What's your secret weight loss weapon??

Do any of you out there have any one thing in particular (be it green tea, jello, mirrors etc.) that make this easier for you? Unfortunately for me, I am the only one who has a problem with myself, therefore I am the only one who has a reason to change my ways... and I am not necessarily the best at that. My boyfriend is happy with the way I am and he says it wouldn't matter if I got fatter or thinner or what ever. I respect that but I wish he would push me! He has to eat alot because he's a very big man (6'8, 320 lbs) and for some reason I can (and often do) eat the same amount of food as he can and not be stuffed... I get ahold of something I like and its gone before you can blink. I have a horrible relationship with food. I love it and it loves me, but IT HATES ME!! I can not control myself and I can't put it down!! And no I am not one of those anorexic types looking for compliments. I am 21 years old, 5'4 and about 230 lbs. Help? I need some serious appetite control, and some real motivation. I can't find any here!!! If anyone wants to be a daily mentor/motivator for me... let me know please... I'll do the whole msn thing or message over here or what ever. My dread is that I will have to go through another summer wearing pants if I don't get some help and learn about this strange thing called self control... Thanks in advance!! I just ate the worst brownie in the world by the way... and I refuse to eat another!! I guess thats a step...

I forgot to mention, that the extra 100 lbs I carry around... It's about 4 years old. What I mean is that in grade 11 and 12 I weighed 140. I have lost 10 lbs since last july, and I have 100 left to go.

I try to drink a lot of water, especially when I exercise, because it helps keep me feeling full.  I keep a count down list in my day planner so that I can actually see my weight going down every week.  I filled in approximately what I should weigh each week from February until May (when I'll meet my goal), I know if I lazy out of this I'll have to see, every week, where I would have been if I hadn't.  I'm also using clothing as a motivator, I've decided I'm not allowed to get any new clothes (even though mine are old and quite worn) until I hit my goal weight, every time I see a cute new something it reminds me (this is a really good one for me because I work in a clothing store.)  Uh, unfortunately most of my motivators are negative, so I wont list those, but the ones above help too.

Hi Mary--

 I'm fairly new at the weight loss thing (well, successful weight loss that is), but what has been helping me the last few weeks is working out and weights.

  I know that you are probably doing this anyway, but I find that I eat about the same amount of food as I did before but that I am burning more calories (especially since I am hopefully gaining muscle) and am still losing weight (I haven't weighed myself because I have gotten obsessed with doing so in the past, but I would say I have probably lost 8 to 10 lbs in the last 3 - 4wks).

I honestly think the weights have had the largest impact and its something you can do without worrying about losing your breath (if you start low).

Unfortunately, I have no magic cure for not eatting a lot at one sitting other than only allowing myself one pig-out day a week. If I did not have this one day I know that I would eat healthly for a few days and then pig out all the time.

I know I'm not a lot of help-- but hopefully this may give you an idea of what might work for you. Good luck. You can message me for support if you want :) (I'm 24 years old).

fiber.  lots of it.  that means a lot of beans, nuts, vegetables, whole grains, that kind of stuff.  i'm lucky enough to like to cook so it's pretty easy for me to eat those things; if you eat a lot of prepacked food or restaurant food they are harder to find.

Awesome advice so far. I do love to cook! But I'm not so into the beans, but the other veggies and things yes. I just got something called Benefiber though, it should be interesting to see how that works. I don't eat packaged food and we can't really afford to eat out much either so I know thats not a problem for me. I think I just eat too much of the wrong and not enough of the right!

I weigh myself in the morning and at night, but I only count the night weight. That way every morning I get up and see that lower number and think wow, if I eat right today than that might be my night weight tomorrow!

When I'm not hungry, but feel like eating because I'm bored or if my favorite junk foods are just staring me in the face, I just go into a coffee shop and get an iced coffee or tea. It's not as satisfying at a piece of cheesecake, but I know I will feel a lot better once I realize that I saved myself about 500 calories. However, an iced coffee does NOT replace a meal or a snack if I really am  hungry. It's just something I use to get my mind off of eating something really delicious, yet terrible.

