Need help unlocking grip from old habits
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| Fri, 04-08-2005 - 3:08pm |
I'm hoping this group can help provide some insight for me. I'm an occassional poster on the stepparenting board and found the support there immensely helpful.
I'm 5'9", 41 and 330 lbs. Last year at this time I had gotten down to 300 before I went back to my old comfortable habits. I had dieted and exercised for almost 3 months but just couldn't stick with it. Once I got off track, the desire to get back on was not there. Overall I'm a relatively healthy person.
Currently I just finished a very filling lunch at a restaurant where the waiter commented that most people don't finish the plate that I ordered. Of course, my plate was bare. I climbed up the one flight of stairs at work and have listened to my heart pound for the last 5 minutes. I need to lose weight. I need to adapt the healthier lifestyle. But I don't want to give up my comfort foods.
Any thoughts? I have a DH who could stand to lose about 30 lbs, and two stepdaughters (14, 12) and a stepson (13) who are slim. I live in Missouri. I "bring home the bacon" so my life revolves around my work. I'm still the one designated as chief cook.
I know I'm not the only one facing the same thing. Looking for some insight to help me battle the internal battle.
Thanks!
Jo

Hi Jo!
Welcome to the board!
Fear
I don't really have any advice but I wanted to post and let you know that you are not alone. I am going through the same thing right now only in a different way. My meals are normally good but I snack on so much junk in between. I am trying very hard to stop and to get more exersize. After walking up a flight of stairs I am tired just like you are, I want to be fit and feel good again. I am 21 and 190 right now but over the past 2 years I have been gaining weight and not losing any. It's hard to give up the habits we feel so comfortable with!
Anyways, I don't really have any advice since I am trying to get over the same problem, just wanted to let you know you are not alone out there. Good luck!
Hi,
I just wanted to offer you some support! I totally hear where you are coming from. I have to disagree with Kerstin, though (you know I love you, Kerstin!). I don't think that you have to "give up" your comfort foods, you just can't have them as frequently or as much. I've been on the diet wagon all of my life, lose 20 pounds, gain 25, lose 10, gain 15 and for me, a lot of that has to do with bingeing on the foods I love after denying myself for however long. I'm definitely not the model weight loss person, so I don't know that my advice is that great. I've lost about 6 pounds in the last 2 months, but I'm not dieting at all. I started seeing a therapist and working on why I eat when I'm not hungry. That has helped a lot. I've permanetly banned dieting in my life, it's been about 8 months since I've done that, and my cravings have gone way down even if my weight has just started to move down (though, it levelled out for those 8 months, for the first time in a long time I wasn't gaining). It's only fair to share that I'm taking meridia, which my doctor prescribed as a part of everything else I'm doing, but I lost about 2 pounds before I started that.
Right now I am working on exercise, I think that is a major, major key. If you find giving up your favorite foods daunting, I'd work on trying to reduce your overall calories without removing those foods. For instance, I try to get a minumum number of fruits and veggies a day and this helps "push out" some of the other foods in my diet.
Geez, I wish I had an answer for you. Dieting does work for some people, just not me, so I wanted to offer the other perspective.
Oh, yeah, and I live in Missouri, too! (Columbia)
Erin
255/249/200
Mom
Hi Jo,
I can relate in several ways, and I love those comfort foods too--for me it's almost always sweets. I'm new here, and still lurking and posting to other boards, but I'm drawn to the posters here.
I'm 39, and "only" 62 pounds from my goal weight, but I've had precious little luck until this past week, and 62 pounds on me--5'3" and petite of frame--is not good. Several years ago, my knees, legs, and one ankle were badly messed up in a car accident, and the surgeries to put things back together weren't wholly successful. I need, at least, total knee replacements, but the surgeons say I'm too young (the knees would have to be replaced several times) and too heavy. One now says that he'll operate when I've lost all this weight. But--I can't exercise.
I, too, have 3 kids (one is disabled), and besides my husband, an elderly relative lives with us. And I work. I tear my hair out trying to fix one dinner for four, another (special diet) for the relative, and yet another for me. My day starts around 5 a.m. and ends around 11 p.m., and when I can take a break, the lure of something sweet is almost impossible to ignore. One of my excuses is that sweets relieve my pain, both physical and emotional. It's true, of course, but only temporarily.
Just want to say that I've tried a different approach over the past week, and for the first time in a long while, I feel as if my eyes are wide open and I'm seeing a road that has fewer obstacles than usual. I'm seeking side roads too, and crossroads, and forks, and trails that go way off the beaten path. I've always thought that there was one way to do it, and if I just stuck to the one way, I'd get there--but I failed again and again. I want it to be different this time.
So I suppose I'm suggesting that you squint and take a look at your personal landscape and all it encompasses differently.
