Lets get started.

Now we all joined with the goal of losing a certain amount of weight.  Well it just doesn't work by saying "I am going to lose this weight by a certain date" and the weight will just fall off.  You need a plan.

Well what is YOUR plan?

Are you going to follow one of the thousands of diet out there?
Are you going to make up your own?
Are you going to exercise?
What new foods are you going to incorporate into your new lifestyle?
What foods are you going to give up?
Do you have a deadline or just keep going until you reach your goal?
Is your goal to live a healthier lifestyle? 

Sounds like a great plan Laurainne. i have another post in the lets get started catagory, Thats where i have asked for a buddy and already have new friends.  I want to fit nicely in a bridesmaid dress but I NEED a lifestyle changfe not a diet.  If you're looking for a buddy, I'm doing that in the other post.  If you want to, follow me over there :)  great talking to you, lets keep it up!

That would be great.  This website is very friendly.  We can all hold eachother accountable as well as keep eachother motivated to lose the weight.  It truly takes a lifestyle change.  Good luck and I know you will fit that dress!

This time around I've decided I want a lifestyle change and not a diet.  Instead of trying something that's a fad or restrictive, I've decided to just count calories.  I've been doing this for about two weeks and I love it!  I am a lot more conscious of what I'm eating and how much.  And the surprising thing is that I'm not even hungry!  Sometimes I have to think of ways to reach my calorie count after eating dinner.  Before, I was restricting myself so much (e.g. no carbs, no fat, whatever else) that I was constantly hungry and craving the foods I so love.  Then I would binge, give up, and immediately gain the weight back plus some.  Now, I still eat the foods I really like, but eat them in moderation and only once or twice a week (e.g. pasta from Olive Garden, Chick-Fil-A).  I also have begun eating mostly fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain foods, less meat, very few processed foods, and less sugar/carbs.  I cook more often and bring my lunch to work almost every day. 

I exercise most days.  I know how easily I get bored with exercise and how lazy I can get, so I try to switch up what I do from day to day to keep it interesting.  I do tae bo some days, the biggest loser, treadmill elliptical, jogging, weight lifting, etc. 

I'm so excited about taking this journey.  My goal is to lose 40-50 lbs by next August.  I've already lost about 7 bs.  I already feel so much stronger and healthier.  I feel as though sharing my plan will make me more accountable.  So thanks for the opportunity.

I think you have a great plan.  Remember to stick to it and you will be successful.  Keep sharing it will hold yourself accountable.    Good luck.

Are you going to follow one of the thousands of diet out there?

I plan to research diets and take what they have to offer into consideration, but I can honestly say that I haven't found a single pre-made diet plan that could possibly work too many wonders on me.  While I'm sure obeying some of these plans WILL result in weight loss.  I'm by no means attacking their utility.  But, I will say that none that I have seen really would be feasible for me to stay on or really do for a very long period of time.  Also, I cannot afford many of the diet plans on my limited college-student budget.

Are you going to make up your own?

That's pretty much where I'm heading.  I'd like to use a combination of common sense and hard science.  For instance, I plan to make use of my knowledge of the human metabolism, the female hormone cycle, and my own body in order to regulate my eating habits and keep them regulated.  For instance, I know that eating some foods makes me not want to stop eating (like chips, candies, diet sodas, and most processed, packaged foods).  I also know those foods that make me satisfied without an incredible urge to keep going (like whole wheat bagels and a nut butter).

Are you going to exercise?

I will want to be exercising as soon as I can.  Because of a recent medical emergency, my exercise capabilities has been adversely effected for the moment.  I'm hoping to start up again in a few days as the pain subsides.

What new foods are you going to incorporate into your new lifestyle?

I want to find new and creative ways to prepare veggies to make them a more palatable and desired part of my diet.

What foods are you going to give up?

I refuse to put bans on any foods.  It'll only make me want them ever so much more.  >_<

Do you have a deadline or just keep going until you reach your goal?

Deadline is October 22, 2010.  Of course, if I don't make it, I'll just have to re-evaluate my tactics and begin again.

Is your goal to live a healthier lifestyle?

Yes.  Because of my PCOS, a healthy lifestyle is really the only thing to keep me from having a complicated life.

I don't think I will follow any specific diet. Just exercise more and count my calories with the help of CC. I would really love to get into running, my boyfriend is a huge runner and seems to always have some kind of marathon to run and I would love to be able to keep up with him on a morning jog. I am really looking for advice on how to become a runner because as of right now I can hardly do a mile! Help!!

