Need a Kick Start..............

I too am losing weight slower this time around but I am not going to give up!

I am back into Weight Watchers and find that it really has helped me to lose weight. I can eat whatever I want but just have to count my points... there is also another plan but not one that I am very familiar with. The support there is great and everyone is in the same boat!

I am accountable for all the choices I make and what I eat. I am the one who will decide if this is going to be a week that I lose weight or not... Since I am paying I choose to lose!

I have always eaten healthy.... just not enough on most days so I have had to start to eat more meals and more fat and calories to boost my metabolism.... I swear I had none! lol I now have a lot more energy and even feel rested after sleeping at night and this is only 8 pounds later!

I have tried the pills and all the diets- except for the South Beach one (not sure how that one works) but shortly after losing it I have gained it back :( With Weight Watchers I am finding it is super easy and as long as you stick with it you will find that you lose weight. I have noticed at the meetings if someone has stopped losing they give advice on how to boost the metabolism again and the next week they come in with a decent weight loss! The best thing is- It is cheaper than pills, it is safe and there is no side effects other than pleasant ones like your pants getting too big or your toes not looking like sausages! lol

I wish you lots of luck in becoming a loser- weight loser that is!!! If you have any questions regarding WW just drop me a message and I will be happy to share more with you! Many blessings to you!

I'm responding after you added the edit.

Quite simply, weight management is all about balancing energy consumption and energy expenditure. What goes in your mouth as calories needs to be lesser than what goes out of your body as calories burned through activity.

Log what you eat. www.sparkpeople.com is a website where you can easily track how many calories per day. When you know what you're putting in your mouth, you realize why you are not losing weight.

Exercise each day. Even if it is two fifteen-minute walks, you are doing a great thing for your body. Not only will the exercise burn off extra calories, you will also be benefitting your heart, blood vessels, and lowering stress levels.

Understand that diet products are garbage. Seriously, if they worked long-term why would we need fifty billion different products or 'new and improved' versions of old products?

You mention that you've tried nearly every product or diet only to experience success followed by failure. I think you know in your heart what the answer is - commitment to a lifelong habit of proper nutrition and daily exercise.

If you can afford a few sessions with a personal trainer that can be a great kick-start and will give you some new exercise ideas to work on on your own. I have been working out on my own for years and pretty fit but started seeing a trainer a few months ago and it made a huge difference. Good luck.

I had an issue with losing weight so I talked to my chiropractor who get a source of stress test to let me know what part of my body wasn't functioning. Also he told me what types of food my body can and can't digest, so he put on some digestive enymes and the right food that my body can digest and I have slowly started to lose weight. My problem is time to work out! :-( So once I step that up then it should start dropping off. This is all done without medicine. I am a fan of anything alterative!

C.,

I have to admit, I am not the epitome of health when it comes to losing weight. I frequently use caffeine to curb my appetite.

I recently read an article, and I cannot recall where it was... maybe webmd? or msn?.

It explains why our bodies store food as fat and not putting it to use for energy. this has helped me understand that if I don't eat for long stretches my body goes into a mode where, when i do eat, it stores that food as fat so that if there is another period where i am starving myself it has something to use for energy.

The key is to eat small meals, frequently. And obviously make good food choices and understand what a serving actually is. We as americans are so confused about portions. i did a quick google search and found this chart http://whatscookingamerica.net/NutritionalChart.htm

I am not obsessive about portions though... i just try to understand what i'm eating.

I know that sometime a serving isn't enough and since we've stretched our stomach out so much it still feels hungry. i've seen on TV, some kind of fiber bar that you eat like 30 minutes before a meal with a big glass of water, and eseentially it works by swelling up and taking up most of the room in the stomach, then when you eat, it takes much less food to feel full. they say it works the same way as a lap band would, without the surgery. i dont know if that's a healthy thing...

