some questions for you - any suggestions?

Hi! This kind of forum is very new for me, so please bear with me in this posting ... I have several questions, but please read through my profile a bit first for all my stats, so my queries make more sense:

- is there a practical way to lose weight as a vegan with food allergies, without restricting the variety of my diet too much to cause new food allergies/nutritional deficiencies?

- is there anything in particular I should know about trying to lose weight as a pre-diabetic, especially considering the above?  (I don't have health insurance anymore, so I can't consult a doctor directly)

- is there any more realistic way to incorporate exercise into my heavy workload (desk work); or should I keep walking the long distance to and from work, even though it seems a bit much?  (I can't afford to go to a gym - I had to cancel my YMCA membership.)

- for anyone who lives in the Los Angeles area, where can I find fresh (preferably organic) produce for a very low cost?

- how can I deal with compulsive overeating?

- if you have any other thoughts, suggestions, or ideas that can help me, I'd love to 'hear' them.  Thank you!  ^_^

hey there!  i have a few suggestions:

- exercise: i go to curves.  it takes 30 minutes.    i call it 'excercise for dummies' it's so easy!  see you have have one in your area.

- compulsive over-eating: i struggle with this too.  i find that a food journal helps me avoid this.  buy a blank calendar book (or notebook) and write down EVERYTHING you put in your mouth (even drinks).  write down the info that matters to you about each item (i alway write the calories).  keep track of the times & WHY you ate (stressed, bored, hungry, etc.).  this tool has helped me figure out my "triggers" and be more accountable for how much i eat.  also keep track of your water-intake.  I use check-marks for each 8 ounce glass of water & aim for b/w 8-10 per day.

try it for at least 2 weeks - it is a little time-consuming, but really works for me!  good luck!  :)

Hi everyone,

I just joined calorie-count as well.  Today is my second day of watching what I eat, I'm not going to call it "dieting".  If anybody has some suggestions for me to get the most out of this website, by all means, please help me out. I am really committed to lose weight.  A little about me: 100pds+ is my goal.  I have always been heavy since I was a young child, but after college I gained more than 40pds.  I was diagnosed with POS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which I learned was the cause of some of my weight gain.  I am currently on metform which supposively will help the weight loss as well, but I need to help it by eating better.  Anyway, some of the main reasons I am doing this is of course for myself, to feel better and for all those aches and pains that a 25 year shouldn't have can go away.  I need all the support I can get!  Thanks for being there!

Supersaucy07

Welcome to CC!

First of all, I wouldn't worry about restricting any foods or changing what you currently eat by too much (especially not at first).  Make gradual changes, and ones that you can stick with forever.  If you love pasta, don't cut it out of your diet, but limit your portion size.  This site is all about Calories consumed vs. Calories burned, so keep a good deficit of 500-1000 calories between them, and you'll do fine.

I work a desk job also, but I like to take a 15 minute break now and then go for a short walk. It also helps to get my eyes off the screen for a while. And it certainly helps that you can walk to work. That alone is more exercise than many people get in a day, and that's great!

As someone already said, recording what you eat and how many calories you consumed (you can even use this site to record it) will go a long ways in showing you how high in calories certain foods can be. It will teach you what an acceptable portion of food is, and if you eat slowly enough and drink enough water with your meal, you might just find you don't need to eat as much as you thought to fill up.

So my recommendation when you're first starting out is to not restrict yourself from anything, but just log your calories, and try to keep your calories consumed 500 less than calories burned, even if that means exercising more to make up for what you're eating. Once you get that down, you can add in other "requirements" for yourself, like making sure you're drinking 64 oz. of water/day, that you're getting 25 grams of fiber, and that your fat/protein/carbs ratios are in balance (many people aim for 25%/25%/50%, or somewhere around there.)

Take a look at the "Library" section of the site, too. It will give you a lot of great info.

Welcome, and good luck!