4 things I've learned in my month here

actually it's more like 1.5 months

1 The water thing is Real. from the water water thread..I'm reposting it so you can tell me if other people think this.

I'm convinced that one reason that all the water works for me is that I mistake thirst for hunger. 

Lately I've trained myself to drink water when I think I feel hungry and a lot of times, that does the trick.  Since that does not work when I'm actually hungry, I'm convinced my body was sending me a message I didn't interpret correctly.

2. The scale is my friend. Not the one up in the bathroom, the one I  got a couple of weeks ago from the kitchen store. Who knew that a portion of cereal didn't even go half-way up the bowl? Time to start using a new bowl.

3. Cheating isn't any fun if there's no one to lie to other than me. I don't believe myself. A couple of times, I've tried to put in what I thought the scale up in the bathroom meant, rather than what it actually reported. Naw. Not very satisfying.

4. Very few of my friends want to hear about how wonderful c-c is...or maybe they're just tired of hearing about how wonderful c-c is? Maybe I've turned into a tiresome convert?

Bah. #4 is hardly worth reporting. Silly friends.

So? What have you learned over the [blank] period you've been here?

2 quick things; as I run out the door to an aerobics class:

1. I'm with you on the food scale, katie.  Very eye-opening. I don't use it for fresh fruit/veggies, but pasta, rice, cheese, etc...  Am definitely retraining my brain on what a 'serving' of those types of foods are.
2. Everyone has those mental, Clint Eastwood-like staredowns with a donut or candybar or whatever dangerous goodie is around.   Sometimes you win, sometimes you end up with a bullet in your ass.   This place defnitely shows you how universal that experience is, which is comforting when you're tempted to get harsh with yourself.

Katier-

first off, you are hilarious!  your writing style is great--i checked your profile and i knew it, i knew you were a true writer!!!!

What I learned.....well, today I am feeling grim --so here it is:

1.  My butt is way too big for me

2.  Icecream is best with peanutbutter from the jar

3.  Skip the halloween candy and give me an eggplant parm sandwich any day of the week!

(note:  #2 and #3 are very bad eating habits--I only recommend when feeling very low with a small sign of 'starting over again' tomorrow.)

ok so I learned in my 3 weeks here...you two are hysterical... what the scale really meant, and food lust stare downs!  Thanks for the laughs!

Actually I've learned that there's a lot of satisfaction with saying no to something you know you shouldn't have... a sense of empowerment. There will always be another eclaire, or cheesecake. mmmmmm.....

Also, my idea of portions are so far out of whack. I was also surprised about what a cup of cereal and a cup of milk was... I was eating 2-3 times that in the mornings. 

I love knowing that by using all the tools here and keeping my eye on my the end results, I can achieve my goals.  The community is so positive and helpful.  I am so happy to have found it!

goal,I just read your post... and I like number one, number too sounds too rich for me and I definately like number three....but You shouldn't think of it as "starting over tomorrow"  just think of the low points as commercial breaks, if you will.  Starting over would be putting all your lost weight back on then losing it again.  Don't negate what you've already accomplished! :)

Ahh - portion control -- it is an eye opener to see what an actual portion of something is, and no -- a full bag of chips is not it, although that's what I would eat and not think twice about before my lifestyle change in eating habits.  I could polish off a whole baf of mini Reese's cups or chocolate peanut butter Chex Mix easily.  I was not mindful of what was going in my mouth.  Now I've learned to pass up buying whole bags of anything salty, chocolate, etc.- it helps keep temptation at bay.

For the longest time I kept my weight secret.  My husband was eyeing up one of my posts and happened to see what my current weight is (200 lbs.).  I feel funny about him knowing because I weigh just over 30 lb.s more than he does.  However, the news is out, the world didn't explode, my marriage is as strong as ever, and I've learned that I need to be out there and honest about what I weigh.  It's a number; it shouldn't define who I am and the potential within me. 

What I have learned here-well a lot my dear gooblers

1:  A friend can be jelous of you if you give them something to be jelous of.

2:Yes, water is good, but sodium isn't too bad-just makes it look that way.

