Starting Over

I've been on CC for a long time; I joined in June of '06. At first I lost a lot of weight, but 2 years ago I was more concerned with quitting smoking than my weight and the weight started to creep up. Now I'm heavier than ever.

My Dad just got me a belt and some dress pants for my birthday and he told me not to gain any more weight because Sears doesn't carry bigger sizes. I'm happy to get clothes I can get into (living without a belt was miserable) but not happy about being a 33 BMI.

How can I start over and lose some weight? I need to lose at least 50 pounds to have a healthy BMI.

Starting over is like Confucius' long journey.... it begins with the first step.   I always think 'breakfast' isn't a bad place to start.   A healthy breakfast sets you up for the day and puts you in a positive mood.

Simple things you can do before you get calorie-counting in earnest

• Get your 5-a-day fruit and vegetables and base your meals around vegetables
• Split your lunch/dinner plate up so that it is 1/2 full of vegetables/salad, 1/4 full of lean protein and 1/4 full of complex carbohydrate.  Use fat sparingly as a dressing, cooking medium or in a sauce
• Get moving....  half an hour a day of some kind of activity will help
• Drink plenty of fluids.  2 litres of water a day would be a good thing to include
• Remove any junk or unhealthy snack foods from your environment so that you can't eat them even if you want to.
• Keep your food log..... just recording what you eat and being more conscious of what you eat means you'll eat less than normal
• Don't do anything this time to lose weight that you can't see yourself happily doing for the rest of your life.

Once you've got the above simple measures under your (new) belt for a week or two then you could address the calories and start adjusting the portions.

Good luck 

Thanks so much! It's all things I know about but it's good to see the entire program in one place.

Upping the veggies is the hardest bit, in part because I find it a huge chore to get to the store. This is something new that's become a problem in the past couple of years. I tend to shop at a convenience store where I'm more comfortable but it doesn't offer produce.

Getting moving will be much easier with a belt! I'm starting over with my food log. I agree that I tend to make better choices when I have to record things, but often when I feel like being "bad" I'll scrap the log.

Heya!

You sound just like me! I joined CC years ago too but was busy getting my Thyroid gland sorted out but now its much better. Unfortunately it also means I'm heavier than I have ever been!

I have about 50 pounds to lose also! If you need a buddy just let me know, I know how difficult its gona be the next few months cause I'm in the same situation. All the tips gi-jane has given are great and I agree they are a great place to start!

Good luck with the weight loss :)

I think all of the things GI Jane said are great advice... but I also would say that being unable to do most of those things for long was what kept me from losing weight for a long time. In case you're like me and just can't think that MUCH about food, just do the calorie counting. Try to be healthy, of course, and take a multivitamin... but ultimately, calories matter a lot.

You do what you do because it "works" for you, and aren't likely to stick with changes that don't. If grocery shopping feels like a big imposition, you might think about asking the manager of your convenience store to order a few specific things you'd like, like Health Choice soups or Lean Cuisine or whatever. Maybe little snack packs of veggies or apples, if they have a big refrigerator section. If you really go there a lot, I bet they'd do it.

I know how it is -- I don't like to shop or cook, either. I lost 50 lbs last year just counting calories. Even if I'm still eating a little junk, it's better than the junk I was eating before, LOL, and has much less sugar and salt... Right now, maybe that's the best I can do, and so far, it's worked well for me!