In need of advise for not getting these lbs off About This Page:

[nurse_mom]

I have been struggling with my over sized body for sometime now. Granted I'm more than likely close to 30lbs heavier than my posted picture. I have been trying to watch what I eat, I go to the gym my days off, and went to the doc to see why nothing is falling off. I'm almost ready to consider a herbal alternative to help me in my quest. I'm not trying to loose 10 lbs in 10 days. I'm trying to loose at least 10lbs maybe 15 by May. Today I'm attempting no diet pop and sticking with water. (which will be very hard) Any suggestions. I'm at total state of frustration.

[Huntermom]

For me to lose weight, the easiest way is to not eat out.

[minemoz1]

I found I get a better workout if I go to a class as opposed to go on my own as the instructors push you more. Cut your carbs. You don't have to go Atkins, but watch the processed grains and foods. No pop, chips etc. Don't even buy it. And I agree, no eating out. Too much processed food and too much of it.

I also need to lose weight as I gained 10 pounds in less than a year and it isn't coming off easy. I turned 40 last year and I think my metabolism just gave up. Good luck!

[HiddenMickey]

The other thing I keep hearing is walk, walk, walk. Get a pedometer and keep track of your steps taken each day. I can't recall what amount you are supposed to aim for, but I'm sure a Google search will get you that. To get your count up, do things like park far out in parking lots, use steps instead of escalators or elevators...

Good luck. I'm in the same boat as you. I really need to work out a plan for myself as well.

[Caldercup]

Have you had your thyroid checked? That's one reason women have trouble dropping pounds -- assuming they're exercising and eating right.

The other thing I'd do is spend one week changing up the intensity of your work-outs. Also, write down everything you eat and be diligent about it. Sometimes, just "kicking it up a notch" gets things moving.

[2Peanuts]

Back in mid-August, I joined Weight Watchers & it's been very helpful for me. In 8 weeks, I've lost about 10% of my body weight. (Granted, I still have several more lbs to go but it's a start!)

Some things that have helped me:

(1) Focus on portion control. Instead of piling spaghetti on your plate, measure out just 1 cup. If you need more volume, try adding in some spaghetti squash or Shirataki noodles (made from soy) which are both lower calorie but similar to spaghetti. Another place where I use the measuring cup is with cereals --- I used to just pour into the bowl but now, I measure a true cup. It surprised me how little it is and also how little it takes to satisfy my appetite!

(2) Try to eat more veggies & fruits. You might already be doing this, but I've increased the amount of fruits/veggies in my daily intake & I feel like it's made a difference. One of my new faves is to use Belgian endive instead of chips/crackers with dip. Satisfying crunch without the calories plus some helpful fiber added in. Another favorite is to freeze bananas. They do the trick when I want ice cream & I've already had my daily quota (see below).

(3) Add a salad or soup to your menu planning. I read in a book once that the body interprets water-heavy foods as regular ol' food, so they fill you up faster. However, water itself doesn't work --- the body somehow knows it's water & it'll go right thru you without making you feel full. So, the best solution is to add soup or salad to your meals, as they are primarily made of water AND will make you feel full longer without adding in extra calories. I use soups to get extra veggies into my diet.

(4) Make sure you get your proteins & fats. When I first started WW, I went crazy eating just veggies & fruits and found I was *starving* all the time. I talked with a friend (who lost 65 lbs with WW!) and she told me to remember to eat something "heavier" like cheese, yogurt, or meat because the body digests it slower so we feel full longer. I added little things like a spoonful of peanut butter or a stick of string cheese as snacks & my hunger went away. Now, I always make sure there's some sort of protein in my meal.

(5) Well, this works for me, but it may not work for you. Don't deny yourself any foods. I found low-cal ice cream bars and have 1 a day because I'm a total ice cream nut. If I don't get my ice cream, I get cranky! The key, though, is that now, I eat 1 of these low-cal bars as opposed to before when DH & I would polish off a pint of Ben & Jerry's. I still get the ice cream (and I like that bars automatically portion-control me) without going overboard. If I couldn't eat my ice cream every day, I'd be obsessing about it.

(6) Stock up on good-for-you snack options/substitutes. I have 2 kids so our house is filled with goldfish crackers & Oreos, etc. To keep me from eating the kids' snacks, I've loaded up with my personal stash of snacks, like chips made from dried veggies, rice cakes, etc. I make sure I have both savories & sweets because I never know what mood I'm gonna be in! DS being a pain in the patoot? It's a choco-fix snack day!

Good luck with your weight loss! I hope you find something that works for you. If you want any recipes, PM me. I'd be more than happy to share.

Carol

[pflamingo]

Originally Posted by 2Peanuts

Some things that have helped me:

(1) Focus on portion control. Instead of piling spaghetti on your plate, measure out just 1 cup. If you need more volume, try adding in some spaghetti squash or Shirataki noodles (made from soy) which are both lower calorie but similar to spaghetti. Another place where I use the measuring cup is with cereals --- I used to just pour into the bowl but now, I measure a true cup. It surprised me how little it is and also how little it takes to satisfy my appetite!

