Going to do it this time!

Hi!  I am 31, live with my boyfriend, no kids, and I need to lose about 100 lbs!

I seriously need to lose the weight this time.. I've tried dieting a few times.  I end up quitting and gaining the weight back plus some!

I'm surious to see what other do to stay on track and keep motivated!

 Thanks!

Christina

welcome and best of luck to you.

to stay motivated, i set both short and long term goals. another thing to do is let everyone around you know that you are trying to lose weight and they will most likely be supportive and try to help you in anyway they can. but ultimately it's gonna be up to you to stay motivated. this site has helped me stay on track a whole lot. whenever you feel like stuffing your face with junk, go on these forums and read what people have to say and check out success stories. it totally changes your mind.

hope this helps. 

Welcome!

What keeps me motivated is results! From the condition of my hair, to my vibrant spot free skin, to the fact that my clothes seem to grow bigger every week!

My family,  who I live with, are nuts about rubbish food. I feel stupid sitting there with my healthy alternative but I am always satisfied by the taste while they all winge their dinner could have been nicer, not cold, more salty or complaining about missing items ect ect. I also only have to look at them to feel motivated. I am full of energy and look healthy...... they don't.

I love seeing what keeps people motivated. For me its observation that keeps me going. 

Your problem is that you're dieting. No matter what you see or read, dieting never works! What you need is a lifestyle change. Something that will last forever instead of for only 6 -8 weeks.

You need to learn what the right foods are, about protein, good fats and activity!  Of course, the bottom line to losing weight is that you have to burn more calories than you take in! Two awesome books you might want to purchase is Flip the Switch (Sorry! I can't remember the author's name!) and Six Minute Meals for Six Pack Abs by David Zinczenko. These two books have changed my life! They are easy to read and understand.

Don't forget...you have to add exercise into your daily routine. At least 1/2 an hour a day. It doesn't have to be done all at once. You can break it down into 3 -10 minute workouts or 2 -15 minute workouts. Hand weights are a must have for building muscle. The more muscle you build = more calories burned. Go at your own pace, just make sure you "go"! In time, you will find that your 1/2 hr. of exercise is not only easy but you'll want to exercise for even longer!!

Good luck!!

I know it has to be a lifestyle change.  I just need to find something that works for me.  I just don't know what that is yet!!!  I'm working on it :)

well, you've come to the right place!!!  this time you WILL do it  :D  YOU are your best motivator!  just don't make any changes that you can't live with for the rest of your life.  even simple changes work  :D

i've lost 52 since 9/4!!!  create your own plan & stick with it!!!  there is no cheating  LOL  it's whatever works for you!

don't deny yourself the foods you love!!!  just eat them in moderation OR you may end up binging which would be way worse, wouldn't it?

I make mini goals for myself, this month was no fried food! I told everyone about it and last night when I was out at the pub with my friends who ordered nachos, wings and calamari I had none of it.

Suprisingly it wasn't that difficult and I made it half way through the month so I didn't want to ruin it. In the end everyone felt gross and I felt pretty good. It was something small but today I was proud of myself.

I find this site really motivating and logging my calories really does work. Remember to lose a pound a week you just need to cut 500 calories a day, that means eating 250 less (for me it was my 3pm chocolate bar) and exercising (if you walked for 30-60 minutes a day you could easily burn 250 calories). Don't feel like you have to go all out on 1200 calories and 3 hours of exercise a day - small steps are the way to do it.

Congratulations on making the first step.  Tell the most important people in your life that you are trying to make better choices and you need their support, especially your boyfriend.

And stay on here and let us know how it goes, the people here are so nice and motivating and when you get frustrated with friends and family (and you will, we all do) you'll find a group of people here who want to support you.

Oh also, I just saw dianejblank has lost 92 pounds, you should talk to her. While we all have a bit to lose I'm sure she'd be a wealth of information for you as she's lost almost as much as you want to.

 

 

Parade magazine had a good article today about staying on plan and some tips from people who have lost weight and kept it off:

http://www.parade.com/health/index.jsp

Also, do you know about nutrition and labels and such?  I think that a lot of diets tell you a plan to follow, but don't really teach you what you should be eating.  It's probably worthwhile to visit a nutritionalist (your primary care should refer you and your insurance should pay if you are over weight, but you may want to check first) or pick up an balanced book (not one that tries to eliminate a food group, but one that stresses healthful eating).  Something like, "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" would give you a good background on what you should be eating.  ( http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Drink-Be-Healthy-Ha rvard/dp/0743266420/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s= books&qid=1200281156&sr=1-2 )

My own personal favorite book on the subject is a diet book, but it has a lot of nutritional information in it - not just a defense of the diet.  Although the book is out of print, the information is still relative.  You can still get used copies on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Muscle-Diet-Victori a-Zak/dp/0425110605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s= books&qid=1200281900&sr=1-1

 

I know how you feel. I have been talking about dieting and weight loss for two years and gone up two sizes!!!!!! I think I focus on 'dieting' too much and am then hungrey all day!! So now I am trying to focus on changing my lifestyle so I am healthy and the weight should drop off as a secondary if I do the first thing.

 I am shocked at how easy it is to use up 1050 calories which i have been given.