Hi there, I'm Brand new & Need to Lose Weight! ;-)

Hi there,

Wow! What a great health community I stumbled upon! I just signed up as a new member and recently incorporated a new exercise routine.

I was diagnosed with cancer a couple years ago, went through 3 surgeries & 1 year of treatment. It did a number on my weight to say the least! Typically, folks would be on this treatment & lose weight, have no appetite, etc. It also makes you very tired and has various side effects. I was very fortunate that I never lost my appetite.... but, being inactive & still eating & sleeping longer than normal... my weight increased.

I just weighed myself today and my jaw dropped as I am at a weight that is the highest ever in my life. I am currently at 190 lbs. I would be thrilled to get it down by 30 lbs by the holidays & my birthday in December. My long term goal is to get down to about 135 lbs.

Before being diagnosed with cancer, I was about 135 lbs and took salsa dance lessons 3 or 4 times a week. It is great exercise & I miss it! I was wearing about a size 6 or 8 (depending on the garment).

I just bought a new pedometer yesterday & used it this morning. It also allows me to download my stats onto my computer. I wanted a Polar brand, but started with this one & it only cost me $29. So, I can always upgrade to something else down the road! lol

I look forward to getting some great tips, advice and ofcourse meeting some new people with a common goal: lose weight & get healthy!

To everyone's health & success!!!

~Cindy

I'm sorry to hear about the cancer. Hopefully you've had good results, and a remission. Please make sure the diet is OK medically, though, as it can cause problems with some health conditions.

But you asked for suggestions. I started at 181 lbs in June, and have lost 30 lbs so far.

First thing is to make sure you're familiar with your ideal, so expetations are realistic.

I've used a dual-focus; eating smart and exercising  smart.  Try this:

Eat more fiber, as in oatmeal or high-fiber cereal for breakfast, and salad with dinner. Fiber has less calories per ounce, and makes you feel full longer.

Cut portion size rather than totally avoiding foods you love. Or treat yourself occasionally to your 'vice.' If you feel deprived constantly, you'll tend to binge.

Snack on fruit. It's good for you, and good for the diet.

Don't eat within 4 hours of going to bed. Let the body digest while you're still active.

Exercise is good. But the same form of exercise all the time isn't always the best. Try varying what you do. That way you'll get the most from it.

Scales can be the bane of a diet. Some people like to weigh weekly, some daily. Me, I weigh daily, but ONLY once, and at the same time of day. Weight varies during the day normally.

Expect plateaus. I've lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks, then gone 2 weeks and lost only 1 lb. I've even gained a lb or 2 after a great loss. It varies.

There's a start. What do you think? Feel free to ask if you have questions. The community here is great.

Original Post by terri_:

I'm sorry to hear about the cancer. Hopefully you've had good results, and a remission. Please make sure the diet is OK medically, though, as it can cause problems with some health conditions.

But you asked for suggestions. I started at 181 lbs in June, and have lost 30 lbs so far.

First thing is to make sure you're familiar with your ideal, so expetations are realistic.

I've used a dual-focus; eating smart and exercising  smart.  Try this:

Eat more fiber, as in oatmeal or high-fiber cereal for breakfast, and salad with dinner. Fiber has less calories per ounce, and makes you feel full longer.

Cut portion size rather than totally avoiding foods you love. Or treat yourself occasionally to your 'vice.' If you feel deprived constantly, you'll tend to binge.

Snack on fruit. It's good for you, and good for the diet.

Don't eat within 4 hours of going to bed. Let the body digest while you're still active.

Exercise is good. But the same form of exercise all the time isn't always the best. Try varying what you do. That way you'll get the most from it.

Scales can be the bane of a diet. Some people like to weigh weekly, some daily. Me, I weigh daily, but ONLY once, and at the same time of day. Weight varies during the day normally.

Expect plateaus. I've lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks, then gone 2 weeks and lost only 1 lb. I've even gained a lb or 2 after a great loss. It varies.

There's a start. What do you think? Feel free to ask if you have questions. The community here is great.

 Hi Terri, thank you for your response!  Congrats on your 30lb success! It may take me until next year to get to my ideal weight. I take each day one at a time--you have some good days, bad days, but I try my best to be optimistic & positive.