I have about 10 lbs i would like to lose, but more so i want to firm up what i've got, so my trouble isn't necessarily the weight, i just can't find the time to exercise the way i need to with a 16 mo. and 3 month old at home.

so while i don't really have effective tips, good luck to you on your goal of weight loss and keep up the positive mindset. don't focus so much on your size either... your body changes after kids. before kids i was a size 5, now i couldnt put my skeleton into a size 5, it simply would't fit! :) my hips are wider, even my rib cage changed!

Ciao!

J.

C.~

I completely understand! I have an eliptical in my basement that keeps staring at me! I am suppossed to manage a pool this summer but I can't bring myself to kick my butt to get back into shape after this past pregnancy. I need a friend or someone local to motivate me to get to the gym etc. but none of my friends are interested in going. If your near Geneva maybe we can go walking or something?

I took Merdia for 4 months at $110 a month out of my pocket and all I lost was 5 pds. I could of put some money down on Lipo with that cash. I workout 4-5 times a week for an hr and I am super healthy - low carbs/sugar all of that. After 7 months of uping my workouts to a full hr and getting my heartrate up over 145 - still not a pd was shed. Then I read about a pill on Web MD called 7-DFBX. It is only $35 and I lost 5 pds in 10 days. I am stuck now - but at least I lost something. I do belive in being healthy - but that is not working for me. I will continue to be healthy - but if a supplemnet here or there helps - why not. If you want to I heard of another precription diet pill thru my hairdresser in geneva. She lost 25 pds in a month. I guess her sister , mom and Aunt were success stories with this pill. I am waiting for her call to give me the Docs name. All I know is that he is out of Aurora - and insurance will cover most of it. She said it cost her $40 month for the pill. I am going to try it and see what happens. I will let you know if you would like the info.

I think weight watchers is a good plan. My sister in laws all love it because since they pay for it they feel they have to get their monies worth:)A nutritionist or a dietitian is also a great idea and would prob be covered under your insurance. Also have you thought about an anti-depressant? I went on wellbutrin to quit smoking and I can not tell you how many other areas of my life it helped. I am not a depressed person but did not realize how depressed I was till I went on it,,,if that makes sense:)I know how overwhelming things can feel esp with a little one to look after. It really helped with that feeling of I'll get to it tomorrow why bother starting today. I have heard some people gain weight with certain ones but your dr would know. But if it is enough to help you get started and get going those few lbs will come off with the rest.

C.
You say you have always fought with your weight. That tells me you have family or childhood beliefs that may be sabotaging your efforts. Consider consulting with a certified hypnotist. You will learn to change your habits & manage stress levels to put an end to emotional eating.
Wishing you wellness.

I lost 35 lbs. last year for my sisters wedding and I curbed my appetite by taking phentermine and getting B-12 shots monthly. I only took it for 3 months, and I was hard core about it. I got the prescription from a doctor who doesn't have the best bed side manner, but sometimes you need that to kick yourself into gear. Her name is Dr. Mini Thakkar out of Barrington. It is a little pricey, but works as long as you are dieting and exercising. If you aren't dieting and exercising, then you won't loose anything because it does not help you loose at all by doing anything to your metabolism. It just tells your brain that you are not very hungry. It allowed me the time to reevaluate my life and eating habits and has allowed me to truly understand how food and exercise affect things. You need to change your lifestyle or you will just gain it back once you are off of the medication. I needed the help as I was dieting with no luck before that.

C., weight watchers is a very good program(my mil uses it). I just wanted to let you know about Arbonne-they have a figure 8 weight loss system that provides great/realistic results(you still have to watch what you eat and exercise-the pounds just dont fall off. It is not a scheme to quick weight loss). They also have a new line of detox stuff to clean out your system. These are all natural products. I am a consultant and would be happy to give you more info or talk about their plans with you. I am also offering a 20% discount on my new customers first orders. Thanks and good luck!

What about asking your dr. for a prescription for several visits to meet with a registered dietician? The dietician would be able to help you set up a meal plan where you could meet your needs/goals and not be hungry. If you are eating the right things/combinations at the right times, etc. then you should not be feeling hungry. I just hate to see you take medication if you don't need to.

