-so

Just so everyone sees who I think was talking about it I just pinged everyone > >;;

So! Oh oh oh actually it does make sense if you look at it! Uh okay so it's like this, you are just all forgetting about your metabolism! Eating tiny amounts sucks for most people because it doesn't keep your metabolism going so your body stops breaking everything it needs to down and it just all sits around and you gain weight. But if you eat 5-6 healthy very decently sized meals your body has the energy to get through the day, break everything down and not feel wiped out when all is said and done. I tried that 'eat like a bird' stuff and that didnt work AT ALL.

I was like 200 for the LONGEST time (read: years) and now I am like 150 after a year of working on it (more like 160 since I wasn't able to keep it up for the past 4-5 months OTL) because I just cut out excessive eating of white breads and pastas and red meats and ate 5 meals a day, 2 of them being a hearty portion of soup/salad/fruits and it really did work. I was also walking to my gym and doing only a small 30 minute work out every other day which helped immensely.

My trainer actually suggested something to me that I thought was odd but it really did work. Lots of people just go straight to 'WALK. CARDIO' but she said that you should try to add strength training for your back muscles if you are trying to lose weight. It helps a ton! I hope that some of this information helps out at least one of you owo;; or seeing that weight lost really can happen even if it was slowly (with my height I need to get down to 120 to not be 'obese' anymore OTL so I still have a long way to go)

Congrats on your progress so far! When you say decent sized meals, can you give me an example?

And i have read that add in the strength training does help though ive never seen them specifically say for the back

FRIES.Hella cheesus fries.I eat my fries oven-baked and it tastes like heaven.Some BBQ spices,greek spices hmm the noms. I also like burgers.I don't enjoy red meat though ... @ Mel

There good doctors.But sometimes I question their "wise word" @ teatree [Edit] I already do that. Congratulation on your results though.

Alright so like this picture here makes me mad:

The reason why is it's trying to tell you that you have to eventually decrease your meal size down to that last plate, three times a day. That shit NEVER works seriously. I find that for eating lightly, the middle plate is decent but this next picture is more what my meal size looks like:

And it doesn't have to be exactly what you see there, but like that size is great for the breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, and just cut the whole meal in half for the two in-between meals. Naturally make sure that you have veggies or fruits in them cause that will keep you feeling boosted and ready to take on the day, and try to focus your meats more on poultry and fish. Red meats can over protein you and make you feel congested, heavy and sluggish if eaten in huge amounts or every day. Like I was able to keep eating almost exactly like how I love to eat, but all I did was switch my steak to chicken 70% of the time and turned all my white pastas and breads into rye or wheat. It was pretty simple. Oh and I was told to be careful about eating the same thing over and over and over and over again, that you should be eating differently every day possible because changing it up like that is what makes your body have to think, work and break stuff down because if it's used to the same foods every single day it works a lot less hard on breaking down what it's receiving.

when i cook them at home i bake them, ive always done that, im scared to death of frying stuff

and i do like turkey burgers, ive never done them with ground chicken, though ive used that for other things

Ive seen stuff like that too that say you eat a big breakfast and a small dinner and you loose weight

and the second picture is a ton of food, though calorie wise im sure its probably half of a mcdonalds meal lol

Ahh me too.I don't trust frying machine .. Try ground chicken/turkey.Had a bit of italian breadcrumbs and an egg.Mix it up in a bowl and make burgers c:

Yeha it looks like a lot but compared to fast food it's really nothing. Especially since you see some yogurt there and fruit which are meant to get you going while the rest of the food there is for long term, later on it fuels you.

Actually the picture that posted is exactly like my plate.

I haven't read the rest of the responses on this thread, so forgive me if I say something already mentioned, but one of my number one things I do is not drink my calories. This is huge. So many people drink juices and those disgusting fancy coffee drinks that are like 32 grams of fat per cup. Just drinking water will help cut down SO many useless calories you're taking into your diet. Water is also healthy and what your body needs to function, so it's pretty much the best drink out there. Tea is also fine (without tons of sugar or creamer/etc), since really that's just water with spice in it. :P

Exercise is also needed of course. Remember, not every exercise is meant for everyone. Find something you enjoy and you are comfortable with. :) I suggest listening to music while doing it. It keeps you motivated since you get to listen to something you enjoy while working out.

