Oodles of questions.....

Welcome!!!!

1. I use to weigh myself MUTILPLE times a day but eventually found it to be emotionally draining. With the support of some MFP friends we all gave up the scale together for almost 2 months! It was the best thing I could've done. I'd do what feels comfortable now, some people benifit from daily weighing. Just remember your weight will go up and down A LOT - water weight and your period will effect it heavily... pun intended. :P

2. I LOVE the website Skinnytaste.com - they have great main entrees and side dishes. Stick with veggies if you can - or if you choose to do something higher cal/fat go easy on the portion.

3. I personally don't believe in "free" or "cheat" days. But everyone is different. If it was me one free day would turn into a free weekend and then a free week and before you know it I'd be off the wagon as fast as I got on. Try to ease into this website and the "diet" make small changes that you can commit too for the long haul.

You'll do great - believe in yourself and I LOVE that you've set small goals for yourself. You can do it!!!!

I don't weigh myself every day, beause it can be very upsetting to see the scale going up and down so much. One a week at the same time as the week before (before breakfast etc) will give you a great idea of how you are doing.

Side dishes....I'm not a big help there, We always have a veggie, and then we usually have either a small portion of pasta, or potatoes, buns etc to go with it.

As for cheat days....sure do. Some days its just un-avoidalbe, espeially with 3 kids, but I do try and make sure I work some of whatever it is I over-ate on that day so that I end up maintaining, not gaining.

The best advice I can give you is to take it easy. If you have a bad day brush yourself off and start over the next day, go day by day. Its very hard to go from eating whatever you wanted to suddenly being very restricted. Remember this is a lifestyle change, and it won't happen overnight.

1. Yes, i weigh myself everyday. I wish i wouldn't but it helps me stay on track. But only in the mornings. Multiple times a day would drive me crazy. lol

2. If I am low on calories and I want a side dish i toast 2 slices of whole grain bread and a little bit of hummus or leave it plain. It will really fill you up. and the crunch texture triggers a hormone to tell your body your full.

3. I don't have a free "day". I have 1 meal, once a week, that i go a little over board with.

I hope I helped.

Good luck! You can do it!

Remember this..............you can't lose 100 lbs. Never, won't happen........................BUT..........you CAN lose ONE lb. That is doeable for anybody, jusy lose one. (Then, what you did to lose that pound?........do it again)....................and then again. We can't lose a hundred lbs, but we can lose one. Then repeat that same accomplishment a hundred times.

1. I do weigh every morning, but only log my "official" weigh-in that I do Sunday morning.

2. I cook for a family of 4, which includes 2 teen-agers, so I do need side dishes, etc. Along with whatever protein I fix, I try to have one veggie and one fruit with dinner or 2 veggies. I often prepare a side of whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or mashed potatoes. Sometimes I don't eat the side, depending on my how many calories I have left. I have found that I get plenty full and satisfied with just eating protein and veggies. If I have enough calories left to eat the side dish, but I want to enjoy a treat later on in the evening (like a Skinny Cow) then I'll skp the side. Which leads me to the next quesion:

3. I don't have "cheat" days per say, I just plan accordingly to fit in treats and meals out. If I have a craving for ice-cream or chocolate then I plan for it by either excersising or just eating less so I can still fit it into my alloted calories without going over. I know that I will just set myself up for failure if I tell myself certain foods are "off limits". This has worked very well for me. I've been doing mfp for over 100 days and have found that as more time passes, I have less and less cravings for junk food. It's an excellent idea to take baby steps! Good luck on your journey. It's well worth it!

I too have just started my journey, it's been a week. And I am also on the 100+ band wagon. It is stressful and overwhelming, and being a full-time anything can make it much harder. I've found that dieting is a cinch. The greatest thing about this website is most foods from the grocery store to a restaurant is listed and will really open your eyes to what you really eat! My calorie goal is set at 1550 a day, and I thought that number impossible... but believe it or not I'm having a hard time REACHING that number rather than going over! If you eat too less your body will go into starvation mode and store the fat calories, so for one reach your calorie go as much as possible. Snacks I eat are fruits, and healthy granola bars and such -- I especially like the Special K brand, and also cheese... Cheese sticks are my savior haha. Also peanuts, don't go over the serving size, though. If you get prepacked peanuts, that helps the serving size issue... and it's a good snack throughout the day. Once you really start you will see your weight drop on the scale, this is water weight... It will go fast, and then the hard part comes in when real fat is trying to be lost. I'm the worst at exercising, I'm a full time employee, full time student and full time wife, and finding the time to exercise is the hardest part for me. As long as you dedicate at least 30 minutes a day... You will be great.

