[All Boys]

Hello fellow forum members...
As some of you might know one of my, along with many other's New Years Resolution is to go on a diet and lose some weight...
For me I want to lose a little over 50 pounds... Ok so yes I am going to get brave on here and say my weight goal is 110... Which is not too skinny for me cause I am only 5'1" so 110 is a good weight for me... I am giving myself until Christmas 2005 to do it.. But if I can get there before that I am going to...
A little back ground...
I started to put on a mot of my weight about 6 years ago after I had Colyn.. I suffered from major depression after having to have an emergency hystroctomy (?SP) After being diagnosed with Major depression for a little over 3 years, and many different medicines, I had a nervous break down, and was hospitalized for 4 days... During which time the Dr's did many test and found out that it really was my thyroid that was causing all of the problems... I no longer suffer from depression... So now that all of that has been taken care of... Well I am ready to lose all of this weight that I have put on over the years.. And start feeling great about myself...

Ok Sorry for pouring my heart out to all of you like that... But I am ready and set to lose the weight...

I am looking for support, and thought that if any of you might be looking for support to... Well we could do it together...
By the way I am doing Atkins Diet, started Monday Jan.3rd... And feel great about it...

Gina

[spaypets]

Greetings!
While I haven't always been medically overweight, I had been unfashionably overweight all my life. I gained weight in college, lost it after (unemployment will do that to you), gained it back after getting a job with irregular hours and getting married. Oh, and I have always been a total couch potato, so I wasn't getting any exercise.

In 2000 I was 35, 20 lbs above the _high_ end of my healthy weight range, in such bad shape that running from one airport gate to another would leave me winded. We bought a treadmill, set it up in the basement and I spent a year walking on it--I stopped gaining weight but didn't lose any. In March of 2001, we stayed in Bermuda at a hotel with a meal plan (you prepaid for the meals, so you felt obligated to order an appetizer and dessert because you already bought them). I came home feeling like the Michelein man. I went on Slim Fast and was STARVING when my SIL said that she had joined Weight Watchers, had already lost 8 lbs in a month and wasn't hungry at all.

I joined, even though I had an "eating event" coming up, lost about 1.5-2 lbs a week and by July had reached my initial goal to lose 20 lbs and had made lifetime. I continued losing until I lost 35 lbs. I went from a size 14 to a 4 (I'm 5'2"). Even though I've put on a few pounds lately, I'm still fitting in most of my size 4's and I know how to get back on track. I'm still below my goal but higher than I like or should be. I need to get back on the program.

And that's what I'm doing. I'm tracking my points (basically keeping track of what I'm eating every day). I am planning my meals because when you fail to plan you plan to fail. It's day 2, tomorrow I weigh in for the month. I hope to lose 5 lbs by Valentines Day, though since I'm still at a healthy weight, it might be slow going to take off the pounds.

I'll know for sure how much I really need to lose when I weight in -- somewhere between 5-10 lbs. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but if I don't fix it now, I'm going to be a size 14+ again.

[coco46]

Well, I wish I had an inspirational story to share, but the truth is I just plain got lazy. I've gone from a size 6-8 to a 14 in a little over 2 years.

It's not that I eat so much, but more that I need to eat better and work out regularly.

So here we go! My goal is 10 lbs by Feb. 6th!

[spaypets]

Should we post our meals and workout schedule? Or questions? Or problems?

[paigeturner]

No inspirational story here either. I quit smoking five years ago (as most of you know I started back ) I started into the career I have now and have lots of travel, lots of conferences and lots of meals out in really good eating establishments and no self control. Before I knew it I'd gained 45 lbs or more. I carry my weight well so I went from a loose size 8 to an entirely too tight 12.

I did Atkins last year and lost 33 lbs and got hypoglycemia in return. I had to go off of Atkins and gained 12 lbs back. I'm now going on the South Beach Diet, which is the one my nutritionist recommended for me. It works well with eating out and with the long hours I put in this time of year.

Today is day 2. This morning I gagged down my "Vegtable Quiche to Go" and I'm getting ready to eat my "Tuna Salad Chop Chop". Hopefully I can stick to this one. The hardest part is going to be no alcohol for several weeks. No, I don't have a "problem", I just love my wine. And my beer and my martini's, lol.

Spaypets, I did WW for several months two years ago. I really liked the program, but didn't lose much weight. My boss at the time and my sister did really well with it and are both lifetime members. I just couldn't count restaurant points good enough I think.

Good luck to everyone. Gina thanks for starting this tread. You'll love Atkins.

Paige

[coco46]

Spaypets...good thoughts! I think daily support and encouragement, plus maybe a weekly progress update? How about favorite healthy recipes too?

[coco46]

I just went and signed up on WW online! Size 12, here I come!

