Suggestions for losing weight

[micheleTX]

Good Morning to everyone :)  I am starting a weight loss program today for me.  I was wanting to get any input into what you all do to keep the weight off after a so-called diet.  I am not dieting.  They don't work for me.  But after this last time with pills, I have gained over 20 lbs. and am ready to get rid of it.  I am starting a walking program and also have access to exercise machines.  I know basically all the details of losing weight, eating right and exercising, but the question is how do you all keep thin?  Lol, I can take it off, I know I can, but any tricks or tips you all have would be greatly appreciated.  I would like to lose it slowly and keep it off :)  thank you my friends.

[laurel453]

since you are a sugar-holic ( i'm too :) i would advise you to eat a low GI diet or at least to eat every 3 hours to keep your insulin levels acceptable and controlled and so, you will avoid being hungry  which is the worst thing we could feel while trying to lose weight in a long term basis ).

green tea is really a good help to boost the metabolism because of the themogenesis. It increases the metabolism ( along with cayenne/red pepper and ginger -20%_, apple vinager, mustard, caffeine,  orange , maybe this is the reason of the advise you have been given before , and kiwi, asparagus....).

it's essential to me not to follow any diet that can make you feel stressed because high cortisol levels can ruin any weight loss target.

avoid carbs in the evenings because you can not burn them at night so your body will just stored them.

walk at fast pace for more than 30 minutes  because after this time you'll  start burning your fat stored in your body.

and good luck, of course :)

[mommy52]

Hellow. I had tried to loose weight for over 20 years and was unsucessive. I was 5'9" and weighed a sight at 302#. I knew I had to something. For me I had gastric bypass. It is not for everyone. I was afraid I would die during surgery. Turns out, I'm glad I had the surgery. I had the open procedure instead of laproscopic, since I had done 3 c-sections and had much scar. tissue. As the surgeon was ready to start, he saw a mass on the little piece of ovary I had left. It was bigger than his fist. Many say I took the easy way out. I am here to tell them that is not true! I lost a total of 136#. Since then (OCT. "03) , I have gained back 6-10# People said I looked sick until I gained. Now I am saving for surgery to remove excess skin fron abd. back, boobs (no enhancement) , legs and arms. My 9y/o will show me his muscles, then he wants me to show him mine. He says mine have fallen. All in all, I don't regret it one bit. It was a win win situation for me. If I died I would have a new body and if I lived, I would have a new body. My best to you in changing your way of eating. For me, I had so much to loose and was so impatient, I had to take this road. Like I said at the beginning, it's not for everyone.

Blessings,
Madlyn

[Charetti]

I am a sugarholic too!  Ever since I got clean I love the taste of sweets.  Hmmm.  

[Calamity2]

I have a Alaskan Husky. When I was going through withdrawal I started walking . I now hike uphill with her on my arm. She pulls me uphill at a much faster rate than I would go on my own. I have lost 43 lbs. gained back a few at Easter eating choclate bunnys but took if off again when I stopped the high fat snacks.  If you dont have a dog the humane society is always looking for dog walkers.

[micheleTX]

Hey Jacky :)  Ive actually never heard that one, sure I've heard about the drink a glass of water and all, have tried that but when I do, I dont want to eat at all!  And that's no good lol...okay, Im gonna give that a try too.  Love those grandmas!!  They are all-knowing wonderful people!!  thanks you girl!!  I so appreciate the support!
xoxoxoxo

[cleanmom]

Here is a really old one Michele, that my grandmother to this day still swears by and so do i thanks to her, lol. Eat one medium sized orange just before each meal throughout the day. It prevents your body from absorbing any of the fat in the meal. Of course, you dont want your meals to be real high in fat or it will be less effective. And yes, you can just drink a glass of OJ, but again, less effective. Hope this helps you out girl, and i will be cheering you on. Hey if you can beat you know what, then we know you can do this!!

God Bless. Luv, Jacky

[micheleTX]

hey :)  I know what you mean.  I am the only one in my family though that has ever had a weight problem.  My mom was a skinny little thing, my dad only had a beer belly, and my brother (who looks exactly like Sly Stallone), is very beefy from running miles a day.  My sister has a big booty lol, but other than that she has a great body.

I love soups and make lots of homeade ones, and stews too.  I've cut out alot of the red meat, hamburger meat, which is easy to cook anything with, but I just cant give up that once weekly steak.  I'm working on trying though lol.  I'm not diabetic, but probably headed there if I continue to eat sugar, so I'll cut that out as much as possible.  I do read every label, and know what is good and what's not.

Dr. Oz says to not eat anything that you can buy in the middle of the grocery store!  All packaged foods are horrible for you.  So I'm workin on cutting out all that, but I do love my cereal in the morning.  I can and do eat fruit, I love it, cantaloupe, bananas of course, pears are my favorite, peaches, plums, Im not big on oranges but I force them, I never eat apples, I do like them, but I just don't eat them when I do, I love red grapes and buy them quite frequently.  I love yogurt also, I try to eat that everyday.  I don't eat alot of sauces, but dang it, I do love my ranch dressing haha...my salads are drenched, how did you know? lol...

Thanks for responding, and please, go on forever lol.

