Lose Weight!

Hi A.. I recommend the South Beach Diet. I was skeptical about it at first, but my husband and I really needed to do something. We've been on it 2 weeks now. He has lost 13 lbs and I have lost 7 lbs. The first 2 weeks are definitely a "diet", however the program really is about learning to make healthy choices. You need to get the book. It has recipes, meal plans, and lots of helpful info. Hope this helps. Good luck.

To reply to your desire/concern for low sodium--Do NOT use regular iodized salt. Buy sea salt or kosher salt, and you will know the difference. You will be surprised to see the difference in the amounts of sodium per serving between the two. Also, with sea/kosher salt, you don't use as much because it has a naturally very organically salty flavor, if that makes sense. Do a taste test of your own. You'll find that you could actually be cutting your sodium intake in half, and actually getting a healthier version of the sodium that your body needs. (It's not just about cutting the bad stuff; it's also about replacing it with good stuff.) You don't always taste the salt, but it's in everything because of its chemical benefits with how it helps food to cook a certain way and how it preserves, etc. Read the instructions for cooking oatmeal. They tell you to add salt to the water! There is no healthy way around taking control of what you consume. The reason that we are in the bad shape that we're in is that we are looking for shortcuts--prepared/processed foods, ways to cook food faster, etc.--all of these unnatural ways of eating. If you really want to be successful, you will have to figure out how to slow it down. You will need to commit to a way of life that will include eating more naturally, natural ingredients that your body can process instead of the packaged and processed stuff. It's not necessarily about the recipes as much as it's about the ingredients. You can eat lasagna everyday if you use fresh ingredients with no junk in it...and if your body can process everything. (I can't eat the pasta. My grandmother can't eat the tomato or spinach. Some bodies don't process the cheeses.) I cannot stress enough that all diets are NOT the same and do not work the same for everyone because all bodies are not the same. Apples are an awesome food to consume, but if you are allergic, they can be deadly for you. At the very least, they would break down your body's ability to process foods, thus compromising your entire digestive system.

One thing that works for me is to keep carrots and cucumbers and sunflower seeds, etc. around. I basically sit at a desk all day and am a grazer, so I keep around the things that I know won't hurt me. Instead of grabbing a bag of potato chips, I go to the refrigerator and grab some pineapple chunks, from a pineapple that I cut open myself, not a can. Maybe you don't like carrots. Find something healthy for your body that you can enjoy, and keep it around. I opt to park in a place that forces me to walk a little to my office, including one flight of stairs. (Contrary to what someone else might say, exercise IS extremely important. You don't have to run a marathon or even go the gym, but you have to move around to keep things moving in your body. Without proper circulation, things literally get sluggish--organ function, blood flow, bowels.... There is no way around it, if you're looking to be healthy. If you're just looking to lose weight, then you can just lie down and drink water all day. You'll be weak and have no muscle tone...but you'll be thin--yea! That's not what you want, and it's not what you want to teach your little girl.
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I think that you won't be successful in losing and maintaining unless you know why you are overweight in the first place. Never mind the psychological effects of certain foods, certain types of foods and activities affect our bodies differently, and you'll only be discouraged to fail at what works so well for someone else.

For one, stay off the scale. I am not really overweight, but my breasts are so friggin' heavy that I feel fat when I get on the scale. That was the case even when I was pretty thin (I have a small frame.), and I KNEW that I was no where near fat. Also, muscle is heavier than fat, so the more muscle you build, the heavier you might be...and if you start losing weight, you'll think that's good, but you could actually be losing muscle, which is bad.

Until I figured out that I have a gluten intolerance, I never understood why my always "healthy" diet still left me bloated and constipated and so tired, too tired to exercise, which made me feel depressed and sorry for myself because I wasn't being active. All I did was cut the gluten for two weeks, and I noticed a HUGE difference! I felt the depression lifted within a day or so--seriously--and I had a bit of energy. Depression is actually one of the symptoms of my condition. My bloat went down, and I began to see definition again.

I'm a person who grew up with a taste for fruits and vegetables and no love for cookies and cakes, etc. I like wheat germ and oatmeal, and my occasional piece of bread was always some whole wheat something or other. I couldn't understand why I just suddenly "blew up" and couldn't go back down. It turns out that those things are THE WORST things that I could consume. I'd have done better to eat candy for days than to eat that stuff. It's all just a matter of what's good and not so good for YOUR body. In order to be successful, you'll need to be willing to become a student of your body, no shortcuts. For now, you might wear a cincher so you can feel good in your clothes, to motivate you. It'll be rewarding, though, to learn what you learn and know that you can do it on a permanent basis and BE HEALTHY!

I just wanted to second the sparkpeople.com. I joined, and love it. They give you recommended meal plans, and workouts tailored to you (if you want). And they have a recipe site associated with them, too. And they will send you daily recipes, too. Some good stuff. You can track your food and different intakes associated with it (like sodium), your excercise, your weight loss, and inches lost, etc...All in addition to what the other lady mentioned. They also have plans to help yourself ease into it. You can get as involved in it as you want, or just skim the surface. I think in some way it is good for everyone suiting all types of personalities. Good Luck! I'm down 17 lbs in 2 months! Woohoo!

Changing your diet is one part of the puzzle... However, you'll need to include daily exercise in your weight loss plan.