3:  cc is addictive and unfortunately you do not burn a lot of calories sitting at the computer writing about dieting-but fortunately we all know that and kick eachother out every once and awhile.

4:  Portion control is not a myth made up by some crazed out gym teacher that likes to watch you get hit by a dodgeball-in addition you burn a lot of calories playing dodge ball, just as long as you don't get a concusion-mind you hospital food makes you want to give up eating altogether-but that leads into number 5

5:  Starvation mode is real and never good for the diets-this one I learned prior to cc from my spiritual fastings but it is a good one to add here. (you will get bigger and the insects will play paticake with your bones)

6:  Friends are fun and fab-u-lous

7:  You can get carried away about dieting and make all your friends get defensive about their greasy eating without meaning too-because we were all there-but you can't help it and well why should you-it is about time we start talking-Mcdonalds talks all day long-lovin' it.

8:  I get carried away when it comes to writing

This made me smile!  Whenever I get frustrated because the scale doesn't say what I want it to or I messed up on the diet for the day, I usually comfort myself with a "lesson learned" sigh... I've had many so far :)

Anyway, lessons...
1) Drinking tea can be a lifesaver!
2) Just not eating very much is not a safe or effective way to lose weight.  Plus, it's just darn hard to not eat anything!
3) On the flip side, it can be hard to train yourself to eat more after cutting back calories drastically!  Don't feel stupid because eating enough is hard.
4) Doing an all or nothing approach doesn't work -- everything in moderation.
5) ALWAYS check labels and nutrition facts, the amount of junk in food can be amazing and things you think are healthy sometimes aren't.
6) Plateaus are sad and terrible things.
7) Revel in the moments when you have small victories like not eating the piece of pie, getting to the gym when you're tired, or realizing that you actually enjoy eating carrots after a jog.  Don't dismiss those moments, celebrate them!

That's all I can think of for now; I know there are more though.  I've learned so many things from this whole lifestyle change business.  Cheers!

A person has to eat enough in order to lose weight.

Sounds basic now, but didn't always seem so to me. 

Very Funny...

What I have learned here at C C...

1. Make friends with your scale
2. Portion control is key...it's amazing what a portion really is!
3. Labels tell you alot...take time in the grocery store!
4. Plateaus are murder but you get over it....
5. Get to the gym, it really does help....physical and mental
6. 1/2 pound is a victory!
7. You will be tempted but resist, you will be a happier person for it
8. Drink lots and lots of water....

i just found this post and enjoyed reading it, so i'm bumping it up!  i agree with everyone here, and would add that i learned how important protein is in my diet, and how relatively little i was getting before i started this new way of analyzing what i eat.   for some reason  i always thought it was more important for children than for adults.  now i know it's really good for us as we grow older, too!

I've always known what is good to eat and what isn't. I don't eat junk food at all, so my weight problem was never due to eating too many donuts or McDonalds meals. The nutritional aspect of this site simply helped me to exercise more and lose the weight that way. But the most important things I have learnt here:

1) How to get off a plateau by upping your calories / zig zagging. I honestly never knew that you had to eat MORE to lose weight. By eating more good things, of course. After doing the research and reading what other people here had to say, it's actually so SIMPLE. No wonder my friends who live on salads and slave away on the treadmill never lose any weight! The hard part, is convincing them to eat more. I like the fact that I am never hungry, I exercise and I am losing weight.

2) The importance of drinking water. Not just to curb hunger, but most of all, to keep your system flushed.

1.  A tablespoon of olive oil is not enough to coat the bottom of the pan, but it sautes just as well as more.  I was using way too much oil.

2.  If you don't eat, you won't lose.  This was really hard for me to wrap my mind around, after years of thinking I couldn't lose weight at 1000 calories because I was eating too much.

3.  Never try to make up for a high calorie day by cutting back on the next day's calories.  It does not work that way.

4.  A plateau, even a long one, is not the end of the world.  Think of it as a rest stop on the journey.  It's no excuse for quitting.

What have I leant in my time here?

1. I used to comsume 8000 cals on a saturday whilst burning 3500, and the other 6 days I burned 2700, but only consumed 1000 cals. This played havok with my metabolism, so i gained weight.

