New Year, New Goals, New Friends
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New Year, New Goals, New Friends
| Mon, 01-01-2007 - 8:57pm |
Hi, my name is Marlene. I am 51 today and need to lose 100 lbs. I am looking for friends to help encourage me and friends that I can encourage also. Today I joined Fitday.com and ivillage just to get me started in the right direction. Like all of us I know what to eat and have a very good diet. I have a problem with hunger. Seems I am always hungry. Portion sizes are too big and I can't think of a single food I don't like. I love food, eat too fast, and have a hard time chewing as I should. In my late thirties I started to pick up weight and now I am twice the woman I was.
I started a new business this past August and that helps keep me busy, but still have too much time on my hands. to exercise and love TV. Could be in trouble, but I have high hopes.
If my life sounds even a little like yours perhaps we can help each other. I'll be waiting to hear from you and wishing you great success this year. We can do it...together. MAR
I started a new business this past August and that helps keep me busy, but still have too much time on my hands. to exercise and love TV. Could be in trouble, but I have high hopes.
If my life sounds even a little like yours perhaps we can help each other. I'll be waiting to hear from you and wishing you great success this year. We can do it...together. MAR

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Hi, Mar! Welcome. Love to see more and more of us older ladies; I'll be 49 in February. You sound just like me in terms of food. What I have found to help to keep in mind my blood sugar. After eating a meal, I'm good for about 3-4 hours and then I start feeling hunger because my blood sugar is dipping and telling me to eat. So I do have a little protein and/or complex carbs to get to the next meal. So, I'm eating at least a little something every 3-4 hours or so.
As to the portion sizes, I was a big eater too. Hubby and I used to eat nearly a whole box of pasta at one sitting! Now a box lasts for 4 meals! Anyway, you'll probably just have to "tough it out" for the first 3-4 weeks. After that, it's easier to be satisfied with the smaller portions. Some things I did to stop overeating: set up candles and nice place settings at the dining table (instead of in front of the TV) and have an actual conversation with my hubby. Eat slowly and put fork down between bites. After meals, brush/floss teeth so that they feel sparkling clean. That's usually good for a couple of hours of resistance to food. If I've had all my calories for the day I will sometimes go to bed a little early just so I won't eat anymore. I never wake up as "hungry" as I went to bed!
I look forward to posting and losing with you, Mar. Let's do it in 2007!
Mary
247/221.5/135
Hello and welcome. I also have the habit of eating too fast and too much. I find that drinking a large glass of water helps me to eat less. As for eating too fast, I agree with Mary, put the fork down in between bites. Eating in front of the TV makes it too easy to get into plate-to-mouth zombie mode. Keep in mind that it takes a full 15 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full. Take your time and chew your food well. You'll find that you eat less.
As for portion sizes, when eating out, ask for a box and put away half of your meal before you even start eating. When eating at home, read the package to see what an actual portion size is. I found that I was eating 2-3 times more than the actual portion size, so no wonder I weigh 2-3 times more than I should. At first, a regular portion seems like barely anything. Drinking water before eating really helps. If you can't have just a single serving at first, just make it a point to eat less than you normally would.
If you can squeeze in the time to exercise regularly, that will help motivate you to eat healthier.
Good luck and have a Happy New Year!
Hi Mar,
We have a lot in common. I'm 44 and was the resident "old timer" on the board for a long time so I am thrilled to see others from the over 40 crowd. :-) Though I'm not a huge eater on a regular basis, I'm forever pushing myself away from food before I feel sated. I have a 5 y.o. and a 7 y.o. and do freelance work but currently don't have a project. My time ends up being split into odd slices where I only have so much time to do something before I have to move to the next thing. It's in those transitions that I grab a little something here and a little something there. Ugh! It really can add up.
Anyway, I'm glad you're here and hope we can cheer each other on. Wishing you the best, Annie
Mary, thanks so much for the encouragement. Words of wisdom that I will take to heart.
How much have you lot? Are you still trying or have you reached your goal?
I will certainly use the fork down between bites rule, the low sugar is a problem here too. I have found that eatting nuts helps a great deal and drinking hot water with lemon.
Tonight we are going out to Red Lobster for my birthday, I'm a little concerned, but will allow for the celebration and enjoy. I have found that to many rules make me feel trapped and then I will rebel.
Thanks again. Hope to keep in touch this year. MAR
Thanks to all who left such kind words of encouragement. I feel great knowing that I can share this journey with others like myself. The world is so small on the internet.
I have had a good day, two meals and one snack, lots of water. Tonight we are going out to eat. I plan to choose wisely...broiled seafood. Tomorrow is my first day at home alone since the holidays began, I am excited. I just recently left my job to work on my own business and need to really get out there and promote. It's hard to promote a business that deals with Fairy Tales when I weigh 240, but here I go. Self esteem and I are having a few heart to hearts, I'm getting dressed and facing the world.
Here's hoping we all have a great New Year, to battles fought and WON. To VICTORY!
Hope to hear from you again and also some new friends. MAR
I've lost about 25 lbs. so far, so I know it's going to get tougher as I go. :-( But if I'm feeling good, I'll be happy. I only weigh in about every 2-4 weeks, so it's easier to just keep going on how I feel rather than some stupid number on a scale.
Happy Birthday! Enjoy Red Lobster! One thing I sometimes do, though it's hard, is to eat half the meal and take the other half home for another meal. But if that's not doable (it IS your birthday after all!) then just have a good time and get back to plan tomorrow. I'm with you about feeling trapped and then just going off. Keep in mind that skinny people splurge *once in awhile* too, so I have no intention of feeling guilty about birthday or holiday eating.
Take care~
Mary
247/221.5/135
I am in your age range, Marlene! I am 49. I want my 50's to be healthier than my 40's were...so let's hear it for those of us with a little life experience, and lets support each other!
Mary Beth
Again, thanks for the encouragement. Red Lobster went well. Ordered the Sea Food Broil, loved it, left some on my plate. Today I am even down one pound.
Do you follow any plan or just watch what you eat. Weight Watchers has done well for me in the past, but I get tired of writing down all the points. Sooner or later it gets on my nerves. I do think that I need some kind of plan. Now it's just three meals, a snack, lots of water. I eat more fruit and veggies, try to have protein at every meal, but for some reason I am still thinking I need a diet. Perhaps it's just the old way of thinking. I trained myself to diet for years, maybe the answer is NO DIET.
I happy for your 25 lb. loss. That's a big deal. I got down to 209 two years ago and had some serious family problems (illness) and went right back to feeding my emotions, gained every poud back.
Thanks again. You are a great comfort and encourager. I already look forward to hearing from you. MARA
Mary Beth,
Here's to good health. 40's were hard on me, seems evry day I woke up with some new pain, mostly digestive. I'm ready to be successful and healthy. My doctor says that when the weight goes so will all the pain. He always tells me that I'm blessed to be in such good shape at my weight: low pres, great test. Have a little liver problem once in a while, but other than that very healthy. Would be better if I exercised. Sold the treadmill. Have a trampoline. Would love to walk daily, but it's winter. Lots of excuses. I need to just DO IT! I really love to dance, maybe I'll take up belly dancing. HA.
Well, here's to exercise in 2007. Thanks for the input. MAR
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