Trying to lose 100 pounds in 1 year!!

I'm all ears since I want to try to do the same.

Ok ladies, I'll give you a real response instead of a rude snappy comment that's something along the lines of "don't be lazy."

This is how I did it (while traveling for business and eating out most of the time) without going insane or going hungry:

1. I found out I'm lactose intolerant and cut dairy altogether. If I wasn't lactose intolerant, I might not have, but believe me, cheese is not worth it. I don't care how much anyone loves cheese, it's really not. It's high in calories and fat, and the only thing that redeems it, nutrient wise, are calcium and probiotics. (which reminds me, take supplements for that.) I can tell you, on a subway sub for example, you don't really taste whether there is cheese or not, same in most burgers. If you believe you won't miss it, you won't.

2. I cut out sugary drinks. This included my daily calorific white chocolate mocha frappe. Let's be honest, it's full of milk and sugar and topped with whipped cream. Not good. Also energy drinks are killers, and soda. I drink sugar free redbull from time to time, I still drink a good 1-3 cups of coffee and tea daily, just add artifial sweeteners if you aren't allergic, or drink them black/unsweet if you are. One packet of sugar btw is 15 calories, which honestly won't kill you to add one packet. I don't drink anything with sugar unless it's with a meal, for example I have apple juice with breakfast. Just count that in your meal calories. If you like to eat, the less you drink your calories, the more you can eat.

3. Do NOT drastically cut back your calories. If you've been dieting your whole life, you need to eat at maintenance calorie limit (whatever your body needs to survive and not lose or gain) for a few weeks to reset your metabolism. If you've been cutting calories/doing weight watchers or the low carb thing before this, your body may have decided that it will cut as many corners as possible to survive at a low intake without losing weight (lowered body temperature, fatigue/low energy). If you've been overeating and not worrying about intake at all, don't worry about it. Instead, don't worry about eating any specific number of calories per day. This is what I highly reccomend when it comes to intake:

Eat when you are physiologically hungry, and stop when you are full. This means, eat whatever you want, but wait first for hunger. Hunger comes sooner without sugary drinks btw. If you've been very big, (like I was) you may not actually feel hungry for a while. The first day I waited for it, I went about 9 hours without hunger, then I was suprised what it felt like because I hadn't actually felt it in years due to overeating/eating constantly. It won't always take 9 hours. Depending on how much I eat, I get hungry every 2-4 hours. After a big breakfast I can last 6-8 hours even.

Once you wait for hunger, don't indulge in everything in site. Think of portion control. Here are your three cheats for portion control:
1. Find someone you know who eats small portions and have a few meals with them to emulate. Generally, a salad plate is more realistic than a dinner plate, and the plate looks fuller. I put my two fists together, thumbs facing me, and never eat more than the size of two fists in one sitting. This is actually a bit much for me now, but remember it includes the liquid.
2. Eat slowly. The hunger will go away after 2-3 bites if you really chew them and count to ten before the next bite. You will be suprised how little it takes to feel satisfied. Remember, you're eating whatever you want. Whatever you crave. Just less, and only when you're really hungry. If you eat something high in calories/fat it will just be longer before you get hungry again. Our great grandmothers didn't have calorie counters, how did they stay thin? They listened to their body, and fed it when it needed it and only then.
3. Don't eat alone. If you eat alone you can hide/lie to yourself about how much you're eating. I always, always eat with a friend who knows my goals, or with my husband. If you're the kind of person that can make a commitment and trust yourself, don't worry about this one, but me? I had to police myself. I had a food addiction and around oreos I was seriously untrustworthy, lol.

ok one more cheat: If you REALLY want desert, don't cut it. ALWAYS indulge your cravings, because if you don't, you will try to eat around the craving, potentially eating even more calories than if you just satisfied yourself to begin with. If you will die without something sweet, have a baby candy bar and SAVOR it. Slowly. Have it, but don't have an entire meal sized desert. Just a taste to get rid of the craving.

Not watching calories/limiting what you eat means you will eat 2000 one day, 1600 the next, 1800 the next, et cetera, and your body will stay guessing. It's the best/only way to avoid plateaus. If you eat a strict limit, your body will become super efficient at surviving at that low amount of calories and you will stop losing weight and just lose energy.

