I feel like I'm starting on a very long journey carrying with me tons of unnecessary baggage accumulated over the years. I don't mean the surcharge of pounds/kilos (though there are plenty of those), but all the really bad eating habits I have acquired through my life. I did not have a lot of snacks, soft drinks or sweets growing up, but started developing bad eating habits when I hit university. The combination of really awful cafeteria food and all too accessible vending machines in my student residence was lethal. I didn't pick up pounds then, but I did acquire food habits that I have carried with me since. Shedding these will definitely play a large role in meeting my weight goals.

One of the things I am ditching, or at least severely limiting,is diet soda. While it does not have very many calories, I am noticing that it tends to increase my cravings for other snacky foods. I am replacing it with flavoured waters that I make myself with a squeeze of lemon, lime or other fruit juices.

Do any of you have special drinks, foods or tricks that helped you along the way with your weight loss?

Not posted for two weeks, but had Mum's birthday - and no-one is allowed to limit there eating over birthdays! So today, I'm back at 9 stone and 12 and a half pounds - a pound and a half gain from a week of picking So back on the "diet wagon" today! (And in the "old days" it would have been a lot more than a pound and a half! )

I've been watching myself, and on January 1, I was 21 stone (just for everyone to have to do math unless you are from UK ). I've been on a slow go, but slow and steady wins the race, and have lost 10½ pounds since then. I looked up something to tell me what my numbers were and set a goal of about 12% under that. I've also cut my sweets way down (doesn't mean I don't still have them though!), and am hoping to drop another 3 stone by year end, which would get me to 18 stone by then. If I can exercise a bit more as well, it might drop slightly faster, but don't want to too fast!

Hi dg_dave! It is great to have you in the thread! Although I had been thinking about doing something about my excess pounds for quite a while, being part of this thread is what really helped to get me going in the right direction. Your approach sounds like a good one. I have been starting slowly myself, but can already see changes in my eating choices, which is essential if I hope to lose all the weight and keep it off in the long run. I also think you are really smart to keep some of the sweets. I think cutting them all out would make them even more desirable.

Good luck with your goals. I look forward to hearing about your progress.

The way I was looking, the goal I have set is about what I should eat at 16 stone (my final goal is to get to about 15-15½ stone - or 210-217 pounds), so as long as I can maintain that caloric intake (and I get just under it most days ), then I should have no problems getting to that number eventually.

Slow and steady wins the race, Dg.

If you eat well and move more then you can't go wrong. Go for as unprocessed foods as possible!

Down 1 kilo/2.2 pounds at this week's weigh-in, which really pleases me. Friends from the USA who are travelling in France asked us to join them in the Champagne region for three days. Between a little winetasting and a couple of gourmet meals, I wondered whether I would be undoing my recent losses in one go.

Knowing that the evening meal would be heavier than usual, I made sure that the other two meals were very light. It was a challenge to stick to my carb free eggs and fruit when facing the killer breakfast buffets filled with croissants and other tempting breads and pastries, but I managed. In the evenings, I chose fish dishes and enjoyed them, sauces and all, but did not try to finish every bite as I would have in the past. I ate about half of each dish and then passed the rest to my husband who was very willing to assist. I also limited myself to one dessert in the three days. One of the nights we opted for walking to the restaurant. There and back gave me 40 minutes of exercice and helped to offset the extra calories. In the past, the five hour drive to the Champagne region would have seen me hopping out at the first gas stop to purchase an armload full of cookies and chips for the road. This time I brought along my dried cranberries and stuck to water, except for one mini Pringles chips container I shared with my husband on the way back.

I am walking daily and am up to 30 minutes on the treadmill at a time. I am also trying to push away my plate when my stomach is full. This is not easy, because for a long time I have been eating when stressed or bored or simply because I love the way different foods taste. Knowing when to stop is not easy. If there is still food on the plate, I am tempted to eat it.

There is still a long, long way to go, but I am happy to be on a downward trend.

pitegny> Everything you are doing is awesome It's HARD being able to say no, but if you continue doing that, it gets easier. Eventually, you'll find it hard to say yes. You just have to learn all new habits! Excellent job on your walking!

I just wanted to say, if there's anyone who wants to share my Facebook, I have it connected to my LoseIt, and you can see my progress on there. It posts my exercises and weight loss, when I post it on LoseIt.