Also, I went to a ZUMBA class today and absolutely loved it!! I will definitely be going to that every week.

As for food, I currently live in Italy and while there is tons of delicious pasta, there is also a lot of fresh and organic fruits and veggies here. I have made friends with the fruit and veggie man down the street and plan to pay him lots of visits. Pasta is good, but I want to try not to eat too much. I am also done with pop, it does nothing good for me - beginning with the inevitable hiccups. Also, I polished off my last jar of Nutella this morning and I promised myself I would refrain from buying another one.

Deadline: lose 34 lbs by November 2010!!

.

You sound very motivated.  I am sure you will be successful.  Anyone can become a runner.  Running in my opinion is 50% mental and 50% physical.  I ran cross country in high school and continued to run after that and am definatley not built for running.  One of the best ways to begin running and build up endurance is to run for a lenght of time and increase it daily for two months.   An example would be Monday run 10 minutes, Tues. 15 Wed. 12 Thurs. 20 Frid 15 Sat. 20 Sunday Rest.  Continue this cycle for the two months increasing the time until you reach two hours.   This is what my cross country coach would have us do in the summer.  Then build in speed work outs to increase speed.  When I am doing speed I jog from one light pole to the next, then run to the next and sprint to the next and repeat it for the duration of the run.  Good luck.  I know you can do it.  Remember boys naturally run faster that girls so do not get to discouraged.  Encourage you boyfriend to coach you and motivate you.  I noticed my mother-in-law has Zumba videos. I might have to check them out.

Wow thanks! That really helps and I can't wait to get started!

Zumba is tons of fun, just make sure you have quite a bit of space because you move around A LOT.

I'm new

Are you going to follow one of the thousands of diet out there? - Just the counting calories, it says to do on here!

Are you going to exercise? - I will be doing some type of physical activity more than I do now. Yes

What new foods are you going to incorporate into your new lifestyle? - More veggies.

What foods are you going to give up? - SODA

Do you have a deadline or just keep going until you reach your goal? - I would like it be January, but as soon as a I reach it and then I plan to keep it up.

Is your goal to live a healthier lifestyle? It is. TO be more confident in myself and happy with my body, while being more healthy.

heya!

i'm pretty much sticking to my own diet but i've read loads of useful tips ( i hope) on other healthy eating sites. I just CC and i hope it will help me to stick to my diet. I really want to become thin to increase my confidence and and so my dream of becoming a model can become true.

Since quite young (11 or so) i've been trying to be on a diet to lose a bit of weight. Nothing drastic, just a bit. I don't know how it started, but i tried reducing the amount of food i ate, tried to do more exercise, but i always managed to binge eat after a few days. I know it sounds ridiculous at the age of 11, but it didn't at that time. Looking back, i must have been perfectly normal and thin for my age.

Anyway, now i'm 15 and i'm still trying. The longest i have been able to keep up with eating on my diet is 7 days. For a typical school day i would eat:

Breakfast: 2x weetabix with some semi skimmed milk, fruit (usually 1/2 orange) and a cup of green tea or earl grey.

Lunch: salad from school (beans, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, sweet corn etc.) and sometimes a bag of dried fruit (apricot, raisins, banana)

Tea: low fat or non fat yogurt, sometimes a fruit (usually banana) and 1 or 2 cups of green tea.

Dinner: whatever mum prepares. (i try and keep the meat portions, pasta or whatever she is serving small and eat more salad or veg). I drink plenty of water throughout the whole day.

Usually on Mondays my diet goes to plan. Recently i have broken the Tuesday diet curse, and now it's really wednesdays where i completely fail, and on thursdays and fridays i'll buy chocolate etc. from the supermarket. Then in weekends i often fail. I always promise myself i can do this, but then the same thing happens over and over again. I will usually binge on bread, butter, jam, cereal...anything possible. Then i feel horrible, bloated, sick...not a nice feeling. I always feel guilty after binging but sometimes food is just tooo tempting.

I used to be able to fit in a size 10 but now i can barely fit in a size 10. My aim by christmas is to be able to fit into a size 10 perfectly, and by April, into a size 8, and by the summer, maybe into a size 6.

So to sum it up, i'm 170 cm (i think) weigh 68kg and would like to weigh 54kg or even less before leaving to uni (i have 2 years and a bit). I want to do it the natural and healthy way and i really think it will help to do it with friends.

So is there anyone willing to lose weight together? Maybe so we can motivate each other. (Probably someone around the same age...)

Does anyone have any tips to stop temptation????

Cya  xoxoxoxo