starting a long journey

Hi Tracy,

The best advice I could give is to take it one day at time, make sure your expectations regarding how fast the weight will come off are not too extreme, and always remember why you are doing this. If losing weight was easy, all of us wouldn't be here. The first few weeks will typically be the hardest with respect to cravings and hunger. If you can get past these few weeks, your body adapts and it becomes easier. It will be an uphill battle until then though. Do what you need to do to get through it. Get rid of temptations if possible in your home, make sure you have plenty of easily-prepared/quick healthy snacks/meals planned and at hand (lean cuisine/healthy choice/etc), and always have a backup just in case - as in, if something happens and you are not going to be able to eat at home, make sure you have somewhere you can eat out at that fits within your diet. Subway is a favorite of mine. It is nice to have a dining out option because it feels like a treat. Just make sure what you get doesn't go over your calorie budget. Pay attention to everything that goes in your mouth. One word of caution though - avoid restaurants the first few weeks if you feel that you are going to be strongly tempted to stray.

I like to approach each day as a new battle. I imagine temptation and hunger as being the enemy. Everyday I review the previous day and anything I did wrong, difficulties I had, and how to improve. Another thing that I do is controversial - daily weigh-ins. I find that it keeps me on track when I weigh myself immediately after waking each morning. I feel that it keeps me accountable for the previous day. Some people think it can be discouraging and that you shouldn't weigh yourself more than weekly. If you do decide to daily, just keep in mind it is totally normal for your weight to fluctuate by a few pounds. I could be completely faithful to my diet and one day just be 2lbs heavier due to water weight - this is normal and I have come to accept this. If overall you are losing, thats what matters.

Another thing to keep in mind is that everybody's different when it comes to how quickly they lose. For the first three weeks my scale showed nada. As you can imagine, this was frustrating. I got angry. I was doing everything right, why wasn't it working? I stubbornly decided that I am not gonna stop until the scale starts moving. After three weeks it (finally!) started going down slowly. This is what has always made me fail in the past, as I would think it wasn't working when in reality I just wasn't patient enough. I am on my 6th week now, and it has been slowly coming off ever since. There are times I wish it would come off faster, since I have another 50lbs to go, but after some research I realize it is better to lose slowly. For one, research shows it is easier on your body and the weight loss tends to last, and for second, it can reduce the chance of having loose skin since your skin has a chance to catch up with your shrinking figure. Another thing to keep in mind is that weight loss isn't everything. I have been fast walking/light jogging 3x/week and must have put on some muscle (which as you have probably heard weighs more than fat) since I have gone down 2 pant sizes but have only lost 9lbs total. Keep a tape measure to measure inches. Of course, you should also notice the loosening of your clothes...

You have a tough time ahead of you but keep in mind the first few weeks are the hardest of any diet. Make sure to eat in regular intervals and space out your calories throughout the day so you can control hunger better. It is hard to have willpower when hungry. That being said, you will probably experience hunger the first week or so. As long as you are eating your recommended amount of calories, this is normal. Your stomach is conditioned to overeating and will readjust accordingly. It is a painful process though. Try to drink water or diet soda to help during these pangs. Cravings, too, will be bad. These also lessen. It helps to have 'approved' treats on hand for these. I like VitaCake chocolate cake or Weight Watchers treats for times when I have a severe sweet tooth. One thing I found is that my outlook for food changed after the first few weeks. While before it was all about what sounded good or what I craved, later on in the diet it was more about what was going to be the most filling. I could eat a cup of mac and cheese and stay within my budget, satisfy my craving, but feel hungry the rest of the evening and night. Or I could eat a garden burger, salad, and some veggies for the same amount of calories, maybe not satisfy my cravings, but satisfy my hunger. In the end, the goal is to get the most for your budget.

Over time the severe hunger pangs lessen, but keep in mind that you will probably never have that "full or stuffed" feeling again. One of the hardest things to teach ourselves is to stop when your NOT HUNGRY, not when "full". You get used to the feeling of 'not hungry' although to be honest you never really feel 'satisfied'. Maybe that's because we are so used to the feeling of full... Another thing is if you are someone who feels hungrier at a certain time of the day - like you are more hungry at night - then try to portion your meals so that you eat more at that time.

Just remind yourself to get through these first few weeks and that it gets better! I write inspirational sayings on my fridge whiteboard to remind myself that this is the time I will succeed. So will you! Good luck!