For me, since I love to cook, food is sort of a hobby. The answer for me is to find some other hobbies and distract myself with NON-food things to do. The gym is a biggie for me now, but way back when I was still learning about myself, things like going to the grocery store and buying a magazine or some make up I wanted to try or a new pen (hey, I LIKE pens okay?) Instead of junk food or crap I did not need to eat. If I buy something to eat...I has to be healthy.

Weight loss isn't just physical, its LOTS of mental. Re-training your brain and habits are just as important as the calories you put into your body. Finding FUN ways to burn off those calories is important as well. Don't just exercise for the sake of it. Do something that doesn't even feel like work ! Play!

It is critical for me to make sure I never get totally starving otherwise I make horrible food choices (usually deep fried or mega carbs bad choices). Instead I keep healthy choices and snacks around and am constantly snacking on things with low calorie content to keep me satisfied!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of weight loss!  I am 5'2, started out at 185, and now hang around in the 130-135 range..still trying to get down to about 125.  If you want, you can add me as a friend, message me on here, whatever.  Here are the things that made the biggest difference to me:

1. LEARN what you are eating.  Read those labels, nutrition guides etc.  When I started realizing how bad all the stuff I was eating really was, I was horrified.
2. Figure out what you actually need to eat.  Don't go cold turkey, to me that just results in bingeing.  It's better to slowly take your caloric intake down to a point when it will create a deficit for you.  The easiest way for me to do this was to make a rule..I had to eat all my fruits/vegetables/healthy foods before I could touch the unhealthy stuff.  There just wasn't as much room for it in my stomach at that point.
3. Get moving.  However and whenever you can.  When you feel ready, come up with some fitness goals (like running 1 mile or something) and then make new ones as you meet them.

Mostly remember that it IS going to be difficult, but it will be worth it.

I think the idea of having some non-food rewards, whether it's a pen or a CD or new socks or new underwear, is really important. We get so used to getting a food treat if we've been "good", it was really hard for me to find a replacement. (Also, I think lots of the time we don't actually think we deserve a treat but that's a different problem.)  I have a limited budget but I can usually find something on sale, totally unnecessary and non-edible. An added bonus is that everytime I wear it or use it or play it, I remember that I earned it. 

Hi there and congrats on your first 10 lbs! 

my main item that has helped me if my vegetable steamer!

I am domestically challenged so this gadget is a God send!  I can (and do!) make perfectly steamed veggies everyday!  I buy the frozen veggies (same nutritional value as fresh) such as cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinich, green/yellow beans) and make enough in my steamer for 2 days!  The key for me is, adding vegetables to every meal (except breakfast).  I don't like raw veggies so it is good for me to keep lots of cooked stuff on hand.  If I have some progresso light soup for dinner, I always add a plate of veggies!  If I have a lean cuisine for dinner, add a plate of veggies! 

I started out at 247 lbs and am now at 168ish (Saturday is my weigh in day).  I do go to the gym, however, all I ever do is cardio using only treadmill.  I can't get my body co-ordinated to do the elliptical thingy.  I feel like i'm gonna fall off LOL.  I started the bike last week after I walk/jog on treadmill for 45 minutes.  Other than doing the treadmill, I've done NOTHING exercise wise!  I just started jogging about 3 weeks ago and i LOVE it!  I have always been way too heavy to jog and now the feeling is amazing!

I'd love to be of some encouragement wherever possible :)
~H~

Keep trying on the clothes that *almost* fit - that's a huge motivator.

Switch all your drinks to water if possible - or coffee/tea with skim milk.  Juice is high-calorie and not as good for you as fruit.  Pop is just ... awful.  Shudder, shudder, shudder.

Grocery shopping: eat before you go so you don't impulse-buy garbage.  Then, AS SOON AS YOU GET BACK FROM THE STORE, wash all the fruits and veggies and then chop up several portions ready to eat.

I learned to enjoy the whole experience (lost around 55 lbs). I found out I love running, and also found healthy foods that I love too! Since I enjoyed working out (with great music of course) and eating these foods, following a healthy plan and exercise routine was easy and fun.  Well I shouldn't say easy, since things there were hard times so I should say easier.

Hmmmm.  this is a good question.  And there are many things that have helped me over the last 15 months.  But I would have to say I have two secret weapons. 

