20 minutes to compensate for it, but I figured I could trick my brain into not wanting the bad for you food since it was messing with me trying to get the healthy stuff in Don't feel bad though, I'm right up there with you. Just don't beat yourself up over it, it only makes things worse. Try and turn it into a learning experience, like what is making you want to spend the money on lunch when you already bought it. Hope this helps, I'm trying it out too right now

Oh and another thing... it DOES get easier once you begin to make it a habit!! There are always going to be food temptations all around us so learning to make saying "no" to it a part of our lives can become a healthy habit. For me the first month or two is the hardest... once you get that junk out of your system, you start feeling better and feeling GREAT about what you are doing... and it is easier to think positive. Well, most of the time LOL. We all have our moments of struggle... but in the end we just have to decide what food to put into that little hole in our faces.

how about grilling the chicken breast with the veggies and packing it all together, nice seasoning can make this into a tasty meal.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh THERE you go! Great idea! Crockpot meals make great lunches too... can do chicken and veggies this way too.

But you're not

Your body says go but your mind says no. Losing weight is kinda like quitting smoking... you have to WANT to do it before it can work. I'm not saying you don't want to lose weight, because you obviously do. But you have to be really really set in the mind to crack down on yourself and say, "Okay, dammit, I'm gonna start eating healthier and stay away from the JUNK." Because it takes a lot of willpower to stay away from that stuff.

Some people believe in starting slow and making small changes a little at a time. And that really does work for some. But it didn't work for me. I would eat good for a couple of days, then go right back to the junk again. So I had to quit everything 'cold turkey'. Overnight my eating habits were completely changed for life. I decided to just stop ALL of it, right now, no piddling around with the gradual changes, that wasn't working for me. All or nothing, feast or famine.

It was tough at first, but my body and my mind eventually got used to it and began loving it. Pretty soon I couldn't even FATHOM the idea of sitting down to a Big Mac and fries, just the thought of all that fat swimming around in my veins was enough to nauseate me. And, well, I've been that way ever since.

I think it is a choice we make, whether we "feel ready" for it or not. There are times when I don't feel like getting out there doing my walking, or other exercise. But I think it is important we take control over what our bodies want and WE make the decision rather than letting our bodies rule us! We all get discouraged... sure don't want to make it sound easy as it is NOT... it's hard work! But we get up and go to work every morning whether we are "ready" for it or not... I'm sure not this morning LOL. But when I weigh the consequences of NOT doing it against the rewards... well, guess I'll go ahead and go! We have to do the same thing with our health plan... it's a choice we make every single moment.

Hang in there, LaBonita... just start and take it one day at a time or sometimes even one MINUTE at a time! You can do it!!! And come here for support! Plus...important important important... involve yourself in some of the CHALLENGES here! They keep you motivated and moving your butt LOL

1) restricting yourself would only make you feel so deprived, especially if all your having is veggies and dip.

2) Unless you plan to eat veggies and dip for lunch for the rest fo your life, you won't lose weight. ANY DIET is good as long as you stick you it. IE, if youre planning to lose weight permanently than you'd better think of being heathy first, as opposed to jus counting calories, In the long run, exercise and healthy eating will let you stay thin, while counting your calories from veggies and dip certainly won't be your main entree for lunch for life. You need a happy medium. If you like chicken, grill a lean chicken breast. If you like fries, bake some potato wedges, Experiment with healthier foods, but with ingredients YOU LIKE and that are good for you. You'll just lose weight and gain it back after a while from eating veggies and dip!

3) You can;t possibly jump start yourself such that, one day you're eating fast food and the next day you're eating barely anything. It's not mentally satisifying, and again, your brain will feel deprived. DON'T beat yourself if you fail at your next attempt; positivity is what allows us to see the brighter side of things, and build the confidence we need to continue on with our plans. You keep on yelling at yourself for not being able to resist the foods you love and you'll find that it'll be much harder to change your diet.

4) as an off-campus student, I have more variety of foods because I shop and I don;t need a meal plan. (my 2 years on campus, I was soo out of shape and eating crap that I never wanted to eat because all they offered was the same thing each and every day) Save your money when you're in the cafeteria. It doesn't make sense to spend more money when you already are able to buy your own groceries.

I hope you see a better way of dieting, and think of it as health more than weight. It's easier to do it that way...

