New, need to lose 160, and need friends!

BettJo64 wrote: »

Even though I have lost 120lbs so far, I still have a goal of losing 100 more! So I'm in the same boat with y'all. I can say back when I started here at 369lbs, I didn't even think about exercise for a while. I needed to get myself in check with my food first. So first I made changes from grabbing unhealthy snack food and stopping for that fast food. It was hard, but after a few weeks of staying committed...it began to be a routine for me. I told myself if I don't cook it myself at home or if I'm not able to eat it raw, then I'm not buying it or eating it. This keeps you accountable for ingredients used in your meals. You must log every single food, seasoning, spice, gravy, condiment, and drink that enters your mouth. Therefore, you will do better cooking for yourself because you're able to weigh or measure and know exactly what you're putting into each dish. It's out of your hands when a restaurant or someone else is cooking. You buy foods that you have no idea what's in it or the measurements. Make a commitment to eat at home as much as possible. As the first few months passed for me and I began to lose with these changes, I decided to eliminate certain foods from my menu life. I chose to drop caffeine first due to my acid reflux. I turned to decaf coffee and teas. I dropped all sodas or pops, regular or diet even. No soda anymore. I turned to water more and more, and sometimes with the added bit of Crystal Light when I wanted flavor. I dropped pasta, rice, and potatoes in all forms. I found many cauliflower recipes that mimicked these 3 foods, so I've never looked back! I also found that zucchini noodles is a perfect substitute for pasta in spaghetti mmmmm Just buy yourself a veggie spiralizer and continue to enjoy your pasta meals using zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash also. I then lowered and eventually dropped white sugar and flours from my life. I instead use Stevia and Equal as my sweeteners. There are many good substitutions out there for flour in recipes. For instance, when breading meats or veggies for frying or baking...I crush plain pork rinds to a fine dust and use the same process of breading as if it were flour. Works great! If you have a recipe that will tolerate or taste better with the flavored pork rinds, then go for it. I never turned to yogurts like so many do because I found it to have too many carbs for my daily goals to be met. Instead I found a love for cottage cheese. I will add 1 tbsp light whip cream (I favor Walmart's Great Value light whipped topping) and a snack cup or 2 even of the Sugar Free jellos. You can change up your flavors and even add a nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans. I like to put my nuts in my food processor to crush to dust. I'll pour this into a freezer bag and use it over time to sprinkle across the top of my cottage cheese parfaits. Wow, didn't realize I'd written so much lol Warning, I could go on and on lol Anyways, you can do so much and actually begin to lose lots right from the start simply by concentrating on your food habits. If your body (knees, ankles, hips, back) feels too fragile to exercise right from the start, you will in no time reach a weight that feels like a good starting point for some walking or recumbent biking. Any movement is good movement by this time. Don't be afraid to play with your journey. Continue to tweak it as you go along. Good luck to everyone and friend me if you like