Find starting to lose weight and exercise a minefield!!

retrochick65

I am new to this great site. I have over 120lbs to lose and have just joined a gym. Now I need to get my diet under control - I eat big portions of healthy food and snack a lot.

Tried Rosemary Connelly and WW but find that they are very restrictive and cost too much. I have lost weight in the past using the Greek Doctor Diet - but when winter kicks in I lose motivation to diet or Excercise.

Tempted to give up when you find the way you are approaching isnt the right way and a new school of thought says something different. One minute carbs are our best frind next you have to eat lots of protein.

My other fear is being left with saggy skin - how can i make sure this doesnt happen?

Dieting for me would be boring if I have to to stick to a very basic plan excluding lots of food groups as I know I will be losing weight for up to 2 years.

Does anyone have first hand experience of losing this much weight - your help, advice and experiences would be a great help starting me off - thank you.

Kristiehaines

Retro,


I started at 308lbs (5'8) and lost a hundred pounds. I'm working on another sixty pounds right now. As far as loose, saggy skin, that hasn't been a problem, really. Sure, you'll have a little, but if you include strength training (weights, etc.) into your workouts, it shouldn't be the nightmare I foresaw when I began this journey. Regardless, a little loose skin is far better than the alternative.

melcowenfitness

Good morning Retro,

I totally agree with you 100% -any time I have "dieted" and had to restrict myself from one thing or another, I always failed. I actually found success in slowly transitioning the way I eat to a healthier way. Here's the link to the article I used to do that: http://www.melcowenfitness.com/8-week-nutrition-transition

What that article suggests is what seems sensible - moderation; and definitely not eating low carb or low fat or high protein - truth is you need some of all of those nutrients to be successful. The trick is finding the balance between the 3 that works best for you.

Hope that helps!

Mel

msdizliz

Good morning Retro.

I am doing the 17 day diet, it has four cycles that you follow. There is a support group for it on facebook with a lot of lovely ladies who give advice and support to one another. Ms Simmie whom l believe started the page is awesome, any questions she can answere and if not there are all the other ladies and everyone shares recipes. I have tried all of the fad diets out there and it was always confusing and this is what is working for me. And l don't have to go out and buy any fancy of the wall type of food that l would not normally be buying. Pretty simple really! Always remember this if you slip up once in awhile and eat something sinful its okay, just jump back in there and eventually you will get were you want to be with your weight. Good Luck and God Bless

marianne_s

Hi,

I started my weight loss journey over a year ago with Rosemary Conley.... and as with most diet plans, one size does not fit all

Who says you've got to exclude any foods...? It's all about having the not-so-good food only in small amounts.
When I started with Rosemary Conley, I lost 9 lbs in the first 2 weeks and 14 pounds after 4 weeks - and guess what, I ate a small chicken kebab with pitta bread and salad once a week during that time.

I stuck with Rosemary Conley for 3 months, and what I found useful is that it helped curb my poor eating and portion control.

The best thing to do at our age for saggy skin, is to lose weight slowly and include resistance/weight training in your exercise schedule.

My advice regarding meals, is to always base your meal around protein, because it keeps you fuller for longer, you're less likely to snack in between meals and it minimises any sugar/carb cravings.

Protein should make up to 30-40% of your meal... if you can't manage that in a meal, then base any snack you have arpound protein.



HTH

ldmendes

I have about 60lbs to lose..for me if I think about 60lbs, I can get discouraged, how about 5lbs at a time? Another for me is to just be able to fit a towel around me..or being able to tie my shoes without grunting when I bend over..walking up the stairs without being breathless and of course that feeling when the clothes that I'm wearing are slightly looser. Any of that would be satifying and motivating!

Helenatrandom

Hey Retro,

We are in the same boat! I'm not restricting anything, though I have increased foods high in calcium and potassium since I found out on this site that I was far below norm. I also try to make sure that I DEFINITELY get the amount of protein recommended, and am willing to sacrifice carbs a bit, but not REALLY restrict it. I don't know yet how it will work out. I hope for the best for both of us!

retrochick65

Thank you for all the tips and encouragement - I will take on board your comments and let you know how I get on