Thanks so much for the help everyone. About the veggies and dip thing...I guess I kinda thought it'd be like eating a salad for lunch...cuz isn't that basically what it is? It's just more variety than a regular salad cuz it has more veggies...and the dip (low-fat dill my mom makes) would be like the dressing. I really didn't see a difference I guess. I also found it a good way to get rid of all the carbs I usually eat...I eat waayyy too many carbs. I do keep the carbs in breakfast and dinner, but by taking them out of one meal I think would definitely help me. But I see what you're saying about the protein...I just have to figure out a way to get it in...cuz like I said I can't really heat up a piece of chicken.

I do like the idea of getting the chicken sandwich as well as the veggies, although they don't have grilled chicken...just the chick-fil-a's as well as hamburgers, bacon cheeseburgers, and grilled cheese. They do have wraps which look kinda tasty...but I usually go in there with the intention of eating them and then I get the chicken fillet basket with fries and a pop...LOL. Sound familiar?

I know I need to mentally be there, but I don't want to have to WAIT until I'm mentally ready, because by then I'll be in the obese category. I don't want to have to gain so much weight for it to finally "click" ya know? I want to do something NOW before it gets out of hand. My 20's should be the time I ENJOY myself and my body, and right now they're just looking like a miserable time worried about covering up my flab.

I've tried the small changes thing, and it just doesn't work for me. I slowly put breakfast into my routine, and now it HAS become a habit...but nothing else has.

As far as exercise, I have been working out the past couple days...it took quite a push both days, but I did it nonetheless.

Thanks so much for all your kind words and ideas! I'll definitely keep everything in mind as I re-evaluate some things.

Alright, first of all, suck it up and be happy and PROUD that you didn't let the situation get completely out of hand before you decided to take action! You've only got 18 pounds to lose (and I bet with some strength training to tone, you wouldn't even need to lose that much). I've spent all of my 20s so far at over 250 pounds, so be happy that you don't have too far to go and that you're catching this before you have any health problems!

Now, as for the mentally ready thing, I have been over 200 pounds since about 7th grade You would think that I would have been ready long ago to really lose the weight--lord knows I've always WANTED to be thin! For me, it seems to be coming and going in spurts. I lose 30 pounds or so, and then I just lose interest and not lose weight for a while, but then I'll just be heading to McDonald's one day with every intention of getting the 2 double cheeseburgers (they're cheaper than the regular cheeseburgers ), a small fry, and maybe a milkshake, and while I'm in the car, all of a sudden, I just put my foot down and say, no, I don't need it, and I don't want to be bigger because of it! Saying no just once gives me the feeling that it's easy enough to do every day. Skip the Chick-fil-a once, and I bet you'll feel stronger Then USE that as motivation the next day!

As for the lunch, I see your point about the veggies vs. salad thing. However, protein really is key, and to me, a really filling salad includes protein. Sometimes (for me) it's grilled chicken, sometimes some fat-free shredded cheese and almond slivers or chopped pecans, sometimes hard-boiled egg, sometimes tuna, sometimes chopped ham and/or turkey, sometimes turkey pepperoni, sometimes turkey bacon--but always some sort of protein.

The only other thing I can say is that whatever is "wrong" with you has been wrong with most of us at some point I used to do the same thing--I would bring my turkey/spinach/ff cream cheese whole-wheat wraps for lunch, and ignore them as I headed down to the cafeteria for a giant slice (or 2) of super-cheesy pizza It baffles the mind, but like I said (for me, anyway), saying no once often empowers you to do so repeatedly. We all have to start somewhere

BTW, do you have a recipe for the dill dip/dressing? My aunt always made this dill dip that I LOVED with bread to dip in it, and I never even made the connection that it could probably be made healthier and good on veggies or salad!

I don't know how it works for others, but I HAVE to have at about 100 calories worth from carbohydrates per meal or snack, or I stay hungry. It takes about that much to raise my blood sugar enough to turn off the hunger feeling.

I once goofed and took some mixed raw nuts with me for a snack (it was about 250 calories) but it didn't help at all. I looked it up and most of the calories were from fats, which didn't help my blood sugar at all, so I had to eat something ELSE that had the carbs in it so I wouldn't feel so bad.

If you are like me, you would have to eat enough of the veggies to break that 100 calorie barrier in order for it to do any good. Otherwise your hunger level will just stay the same. The dip only counts if it has carbs in it.