(2) Try to eat more veggies & fruits. You might already be doing this, but I've increased the amount of fruits/veggies in my daily intake & I feel like it's made a difference. One of my new faves is to use Belgian endive instead of chips/crackers with dip. Satisfying crunch without the calories plus some helpful fiber added in. Another favorite is to freeze bananas. They do the trick when I want ice cream & I've already had my daily quota (see below).

(5) Well, this works for me, but it may not work for you. Don't deny yourself any foods. I found low-cal ice cream bars and have 1 a day because I'm a total ice cream nut. If I don't get my ice cream, I get cranky! The key, though, is that now, I eat 1 of these low-cal bars as opposed to before when DH & I would polish off a pint of Ben & Jerry's. I still get the ice cream (and I like that bars automatically portion-control me) without going overboard. If I couldn't eat my ice cream every day, I'd be obsessing about it.

These all worked well for me, too.

We have a small kitchen scale, so I also started measuring portions for things like lunch meat, crackers, etc. Some of these portions are actually quite large and I even cut back to half portions. I always have a banana with my cereal. It's not the lowest cal fruit choice, but I love bananas and they make me feel full.

I love the ice cream bar idea. That helped me, too. Also, I don't drink diet soda - I like the full-sugar stuff and cannot give it up completely. But I did cut back to no more than 1 per day. I found myself really thinking about whether I wanted it at lunch or should I wait til dinner. I even managed to go without it sometimes.

I like Chobani yogurt - low fat, high protein, very filling, and delicious. You can put a little granola in it, too, (I like Kashi Crisp cereal) to give it some crunch. Ritz baked chips/crackers are really tasty. I like them better than potato chips now, and they're much lower in fat/calories. And I try to drink lots of water. I keep a water bottle with me all the time. I never liked drinking water before, but I keep it iced down so it's good and cold, and it really fills me up.

And walk as much as you can. That did more for me than any other exercise routine. You can't just shlep along, though. You have to walk at a fairly brisk pace.

Good luck with it! I lost 20 lbs at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, I was a bad girl on our cruise and put too much of it back on. (But it was a two week cruise.) I have to get back into my good habits with the holidays coming up.

[suzyrugrat]

I've been on layoff tbe last couple of months and gained back 10 lbs :-( our cruise is in 3 weeks and I just want to feel better in the cute dresses I bought so I cheated and bought a couple of body shaper undergarments at JCP, just want a trimmer look in my dresses so I feel better and look better for pictures. They are called Flexees and were on sale plus buy one get one 50% off plus I had a $15 Birthday coupon and $10 reward coupon, so I paid less than $30 for a toursette and a body briefer. I know I will be able to lose the 10 lbs when I go back to work next week, so this is just a temporary fix for the cruise. I'm comfortable in shorts and my one piece swimsuit and coverup, just needed something for the figure flatting dresses. I do much better on Weight Watchers when I'm at work and also more active. May is awhile away so hopefully you'll find something that works for you and won't have to cheat like I did. Got the idea after watching the stewardesses on Pan Am

[Pris]

I started with WW on Jan 1 of this year. This summer my daughter discovered myfitnesspal.com It is very much like WW but is free. Since we were both ready to quit paying the monthly fees, we switched over. Since Jan, I have lost 60 pounds. I think the best thing for me is consciously recording everything I eat. It keeps me aware of what I'm eating and how much.

[Ashli]

Originally Posted by Caldercup

Have you had your thyroid checked? That's one reason women have trouble dropping pounds -- assuming they're exercising and eating right.

This is what I was going to suggest also if you really feel like you are eating well and exercising. When you went to the dr. before did he/she have any ideas? The thyroid test, I believe, is a pretty easy blood test that your dr. can do. Also, if you have it in your family I would definitely get checked. (My dad has underactive thyroid, and that's on my list of what to talk to my dr. about in my checkup next month). Good luck!

[toddjodybrent]

Drink lots of water.

I read somewhere where you take your weight, divide in 2, and that is the number of ounces to drink per day. Probably more than the "8 glasses" for most of us.

I also watch sugar intake and agree with the watching carbs/including protein thing.

Lost 15% of my body weight since May.

Good luck!

[Cam22]

[DrDolphin]

When you go to the gym - do you just do cardio? Or are you lifting weights and building muscle? Adding muscle increases your metabolism, which burns more fat when you aren't working out AND when you are.... I have gone back to a personal trainer and dropped 6% body fat since June (we are measuring again on next Wed - that may have gone down more). I can also fit into my smaller jeans again

[stubekis]

Just chiming in here... I thought I was eating pretty well before I joined WW a few weeks ago. I was shocked at how off my portions were and how even small amounts of certain snacks were sabotaging me. I would recommend, if not joining WW, then some sort of calorie counting tool like my fitness pal, as recommended above. Having your thyroid checked is not a bad idea but first see if your portions are too large - it's a very common problem - and track your calorie intake for a few days. You may be surprised like I was! Good luck!

[nurse_mom]

Thanks everyone. Yes thyriod is a little slow, but not enough were the doc wants me on meds. Day one of no pop didn't go so well. But I did stick to water and had only 1 can which is a huge improvement. I'm going to try to switch to water aerobics instead of land. Next is measure portions.