The first is reponsibility.  I am the one who was responsible for me getting up to 650ish, and I'm the one responsible for my current weight of 381.  But it's not just about the weight.  It's also about taking control of my own healthcare.  It's about taking control of my finances.  But it really comes down to, it's about taking control of my life. 

The second is knowledge.  Why had I never succeeded in a weight loss program before??  Because I didn't understand the nutrition side.  I had no knowledge of starvation modes, or cal deficits.  Whenever I would start to make progress, the hunger would make me feel as if I was weak, and had failed once again.  Now i understand that was my body screaming for some more cals to keep the fires burning. 

So i guess it comes down to me owning my weight, realizing I was resposible to get the weight off, and then arming myself with the knowledge of how to properly run a weight loss program.  Not much of a secret i guess.

One of my biggest motivators has been a graph (or the one on CC) that shows my starting weight and each weekly weight.  I keep working to see that line decline and not rise.

The things that have helped me the most are changing from diet drinks to water.  I will occasionally have a diet soda or unsweetened tea but for the most part I have water (anywhere from 10-12 glasses a day).  I also try to have at least 5 serving of vegetables everyday. 

I log my menu a day in advanced to make sure it's balanced, then I make it and store the whole day of food in a large lunchbox in the fridge.  That way, all my food is premade so I don't go looking for something "easier" and it's a quick trip to the fridge ( I don't stand there for 15 minutes thinking about what I want to eat.)  Making sure I recieve balanced nutrition really helps keep the cravings for "bad" foods at bay...I've also made a couple of friends here at CC that I talk to once a day or so and they have really helped to keep me motivated!:-)

read books on organic and natural foods.  I read diet for a dead planet ,  animal, vegetable, miracle, and the omnivore's delimma. (and a few more) - because i no longer want to eat most processed foods for moral reasons - it is easier to eat the "good stuff" and do the cooking at home.  I don't even really like to go out to eat anymore - i invite friends/family over to eat instead and we eat much healthier.

 

good luck.

#1 Get as much of the junk out of the house as possible

 #2 Log the food I eat each day, as I eat it.  I use this to plan my meals so I maintain the right deficit every day.  (If I only have 300 cal left for the day I figure out a gool dinner that fits in.)

#3 My mother & I got Body Buggs for Christmas.  It has been a big help - it tells me how many calories I am burning.  A big eye opener about how LITTLE exercise I was getting day by day - even though I was going to the gym 3x a week.  Combined with logging my food this has made loosing weight a function of math, very easy.  I was 25# overweight, she is probably 100# or more.  We are both loving it and find it easy to stay on track, and we are both seeing results.

I started watching what I eat in May, I was the same way. I LOVE FOOD!!! It is so hard!! My fiance loves it too and he is by no means changing his ways anytime soon, which is fine. He is perfect the way he is, and says the same thing about me. Which again I feel your frustration. I used to tell him to tell me I was fat, I hated when he said I was perfect the way I was. It was flattering at the time, but now that I have lost 40 lbs, I realize more now then before, he should have told me I needed to lose weight. It would have motivated me more. I got the motivation once we started planning our wedding, I realized I wanted to look good on my wedding day. I don't really have any secrets except before I put things in my mouth I think about if it is really worth it. I have stuck to a 1000 calorie a day diet. It works for me, I have tried Atkins, weight watchers, and lots of other things. I felt to restricted on all those other diets, but for some reason the 1000 calories a day works. I can still eat things I want in moderation, and substitute certain foods, so basically sometimes I feel like I am cheating when really I am not, cause it falls within the 1000 calories. I used to get on the stationary bike at our apartment complex a lot more then I do now. I also kept a calendar that fit in my purse, and once a week I would weigh myself to keep up with my progress. I would set month long goals instead of one big goal. Sometimes trying to meet a goal like 50 lbs all at once can be somewhat frusterating. So each month I would set a goal for like 8 lbs. It just seems more realistic the trying so hard to reach a big goal and only losing like 3 lbs. If you have a smaller goal, you tend to feel more accomplishment, which to me was very helpful. If I ever want fast food, I look online at the restaurants nutrition list. I think it is mandatory that they post it online. I haven't come accross one fast food place that doesn't have it on their website. I can still eat chik fil a and KFC and even Taco bell. It is awesome. Sometimes I don't even feel like I am on a diet. Give it a shot you might be suprised.