That would help...it seems the older I get the less disciplined I become when it comes to food...I wonder if it's because I deprived myself of eating for most of my adult life...you know, trying to be pencil thin...fit into size 8's...nah..it' probably because I WANT to eat...anyway today I woke up with a new attitude. I'm going to change my attitude about how I eat and get back into a more healthy eating habit...now that I'm walking/jogging, that will help...I'll try tonight the not eating after 7 p.m. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes...yikes!!

I love the tip about asking for your take home box when you get your meal!!!

I found I can go all day without having any problems--wanting to nibble--and just eat and eat and eat!!! Until 6pm comes.......then I can eat the entire house!!!

I was walking in the daytime/mornings...but I am switching to walking after dinner. It will get me out of the house--away from the food!

I managed to lose 30 pounds & keep it off by changing my eating habits. Once I began eating junk food/snacks again....the weight bounced up & down.

3 meals. Snacks of fruit & veggies. Eat less. Excercise more.

It's been working for hundreds of years!!!

(pssssst!!! Whitman's candy makes chocolate for Weight Watchers now....yummmy!!! It's satisfied my craving for chocolate....and one piece of the pecan carmel kind I love......does it for me!)

I am in the process of totally "making over" my eating habits.

My goal is not to lose, but to gain.

To gain:

more self control
more choices (at the store - cute clothes)
more sexiness
more self confidence
more self esteem
more healthier habbits
more health
more energy

I just keep focusing on wanting more! Focusing ont he positive effects of my changes.

I am implementing Susan Powter (stop the insanity) of eating less meat, more whole grains and fruits. Low fat eating is what has always worked for me.

I've replaced milk with soy milk -- got rid of the cheese - am eating more fruit.

I am putting exercising at the TOP of my list of "important things to do for today". I'm only doing 30 mins. on the stair stepper - but I know it is a "step" (pardon the pun) in the right direction!

It's interesting over time how one comes to a new place. I NEVER thought I would enjoy eating like this. I love that I'm taking better care of myself!

Woo hoo look out 40 hear I come!

Danita

When I lost my 30 pounds & managed to keep it OFF-I realized I was also in a different mind set of life.
Only now I am stuck.....I have been trying to lose 5 pounds for awhile now. I just can't get past this block.
I have begun walking again. I added other excercise. (ouch!!!)
I do fine for abit...then I give up. I just can't keep the momentum going! The doctors appointment is getting closer......& my goal is getting further away!!!
I've allowed myself to get overwhelmed in so many aspects of my life....being home with mom & grandma & still not having enough time in the day!
I need to get my mental state back in order. But it's been missing for quite some time now...I think I last saw it hopping a plane to the Bahamas!

Interesting topic for sure. I eat always low fat: No cheese, or milk products, no greasy foods, veggies and grains and lots of fruit,
no juices-only those (V-8 veggie only)once in a while, excercising more, no snacking, absolutely no sugar at all, no meat or seafood... still having trouble loosing weight!

But I enjoy watching waht I eat. I hope to see results one day soon!

Ten years ago I read Susan Powter's Stop the Insanity which led me to read everything by Dr. John McDougall. I'm a strict vegetarian and lost more than 15 pounds while still eating healthy food. I also walk about 7 miles a day, 2.2 mi., in the morning and 4.6 mi. at night. I am through menopause and feel great. Do yourself a favor and read ALL of Dr. John McDougalls books.

I'm 54 years old and lost almost 15 lbs, 10 years ago. I'm a strict vegetarian and walk about 7 mi. a day. I did it with the help of Dr. John McDougall. Get ALL his books at the library. You'll lose the weight easily and without starving yourself. You'll feel better and get enormous health benefits as well. Your food bills will be cheaper and it feels great to look at girls 20 years younger that you are waddling around with all that unhealthy weight and here you are slim and healthy. It's easy, do it now!

Keep a food diary. You might be surprised how many calories you consume

Diane

Dear Songbird,

You asked for just one diet tip...

You know, there are sooooo many diet plans out there, and people swear by their favorites. I believe that any 'sensible'diet plan is capable of delivering at least short term results. (By 'sensible' I mean nothing funky that suggests you remove entire food groups from your menu. The exception being a vegetarian diet, as it is possible to get a healthy amount of protein from other combinations of non-meat food sources...)

