I'm brand new!

[Cindy M.]

Hi Everyone....

I'm brand new both to blogging and to seriously trying to lose weight. I just recently accomplished my goal to quit smoking, and after battling that I feel like I really should be able to lose the weight. But I have no idea where to begin, are there programs that have worked for you guys?

I work at normal 9-5, I tried the gym and just can't dedicate myself to working out in front of a crowded room. My ultimate goal would be to lose 100lbs, but I know that realistically I have to start with a goal of 10.

I can see there is a lot of success out here... does anyone have a specific plan that they followed? Or something that they are doing now that has shown results? I'll do whatever I have to do, but I want to maintain the weightloss.

I'm moving to Florida in a matter of months, and with my new beggining there, I'd like to be on my way to a new body.

[Michele Dochat]

Cindy, First - WELCOME to Blog To Lose...this is a great place to network and get tips and support on your weight loss journey! And congrats on quitting your smoking habit. That's a big one and I think a lot of people will tell you it's harder than losing weight.

All of us need to find a plan that fits us...but remember to take it slow and steady. Make little changes and slowly work your way up to meeting those smaller goals and you'll start to see them add up to the bigger goals...good luck and remember, we're here!!!

[Cindy M.]

Thanks Michele for your support. I want to start by making changes one at a time so it doesnt seem overwhelming, maybe you could tell me one small thing that you did to get started, and I'll start that today, hopefully by the end of the month I will have made a habit out of it...

[Tanie]

For me, the things that work are:

1. Eating more often in smaller portions (I eat like every 3 hours and my metabolism is WAY up),
2. Moving more (doesn't mean the gym necessarily... whatever I feel like: swim, bike, walk 20 minutes, something),
3. Eating fiber in every meal (keeps me fuller, keeps my hormones in check which allow your body to be more susceptible to losing weight).
4. Not focusing so much on the numbers on the scale... yeah, it's a good indicator of how I'm doing weekly, but daily makes me too focused on numbers instead of the good decisions I am making and other health benefits I am gaining.

Good luck with finding something that will work for you! Everyone is different and so some of these things might work for you and some won't. I agree with michele. Try to find 1-2 things that you can start slowly with until you figure out what really works for you.

[Cindy M.]

Thanks Tanie. I never thought about having fiber with every mean, and also did not know the benefits of hormonal balance that came with fiber intake.

I'm a step ahead in that I don't keep a scale at home, I don't believe that it is motivational in any way, and as you said it makes you focus on the number. I am motivated by looking and feeling better. I will definitely try to move more as you said... I think I'll start taking my dog for a walk every night... or three times a week at the very least.

Thanks for your input :)

[Ana]

Yay welcome! You came to the right place. There's always support and it's a good place to vent or ask for ideas or help. I think the best plan is the one that fits your lifestyle and doesn't just address food options but also food situations. There's plans out there that just focus on diet and exercise but don't tell you how to deal with bad habits that you've accumulated over the years. I found so many good books that help you not just find out what your weaknesses are calorically but also historically. Everybody focuses on willpower but willpower is hard to keep going, the most important thing you need is strategy. A couple of good books would be Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution (I don't watch his show but his book is really good), Dr. Gallo's Thin Commandments Diet (if there's one book you have to get, it's this one. So informative and wakes you up to new perspectives and facts plus it gives you great food substitutions), The Beck Solution (mostly focuses on the emotional aspect of dieting but so helpful), Bob Greene's Best Life Diet (good info although it's weird he can't even get Oprah skinny), Women's Health Perfect Body Diet (funny, informative, plans/exercise are customizable to fit you but seems a little too strict for me but lovin the cool info), Fire Up Your Metabolism (Ok the best book for tips--it has 200!, best knowledge on how to eat, easiest plan of how to portion, great trials to show how certain diets don't work, short but sweet, It's a small book and such an easy read so I keep it as a handy guide wherever I go). I've read ALOT of diet books but these weren't focused on gimmicks, they genuinely felt helpful. All these books I found at my library, didn't pay a dime. After I read Thin Commandments, Beck and Fire Up...I HAD to have them so I got them on amazon.com for 6 bucks each. Worth every penny. You have to research and make time. There's a couple quotes I put on my mirror to push me when I feel crunched on time...
"“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.”
“Never hide behind busy work. It takes just as much energy to fail as it does to succeed.
“I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything but I can do something. And, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do what I can.”
“The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”

[Cindy M.]