Dave> Welcome!

Thanks for the encouragement SilverMoonsong. I am definitely still in the hard phase! I am not saying no to everything, but trying to balance. I'd love to see your exercises. I don't access my Facebook page regularly, but will send you my info via PM.

Yesterday one of my sons was going out for a hamburger and asked if I wanted something. I thought about saying no and then opted for getting one with a diet drink and made that my dinner. I had had a salad lunch, so there was room in the points. I figure if this is going to be a life change, I will need to learn to make these kind of compromises on a daily basis.

It is a good thing that looking at food doesn't add calories, because one of my passions is food blogs and pinning. Ironically, looking at the different dishes actually makes me a little less hungry, because I focus on how the dishes are put together. I am also building what I call my "guiltless" board.


Postal - Are you feeling any better? How is your sitting exercise programme going? Anything in the knees is really painful, I know. Since I have been walking more regularly and drinking a lot of water, the pain in my knees is greatly reduced. One younger woman I know here, who is very sportive, developed a problem in her knees several years ago that was making it difficult for her to walk. She started drinking 3 litres of water and found that the pain went away. I would definitely get a lot of exercise going back and forth to the bathroom if I drank that much, but she swears by it.

Dave, how is your week going? What kind of exercise program are you trying to work on?

Another Sunday, and another 1.5 pounds off this week. Two more pounds and I'll be at 1 stone off, or a total of 20.



Mine is rather simple. Now, there are some videos and books at Barnes and Noble that I am interested in getting, so while I am there (since there is one at Stonebriar Mall), I will walk it across both floors. I used to once a week, and now working toward three times a week. I think it's about 1.1 miles to walk both floors.

There is a pedometer/exercise tally doohickey at Brookstone that I'd love to get, but I'll wait until the price comes down. It's currently marked at $100.

Kelly, thanks for the welcome as well.

I spoke with my trainer today. Since I'm *still* stuck on this plateau, she's going to switch up my routine on Friday when I see her. Hopefully that will shake things up enough to get the scale moving again.

So after trying my best all week, I lost two pounds this week! That makes me 9 stone and 10 and a half pounds, the same weight I was at the end of January

I have a added incentive to lose a little more weight now, because me and Mum are going on a two day break to London (and visiting the Harry Potter tour .... yay!) in eight weeks. If I could lose about half a stone in time for the break, I'd be over the moon!

(However, it is Mother's Day this weekend, so could be a "picky" weekend! )

Dave, mall walking sounds like a good way to go. Walking is definitely my exercise of choice for now and probably for many months to come. I am walking 30 minutes every day and am starting to notice a difference in my stamina. Now instead of driving to my friend's hous when we meet, I walk there. I am not yet up to the return trip because it is up a steep hill. I'll know I am getting there when I can do the round trip.

SilverMoonsong, I hope your change of routine will work. Is this the first plateau you have hit since starting to lose your weight?

Jane, congratulations on your latest loss. The London trip is definitely a good incentive. The Harry Potter tour sounds like fun. I am a big fan of both the books and films. I am an avid reader and very eclectic in my choice, this includes most fantasy and science fiction.

Pitegny> This is the first *major* plateau. I've had smaller ones where I would get stuck for a week and then start losing again. I've been stuck for almost a month now! The good news is I'm not gaining, but the bad news is I'm not losing.

I've stayed the same weight for months I guess .. I wouldn't call it a plateau at such, I think I just found my level. it is the higher end of the healthy weight range for me but it wouldn't hurtme to lose a bit more. I'll get around to it. I eat healthy stuff and I exercise around an hour 5-6 times a week so I'm not worried.

1.4 kilos or 3 pounds down this week. That makes 14 pounds since the start . Ironically, WeightWatchers warned me that I had lost too much. They flashed up a virtual diet speeding ticket at the weigh in, reminding me that I need to stay under 1 kilo per week. I will be working toward that in the coming days.

Thanks to both SilverMoonsong and Copago for sharing the info about plateaus. I know those lie ahead and wondered what your experiences had been. For now the pounds are coming off relatively easily because I am way out of my normal range. I imagine the closer I get to a healthy zone, the harder it will be, especially as heavy exercise is really not my thing.

