Dieting Club: 50 - 100 Lbs Community

Just take it day by day, or even meal by meal.

I know the bigger picture is important, but when I struggle, I don't look ahead too far. When I'm seriously struggling, I try to just take it hour by hour.

Yes, you don't need to go onto an official Protein Diet. Just include plenty of lean protein in your diet anyway - think things that will give you a lot of protein, but not too many calories, plus other nutrients. Things like chicken breast, grilled or steamed fish, boiled eggs, lean red meat, skim yogurt, nuts in moderation, legumes in moderation.

Hi babyb, Welcome!
Like Tomato says, take it easy, take it slow and you'll accomplish your goals.
A lot of us cook most of our meals from scratch. Can you tell us a bit more about your food likes and dislikes? The more we know the more we can maybe help with recipes or better options to purchase.
Don't overwhelm yourself with a big new exercise regime, and the big new diet. Do a LITTLE more exercise for a couple of weeks, then add some.
Start changing your diet first by reading all of the labels on the stuff you eat. Try to make most of your meals from fresh meats and veggies with little added salts and fats.
Drink lots and lots of water and keep blogging. It does help.

Welcome BBB, Congrats on your decision to live a healthier lifestyle. Kim and Tomato gave you great advice - don't try to make too many changes at once and take it day by day - changes you can live with for the rest of your life.

You've gotten some great advice already so welcome aboard!

Welcome BBB,

I love too much to eat to do Protein diets again. Just real foods, in reasonable quantities, water, and exercise every day will do it.

Like tomato says, day by day. We can't change all the old habits in a day, so try to measure and weight your food to learn what is a real portion.

This is a new heath quest and it will take time to make it an habit.

Just starting out can be overwhelming. Whenever someone asks me how to start, I suggest choosing one goal a week to change. Then, for the second week, keep that goal and add another one. This way, things don't get too overwhelming. If you try to change everything at once, you are more likely to fail and then give up! I always suggest water as the first goal. So, for the first week, give up soda and other sugary drinks and drink water. That's it. The only thing you have to worry about for that week. Then, the next week, continue to avoid sugary drinks, drink water, and add the goal of eating 5 fruits/vegetables a day. Then maybe the next week, add 20 minutes of exercise a day. There are so many little changes you can make one at a time...they really add up after awhile! And you're more likely to stick to them that way, too!

Some other "little" goals you can add week to week:
Switch grain products to whole grains
Switch dairy to low- or non-fat
Increase exercise time by 5 or 10 minutes/day
Try a new food every day for a week
Measure everything you eat for a week

There are so many to choose from; pick one and get started!

I believe the most important thing you can do is count calories. It doesn't matter how healthy you eat; if you eat too much, you will not lose weight! And along with that goes measuring EVERYTHING! Eyeballing or guessing portion sizes doesn't work. You can't count calories if you don't know how much you're eating! Read labels and measure out portion sizes or weigh foods that aren't labeled.

Good luck, and keep coming back!

Oh gosh, wish I would have read this weeks ago. I've already cut so much out of my habits but having a tough time. I especially love ice cream and it's a doozy trying to stay away from it.

Hi AusGram
I had an Icecream habit too it was one of those things I could just eat and eat ...
I made a rule for myself regarding icecream
It is that i stay on plan for a whole month no slips then and only then I could get an icecream at the icecream shoppe I still don;t trust myself to have it in my house but makeing this deal meant I wasn;t giving it up I was delaying my consumption and I had to stay on my plan a whole 30 days this took the feeling of being deprived away . the first year on plan I maybe had icecream 4 or 5 times after a year or 2 one year I forgot about it altogether this year so far only 2 last March and again in June;

Mmomaxlei has great advice sometimes you have to go along on this journey to better health 1 hour or minute even at a time
drink water when you think your hungry and know you ate enough
Hugs Judy:)

Judy's right about icecream. take it as a reward, not a treat. We train our dogs to sit up and beg daily for treats, our minds think the same way. If you treat yourself often, it becomes a habit. Set the goal, put a big star on the day (30 days away) and if you have done well, reward yourself, IF you still want the icecream. I'm betting that after 30 days of eating well, some of your cravings will have dissapated. You may even rationalize that you've come that far, why mess it up with a splurge? If you don't really want the icecream, get a manicure or have a facial. These little pamperings are ego boosters and they take time and require you to relax and let someone else do the work. You'll feel better, look better and have reenergized for the NEXT 30 days.
If you do still want that icecream, I have noticed that Ben and Jerry's has come out with Little bitty (I believe just over a single serving)containers of their most liked flavors. Buy ONE. That way , if you decide that even that much is too much, you won't feel compelled to eat it all in one sitting and can have some for later.

Thanks Mommaxeli,

Since I have to start over my routine, good advise.

Water it will be.

I am here to attest to the necessity of water on our journeys. Over the last couple of weeks, through the last two weeks of high heat temps down here, I had for some reason not been drinking all of my required water. I thought I was, really. But when I realized it had been almost a week and a half and I had still not gone to refill my 3 gallon water jug, I knew I hadn't been doing right by my body. And it showed.
I stopped dropping weight and started gaining. While out on my walks I would sweat and it was that YELLOW sweat like I was having before starting my journey, the stuff that really has a smell to it. TOXINS and all that crap I wasn't flushing out of my system by drinking my water like I shoulda been doing.
As soon as I started back with my H2O right, my sweat went back to clear, my tank tops aren't getting that funky stain now and I've once again started to go down the scales a little.
Weird how just a little bit of a change can make it all go out of whack, but there it is.
Two miles yesterday, btw, I'm going to do 2 "push days"(2 mile days) a week now where I won't have my dog on my am walks so that I can fully concentrate on just my walking. Sometimes just holding her leash while she "catches scents" is enough to cause a little pain in my shoulder so the two mile ones would be too uncomfortable for that long a period with leash.
Hope you are gettin in some walking Helene. It's good for what ails you.
Kim

Welcome BouncingB,

Welcome, You have gotten some great advice.. just keep coming back and talking it out.. that's what it takes.