Starting a long journey

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Hello my name is Sarah and I'm from Vermont. I am a mom of two adult children and have been with my husband for 28 years. Now that my children are grown and no longer home, it's time for me again. I know I should have always put myself in there somewhere but I always put my daughters first. I have about 130 lbs to lose to reach goal, 150 lbs would be my ultimate goal. I've started and stopped, had success and failed and now am just so confused as to what will work best. I know I don't want to be on a fad diet for the rest of my life. I want to know if folks have had success in living with an atkins type of diet plan or eating a 1200 calorie diet plan that allows more variety.

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  • hendricd1
    hendricd1 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi Sarah! All the best in your journey! I say eat a variety, don't underestimate your need for protein, keep tabs on your sugar and move your body as much as possible! Don't be too hard on yourself. Forgive yourself when you have a setback, and just keep getting back on track!

    After dinner last night I stupidly went to Baskin Robbins. Apparently it was two for Tuesday, so instead of one scoop of snickers ice cream, I got to get two. Being ever so self controlled, I had them put it in two containers and I was going to freeze one for another day. But, after eating the first, I went ahead and ate the second scoop. It put me over the limit in every category, and this morning I'm kind of mad at myself, but I'll move past it and try not to make that mistake again anytime soon ;)

    This was all after leaving the gym after an awesome workout too! Ugh.

    What I realized when using the my fitness pal app, is that I was consuming sugar I didn't even realize I was eating! There's sugar hidden in so many things. It causes inflammation and pain in the body, and I feel so much better without it.

    Good luck to you!

    Deb
  • JennyJenJenR
    JennyJenJenR Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi Sarah! I too am facing that empty nest.....two boys are out the door. I have also been married 28 years and am ready for some me time.

    I started losing a large amount of weight back in 2009. I was tired of feeling bad and decided that feeling deprived of the foods I was addicted to was a small price to pay for feeling better. My back ached all the time and I had some numb feeling in my foot, which was from the sciatic nerve that was throbbing constantly. I felt like I was 70 years old and I was only 43. I went to physical therapy , but I knew the only way to stop this was to get my act together!

    First, I knew sugar was the problem...the more you eat, the more your addicted. As painful as I thought that would be, I knew I had to give it up. I bought a book years before called, Eat to Live. I would suggest you read it. This book changed my life. It is a raw way of eating, but you can definitely add some meats with it. You will feel amazing, unlike anything you have felt in a long time. The weight will fall off, but you won't feel hungry at all.

    I have gotten back into the sugar addiction over the past two years and I have gained 15-20 lbs. I started the the raw diet again and it is amazing how bad you can feel one day and start this and feel great! I am doing it and I know you can too. Accept yourself for who you are now, and life will only get better from here on out. Do some kind of exercise everyday and you will be on your way.
    Sorry this is so long, but I have been where you are, so I know how you feel. Best of luck
  • lancelyell
    lancelyell Posts: 60 Member
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    Hey Sarah. You've got this! Feel free to send me a friend request. I'm a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Weight Loss specialist. I started tracking again to really lock things in so feel free to take a look at my food diary. The important thing is figuring out the proper caloric deficit for you to lose weight without destroying your metabolism. It's also VERY important to pick a nutrition plan that you can make a lifestyle. Always happy to help and good luck!

    Lance
    http://lance.tdnation.com