But after a lifetime of compulsive overeating interlaced with just about every weight loss diet or scheme known to Woman, I finally achieved weight loss success-- that I have been able to maintain for a year and a half now.

The one tip I can give you that I know will work is this: whatever sensible food plan you adopt, you absolutely must exercise. Exercise is the one thing you can do that will deliver the goods for the long haul. Exercise also delivers a host of benefits that dieting alone can't give you... increased energy and stamina, nicely toned, stronger muscles, armor against osteoporosis, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc., a serious boost in metabolism that allows you to consume a few more calories without them showing back up on your hips...

The problem is that most people would rather stick pins in their eyes than exercise. The idea of sitting on a stationary bike, walking endless miles on a treadmill, or looking like a 'dork' in a gym full of "the beautiful people" is enough to send many of us running without the aid of Nikes to the safety and comfort of our living room recliners.

But there are so many choices in exercise, and some of them are actually fun and entertaining. Sometimes it can take a little while to find what 'excites' you, but the sooner you start looking, the closer you will be to finding your perfect match. As for 'beautiful people' in the gyms... it's just not what it used to be in the 80's, when exercise clubs were the equivalent of healthy night clubs, and young beautiful women with stiff, high 80's hair, full makeup, fuschia leotards and leg warmers strutted their stuff to the pulsating music of Expose screaming from the club sound system. And group exercise, just like automobiles and computers, has evolved through the years to keep up with the exercising population's ever-changing tastes and ever- shrinking tolerance for the boring and the mundane.

And... America is getting heavier. That carries over to the populations in our nation's gyms! At my gym, the average woman in an exercise class is 40ish and weighs 160, a far cry from a 21 year old Swedish swimsuit model. As far as gyms go, I do recommend them; at least in my own case it's much easier to get motivated when I'm at the gym than when I'm at home. I suggest visiting a few, finding out what they have to offer, and choosing one that you feel comfortable in. Although my gym is staffed predominantly with shapely, young people, they are all super-sweet, nonjudgemental, and absolutely dedicated to helping me achieve my goals. In fact, they have helped me so much that I now actually teach two fitness classes there!
Gyms exist to help us reach our fitness goals, not just to be a playground for those who are already fit. In fact, only about 17% of Americans can be classified as already fit 'gym-bunnies.'

I know that was a frightfully long, 'one tip' answer, but I hope it helps!

I'm a Susan Powter fan too. Stop The Insanity helped me drop 30 lbs a few years ago and I've kept it off.
My one diet tip would be.......don't eat anything that contains more than 30% fat. I've gotten to the point where if I eat something loaded with fat I feel BLCCCHHHHH afterwards......my body just isn't used to it.
To figure out the % of fat in food.....look at the label. Take the # of fat grams per serving (and be sure to check out the size of a serving!!!) and multiply it by 9 (because one gram of fat has 9 calories.....doesn't sound like much does it!!) Then take that # and divide it by the # of calories per serving. (Yea I know this is starting to sound complicated but after a while you can just look at the # of fat grams per serving and you'll know the % of fat without even thinking about it. I used to walk thru the grocery store with a calculator in my hand!!) Anyway that final # is the percentage of fat per serving.
Example -- Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter, 17 grams of fat per serving (two tablespoons),190 calories
17 X 9 = 153
153 divided by 190 = 0.80
meaning the peanut butter is 80% fat

ok, peanut butter is not the greatest example because peanut butter has a lot of protein and new studies are supposedly showing that's it not all that bad for you......as long as you keep the portions down and don't eat it all the time. but anyway that's how the formula works and you can use it on anything that has a label.

I know this sounds like a lot of work but it's not. It works for me, and after a while you learn what is ok to eat and what isn't. I eat a lot of fresh fruit, salads, fish (salmon, tuna) lean meat, nothing fried.

I found it interesting to discover that the Heart Association makes the same recommendations as Susan Powter.

I'm not into counting carbs or calories, but for some reason this fat % thing works for me!!

And OH YEA I definitely agree about the exercise thing........the only way you'll lose weight is to make it a priority.....but you'll feel better and thank yourself later!!

[ January 04, 2006, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: CrosstitchQueen ]