About a year ago I was giving up hope that anything was going to work for me. I had just turned 38 and it seemed the weight just wouldn't budge like it did when I was in my 20's and early 30's. I even talked to my doctor and had thyroid tests done because I really felt like something was wrong with me. I was 5'6" and was the heaviest I had ever been at 156. I could get it back down to high 140's with major effort but nothing seemed permanent. Then I read the Eat to Live book and it was like a lightbulb went off. I decided to take the books 6 week challenge and see if it would work for me. I lost weight so quickly it was amazing and I felt great, not sluggish like you do with high protein low carb diets. I can run farther and faster and have lost most of that annoying belly fat that seems to hang on.

Since then I have adopted this program as a lifestyle not a diet. It is a little bit of an adjustment but once you start eating this way it is actually hard not to because you feel rotten when you eat food that is bad for you. I am not a vegetarian or a vegan but eat mostly that way, I do have meat occasionally. I lost 25 pounds in the first couple months and have kept it off. I only really want to lose a few more so I am tracking my calories as well now, it wasn't needed for the first 25 pounds I lost it without watching what I ate at all except to make sure and only eat the foods approved in the diet.

Anyway check it out. I have friends and family that have had great results with it too. My sister has lost 25 pounds as well. And I have a friend who lost 30 pounds in 11 weeks. It sounds like a crash diet but I promise it is anything but, probably the most healthy you will ever eat in your life.

Something else that may help the skinny arms is weight training. It will help you get toned arms and the extra muscle will help to burn that extra fat on your stomach.

Get a food scale and measuring cups and spoons and use them! I don't eat anything until it's been weighed and measured, and it makes all the difference.

Get a food scale and measuring cups and spoons and use them! I don't eat anything until it's been weighed and measured, and it makes all the difference.

Sorry- I meant if I just do healthy eating. I do usually weigh and log if I'm calorie counting.

That's your problem, then. I doesn't matter how healthy the foods you eat are if you're eating too much of them. If you want to lose, you have to take in fewer calories than you use, and the only way to do that consistently is to know exactly how many calories you're ingesting.

I'm a vegetarian already. Can you tell me a bit more about it. I've tried clean eating but just can't control my portion sizes!!!

Here is a basic summary of the plan, but you really need to read the book it will get you super motivated and only cost about $7 on amazon.

Vegetables unlimited the goal is to get at least 1 pound daily half of which can be cooked veggies. Think large salads and adding veggies to things like spaghetti and pizza.
Fruits at least but not limited to 4 a day but if you are also watching calories it's best to eat things like strawberries that don't have as many calories or carbs.
Beans or legumes at least but not limited to 1 cup a day this will be your main source of protein so don't skimp.
Whole grains: 1 serving a day (this includes things like yams, potatoes, squash and other starchy vegetables)
nuts and seeds: 1 oz a day this will be where you get most of your fat so be careful not to overdo it.
flax seed: 1 T a day

Things that are not allowed for the first 6 weeks and then in limited quantities after:
white flower or processed grains
sugar except from what you get naturally from eating fruits, no honey, agave, or other natural sugars are not allowed
oils and fats use cooking spray or water to cook your veggies not even oils that are considered healthy like olive oil are allowed
meats but you can have an occasional egg, fish or chicken especially after the first six weeks
dairy none for the first 6 weeks then only skim milk on occasion
anything else that contains high amounts of white flour, sugar and fat
fruit juice except a small amount of unsweetened juice for use in smoothies

It sounds restrictive but you will be amazed at the huge amounts of food you can eat for very little calories. A typical day for me starts with an large fruit smoothie with a couple of cups of spinach blended in. A extra large salad for lunch with beans veggie cheese and salsa for the dressing. Dinner is usually something that takes more time like a a veggie pizza on a whole wheat pita, or spaghetti with lots of steamed veggies in the sauce.

you can have a look at my food diary if you want a better idea of what I eat everyday. Ignore this last weekend as I took it off. Also keep in mind I am way past the first 6 weeks so I do have an occasional snack.

I started the power 90 workout by beach body 8 days ago, completely change my eating habits, added a multivitamin that speeds up my metabolism, fish oil and CLA. Also started with protein shakes in the morning. The past few days I have had the most difficult time waking up in the morning and I'm tired throughout the day. I workout 6 days a week, I really thought my energy level would have increased not decreased. Could the protein shakes be the cause of it? Am I overdoing it with the supplements?