I would reccomend logging anyway in your first few days, to make sure that when you eat what you want, with portion control, you don't go over your maintenence levels. If you're going over maintenence, but you're watching portions, you may need to be EVEN more strict about portions. Cut everything you eat in half. Instead of a burger, have a half of a burger with a diet coke. You'll get there.

Remember that we're relearning how to feed our stomachs without depriving ourselves, by the way. If what you are feeding when you eat is not your stomach (your heart, loneliness, unhappiness, spirit) you are like i was when I started, and that has to be fixed to really lose weight and keep it off. Find something that makes you happy and fulfill you, and tell yourself what you're feeding at all times. When eating "I'm fueling myself, surviviong, enjoying it, but that's it." When you do something that you love, like reading a book think "I'm fueling my mind!" When you love on your family or friends think "I'm feeding my heart." And feel satisfaction from the right things in the right areas.

So basically my advice for dieting is not "eat like a bird and exercise until you're on the verge of passing out." It is, eat what you want and get satisfied, but don't overindulge. Challenge yourself to see how small of an amount of something delicious will satisfy you. Be happy, be as happy as possible, be SO happy and distracted by things you love that you actually forget to eat. Do something you've always wanted to do. Do not think you have to wait to be thin for happiness. Happiness comes now, being thin follows it. Don't get that in the wrong order. Find things that are fulfilling NOW. You have to be fulfilled to lose weight, you can't make losing the weight be the thing that fulfills you because you'll never get there with that state of mind. Make sense?

Happy losing ladies, and feel free to friend me if you need encouragement.

Last suggestion, I don't know if you;'re religious, I'm not what you would call religious, but if you are, I reccomend The Weigh Down Diet by Gwen Shamblin. She teaches everything I just said, but how to use God to fuel the spirit so you don't overeat. The method is good and the theory is sound. If you are religious, think about it. My step mom lost 150 lbs that way. I acknowledged the theory but substituted other fulfillment than religion to make me happy, but as you can see from my ticker, I've been quite successful.

You can and will do this.

This is some of the BEST advice I have heard in a LONG time!!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!

Ok ladies, I'll give you a real response instead of a rude snappy comment that's something along the lines of "don't be lazy."

This is how I did it (while traveling for business and eating out most of the time) without going insane or going hungry:

1. I found out I'm lactose intolerant and cut dairy altogether. If I wasn't lactose intolerant, I might not have, but believe me, cheese is not worth it. I don't care how much anyone loves cheese, it's really not. It's high in calories and fat, and the only thing that redeems it, nutrient wise, are calcium and probiotics. (which reminds me, take supplements for that.) I can tell you, on a subway sub for example, you don't really taste whether there is cheese or not, same in most burgers. If you believe you won't miss it, you won't.

2. I cut out sugary drinks. This included my daily calorific white chocolate mocha frappe. Let's be honest, it's full of milk and sugar and topped with whipped cream. Not good. Also energy drinks are killers, and soda. I drink sugar free redbull from time to time, I still drink a good 1-3 cups of coffee and tea daily, just add artifial sweeteners if you aren't allergic, or drink them black/unsweet if you are. One packet of sugar btw is 15 calories, which honestly won't kill you to add one packet. I don't drink anything with sugar unless it's with a meal, for example I have apple juice with breakfast. Just count that in your meal calories. If you like to eat, the less you drink your calories, the more you can eat.

3. Do NOT drastically cut back your calories. If you've been dieting your whole life, you need to eat at maintenance calorie limit (whatever your body needs to survive and not lose or gain) for a few weeks to reset your metabolism. If you've been cutting calories/doing weight watchers or the low carb thing before this, your body may have decided that it will cut as many corners as possible to survive at a low intake without losing weight (lowered body temperature, fatigue/low energy). If you've been overeating and not worrying about intake at all, don't worry about it. Instead, don't worry about eating any specific number of calories per day. This is what I highly reccomend when it comes to intake:

Eat when you are physiologically hungry, and stop when you are full. This means, eat whatever you want, but wait first for hunger. Hunger comes sooner without sugary drinks btw. If you've been very big, (like I was) you may not actually feel hungry for a while. The first day I waited for it, I went about 9 hours without hunger, then I was suprised what it felt like because I hadn't actually felt it in years due to overeating/eating constantly. It won't always take 9 hours. Depending on how much I eat, I get hungry every 2-4 hours. After a big breakfast I can last 6-8 hours even.