Portion size is also immensely important. Eat slowly, and don't eat until you're full. Just eat until you are no longer hungry. If you aren't hungry, don't eat. Don't live your life by a structured clock, thinking to yourself 'oh, it's noon, I have to eat lunch'.

Good luck with your goals!

Firstly, I don't have much experience in this topic, so it's just some stuff I heard from friends and family that worked for them. :U I think it's highly dependent on what you find ends up working for you. That's the most important thing to keep in mind; there's no universal way that works for everyone!!

I personally think portion control might be a good place to start? :T As in, keep track of your meals and try to limit snacking in between. There's nothing wrong with a treat here and there, but it could be helpful to hold off on any right before or after a meal. :U I've also heard some good things about something called spirulina. You can try looking into that. :U Lastly, drink lots of water to stay hydrated!! Carbonated pops, stuff like that, should be avoided (see if that strategy works for you) and drink water whenever you're thirsty. :U Or orange juice or fruit stuff. Any of those are better and have less sugar.

I'd pay attention to what more experienced people say though, as these are just some tips i've heard about. It really depends on what works for you. :D Good luck!!

congrats ..I am happy that you found something that works when I went to see my first doctor he ran a blood test and we went back the following day and he read me lab results from a blood test ..He was saying I was border line diabetic , had a high sugar count and made me feel like total shit ..all I kept sayingI dont drink any pop and dont do starches ..he Looked at me like yeah right ..I when home in tears ..thinking what more can I cut out...WELL a couple of days later the lab called me and said Viola here are your results your fine your blood pressure is normal your sugar is normal and no where near being a diabetic... I ask what the hell I got told I was a mess and the lab tech said I dont know whos results he read to you but they weren't yours. I never went back to that guy . Hypothyroidis I am going to have it checked when I go in..

I've just started taking Lipozene after seeing the commercials and hearing good things about it. Nothing's happened yet weight-loss-wise, but it isn't giving me any ill-effects yet, so I guess that's good. I'm going to start back to the gym on Monday as well...hopefully. I just have a really hard time keeping myself going there because I get so depressed I don't feel like trying. My main problem is food though...there are so few things that I like that are healthy...some things I just can't stand the taste/texture and other things I'm allergic to...it's really hard. I need to stick to switching a meal a day with a smoothie. I'm actually sitting here at work having one for dinner right now...it's spinach, blueberries, peaches, mandarin oranges, chia seeds, coconut oil (which is supposed to burn fat), rice bran oil (which helps the coconut oil work), lemon juice, and water. Really healthy, but after about four hours I'm hungry again, so I have to not eat anything before bed, which is hard. Ugh, this whole weight thing is hard.

Liquid food burn faster and honestly I'd get so so bored with smoothies.I own a smoothie machine,and after a week I was fed up.I can't stand green/red peppers,I have acid reflux so garlic,tomatoes,peppers are a no go.Healthy is a big word in my opinion.You can eat an healthy burger,you can eat an healthy pizza,you can eat an healhty cake ..

Sorry to hear about your weight problems. I've gained about 40 lbs in the last 2 years after not doing anything as a result of moving to an area that I don't like. I used to eat very healthily but I was the only one in the house who did so and later found it difficult to keep up with. I had lost weight before, and the main things I did were:

1. Eat healthily. I want you to think salmon, chicken breast, veggies (especially leafy ones), fruits, and choose things like water and green tea over juice (high in sugar). Also go with whole grain bread/tortilla/pasta if you can, and brown rice is generally better than white rice, if you eat that. Also go with low or non fat products (I.E. mayonnaise, milk, although ideally you'll avoid eating/drinking those things much) OR substitute the very thing with something completely different. For example, I used to eat sandwiches with hummus instead of mayonnaise. :P

2. Reduce your portions (but don't starve yourself, have healthy snacks throughout the day, and try to eat fibrous things to keep you full).

3. Exercise often. This is the most important thing. I'd say at least once in the morning. What I did was exercise in the morning after waking up, then do it again in the afternoon. I did I think 45 minutes in the morning, and somewhere around 50 minutes to a little over an hour in the afternoon. (I owned a treadmill.)

4. Be patient and don't obsess with numbers, but rather how you look in the mirror. This one might be the hardest, I don't know, but it'll be a lot better for you. It can take months - so don't expect too much right away.

