<p>I am also a nighttime snacker. If I plan ahead and have something I am much better off. Usually a small bowl of sliced strawberries or fresh pineapple chunks and a small bit of hard cheese is really good for me.</p>
<p>I.Am.In.Big.Trouble. Just discovered something called brownie brittle. [Brownie</a> Brittle - Rich brownie taste with a crisp cookie crunch. Try our delicious chocolate, toffee and peanut butter flavors from BrownieBrittle.com - the original brownie brittle company.](<a href=“http://www.browniebrittle.com/flavors]Brownie”>http://www.browniebrittle.com/flavors) In small quantities its not terribly fattening (calorie/fatgrams are not outrageous). But… its too easy to munch on these. Sigh… Costco, you are the death of me :)</p>
<p>The “I Ate This” button on MyPlate always gets me. Accountability!
My bugaboo is late night eating. Does not help that DH does not get home before 9 pm most nights and then wants dinner. I am training him that I have to eat early, but it is not always a happy thing. I have been transitioning to the main meal at lunch time, too.</p>
<p>I am less concerned with bumps and lumps at this stage than in getting by BMI to a normal level. The cardio rehab is starting to show results, though!</p>
<p>Blueiguana–that’s awesome!! I snack when I watch tv, no matter what time of day (not that I watch tv all day - it’s just a Pavlov’s Dogs thing). So during football season (I love you honey), I knit and LOVE the TJs carribean frozen fruit bars–80 calories of fat free icy deliciousness.</p>
<p>This thread was recommended to me by a good friend who has lost a significant amount of weight with the support of you all. Can I join you? </p>
<p>I know this is not supposed to be a good reason, but my son is getting married next year. I have to look better for those pictures! It’s not the only reason I want to lose weight, as a matter of fact, it is probably reason number 152. </p>
<p>What was your first steps?</p>
<p>Living in hope,
Lg</p>
<p>I recent lost 37 pounds:</p>
<p>logged what I ate on myplate through livestrong website
walked initially 30 mins daily - now up to 45 mins/3 miles
switched my starbucks order from a grande to a tall
joined Curves
cut out pasta/ rice/ bread
limited wine initially to a glass a week
I also did the parking further from the supermarket and taking my own cart out to the car etc
ran the laundry up the stairs instead of waiting till I was going upstairs for something else</p>
<p>Glad you are joining us- this group of ladies are inspirational!</p>
<p>Welcome! I don’t post much but love the support and ideas here. I lost half of what I needed to this spring. Then vacations, etc got in the way ( jogging when it’s 106 is harder than it was in May). Joining back in to lose the other 12 lbs. Still hoping to get through the Couch to 5k program just to prove to myself that I can. I hate running. Hate it. But, I can tell that I’m stronger when I’m doing it and love the feeling of going just a bit farther each day before I’m whooped out. I like to be able to measure my progress.</p>
<p>dragonmom–
I did some running too and just couldnt’ keep it up when it got over 100. I don’t have great endurance but I like sprinting. I’ll run to get the mail or across the parking lot to the store. And they say short sprints are great exercise. (and way more fun than “jogging” for a half hour.) :)</p>
<p>I cut the grass tonight and I like being in good enough shape at my age to push the mower quickly around the yard. I know from that that I’m in better shape than I was in the spring, anyway.</p>
<p>Welcome lgilmour.</p>
<p>The most important thing I did was track my food … I don’t even do it every day now, but once I tracked my food intensely for one week, it helped me realize the fat, calories, protein, and carbs that I was eating. There are several good food trackers, but the one I use right now is Livestrong’s MyPlate. I can’t remember if you have to pay for it right away or after 30 days, but regardless I joined for 6 months so that I have access when I need to do a reset. There are many food trackers though, so find one that works for you and your habits. </p>
<p>So, above everything else, knowing what you are eating is number 1.</p>
<p>Number 2 is exercise. If you can get your heartbeat above 130 beats/minute for 20 minutes or more, you will be burning fat and not just toning muscle. My favorite exercise is to walk my dog in a hilly park… I walk quickly enough that I break a small sweat after 5-7 minutes, and that is also when my heart rate seems to go beyond 130. Any exercise is GREAT if you’ve been sedentary, but once you are moving, then kicking your heart rate up burns the calories. (If you go beyond 170 beats per minute for more than a minute or so, you are pushing yourself too hard and will eventually cause an injury.)</p>
<p>Hi lgilmour, I am going to try, too. I actually am a lifetime member of weight watchers who fell off the wagon 20 years ago with the fourth baby. My metabolism reset and I left the hospital weighing as much as when I went in. With a hectic family and work life, well it only went up from there. Now there is an empty nest and I want to be healthier so I will join you too. I am a dedicated couch potato so the exercise will be an issue. But it’s Monday, a good day to start. Putting on the shoes and socks and heading out for a walk.</p>
