Dieting Club: 10 - 25 Lbs Community

Welcome Cookie.We are glad to have you. Are sweets an all or nothing for you? Would one marshmallow with a teaspoon of chocolate syrup satisfy your sweet tooth or do you find yourself binging once you start with a trigger food?

Hi Louise and thank you. I WISH that one would satisfy me. lol I binge. I don't keep any of it in the house anymore.

I know most of the tricks to help with weight loss like drinking water, eating broth-based soups before a meal, bulking up recipes with high fiber veggies, using a smaller plate, eating slowly, brushing immediately after a meal, and the list goes on. It helped me to lose 10 lbs but that's as far as I got. Now I need to find something that's going to make me want to be slender again more than I want that extra serving of food. I know it's all a mental thing with me. There's no medical reason for my overeating. I need serious motivation.

Do you journal everything you eat and measure portions?

Do you write down why you are eating before you eat? That why is an important one.

Journaling is super helpful.

Did you see this post by our diet expert Dr. Peeke? 10 Tips and Tools to Stop Your Binges

Hi Cookie. I'm in the same boat as you. I read a lot about nutrition and how to lose weight and I know just about all the rules but I can't seem to practice them! I have done all kinds of diets and I have been successful. I have lost the weight! BUT I can't keep it off. Slowly but surely the pounds creep up again. I want to lose 15 to 20 lbs so that I can get into my nice clothes. I refuse to buy large sizes, I'm sticking with a few pair of stretchy jeans and shirts.
This week I signed up at the gym and I'm very motivated, I hope to get my butt moving at least 3 times a week. If you like we can be "buddies" and encourage each other. Good luck any way and lets keep telling ourselves that we want to be healthy and feel great.

Those are good questions. I used to use Fitday to track my foods but I found it to be a bit time consuming and I'm back in college now so time is tight. I have been contemplating journaling and after reading your post, I've decided to do it. Maybe it will help me discover the "why" part. I can control what and how much I eat when I'm hungry, but sometimes the hunger feels abnormal (like I'm starving) and that's when I overeat. I'd like to find out what triggers that for sure. Thank you for giving me some "food" for thought.

Hi Victoria. That's me exactly! I know the rules, the tricks, the nutritional values of foods, etc but I can't practice self-control consistently. I've never really been on a "diet" like most people consider a diet. No Atkins, high protein, low carb, Slimfast, etc. I'm a firm proponent of balance and most so-called diets are lacking in balance. I try to eat according to the Mediterranean food pyramid since the U.S. food pyramid is at least partially influenced by various Associations and is not based entirely on good nutrition. Hey I like beef and dairy, but I'd rather use a food pyramid based on real science.
I'd like a "buddy" in this journey, I think that's a great idea. We could bounce ideas off each other or just give encouragement when it's needed. I'm curious, what helps you to stay motivated?

I think that's the reason why I can't maintain my weight, most of the diets I've been on are not balanced, so if I give up carbs yeah I lose the weight but as soon as I start eating them again the pounds come back. I have been using "my plate" to track my foods and I agree with you, its a little time consuming. I made up my mind to eat as healthy as possible without "obesessing" about it and I joined a gym with my husband, he wants to lose a few pounds too. I think what helps me stay motivated is the fact that I'm 56 years old but I feel like I'm 80 with all my aches and pains and I'm sick and tired of feeling like that. I want to be able to stand up without feeling so stiff and I want to feel GOOD. I have noticed that as soon as I finish working out my mood is sooo much better and I feel full of energy, so that's a big plus. My goal is to get to the gym at least 3 times a week plus they also have yoga and pilates classes. I don't know about the pilates but I absolutely love yoga, so that's my plan for now.
I'm 56, married, 2 sons, 27 and 25, one grandson, 17 months old, and live in south florida. What about you?

Hey Victoria, it's great to learn a little about you. It seems we have a lot in common. I'm 53, and like you, I feel 80 sometimes too. I live Arkansas but have traveled and lived in many states. I'm a full time college student (again) and looking for work too. We chose not to have children and we're happy with our choice. It's a lot of fun to be an aunt and uncle and we love spoiling our youngest niece.
I used to work out but (I'm guessing it's arthritis) made it too painful. Now I'm doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Since I'm doing it on a recumbent bike, it doesn't hurt my joints. My husband is doing P90x, another intense type of exercise program and he tells me he feels a huge difference in his body. He's turning 40 in July but he feels old too so he needs the exercise as bad as I do. We've been married 17 wonderful years.
I'm now taking Louise's suggestion and keeping a food journal. I don't need to measure portions or count calories anymore. I did it for so long I can easily judge a portion and approximate calories just by looking. But I do need to find out what the trigger is when I overeat so the journal should help me with that. I am so with you on the not obsessing over what I eat anymore. That got old real quick.
You're fortunate in that you're able to workout with weights. I miss it. I've never done palates before either but like you, I have done yoga. I think I should get out my old yoga video and do it again. It made me feel incredibly limber and good. I don't remember why I stopped.