My 2 cents is that, instead of cutting out sodium, cut out all things made with high fructose corn syrup. Your body metabolizes it differently than food made with regular sugar or fructose (natural fruit sugar). And no artificial, man-made sugar either. Start reading ingredient labels... You'll be surprised at how many regular food items HFC is in.

be VERY careful about reducing sodium in your diet. it can cause you severe problems, including depression or depression-like symptoms. then you will be going to the psych for depression meds that won't work, you'll be bounced from drug to drug to drug trying to get one to work when the the problem is simply needing a little sodium in your diet.

sign up with sparkpeople.com it is free and will help you track your food and calorie input and output. They have a lot of support groups and one is right in your area. Myself and my husband use a fat conversion bar that has you burning fat 15min after you eat it. That way we are burning fat from the beginning of our workout and not 45 min into it. Another plus is that the taste like a wonderful candy bar. I also use meal replacement shake for lunch that has Crave blocker which fills your stomach up and tells your brain you are full.

I have been getting "Eating Well" magazine online and it has all kinds of recipes for everything under the sun. It was one of those things I stumbled on from watching Oprah's trainer. EatingWell.com I have tried a couple of the recipes and you can get the jest of it after a while. We all struggle with weight, here is what I suggest. You need to start to get physical. I am taking a "Zumba" class here is Seguin @ the Activity Center. It is an aerobics type dance class with great music and I love to dance, so it is working really well. It has helped me lose weight and inches and feel great. I do it 3 times a week and eat better and have really noticed a change in my body. I have only been doing it for 6 weeks or so, but I really enjoy it, have met lots of great girls (no guys in the class, so no distractions)and again feel GREAT. I think losing weight has to be gradual thing that you do with starting to change little things so that you can really keep the changes. Eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess and dinner like a pauper with lots of water in between. Natural is always better, pills, drinks, diets, don't work, not for me anyway. Good luck and by the way welcome to the Texas HEAT!! V.

I also recommend The South Beach Diet. My family has been using what we learned from it (about 2.5 years now) to eat more healthy. Be sure to get as many of the cookbooks as you can. I purchased most of mine at Half Price Books! Most of the recipes are easy and delicious, especially the Quick & Easy book. It might seem hard at first but it really works. It not only helps you lose weight it is also heart healthy. Remember, whatever you choose, it will have to be a lifestyle change. Hope this helps. God bless!

Mummy magic weight loss tea is an herbal tea formula best for weight loss and belly fat. I have used it with great success and lost 35 pounds from my skin.

You will lose weight faster and keep it off if you diet AND exercise. Plus, don't go crazy on the diet, just make smart choices and reduce your portions. Since you have older children in the house, you might have an XBox or Wii game console. I highly recommend getting Wii Fit or Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) for the Xbox/Wii. I have three boys (13, 7, 8 months) and my older two love playing DDR with me. I burn about 400-500 calories an hour playing a video game and including my kids in my exercise routine at the same time (win/win)! Also, DDR tones your legs and firms up the glutes. I love to dance but do not have the time to attend a conventional dance class. Good luck!

Hey A.,
Check out 10minutetrainer.com. It is a program from the beach body system, the makers of P90x which is a great exercise and eating program. The 10 minute trainer is condensed and only requires 10 minutes daily and has a meal system as well. I am pregnant right now but after I have this baby I am so going to try it! Best wishes:)

Okay, the best advice I can give you is to drink LOTS of water. My doctor recommended body weight divided in half = oz. of water you should drink each day. Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast. Try to incorporate protein / fiber / fruit or vegetable into each meal. I usually snack on raw veggies around mid-morning. Eat a small lunch (3 oz. protein, a green veg. and starch). Also, sweet potatoes and very good for you - my dr. recommends eating them 3x wk. I bake them in the m/w or toaster oven, add a little butter and some cinnamon. Try to eat fish at least 2x a week. (Long John Silver's has a 350 calorie lunch for $4.99 - rice, mixed veg and either salmon, tilapia or shrimp scampi --- and it's really good!) I use Mrs. Dash rather than salt. Okay, it's taken about 3-1/2 mos., but I've lost about 30 lbs. Good luck!

A little over a year ago I was in your shoes. I was so sick of being over weight. After months of watching my boss lose pound after pound, I finally joined Weight Watchers online. I don't go to meetings, I only use the online tools.

Over the past year I have lost 36 pounds and kept it off, with very little exercise. My boss lost over 50 pounds and she didn't exercise at all. So while exercise can help and is a great idea after losing weight to help maintain your weight loss and stay healthy, losing weight can be done without it!! Which is good news for someone like me who hates exercize!!

About 2 years ago I started taking a belly dance class. I lvoe it and take 2-3 classes on the weekends, other than that I don't really exercise.

Personally I'm not the type to go to meetings, but I've heard great things from people who do. Using the online tools only worked great for me. It is important to have a scale, but I would reccomend only weighing in once a week, because your weight can fluctuate during the week. It's best to weight yourself one day a week first thing in the morning.

About the recipes, Weight Watchers online has great online tools, tons of recipes and information on all kinds of food. I also get Prevention magazine which also has great tips, articles and recipes.

My dad has high blood pressure and had heart surgery this year. So I found that you can make just about any recipe low sodium with the right ingredients so just keep that in mind. Stores offer a lot of heart healthy options now too!

One thing I love about Weight Watchers is that it really forces you to make healthy food choices, but it does not limit anything you eat. I can pretty much eat anything but I need to stay within my plan. It makes eating out easy too!

Bottom line is you have to find something that will work for you, just make healthy choices with food, watch your portions, drink 6-8 glasses of water and try to get some exercise here and there!

Good luck!

Enjoy San Antonio, I was raised there, it is a beautiful city filled with Texas culture and high calorie foods. Don't diet--change how you eat. Carbs, salt and sugar--silent killers. Modify the diabetic diet and you will loose weight--throw in some walking and moderate exercise and you will love how you look without restricting yourself.
Refrain from re-salting and back off the amount you use and before long you will not be able to stand thing too salty or sweet. This works for the whole family.

God bless you and good luck.

Hello A.,

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I really hope this helps!
C.