How are you losing?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-09-2006
How are you losing?
7
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 8:49am
I know everyone is not on a "diet", I am questioning how you are losing your weight. I am trying to eat right, how do you do that. I am having a very difficult time and need to be much harder with myself. Hope to hear from you soon, good luck to all. wendy
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 9:07am
Hi Wendy,
The older I get the more efficient my metabolism seems to become, so I've been concentrating on keeping my calories down and increasing my exercise. One tool that I've found helpful is FitDay.com where you can track your food intake, activities, and weight loss. I've been very diligent about tracking every morsel of food. Don't get me wrong, the process has been pretty slow but not nearly as slow as I've experienced doing Atkins or Weight Watchers. For me the key seems to be exercise. Good luck! Annie 252/235/156.5 (Started in late June.)
A
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-18-2006
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 9:40am
Hi Wendy - I think for me the question is not that I need to be harder on myself, the question for me is Am I worth it? Why I am bingeing? Once you find that out it makes it alot easier. I have found that I like being fat (yes you heard me right) because guys will leave me alone and not ask me out or anything. Once I figured that out a light bulb clicked and it was suddenly somewhat easier for me. For me, there's more to it than just eating healthy. For me, success has been because I changed my attitude about food. I no longer think I can't have this and I can't have that. I think look at the variety of food I can have that is has nutrients in it to feed my body and soul. I cut out all refined carbs (like white pasta, bread, sweets, etc...) and switched to whole grains like whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, etc... I added colorful veggies (the more colorful and bright the better the nutrients - like a red pepper for example) I also added 64 oz of water a day atleast. I also added in exercise 4-5 times a week. I eat every 3 hours. Two regular meals and 2 snacks with carbs and proteins (example - an apple with cheese). Hope this helps! Take Care, Jena 395-310-175
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2004
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 10:31am

It's great that you want to start eating healthy and not just "diet". Here are a few things I've learned that really help:

1) Journal EVERYTHING. Every nibble, bite or swig of everything that has calories.

2) Portion control. Weigh or measure everything until you get an idea of what a serving REALLY looks like, because most portions are completely out of control. This will help you control calories which is essential for losing weight.

3) Whenever possible, try to eat whole foods. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, low fat or fat free dairy, and whole grains are key to helping keep you full.

4) Allow for small, calorie controlled portions of your favorite treats. Every day I allow about 200 calories for "fun" foods that are considered unhealthy to keep myself satisfied. It really helps keep you from losing control in the end.

Those are a few things I've learned over the many years of trying to get healthy. If you need ideas for healthy meals and snacks, definitely check out the journals section below. Most of us post our daily menus and it will give you an idea on how to keep your journal. Good luck!

Staci


 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-09-2006
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 3:19pm
thank you so much for your suggestion. I went to fitday.com and it is awesome, FREE besides. I put down all that i have eaten today and exercised, it is GREAT!! this is going to be a great help.
thank you again,
wendy
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 4:22pm
Glad you liked it. Once you start tracking everything for a few weeks it generates the coolest reports of your progress! I also found out how hard it is to lower calories and keep fat below 30%. Yikes! Have a fit day! Annie
A
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2006
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 6:24pm
I have always been on Weight Watchers. My problem is I need ongoing support and I really like knowing what I'm eating and it's nutritional value. I have found a wonderful site called
myfooddiary.com
The weight is coming off slow but I am making better choices, because of the immediate feedback.
It has the whole thing such as food log, body log, exercise diary, even chat rooms.
The best part is it only costs $9 a month!!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2006
Thu, 08-24-2006 - 8:00am

What works for me is to focus on eating 'healthy' food and not just focus on calories (although total calories do matter for me a lot).. I'm a person that can stay on a 1,200 calories eating junk all day (I'm not kidding).

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