Best luck,
Colly
Rhonda
Spring is Here
<Well first....how incredibly rude for the waiter to make a comment like that!!!!!!
Thanks for your words of wisdom Staci! Wow -- how do you manage to prepare all the mini meals and fruit/veg? My biggest weight loss was just over 50 and that was almost 10 years ago. Now I struggle with the lose 30, gain 30. Can't seem to last longer than 30.
I've tried weight watchers and have some of their older materials tucked away at home. Not sure what I'm waiting for before I untuck them. My schedule -- and my location don't lend themselves well to attending meetings. I work in Springfield, but live 40 minutes away in one of the smaller towns.
I'd love to try a weight-loss buddy program. I know that if I leave it up to me, I can start, go about 4-6 weeks and then will find myself distracted and loose interest. Maybe having a buddie can help keep me focused.
I'm interested!
Jo
It's not as hard as you would think to get that many servings of fruits/veggies in, especially with 5-6 mini meals a day. One thing to think about though, is that if you are coming from only 1 or 2 servings a day, then you don't have to go right to 10. Just slowly start sneaking them in, and soon, you won't even realize you are eating so many servings. Truth is, I truly do not like salads, salad dressing, or most raw veggies, so I had to get creative.
If you have a refrigerator at work, consider some of these:
Cook up 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast w/ your favorite seasonings (I use seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and crushed red pepper) in a non-stick skillet with no added fats. I usually use chicken tenders because then they come out more flavorful. After they are done cooking, dice the chicken up and put it in a container with a good lid.
Take the chicken to work with:
A 10 pack of tortillas ( I buy ones with under 100 calories each)
A package of 2% milk reduced fat shredded cheese
Plenty of romaine lettuce or some other leafy green (not iceburg lettuce though)
A couple cups of sliced bell peppers (add onions or any other veggies you like, too)
Salsa, low-calorie barbeque sauce, fat free honey mustard or any other favorite dressing
Make yourself a wrap with:
1/4 C chicken breast
3 T 2% shredded cheese
1 C lettuce
at least 1/4 C peppers/veggies
Sauce of your choice ( I usually use 1/4 to 1/3 C salsa for an extra hit of veggies, but if you use something else, keep an eye on the calories)
300 calories, at least 2 servings veggies, 30% RDA calcium
You could make all kinds of wraps with the right basic ingredients. Instead of peppers, you could try red onions and barbeque sauce for a different taste. Or, if you like mushrooms, add a few of those and use 2% mozzarella instead of cheddar. The important thing, though, is that you have approximately 10 mini-meals ready to go at work. That would take you through 2 meals a day on a 5 day week, or it would be 1 meal a day for 2 weeks.
I also also cook up low-fat chili (that has been a hit with everyone who has had it) and top 2/3 C chili with 1/4 C 2% cheese. You get approx 2 servings of veggies from that and 40% of your RDA for calcium for only about 250 calories.
I also stock up on Belfonte fat free yogurts, they are some of the lowest in sugar content with the best taste. On work days I almost always eat a yogurt with a large apple, orange, or banana or 1 C chopped fruits for breakfast. You get a serving of dairy and 2 servings of fruit for about 200 calories. For me, this also makes a great mid afternoon snack, although I sometimes substitute 1 oz cheddar cheese for the yogurt ( I use full fat because it’s a treat for me and I love the flavor, but you could use the 2% kind). Kraft actually has individually wrapped 1 oz slices of mild and extra sharp in regular and 2% kind. These will last for a couple of months, so I like to keep a pack of them at work and at my boyfriends house.
If the 5-6 mini meals is too hard for you, consider 4-5 instead. If you want, I can e-mail you some other recipes and meal ideas that I have that are great and low in calories. Just e-mail me at weird_me2@hotmail
Edited 4/11/2005 2:00 pm ET ET by weird_me2
Hi Jo!
First I agree that waiter was awful.(I know you didnt say it but hey...) That would certainly have affected my tip. (I have waited tables he was just RUDE) Anyway - you didnt mention your fav comfort foods but I do eat mine -- i like alfredo sauce with pasta and chicken -- so I 'lightened' it up. Mashed potatos -- I use a Weight Watcher recipe (garlic mashed potatos -- to die for ) and I eat MY PORTION (LOL that is the hardest part) Lean Cuisine makes a mean mac and cheese and wonderful roasted veggie pizza (so good) and the list goes on ...
What I find helps me the most is journaling all my food and exercise if I am honest I will know why I lost/gained weight each week. There is an online journal area on this board. I list food and some measurements but at home I also list calories and track veggie/fruit serv in an actual journal as well as exercise.
If you list some of your faves maybe we can help you make substitutions for homemade meals and suggest alternatives when you eat out. I know I would be willing.
Good Luck from one 'step' to another!
Valerie
320/315.5/140