Once you wait for hunger, don't indulge in everything in site. Think of portion control. Here are your three cheats for portion control:
1. Find someone you know who eats small portions and have a few meals with them to emulate. Generally, a salad plate is more realistic than a dinner plate, and the plate looks fuller. I put my two fists together, thumbs facing me, and never eat more than the size of two fists in one sitting. This is actually a bit much for me now, but remember it includes the liquid.
2. Eat slowly. The hunger will go away after 2-3 bites if you really chew them and count to ten before the next bite. You will be suprised how little it takes to feel satisfied. Remember, you're eating whatever you want. Whatever you crave. Just less, and only when you're really hungry. If you eat something high in calories/fat it will just be longer before you get hungry again. Our great grandmothers didn't have calorie counters, how did they stay thin? They listened to their body, and fed it when it needed it and only then.
3. Don't eat alone. If you eat alone you can hide/lie to yourself about how much you're eating. I always, always eat with a friend who knows my goals, or with my husband. If you're the kind of person that can make a commitment and trust yourself, don't worry about this one, but me? I had to police myself. I had a food addiction and around oreos I was seriously untrustworthy, lol.

ok one more cheat: If you REALLY want desert, don't cut it. ALWAYS indulge your cravings, because if you don't, you will try to eat around the craving, potentially eating even more calories than if you just satisfied yourself to begin with. If you will die without something sweet, have a baby candy bar and SAVOR it. Slowly. Have it, but don't have an entire meal sized desert. Just a taste to get rid of the craving.

Not watching calories/limiting what you eat means you will eat 2000 one day, 1600 the next, 1800 the next, et cetera, and your body will stay guessing. It's the best/only way to avoid plateaus. If you eat a strict limit, your body will become super efficient at surviving at that low amount of calories and you will stop losing weight and just lose energy.

I would reccomend logging anyway in your first few days, to make sure that when you eat what you want, with portion control, you don't go over your maintenence levels. If you're going over maintenence, but you're watching portions, you may need to be EVEN more strict about portions. Cut everything you eat in half. Instead of a burger, have a half of a burger with a diet coke. You'll get there.

Remember that we're relearning how to feed our stomachs without depriving ourselves, by the way. If what you are feeding when you eat is not your stomach (your heart, loneliness, unhappiness, spirit) you are like i was when I started, and that has to be fixed to really lose weight and keep it off. Find something that makes you happy and fulfill you, and tell yourself what you're feeding at all times. When eating "I'm fueling myself, surviviong, enjoying it, but that's it." When you do something that you love, like reading a book think "I'm fueling my mind!" When you love on your family or friends think "I'm feeding my heart." And feel satisfaction from the right things in the right areas.

So basically my advice for dieting is not "eat like a bird and exercise until you're on the verge of passing out." It is, eat what you want and get satisfied, but don't overindulge. Challenge yourself to see how small of an amount of something delicious will satisfy you. Be happy, be as happy as possible, be SO happy and distracted by things you love that you actually forget to eat. Do something you've always wanted to do. Do not think you have to wait to be thin for happiness. Happiness comes now, being thin follows it. Don't get that in the wrong order. Find things that are fulfilling NOW. You have to be fulfilled to lose weight, you can't make losing the weight be the thing that fulfills you because you'll never get there with that state of mind. Make sense?

Happy losing ladies, and feel free to friend me if you need encouragement.

Last suggestion, I don't know if you;'re religious, I'm not what you would call religious, but if you are, I reccomend The Weigh Down Diet by Gwen Shamblin. She teaches everything I just said, but how to use God to fuel the spirit so you don't overeat. The method is good and the theory is sound. If you are religious, think about it. My step mom lost 150 lbs that way. I acknowledged the theory but substituted other fulfillment than religion to make me happy, but as you can see from my ticker, I've been quite successful.

You can and will do this.