I love ya sunshine :)

[SophieShine]

Howdy Michelle :))
Cutting down the sugar is great, you have no idea how much you swallow everyday. I have a thyroid condition so weight is a daily thing to me. I try not to eat after 5pm. I have my main meal at lunch and dinner is mostly fresh soups in the winter and low fat yogurt and fruit in the summer.
Cut the fat too, I know where we come from it's kinda "taint fried taint food" but try to grill everything. Don't drown your salad under the dressing, and switch to yogurt based sauces instead of the mayo stuff. Steam the veggies and use lotsa natural herbs.
OMG I could go on forever!!! lol
As refusingbondage said, it's really a drastic lifestyle change if you wanna have long time results BUT the most important thing for me was to look at my genes, I have a family where everybody is overweight, I know I'm never gonna be skinny the way I want to be, took me a while to accept that, still working on it..... Love yourself Sweetie, you are so worth it.
xoxoxo. sophie.

[micheleTX]

girl I could buy stock in Arizona green tea!  I buy those big quart ones at Walmart, plus on the road I buy the 99 cent aluminum can ones.  I love them.  Plus I know green tea, or actually they have said that all tea is great for you.  Green has some antioxidant in it though that helps burn calories or something.  I just love it, and I also get the green tea herbal tea bags and have that sometimes as hot tea.  Only thing is I like hot tea only when it is cold outside, which thankfully it has been for a long time this winter.
My big problem is gonna be giving up whole milk, I drink at least 3 big glasses a day, I can't stand anything but whole.  And coffee cream, I have to have Coffee-mate, the other ones just don't taste good to me.  And I know those are seriously fattening :(  But giving up fast food is not a problem, cuz we rarely eat out.  Larry loves to cook, he is really great at cooking everything, but I do it when he works all the time.  I do it, but I really don't love it..:)  I don't think I'm a good cook, so I worry about how things taste all the time that I do cook.  Insecurity is one of my big faults,,,but he eats it so I guess it's okay lol..

I do feel better this morning, like I have more energy, maybe I'll hoover in a little bit haha..

[refusingbondage]

Good to hear!  The walking will help.  Just give it time.  When I started it I got frustrated cause some time went by and I really wasnt seeing the results I expected.. then one day, almost over night my body started changing.. that was years ago.. it was a lifestyle change, more than a 'diet' lol..

I too avoid sugar at all costs.. Its so bad for me (diabetes runs in the family).  My brother swears by truvia..I still use (and love) Splenda! Try Diet Arizona Green Tea iced tea.  Its my all time favorite.  I am not a water drinker (hate water) so that is my best alternative..

[micheleTX]

hey:)  I just finished my first walk.  Starting out slowly so I don't overdo the leg cramps.  I got out there and stretched first too.  This park I live at is very nice.  Very big and wide open as trailer parks go.  Plus I can see the Bay so it is a really nice place to walk around.  I just met four other ladies who do it too early in the morning.  That is gonna be my time to walk to, right after he leaves from work.  I have an ipod, im gonna charge it today so I can rock out lol...
Also, my first step was to quit sugar.  In the refined white form at least.  I am a big sugar holic, I drink iced tea all day long with lots of sugar, horrible I know, so I went and bought that Truvia stuff, its supposed to be the only sugar substitute that is actually good for you, or lets say  not bad for you.  Anyway, it is good and I will use that in place of white sugar.  I hope this helps.  Ive never been skinny, well maybe when I was using coke I did get down to about 125 or so, not for long, I love to eat fattening stuff too much lol.
But, I am determined this time to lose at least 40 lbs by the end of the summer.  This is doable I feel.  And I do eat good, we eat alot of protein (I cannot give up steak), and alot of fresh veggies.  Usually I have a garden full of greens and lettuce and tomatoes and all that stuff, but living in trailer parks makes that too hard to do cuz we move around so much,

This has been a lifelong battle for me, my excess weight.  At the most I was 190 about 10 years ago, I am now around 176 or so.  But Im short too, 5 4.  So I just wanted a little support from my good friends here at MH.  Tips and stuff.  I watch Dr. Oz and he is a big fan of eating healthy and exercise and has some great tips, of course - he is a doctor :)

Thanks to everyone for your tips.  I am old so I probably know them already, but it is just the support I need the most.

You guys rock and roll so much, i love yas all...:)

[refusingbondage]

Good morning :)  I always gain when I am using .. I think when I am using I have zero control over anything.. I stop exercising.  I start eating less, but what I do eat is not as good for me.. anyway, what works for me is walking (and jogging but walking is better). I walk/jog about 4-5 miles per day (Ive incorporated it into my commute to work each day).  Just walking though is GREAT exercise.  And if you find a nice place to walk, it can be fun too... and very therapeutic.. its the only time in my whole day that is MY time.  I walk/jog early in the morning, right around sunrise.  Listen to my music and just absorb the peace of the early day.  Eventually I started jogging cause the walking became less effective as the years went on.  I also live a low(ish) carb lifestyle.  Not no carb.  Not atkins. Nothing crazy, but I try to eat lean protein and veggies at least 85% of the time.  The protein and walking has had great results for me to make my body lean (but not skinny!).  Good luck :)