2. There are a lot of attractive women that are single here, and this could be a dating agency as well as a calorie counter ;)

3. I could have made a real mess of improving my lifestyle had I not found CC and its members.

4. A parmo meal has about 2500 cals, and that was a saturday night snack for me.... yum yum

1. WATER WATER WATER
2. Friends will keep you sane and keep you coming back.
3. If you're hungry, you're not eating the right kinds of foods.  You should NEVER go hungry.  You will not be able to maintain that.
4. You need to eat enough to lose.  (Who knew?)
5. Your exercise should advance - if you are doing the same workout you were doing 50 lbs ago, your weight loss will be affected.  Work harder, longer, faster every week.
6. One day of eating cake is not a failure.  It is not a reason to go off the deep end, nor is it a reason for a pity party.  It makes you human.
7. You don't need to wait until tomorrow to "start over".  Just do what you need to do now!  There is no starting line and if there was, it would be open 24/7.

1.  Water, lots of it.

2.  It actually feels good to hear my stomach growl and feel hungry.  I think of it this way, when my stomach is growling and I am hungry, my body is eating my stored fat, way too much of it. 

3.  Be accountable to someone.  It is nice to have them tell you what a great job you are doing or to know you have to report to someone so it keeps you more honest.

Wow, I've just realized that I've been a member for 8 months:p And I've learned:

1.  Never go below 1200 calories a day (for a woman), because you'll end up starving.  At one point I was doing 950 and I was starving by the end of the day.. oops :p

2.  Labels are important, not just for finding the calorie content, but for looking for the most healthy foods that are high in nutrition and usually also low in calories as I have come to find out :)

3.  Don't stress out over plateaus, they are usually followed by a steep decline in weight aftwards.

4.  It's okay to splurge once and a while, as long as you get right back on track and don't beat yourself up over it too much.

5.  Be aware of everything you put in your mouth.  Never eat mindlessly.

6.  Chewing gum helps you relax and prevents emotional eating (at least for me)....

Those are just a few things

I just completed my first week. & i've already learned some things.

1. I really CAN do this.

2. the support of friends--even online ones i've never actually met---goes a LONG LONG way. ;)

3. the reason i may have failed other diets is b/c

(1) i wasn't really looking at calories in them... just trying to "eat right" w/o any guide or food diary &  (2)i DEFINITELY was not looking at sodium. I have significantly lowered my sodium intake with this b/c of advice of some C-C members.

4. i am way more addicted to caffeine than i ever knew. i didn't intentionally quit caffeine with this diet. But i used to have a giant mug in the morning AS my breakfast. This week i was advised to EAT breakfast & i jsut didn't want coffee with it. I have quit cokes. So this is probably the cause of the MAJOR MAJOR headaches i have had all day Wed-Fri last week!


5. that i can succeed. the weight really will come off!! I lost 4.5 in my first week! I know that is more than i may continue to lose!! i know 1-2 pounds is great! But i was surpised & ecstatic to lose that much in my first week! :)

In my first 3 weeks, I have gained from this site

1.  Making "A" grades at the end of the day and hitting my target calories is a great motivator for me when it is laid out like it is on this site.

2.  The old saying "winners never quit, quitters never win" is not necessarily a true statement.  Quitting may just mean you need to take  a break so you can come back stronger than ever.  And on this site, LOSERS RULE!

3.  Never eat more than one portion of anything (except green veggies) at one time and you can maintain your calories pretty easily.

4.  Portions are really small (who knew????)

5.  Protein - hmmm - I always labeled myself as a meat-eater and figured that I was getting plenty of protein in my diet, but apparenly I don't eat enough.  I struggle daily to get 25% of my cals from protein, and rarely make it.  I believe this is probably why I have had such a problem with weight during my adult years.  Protein makes me fuller, and if I don't eat enough of it, then I fill up (normally) on pasta, rice and bread and blow the calories right out the window.

6.  I have several bad habits and I'm working on most of them right now - smoking, fast food, over-portioning.  With the friendly, genuine, support I've been getting from the folks on this site, I am finding it easier to tackle these life changes.

7.  c-c is addictive.