Tips fir getting back on the wagon :)

Hello everyone.

I left calorie count for a while but now i'm back!

I have completely grown out of my old jeans and some of my tops. My partner and i are starting to buy our first house so i figure i should get back into them rather than buy more :)

The trouble is i like eating and i like shopping to much so i was wondering if anyone had any tips or just encouraging stories to share?

Also does anyone wanna join me for moral support?

xxx

It's good that you like eating.....  life would be pretty short if you didn't.    Best tip I have to get back on track is to make a plan.  Simply map out a menu for the day that contains plenty of healthy foods that you really like to eat.... your favourite vegetables, fruit, grains etc... and then use the CC food log to get the calorie count right for you.  If you plot it out for a few days in advance you can also combine it with your love of shopping and save yourself some money..... You'll only be buying what you intend to eat and you won't be wasting anything.  An actual plan is more likely to happen than some vague feeling that  'I should do something'...

Another tip.... If you have a partner and you're setting up home together then take advantage to have a fresh start as a healthy family.  Between you, you could work out some 'healthy groundrules'.... e.g. takeaways only once a month, joint exercises/sports to get you more active.  You'll know what your worst lifestyle habits are so adjust the rules accordingly.  Teamwork works.

Good luck

Hello Elle!

First of all, welcome back, and congratulations on deciding to do something about your weight! I used to think that there was this chasm between deciding to lose weight and actually losing weight, but that was before I looked into all the healthy foods that we can eat to substitute less healthy foods we've become accustomed to.

My wife and I love to eat. A lot. Our biggest fear was the loss of a lifestyle we truly enjoyed; eating tasty food. What we were shocked to find was that we were able to find healthy alternatives to ingredients that allowed us to eat the same foods, only with healthier ingredients and in smaller portions while keeping that "full" feeling we enjoy so much after a satisfying and delicious meal.

What's the secret? SNACKS.

My wife and I both eat about 6 times a day (I typically go for 7 since I have to consume an extra 1000 calories over her intake level). We have found through our personal experience that eating the snacks between meals not only keeps the metabolism going, but makes us feel less hungry at meal time which translates into feeling full faster. Also, the old-fashioned tricks like eating slowly and chewing food better helps. We also try to make our meals a social event, so talking also slows down our intake. By the time we're through with our portions, we're full and not feeling as if we've lost out.

As for the foods themselves, we have found many extra-lean alternatives for meat, and we always ate lots of chicken and fish, so it was just a matter of trimming down on serving sizes, eating more snacks, and using better ingredients. In 30 days, I've lost 16.6 lbs, and my wife has lost over 9 lbs (but she's got a visit from her Aunt Flo, and from what I understand, women retain water when she visits) so she hasn't realized any loss this week. 

Here's the kicker to my weight loss: I don't exercise. I have no time for it. Literally. I know most people (including me!) would say that there is always time for exercise if you make the time, but since I work about 14 hours a day and my desire to spend time with my family for at least 3-4 hours a day is greater than my desire to exercise, I have foregone it for now until my schedule changes. Fortunately, I'm still losing weight just through the basic math of calories in < calories burned.

YOU CAN DO IT!!! It's not hard. I haven't felt hungry, cheated out of great foods, or unhappy. Crazier yet is the fact that since my wife and I aren't on any fad diets or we haven't reduced any single food group from our diets, we've been losing weight at a healthy rate, and we've been healthier overall. All three of our kids have been home sick over the past three weeks at one time or another, yet my wife and I have remained healthy. I have two co-workers out of the office today (both sick), yet I haven't caught what they caught. I attribute that to the vitamins and the good eating.

As for foods... let's just say I had polish sausage for dinner last night, yet it was under 150 calories! Was it yummy? Oh yes it was! Tomorrow night I'm making stuffed peppers (which my family loves), and tonight, I'll have dinner at Fuddruckers. How? I'll eat all day, but keep the calorie count just a little lower so that I can absorb the extra calorie count tonight. Since I'll be on my feet from about 7 p.m. until 1 a.m., I'll also be burning a few more calories than I normally would, so that'll help offset the higher calories from the burger (without fries, btw).

I highly recommend taking a look at Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (known as BFFM) by Tom Venuto. It's a great resource for learning how to re-think diet plans, exercise, nutrition, and getting healthy. It's helped my wife and I, and it's a no-nonsense approach to a healthier lifestyle.

Feel free to contact me at any time for any information or answers. I have recipes that are amazing, and there are lots of friendly folks here who are great help!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Cheers Guys :)

I'm well impressed with your stories, congratualations on having will power and doing so well!

I am deffinatly gonna stop buying multi pacls of crisps as they are my weekness! But my goal is to loss about 5lbs so maybe just have a couple of packets a week when i get there. Hopefully it wont take too long :)

keep going strong!

xXx