Hi C.--I can relate to being overweight from childhood on. I was always heavy, and by the time I was in 7th grade I was busting out of size 18's going in to 20's. Well, there were no clothes except grandma clothes and I finally did lose enough to be size 14-16, but it was always a battle.
When I had my first son I gained 65 pounds and was over 200# after I delivered and I guess because I was so careful about only giving him healthy food that I finally realized that was what I needed to do, too--although still struggled.
It was several years later that a freind who had MS asked me to come to a health presentation and I learned so-o-o much about how to make healthier choices for myself and my family. Turns out that I was telling everyone I knew about what I learned I actually decided to start the business.

We have a weight loss program that is all about keeping/restoring your health. This plan helps you keep the muscle, burn fat, and lose inches and pounds--100% money back guaranteed. Proven to lose 40% more weight from fat that with other diets and diet programs. The products are part of your grocery bill, so it works for your budget too.

Take a peek at www.cinchplan.com/naturesresources , it will give an overview and answer some commonly asked questions. I would love to help in any way I can, so let me know if you would like to talk--I could show the full program and answer any questions--whatever, just let me know:)~J. ###-###-####

I am a firm believe in WW. You can eat whatever you want as long as you county points if you follow the flex plan. With the core plan, you eat certain foods that are on the core list. You can eat as much as you want of those foods. That is where you determine your fullness factor. Anything that isn't a core food, you count the points for.

WW isn't a diet! It is a system that helps you learn how to eat better, learning portion control and those things that cause you to overeat.

I joined WW in October 2005. I became a lifetime member in July or August of 2006 after losing 60+ pounds. I got pregnant with my second daughter in September of 2006. My daughter is now 10 months old and I am already back to pre-baby weight. I've been that way since she was about 4 or 5 months old. WW was the best thing for me. If you have any questions about it, don't hesitate to email me at ____@____.com.

C.:
Most of us have had or need to deal with weight issues, whether it be 5-10 pounds or much more. You are not alone. If you were, why would there be so many programs and products targeted just at losing weight? You've made the hardest and most important step - deciding that you do need to do something. Now, the next step is follow through. You can't lose weight just thinking about it so you do have to do some work here - just like the rest of us. But, take small steps at a time. If it's hard to add points and you don't want to buy "the food", then find a nutrition class. It sounds like you need a partner/s to help get you going or motivate you. Most of us do!

I understand about not having time to get a workout in. I have 3 kids and work a f-t job, but that shouldn't be any excuse for me not to eat healthy and take care of my health. On the contrary, more reason to take care of my health because I am very much needed and so are you!

Anyway, I am not about plugging numbers or having to do 5 workouts a week, but I am into eating healthy and using healthy products that DON'T mess up your metabolism. I use a product line that is pure and safe and I have slowly lost weight - 10 pounds so far!! To find out more about this line go to www.gofigure8.com and you can read about the products that truly help with curbing your appetite -from Fizzy drinks to even great tasting chews (they taste like candy!). Detoxing your body is also essential and just getting out to walk now that the weather is getting better.

We are all at different levels when it comes to exercise and believe me, I purchased those DVD's and steps and they are just sitting there because I don't have the time - truly. I needed something to help me get my metabolism speeded up to burn the calories even when I am sitting at my desk.

If you would like to learn more about this program or just about living healthier, let me know. I'd love to help anyone out. I'm not perfect, but I am healthier! Here's to your success as well.

K.

South Beach Diet. 4 years ago I was a size 18 and I went to a size 4 in one year. Now I am a size 6. I am hypothyroid and as long as that is in check, you will be fine. South Beach Diet is the way to go! Good Luck!

C., i also struggle with my weight. I have been writing down everything I eat since mid-january. I try to ballpark the amount of calories and stay between 1400 and 1600 per day. I still have snacks etc, but really try to focus on more healthy foods. the other thing, you could check out the special on the TLC network, "I can make you thin". If you don't have cable, the info is on the TLC website. there are some good pointers there!