Good morning Cookie. I have to get my act together! My weekends are so bad as far as eating healthy, I like to think that calories don't count just because its saturday or sunday, LOL. I don't know how to control it. I believe that's my biggest downfall, I have to find a way to stay on track no matter what day it is.
I think its funny what you say about spoiling your niece, because we do the same with Jonjon, our grandson. We spoil him and then we send him back to his parents. I'm originally from Colombia S.A. I grew up in NJ and moved to Florida in 1986. Chris, my oldest son is planning to move to Austin, TX. I've never been there but if he goes then I will have an excuse to go visit. I have a full time job as an office manager for a local transportation company. I've been married for 5 years and this is my second time around. The first time I was married for.... 15 or 16 years (I forgot, LOL).
Anyway, its monday and so far I've had 6 oz of V8 juice, Fiber One cereal with 1/2 of fat free milk and a cup of coffee with coffee mate and splenda. In a little while I will have a hard boiled egg and then for lunch I have a Progresso Lite soup and a small banana. The mid afternoon snack will be an apple with one or two tblsp of peanut butter, I havent thought about dinner yet... I went to the gym yesterday so today I rest.
I hope you're having a great, healthy day.

I know what you mean. It really is hard to stay on track on the weekends, or in my case, when I'm visiting with family or friends which is a lot. I've tried making myself a salad when I know I'm going over someone's house for dinner. All it does is add the extra calories of a salad. I still overeat just as much. Dang brownies and cookies and cake, oh my!
I was born in upstate New York but grew up in Indiana, Florida, and lastly, Oklahoma. Married in 1991 and made Arkansas my new home base but we've lived in many states since we've been married. Partly because he was in the military and partly because of another job that required travel. If I could, I'd travel the country in a big RV and never settle down in one place.
So I see you are eating VERY healthy. You're doing better than me, that's for sure. How are you liking working out? I loved it and miss it. I'm doing yoga now. It helps with the pain and stiffness I guess. This HIIT is off and on with me. Depends on how bad the pain in my body is and the level of energy I have.
It might take me a few days to read the newest posts but please keep me updated on your progress (or regression) lol. Take care.

What branch of the military was your husband in? My oldest son is a Marine, but he's been out for two years. He did two tours to Iraq. I still talk on line to some of the moms that I met while he was active.
I like going to the gym and working out because afterwards I feel great, I'm in a good mood and feel energyzed. tuesday I did a one hour class of pilates/yoga and it wasnt that bad, I couldn't do all the poses but the stretching felt really good.
I'm trying to accept the fact that I'm no spring chicken anymore, lol. and that its going to take a while to lose 10 or 15 lbs. I remember the day when I wanted to lose 5 lbs and all I had to do was crash diet for 2 or 3 days. I tried crash dieting a few months ago and I almost passed out lol.
My weakness is those brownies too and chocolate cake and hot fudge sundaes, mmm yum. I hate the idea of not eating all those goodies... maybe once in a while?

My husband was in the Navy during Desert Storm back in the mid 90's I think. We made so many friends while he was in the Navy and it disappoints me that we didn't keep in touch with any of them. I determined after that, that I wouldn't lose touch with any more new friends so now I try to stay in touch with them on Face Book.
Yesterday I woke up in so much pain and stiffness that I didn't want to do anything. I did 20 minutes of yoga and that kick-started my day off right. Felt immediately better and continued to fee better throughout the day. This morning I woke up feeling like crap again and decided that I need to figure out what I can do. I got online and did some searches for something positive, like affirmations or quotes, which I found. Then I had an epiphany. All the things I loved when I was younger, I had stopped doing. I loved to dance and I still love hip hop, R&B, techno, and even country. So this morning I found an online radio and listened to my music and danced around the house. A little Lady Ga Ga, some Usher, Black Eyed Peas, all my favorites. My pain and stiffness went from a 7 to a 0! I feel pretty dang good today. lol It's about time! My motto for the day is: "I am in control of my body and my life and I choose to make fun things more important than food." So far, it's working.
You crack me up Victoria. Reading your posts, it's almost like reading my own. I too am trying to accept that I'm no spring chicken either. I never had a weight problem when I was young, except maybe trying to "gain" weight. I was skinny and always on the go. I didn't care about food until I was "really" hungry. I want to get that attitude back. I don't want to be that skinny again but I have pictures of when I was like 120 and that was a good healthy weight for me. I remember I felt incredible back then.
I think when I have control over my eating, then I could probably enjoy the occasional brownie or sundae. At least for me, I know I can't handle it right now. I would probably just keep eating sweets non-stop for the next week.
I'm glad you've decided to do something while you're only 10 or 15 overweight. It's going to make it that much easier for you to conquer it. Not that it's easy, it just won't take as long as trying to lose 40 lbs. In just a couple of months, or even less, you could be back down to your fighting weight.

Oh wow. That sounds wonderful! I love that you were able to find a way around the pain and feel in control.

Aw, thank you Louise. I did yoga today and I'm still feeling great. Must......maintain......positive........attitude! LOL