Another thing that has really stressed me out in the past is the quickness of the weight loss, or lack there of. I am one of those types of people that wants results NOW. Well it's not going to happen now... I've accepted the fact that it will take me a year or more to lose 130 lbs.. that's a lot of weight. Remember -- it didn't take 6 months to gain all the weight, so why will it take that little time to lose it?

It's a life style change, forever, so make a plan you can live with the rest of your life. Good Luck!!! Our Life Starts NOW!

-Sarah

1. Do you weigh yourself everyday? My doctor told me not to, but I can't help it..LOL

Once per week on the same day, same time of day

2. Can someone recommend some low calorie side dishes. There are very few veggies I like and I also have 3 kids who are picky eaters. It's hard finding side dishes my husband and I can eat without blowing our day and also making sure the kids like it too.

hungrygirl.com
skinnytaste.com
Cooking low cal is surprisigly easy and tastey

3. Do you have a "free" day? Like a day where you kind of let yourself go and have fun a little? With 3 kids, weekends are hard to keep on track. I was going to let Saturdays be a free day for me where I won't beat myself up or worry too much about it.

Did it once, was miserable, hated myself, did not do it again. If you feel it is necessary, have a "cheat" meal instead of a day.

This is really very simple. Start only with keeping yurself within your calorie range. Don't worry about all the other stuff you can track until you feel you've got that under your belt.

You also need to consider this as being a lifestyle change; not a diet. Diets can be easily stopped and then you pile all the weight back on. View this as changing your life (and your family's) for the better. Good luck! Aewsome site!

I just started my diet on Sunday....I have a couple of questions.

1. Do you weigh yourself everyday? My doctor told me not to, but I can't help it..LOL

2. Can someone recommend some low calorie side dishes. There are very few veggies I like and I also have 3 kids who are picky eaters. It's hard finding side dishes my husband and I can eat without blowing our day and also making sure the kids like it too.

3. Do you have a "free" day? Like a day where you kind of let yourself go and have fun a little? With 3 kids, weekends are hard to keep on track. I was going to let Saturdays be a free day for me where I won't beat myself up or worry too much about it.

I have 100+ pounds to lose, but I'm taking it 10 at a time. I suffer from depression and anxiety and I tend to get overwhelmed easily so i have to take it little by little. If I look at it as the full 100, I get too overwhelmed and give up.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any answers/advice/suggestions!

1. If you obsess over the numbers on the scale probably not good to weigh daily. I do weigh every day or almost every day, but I don't obsess if I'm up a little bit or it stays the same for a while.

2. Most of my side dishes are veggies, usually sauteed mushrooms & spinnach, but sometimes I do baked fries. Just cut a potato up like you would for fries and spray with a little cooking spray and sprinkle with seasoning (I like Mrs. Dash sodium free) and bake.

3. I never do a 'free' day, I tend to just eat everything in moderation, if I want something I have it (as long as I can fit it into my calorie goals for the day) I just have smaller portions and don't eat the 'bad' things as often.

I started out with 100lbs to lose and have lost 36 in 70 days since I started logging in regularly! Good luck on your journey and feel free to add me as a friend if you would like

I weigh myself every day, but it has to be at the same time each morning. If I forget, I don't do it after the shower or getting dressed. I feel that the more often I do it, the less effect it has on me. I only record the weight on MFP once a week.

My kids and husband are picky and not hugely into veggies, so I make a starch for them and usually eat everything else I've cooked except the starch. The veggie-liking thing may come to you over time. In my experience, I have been hungry and resentful that I'm the only one that has to worry about what she eats, but that feeling is lessening as I feel better physically.

I tried a cheat day but I'm just too big of a cheater to make it work. On Thursdays I eat with friends and it's always a feast. I log it as best I can and try not to eat anything else for the day, maybe just an orange and ice water while everyone else eats dinner.

Good luck!