Ana maybe I'm just unreasonably emotional this morning. But your post brought tears to my eyes. I really feel like everyone here genuinely cares to support me. I really need that, because telling the people in my life that I am trying to lose weight has been difficult to say the least... they aren't discouraging, or encouraging, they seem to ignore it, hoping that when I fail (because Ive never succeeded) they can just go about their day and not feel my dissapointment in myself.

I will definitely pick up a couple of these books from the library, it sounds like a good place to start. And you are so right about the food situations thing.... everywhere I turn is food food food, and it feels so top of mind every single day!!!

I started weight watchers this week, hoping to get support at the groups, and it was nice, I like how they celebrate everyones weight loss, even if it is minor! But I can't stop thinking about what I'm going to eat next, what should I have... when when when, how much, why, when when when, more more more.

I've always been a control freak, I like to have things my way, when I want them, and I somehow have this guilty mindset where I feel like I can outsmart the weight watchers system, like I am above it (I sound totally crazy right now!). I'm not exactly sure how to get this obsession out of my mind!

It seems like friends and family always want to celebrate or socialize with food, and I feel like I would be more successful if I weren't near the temptation, because I have a habit of saying, oh one cupcake wont kill me, or a handful of chips... big deal... but one handful turns into the whole bag and then I throw my hands in the air and say... I'm already fat... does it really matter?

The scale keeps going up....

This is really tough, I just wish there were alternatives to eating that I could get others involved in, but food surrounds family get togethers... and if I suggest a hike in the woods, 90% of people say no way (they arent active)... I'm rambling, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel very alone in this journey, and I wish there was someway to see food for what it is... fuel. But I don't.

I will pick up the books suggested, thank you so much for taking the time to compile the list for me, that was so nice and thoughtful of you! I will be sure that it wasn't time wasted =)

[Cindy M.]

Thanks so much Moira! I am trying weight watchers now, I signed up last Friday...and admittedly the first couple of days were rough. On Friday, I ate as per my usual routine just to check what my actual point consumption was... WHOA I was shocked!!! So knowing the difference between what I was consuming and what I am actually consuming now... I can already be sure that I will see a big difference. I'm hoping my weigh-in this upcoming Friday is going to give me good results and the motivation I need to stick with it.

[Ronda]

Welcome girl, it is so great that you quit smoking, I quit in Nov.08. Now I am heavier and have high blood pressure, hoping to lose and get off of blood pressure medicine. Glad you joined us. We can do it together.

[marie218]

Hi, I am brand new to blogging but not to loosing weight. I am glad you quit smoking because that is my next goal. I have been smoking for over 20 years and never thought that I would even be smoking that long. I have the same questions you have because for me I have been struggling for over 10 years with trying to loose weight, and sadly to say a lot of those were unhealthy practices. Because of those practices with trips to diet doctors and spendings hundreds on diet pills my wieght is now totally out of control. My first addiction was sugar (pepsi) today is my first day that I have not had one.

A suggestion that I know did work for me was cutting my calories seriously in half to help me get a jump start.

[Rachel Parker]

Hey Cindy! It looks like I'm a little late on this bandwagon, but that's because I'm new :) I think most diets work if you're disciplined enough to stick to them. I just started doing Weight Watchers, which I chose because it really puts the pressure on me to eat in a more healthful way. In the past, I've tried to eliminate foods from my diet to lose weight, and that's something that simply doesn't work for me. I can't stick to that!

Anyway, I hope you found something that's working for you! Stay healthy! Quitting smoking is a great step in that direction :)