I am much happier sitting at the computer or lifting pots in the kitchen than I am doing strenuous exercise. I haven't biked outside for over 20 years - roughly the time that I gave up cross-country skiing, and I have never set foot in a gym. Right now the vision of myself in exercise togs is not a pretty picture.

I walked at least 30 minutes every day this week except for one day when I only managed 15 minutes because I left it to the end of the day and did not have the heart for more. I also did one 20-minute dance session.

My exercise goal for the coming week is to increase to 40 or 45 minutes of daily walking on the treadmill or outside. Longer term, I would like to add some time on the exercise bike here at the house and then ultimately add some outdoor cycling. At the start, the latter will involve driving the bike to a flatter area because the four routes to my house all have at least one killer hill. I would like to avoid doing something that will land me in the hospital until I am at least forty pounds lighter, so tackling hills is pretty far in the future.

I feel good about where I am headed. This thread really does provide that little extra motivation that keeps me moving in the right direction.

Another week gone by, and another 2 off this week, to sit at 20 stone even. Next week will see me under 20! That's 1 full stone off since January 1. I don't want to do more than 1.5-2 pounds a week anyway, as I am not wanting to put it back on.

Congrats to you both! Really heading in teh right direction

Great news Dave. You are definitely on track.

I'm not sure what this week's weighin will bring. I had a mini snacking binge while doing our US taxes last night. Those forms get more complicated every year and the number required seem to increase exponentially. Even having a software package to assist still makes it a frustrating experience. Towards ten o'clock, very cranky, I hit the cheddar crackers. There is something about food that soothes the soul. Today I am back on the straight and narrow, but the binge on top of being invited to dinner on Saturday, I will definitely not be getting any speeding tickets from Weightwatchers this week.

I've been away for four days and home for one and then am away for another few days and I always struggle with eating well when I'm away! I do try and don't go on an all out binge but it's still hard.
So on Saturday I'll get back on track!

As predicted last week, with it being Mother's Day over the weekend, a small weight gain this week ... of one pound
That makes me Nine stone, eleven and half pounds this week.
(And I know that I could have put on more weight, if I hadn't cut back before Sunday )

Pfft, one measely little pound? That'll be gone before you know it Jane!

I'm sure you'll be grand, copago! Even if it's harder to manage when not at home, the good habits over the long haul on the everyday days really do keep those kilos at bay.

Dave, way to go man! that's great, and at a pace that you are likely to be able to stick to for the long term. Slow and steady definitely wins the race.

Pitegny, you've been doing great too, even if you did have a snack attack. Maybe you'll be stagnant this week, and perhaps not, sometimes the scales are indulgent if there's only a little straying from the rails, and if you keep up walking and getting active, it'll all take care of itself.

I'm struggling to get back into real diet mode, though I'm being pretty reasonable. As a result I am neither losing nor gaining any weight. With the evenings getting brighter I'll be upping the walking, and have also started nordic walking once a week with my neighbour. The first session had me snoozing on the couch for the afternoon afterwards, so it's definitely harder work than my regular hikes.

The scales were indulgent - .5 kilos or 1.1 pounds down at this weigh-in. I feared much worse, but am glad that it is still downward. The good news is that Weightwatchers won't rap me on the knuckles for going too fast! I would like to be losing about 2 pounds per week, so will need to be better about limiting the snacks going forward. Though, this past week it was either the snacks or my sanity. Figuring out some of the stranger IRS forms was driving me nuts.

Santana, the nordic walking sounds like a real killer. I am in full admiration. The snooze afterwards is more my speed!

I am walking regularly now and only missed one day. I did not make it up to 40 minutes at a go, as I had hoped, and think that I probably need to split into two sessions of 20-20 at first.

A French woman I know who lost about 30 kilos a few years back once told me that overweight people are in effect athletes. In all our daily efforts, whether it be walking or climbing stairs, we are carrying backpack weights equivalent to our extra kilos/pounds. Unfortunately, they do not have an Olympic category for this.

Is Thursday your weigh-in day? I like to have it at the end of the week, that way any weekend excessess can be eliminated before the following weigh-in

It's looking like I've had a good week, but the official verdict is tomorrow, so you'll just have to wait till then to see how I scored.

I've signed up for Boot Camp at the gym. Oi! it starts April 2nd. This should be interesting...