[ddhuab]

I am also trying to lose some weight - I am VERY overweight and I also need to lower my cholesterol. I am going to be doing the BODY FOR LIFE plan, and I start exercising tomorrow (or maybe tonight, if I can fit it in with all the other stuff I had to do today!).

I did body for life in summer 2003. and lost 10 pounds, then tried to start it again and SLOWLY lost 10 more pounds, going on and off. I have pretty much kept those 20 pounds off (with a five pound fluctuation).

Now I am ready to get back INTO IT because I want to be healthy and in shape when our daughter comes home (which at this rate may be fall of this year... not the agency's fault, totally our delay in getting our homestudy completed). I have been overweight for so long now that my tentative goal is really just to lose 25 pounds by the end of the summer. I will be thrilled to lose more -- my main goal is to do a ONE DAY AT A TIME method of staying "on plan."

I am definitely in for some support or for just checking in weekly with weight change numbers.

Also, I plan to hit the gym hard this month because I need to get my cholesterol rechecked in February.

I, too, have had problems with being a couch potato. I'm not doing anything work or student-wise this semester except finishing my thesis, so hopefully I will be able to get in the habit of eating correctly and fitting in exercise to a daily routine before I get more demands on my time (like a baby... fortunately they have child care at our gym).

D.

[kmedsker]

I joined weight watchers for the 6th time, last week. My mother and I go together. She has about 80 lbs to lose and I keep losing, then finding the same 25 lbs. I turn 39 next week and really don't want to struggle any weight issues as I grow older, like my sweet mother. It is really difficult for her to carry around her extra weight. So....I have started going to the club at 5AM with my husband 3 times a week in addition to the healthy habits weight watchers teaches me. I want to be able to run and play with my kids and eventually my grandkids. Not something I've ever seen my mother do. Good luck to everyone! Kayla

[lucyjoy]

Working on kicking my sugar addiction and cutting out carbs(not easy as a non meat, egg, cheese or fish eater) as I have issues with insulin and eating wrong packs on pounds in a hurry. Exercise is my weakest point as in I hate it massively but need to do it a lot.

Need good exercise tips as I get really bored while exercising.

[LizLininger]

Ok I really need some support also. I am about 35 pounds heavier than i really should be. I have tried on and off for a couple of years to lose it. I I used to be very underweight and then had 15 surgeries and now am over weight. I am gong to start a lowfat diet tommorow. Lets see what happens.
liz

[janiej]

I'm "onboard".!!Think it would be great to have "buddies" to do this with.
I am a bithmom reunited this past summer after 39 years of waiting. The first 3 months into reunion I lost 20 pounds, mostly because of the "natural high" of the reunion, I think.
I started walking alot, really watching the "goodies", and switched from regular soda to diet (was hard, but I've done "harder" )
I need to lose at least 20 more, and of course the holidays really messed me up. Spent it with my "new" family (grandkids and all !!!), and ate almost everything in sight.
I quit smoking 12 years ago after open heart surgery, and thought it was one of the most difficult things I ever had to do in my life ( maybe the SECOND most difficult ), but dieting is really "the pits" too !!!
Anyway, long story short, have no local weight watchers, have no local gym (small town), and need support for the weight loss too.
All the rest of the support on here it "top-notch", so I think this would be a great place to help each other.
Count me in !!
janie

[ddhuab]

By the way... are any of you familiar with fitday.com?

It is a free service on the internet on which you can set up an account and log in your daily eating and excercise. I like it becuase you can customize it if the food you are eating is not in their database, and it gives you all kinds of neat graphs and you can set personal goals like limiting your amount of sodium, etc. It calculates not only calories, but your other nutrients as well.

On the other hand, I guess (like these forums) it can get a bit time-consuming in a non-calorie burning fashion, but for those who really like to work on the computer, I think it is great (also, it is better to record your daily food intake in someway, but for many it is probably easier to write in a food journal). This way is easier for me, because I plan my meals and most of them are sort of repetitive - except for dinner - when I am dieting - also, I generally lose track of journals, so if I eat something different or unplanned away from home, I can write it down on any spare piece of paper and record it on the computer later.

Just thought I would share.

D.

[All Boys]

Spay, Absolutely post all the info that you want.. Meals ect..... I think the more that we support each other the better...
I am so happy to see such a wonderful responce... I was actually shocked..

By the way I am still reading all of the post... LOL

[mj77]

I haven't been on much lately. I was glad to see you started this thread Gina. Okay, my confession time. I eat pretty well throughout the day and not very much. My problem is at night when I "reward" myself for completing the day with my boys. I grab all the comfort food, sit with my dh in front of the TV and eat whatever feels good...I am awlful. Anyway, there, it's out, I have esspecially a bad addiction to peanutbutter cup blizzards made with chocolate ice-cream. I am sure if I cut that late night binge out, i would have solved much of my problem.