O/T Did anyone start their diet?

[ariel]

MyBunnyLovesMe wrote:

After I pay rent I have like $50 left over, and that doesn't get yamuch these days! I usually buy whatever's on sale or cheap like Mac andCheese or whatever.

I'm pushin 200lbs whereas I used to be only 125...its so depressing. Iwork 40 hours a week and the days off I have I'm so tired I dont feellike excersing, plus I have a rapid heart beat problem so I getexhausted easily.

I don't really know what to do anymore

I find here that vegies are rather cheap, I normally buy vegies (frozenor fresh) I also work a 44 hr week , so I know what you mean, I do walkthough ( I was lucky enough to get a treadmill for xmas) before I gotone I'd walk every morning and afternoon. I found through even walkingI lost weight. It's hard when you work so much though I gotta admit.

 

[bluebird]

Congratulations weight losers,I havent lost anyweight yet some days i do really well and then i had to have achocolate fix.my daughter lost ten lbs.she said she just eatsless.thats what im doing just eating less.and im trying to cut down oncarbs i cant do no carbs.bluebird

 

[Stephanie]

Basically it's just laying off the junk food/high fat fried stuff and eating more, smaller portions.

Walking isa GREAT way to drop pounds, especially forbeginners like us. I am lucky that I have a gym in my building, but byno means and I down there working out like a madwoman for hours on end.As if! I do 5-10 minutes on the bike, three days a week on theuniversal weight machine (I read you should give your muscles 48 hoursto "rest" after that), then 15 minutes on the tredmill. When I goshopping, I park further away from the door so I am forced to walkfarther. Even housework is a workout, believe it or not.

I've done a lot of research on this. A lot of it is making yourself dothese things and just making changes to your eating habit. Easier saidthan done.

 

[RaspberrySwirl]

Stephanie wrote:

Basically it's just laying off the junk food/high fat friedstuff and eating more, smaller portions.

Walking isa GREAT way to drop pounds, especially forbeginners like us. I am lucky that I have a gym in my building, but byno means and I down there working out like a madwoman for hours on end.As if! I do 5-10 minutes on the bike, three days a week on theuniversal weight machine (I read you should give your muscles 48 hoursto "rest" after that), then 15 minutes on the tredmill. When I goshopping, I park further away from the door so I am forced to walkfarther. Even housework is a workout, believe it or not.

I've done a lot of research on this. A lot of it is making yourself dothese things and just making changes to your eating habit. Easier saidthan done.

Steph, this is exactly my approach, now.

I consider myself a professional dieter!I've been doing it for 20 years and I know what doesand does not work. I've failed so many times that I've been driven toresearch why I fail. I've lost 30-40 lbs three times and gained it allback again in the last 9 years. Naturally I always jumped on thebandwagon of latest "big diet fads". Not any more. I'm older, wiser,and more successful at this point because I'm realistic about it. Ihave a large family, a very busy lifestyle, and I love to eat. I willnever, ever stick to a low carb diet, a strict calorie diet, avegetarian diet, a liquid diet, a cabbage soup diet......you get thepoint! It took me 15 years, poor health and multiple births to get thisway. I will have the patience to take it off slowly and keep it off. Iknow some people don't see it like that, but I am 25 lbs. less than Iwas a year ago. That is a big change for me. It could have been anotheryear gone by with no progress and another failed diet plan.

For anyone who is interested, here iswhat my major changes have been. Some will be controversial and I amnot a dietitian. This just works for my body. I do not eat a large"fire up my metabolism" breakfast. I listen to my body. I feel likethere is some research that shows that going way, way back to muchearlier days, humans didn't have the luxury of eating on a schedule.They ate when they could or when they were hungry. I eat mid morningusually 10-11 and it's usually a bowl of this fabulous granola cerealor a couple pieces of wheatberry toast with margarine. Sometimes it'sbacon and eggs with my husband. Much of the time I don't eat at all ifI'm not hungry. If I'm hungry for lunch I eat later in the afternoonwhatever I choose. I eat whatever I'd like. I just eat smaller portionsthan I ever have before and I eat smarter/healthier than I ever havebefore. Same with dinner. I'm not a big snacker. I've never been realbig on pop, so I decided to cut it out entirely a year ago. I don'tdrink it at all. I've always drank tons of water. I probably drink halfa gallon or more a day of water. If I want McDonald's I eat McDonald's.I used to get a Quarter Pounder meal. Now I get a happy meal! I don'trebel against my diet because of the deprivation and blow everything.I'm still getting what I want, just in much smaller portions, andtruthfully, I've found that anymore after eating these smallerportions, that's all I can eat now. Exercise is a problem for me. WithLupus and Fibromyalgia, I have serious pain issues with nearly any kindof regular exercise that would burn calories. I do as Steph mentionedand park further away at the grocery store and days that I'm up to it Itake more stairs than the elevator.

I've rambled on way too long....:?....butone last comment. MyBunnyLovesMe, and others who feel like her. I'vebeen young, poor and heavy. There are things you can do to tackle itnow. Don't fall into the "excuse" trap. Believe me, it becomes harderas you get older, much harder, to do something about it. You are youngand beautiful. Don't waste your younger years degrading yourself aboutyour weight and wishing you would have done something about it. Youhave a group of people here ready to lend you the support. Go for it!

RaspberrySwirl

 

[Elf Mommy]

Here! Here!

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

My shift is 3-11...I walk to and from work, but its only 2 blocks.

So, I get up around 1:30pm, eat my cereal, sit on the computer, getdressed and go to work, I get home around 11:30, sit on the computer,go to bed, sleep another 12/13 hours, then go back to work.....

I don't have time to do much. I'm always so tired.

 

[Stephanie]

You're tired because you're not eatingwell/enough good foods and not getting enough exercise. I know, becausethat was me not too long ago. I said much the same things you aresaying to myself and the pounds kept on piling on. I know what it'slike to not have money to buy the "good" foodsout there,heck, I remember eating pasta and butter and that was it for a weekstraight! However, Raspberry hit the nail right on the head. Take ourword to heart....it's never too late to start. Start by talkingpositive and that is step one. Maybe you could set your alarm so youdon't sleep in so late, 12 hours of sleep is a lot, maybe you'regetting too much sleep and therefore aren't feeling so hot because ofit. I know I don't when I get too much sleep.

Raspberry, I so hear you on the fad diets. I cannot cut carbs, eat onlymeat, all of that jazz. I don't really consider myself on a "diet"persay. I am just trying to eat better and get myself on some sort ofschedule. IHATE eating breakfast too, I was just never hungryin the morning. So I get up at 6:30 now, wait a couple of hours andthen am hungry enough to have a hard boiled egg and a bran muffin.Right now I am sitting here trying to talk myself into workingout....but just don't want to. I've spend hours today running the roadsand doing not so fun errands such as getting my oil changed and justdon't feel like it.

 

[RaspberrySwirl]

Gotta agree.MyBunnyLovesme, a lot of us have been where you are. I remember when Iwas much younger or for that matter, when I have been in differentstages of my illnesses when I'm very fatigued and I sleep a lot and Iwas sleeping as much as you are now. When you sleep that much you arealways tired. You need to take a week or so and slowly adjust yoursleep habits a little at a time until you are only sleeping 7 or 8hours a day. By the time you are at the end of the week try to go tobed and get up at approximately the same time. It's really hard to doat first but you will feel so much better, have a lot more energy andadd 4-5 more hours to your day! Even if you don't do a lot of exercisein that 4-5 hours, just being awake will speed up your metabolism andhelp burn more calories than sleeping will!

RaspberrySwirl