<p>Popping back in this thread…has anyone tried the Couch to 5K method? I’ve been wanting to try it for awhile and discovered yesterday that there is a cool app for it - downloaded it to my iTouch/iPhone - you choose your “coach” (they have a choice of 3 people) and the app leads you through each step of the program. Day one, week one, and so on. Cool because you can listen to your iTunes music and when it’s time to switch from jog to walk or vice versa, your “coach” interrupts your music and tells you to switch - they even encourage you along the way! Pretty cool!</p>
<p>I did the Couch to 5K via app and it worked great! I made it all the way through the 9 week program and felt confident that I could have run a 5K for real. Then life got in the way and I quit running (I hate running). But I plan to start again once my life gets settled this fall…back on week one.</p>
<p>Wow, that’s good to hear Ellemenope - I don’t need to be fast or run long - but I would LOVE to accomplish completing a 5K - even if I’m walking a bit!!!</p>
<p>Go Abasket! Fall’s a nice time – cross country season. Start now and do a turkey trot 5k late November. :)</p>
<p>Welcome lgilmours and singersmom. Lets all keep on track, so we can enjoy our holidays!</p>
<p>Well, one day of a walk and tracking. Tried to eat more veggies and did skip the wine. One step at a time. Need to get the walk in today after client calls since I did not get out early. How did you do lgilmours?</p>
<p>I am checking back in too. A good friend (10 years younger–much thinner!) just joined WW this past Sunday. I told her I can’t commit to that right now, but, thanks to y’all, I just signed up for livestrong’s MyPlate. I started daily walking (1-3 miles) back in January, and kept it up through early summer. Did not notice much of a difference and really felt like I needed a kick-start, so started P90X this summer. Just began week 10 and am still hanging in there. I am certainly stronger/more flexible but can’t say the weight has been dripping off (although I have no idea–I am resolute in not owning a scale). I have tried to cut back on carbs (my downfall!) but keep hearing that just tracking can help, so we’ll see how this goes.</p>
<p>Good for all of you who are trying to make positive changes. Sending you support on this bright blue, relative cool day!</p>
<p>MyLB- could it be you are not eating enough? When my oldest wanted to lose weight she started going to the gym. She is strong and worked out long and hard but was not losing any weight. The trainers at her gym had a look at her diet and said she wasn’t eating enough. She would be so busy all day and not eat and then eat late at night. They told her that her body never knew when it would get nourishment so it held on to her fat for periods when it wasn’t being fed. She changed her eating habits and schedule and lost weight. She is now in a new job in a new country and she is having the same issues again. Eating with no schedule and she has put on some weight.
For those new to this thread- Welcome. This is a safe place to share your ups and downs. Plus we keep it simple.
another rec for the LiveStrong Daily Plate site. It works if you use it. (I need to get back on there!)
I did go to the Dr on Friday. I dreaded stepping on the scale but was surprised. I am up 5 lbs over where I would like to be but just 3 lbs over where my body likes to be.</p>
<p>Okay, I did have wine tonight, but not until after I took the dog for along walk. BTW, Dog looks great … hopefully my looser pants means my thighs will firm up a bit. </p>
<p>Does the fat jiggle more before it evaporates? I seem to see a tighter mid-section as the fat magically disappears, but my legs are just starting to lose some of the fat layer. My legs are stronger, but as the fat breaks up does it seem wiggle-ly-er for a bit until the cells shrink substantially?</p>
<p>This is a wonderful thread, inspiring and full of great ideas. Two months ago I decided it was time for me to make some changes and get serious about losing weight. Reading through the first 100 or so pages here was very helpful and lead me to do some additional research. Since that time I have radically changed my diet and lost 12 pounds. Still a ways to go, but I feel great and really excited about how far I have come. The Cliff Notes version is: 1) Hardest part of weight loss is DECIDING with clear conviction that it is time to lose the weight and being willing to make the hard changes in order for it to happen. 2) Finding an eating plan that has food you like to eat, keeps you from being too hungry and actually works, you see some results when you step on the scale. 3) Having some support and the ability to talk to others who are pursuing the same goal (this thread for example). Thank you to everyone who has posted here, I’m so grateful for everything you’ve shared. Best wishes to all who are on this journey.</p>