help for a newbie

for the past few years since my kids were born i have not been eating well or doing much activity, thus ive gained about 30 pounds, and im tired of feeling fat and tired so i started calorie counting. i think my biggest problem is that i love junk food and pop and itilian foods, lol. ive been couting calories about two weeks now and have added in a 20 min walk with my son about 4 to 5 times a week, ive also been doing crunches since alot of my weight is in my belly. i started at 169 and im still there, i dont understand how i havent lost anything but its real frusterating and its so hard not to give up. ive been eating much better, alot of fruits and salad and chicken instead of noodles and poptarts etc. water and crystal light instead of pop and no late snacking. however i do still feal hungry alot, belly seems to growl almost constantly. is this normal, when will i see results??

Hey, well it takes time so keep going!

I remember when i started back in december (not the most ideal time i know) that even though i was sticking to my calorie intake i wasn't loosing lbs but then i did sart to loose and it it started fairly quickly to begin with.

I don't know about the science stuff with weight loss but i do know from personal experience that it takes a couple of weeks to get going but it is SO worth it.

Its great that you have made the desision to do this and also great that you can incorporate your kids into your excersise as this will spur you on.

Good luck with it!! x

I'd make sure that you are really consuming the portions that you think you are.  There's no nibbling here and there? There's nothing you are forgetting about, like perhaps a glass of wine or two, or perhaps finishing your son's food so it doesn't go to waste?

How long have you been doing this? Its entirely possible that it will just take a little while to begin to show.

Personally, I am not okay with my stomach growling all the time, so I listen to my body... I usually have 2-3 snacks during the day.  They usually consist of 40-100 calories, so they are relatively easy to stick in between meals.  I like light yogurt, fat free, sugar free pudding, fruit, and string cheese as my snacks, but that's because I don't eat dairy in my meals, and I know that calcium is amazingly good for weight loss.

If you dont like how growly your stomach is you probably aren't going to stick to this plan in the long run.  I'd give your stomach a bit of time to adjust to your new, lower food intake, but really make sure to get a lot of fiber in your diet as well.  I love Kashi brand products for breakfast, and they're pretty much garunteed to have a lot of protein and fiber in them

its been about two weeks now. no dont drink any alcohol at all anymore and havent been eating any of my kids food, i did use to do that so it wasnt wasted. ive been snacking on grapes, strawberries, danon no fat yogurt cups, special k low cal snack bars etc. the site recomended to stay under 1500cals and ive been staying around 1300-1400. maybe im just a slow starter, just so hard not to give up. im hoping once my belly gets use to less food it will stop growling at me lol

I noticed when I started adding alot more fiber into my diet that my stomach talked to me more. I had to figure out that it wasn't hunger LOL. But I agree, if you're hungry have a good for you snack. You won't want to continue if you are hungry all the time.

Heya - sometimes right after I eat a piece of fruit, my stomach will growl literally 15 minutes later worse than it did before I ate it!  Try using grains combined with protein for snacks instead of all this "lite" stuff (though its all good for you!) For example rye crackers and sliced turkey together, or raisains and peanuts.

I'm just like you - it takes a while to find the right combination that works.  Not everything you read here works for everyone.

Stick with it though!