5. If you can, fill your routine with other productive things other than exercise. At that time I was in school so I also did homework, and I did chores like dusting, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning windows, cleaning the bathroom, etc. It's really, really satisfying if you can make yourself feel good about what you did during the day. If you can try out new things, things you've just never done before but have wanted to do - I'd say go do them.

6. Make lists, plan meals, try to make exciting for yourself. I did this often and it helped me manage leftovers and not waste things.

7. If you don't get out much it might be good to just get outside more often. I don't get out much, personally, it kinda sucks, but when I do get out things just feel better. Hell, eat outside, have a picnic, go for a walk somewhere pleasant if you live in a nice area (which I don't, especially now, hence why I don't do those things @. @) I've no idea where you live, though...I know being overweight can be depressing so if you can do anything productive to forget about that for a while and just feel good then do it -- enjoy yourself, please.

I'm sure some of these things are very obvious but these are what worked for me before and it really felt wonderful, so I thought I'd bring it up. I really wish you the best of luck! I do wish I could help more.

Cut your portion sizes down/ eat big breakfast and small dinner . It helps to try and keep your mind off food and this happens to me i will eat something and I know i am full but my stomache is growling even though i know i ate alot so i do something or think about other things.So if worst comes to worst do what i do an thats shove a carrot in my mouth hehe.

What worked for me last time was completely cutting out soda. I got down to 138. I can't cut out soda/energy drinks now because I thrive on caffeine and chasing after my son all day every day takes a lot of energy out of me. I'm now fluctuating between 184 and 188+... My heaviest weight ever was 210+ when I was pregnant. I'd like to lose the weight as well...

aw, well I hope your weight management has been going better these past few days :c I think the best way to keep everything under control when eating is the issue is to just not have that unhealthy stuff around the house. I'm like you in that I just eat things because they're there and they taste nice. My mom loves making huuuuge meals and buying me junk food(bless her), so it takes a lot of resistance for me to live with her. Thankfully, I don't live with her anymore since I started college four years ago and I've been in the best shape of my life since.

I drink a lot of tea now instead of coffee and juice which has helped a lot. and there's sooo many different kind of flavors, it doesn't really feel like I'm compromising at all. If you're like me and have issues eating in the evening after dinner I've found the best way to avoid that is to either drink tea as a replacement or brush my teeth. If I brush my teeth then I don't really have the desire to go eat again because then it would taste gross anyway + I'd have to brush my teeth again before I went to bed. Sometimes when I'm hungry throughout the day between meals I just drink some water but I realize that doesn't work for everyone.

Sorry about the late replies!

Thank you for the tips, i appreciate it greatly!

That is terrible!! But im glad your okay!

I see the commercials for lipozene all the time. Do you know how its supposed to work? Like, Alli makes you body not absorb the fat (which can have disastrous results when you eat something that has a lot of fat in it lol, and the phentermine that i take increases your cardiac output which helps burn more calories, or something another like that) I used to do smoothies, but then i stopped, then ill juice every now and then, but im still hungry. Ive tried slimfast but those have me starving in just 2-3 hours.

Thanks for the advice, its so hard for me to stick to a set schedule because i work nights, so im up all times of the day, and ive lost almost 30 lbs since i decided to "do something" earlier this year, i dont feel any different, i dont think i look any different, but i can tell by my clothes, where something used to be so tight it was uncomfortable it now fits okay, me and my mom were talking (i just recently moved back home) and she is going back on her hcg diet, and i told her we have to start cooking every night taking our lunchs etc because i stop for fast food all the time because of its convience, and while i know i cant stop eating that stuff forever, i need to cut it way back

i have to have lots of caffeine too, but im going to switch to unsweet tea/green tea with honey, still have to have some coffee but i dont add a ton of creamer like i used to, and in the beginning only drink diet soda at work and hopefully just 1 bottle or can

Yeah, its much easier when your the only one buying the food, where as now im back with my family, and theres tons of bad things in there

Good luck and congratulations! A lifestyle change is much more difficult than a diet, but you'll be so much happier as well as healthier in the long run.

I'd love to lose my gut by this summer. I carry the most weight in my mid-section and I can't stand it! Looking at pictures of myself from just a couple years ago makes me sad, but I haven't set foot in a gym since college (it was free with tuition).