I've been speed-walking about 30 minutes a day outside & do some floor exercises. After 2 weeks of doing exercise daily I see that I have lost a 1/2 pound. But, I also just started increasing my caloric intake as I was apparently not eating enough by a long shot. I was averaging under 1,000 calories a day. I love that this site has a place to log your food & that is helping me see how much more to eat, etc. So, I am wondering if me only losing a 1/2 pound in 2 weeks is due to me adjusting my diet. I presume so!

So far on this site my food logs are averaging between  A & B grades. One thing that I need to work on is eating my dinner earlier. It doesn't help if I go to bed at 9:30 or 10pm. I'll find a balance with that soon.

Thank you again for your input & advice!

~Cindy

Hi Cindy,

I am very new here too. Terri has some good advice. I just wanted to tell you that you are on a positive start. Keeping your calories at a 1200 minimum is much healthier according to the site here. I made the same mistake. I figured less was best, but I was wrong. After adjusting my daily caloric intake to 1200, I really feel good. I am not hungry all the time and am quite amazed at how much I can eat. Veggies and fruits are a great in between meals. I also find it easier to have a meal plan for the next day and if I want something I plug it into the recipe analyzer to see how much calories are in it and sometimes tweak it for my benefit( example: splenda no calorie in place of sugar) There are some great recipes here too, just pick and choose. I find eating a small portion of the things I love keeps me sane, like 1/2 cup chocolate fat free ice cream is only 90 calories. Thats's a great occasional treat. Also keep up the great start on your excercise. I weigh myself on the scale eveyday, but I also pay attention to my body shape. Sometimes the fit of our clothes tell the better truth than the scale, and  I am only saying this because as we exercise and eat healthy our bodies are changing and one of the things it is doing is taking those fat stores to build healthier muscles. Oh and a little of sexy too!!!

Started on Sept 18 2008 @ 180lbs, now 170.5lbs. My goal is 147.  

Thanks for the kind words, folks.   :-)

Don't worry about the time it takes.

THIS IS NOT A DIET! (mindset is important!!!)

This is a life change. Say to yourself:

"Starting right now, I'm treatimng myself better. I'll eat the right amount of GOOD foods, that taste good. I will enjoy exercise! I will enjoy my LIFE!"

This way, you're going to enjoy the process, and will be more likely to keep the weight off.

Thank you both Rebecca & Terri.

Rebecca, welcome aboard, too! We can do this!

Terri, you are so right! I ***deserve*** better & to be healthy. Period.

It's amazing what 2 weeks can do for your overall eating habits & how you feel. I know that getting through the first 3 weeks/21 days is key--then it gets a bit easier.

~Cindy

It's amazing what 2 weeks can do for your overall eating habits & how you feel. I know that getting through the first 3 weeks/21 days is key--then it gets a bit easier.

~Cindy

 I'm not sure about that. I've found that the first couple weeks was the easiest.  I lost the most weight then, and motivation was easier since it was new.

But it was mostly water, I'm told.

The easier part is true, though, in the respect that it gets to be a habit if you stick to it.

Hi Terri!!!

I'm new, but I saw your post and wanted to say hello.

While I have nothing life threatening I too have gained weight because of chronic health problems.   It's a real challenge to try to take some sort of control back over your body while going through treatments and such.

I hope your doing well and having more good days then bad!!!   Good luck with your goals.   You sound really positive and excited!!!   Perhaps I shall see you around.

~Luna

Original Post by lunaripyros:

Hi Terri!!!

I'm new, but I saw your post and wanted to say hello.

While I have nothing life threatening I too have gained weight because of chronic health problems.   It's a real challenge to try to take some sort of control back over your body while going through treatments and such.

I hope your doing well and having more good days then bad!!!   Good luck with your goals.   You sound really positive and excited!!!   Perhaps I shall see you around.

~Luna

 Hi Luna, not sure if you meant Terri or myself (Cindy) but would sure like to get to know some folks on here. I have lost 3 lbs so far! I've been upping my calories slowly & spreading them out throughout the day & eating a little lighter at dinner time. This coming Monday will be 3 full weeks, but I've only been on this site for about a week & love it! I'm sure I'll be running into you on cc. Welcome & best of luck on your journey. :-)

Yes, I actually was saying hello t you Cindy...  I'm sorry I must have glanced at the thread wrong.    Sorry!  *looks embarrassed*  

Wow!!  Progress already!!  That's great, I hope I can find the motivation to make some good changes myself.

Luna