can u give me an idea?

What works is success - yes, it's nice to say, I'm getting healthy, but when you look in the mirror and see the difference... now that's motivating! My advice-as you know, is: "Slow & easy does it." do exercises you like that you'll stick with - if you can't wait to get out & run every day - then that's what you do - some folks dance - I mean really dance! Me, I like long walks. I can't run and my husband is not a dancer, but I love to walk. Of every diet I've been on - and I've been on just about every kind! - counting calories is the one that works - and being reasonable is what works in the long run.
That's my advice - I'm interested in what others have to say!
katey♥

Definitely find exercise that you enjoy and can stick with. I love to dance rock n roll (50s style) and fortunately so does my husband so we go to class once week and go out dancing another night a week.

The other advice I would offer is to find someone who will be your absolute champion. For me it is my husband. He is a night owl and I am a morning person, but my health means so much to him that he has voluntarily started getting up with me to exercise in the mornings. Now we plan our exercise together and he gets cranky if he can't make it for some reason! As well as dancing we go walking together, cycling and swimming.

Having him as my number one cheerleader is the greatest motivation I can find when I am struggling through some of those tougher days that always come on these journeys.

Good luck!

What inspired me is to be able to run again. I missed that , to wear normal jeans and look good in a dress, and finally I new my hubby loved me I just wanted to see him checking me out again like he used to
I remember feeling so self defeated and angry that I allowed myself to get so big that I couldn't run any more without hurting myself :noway:

All the above kept me going, in the weight loss journey I just keep going and change things up till I reached my goal (had to readjust my goal too). People are different some times you need to change something to get there, and I did use an apatite suppressant in the beginning, for a few months to help with the sugar cravings.

After I got here I got more protective over what I have accomplished and made a point to never go back by experimenting with foods (how do I react to foods emotionally and physically) and exercise.
Now I work out 2 hrs/day 7 day/week. 6 days real exercise, Sunday window shopping and a nice game of tennis. I eat between 2400 and 3000 cals /day depending on how much I burn and how hungry I am (I am not forcing my self to eat and don't mind losing, just not trying to any more)

I love how I feel now energy wise and the way I look. My diary is open, so you can feel free to check it.

To answer your question, what worked for me...was looking at this as a lifestyle change, not so much as a diet. I wanted to do something that I would continue for the rest of my life.

And because of that, it became a learning process.
---At first, I was just counting the calories of what I ate, then I realized that not all calories are equal - meaning, in my quest of trying to eat foods lower in calorie, I realized I felt better because I was eating healthier foods. Slowly, I ended up cutting out the junk snacks that were my staple "go-to" snacks.
---Then I also realized that the original amount of calories MFP gave me wasn't enough, so I upped them - telling myself .5 lbs a week was going to be enough...but once I was comfortable with that calorie goal, decreasing it and/or increasing exercise to allow myself more calories.
---I also started with 15-20 minute cardio workouts on easy levels and once I got used to that, I upped them to harder workouts. I now work out about 50 minutes a day, maybe one or two rest days, depending on the week. I added in a DVD on kettlebells, which was crazy hard when I first started but now manageable.
---I've learned in this process that eating all day long - smaller meals - is much better for my metabolism. That being said, on some of my workdays, it's super hard to get a meal in, so I've learned to pack my entire day's worth of snacks - and bought a meal replacement on those super crazy days. Idealshape (chocolate) is one that keeps me full and tastes pretty good. I mix it with silk almond milk - unsweetened.
--Quinoa, spinach, cabbage salad - all things that I once thought I would never like or eat - have been amazing with the addition of some other flavors. For me specifically, adding cilantro and/or particular dressings has made me CRAVE the foods now. And obviously, not only are these foods good for me, but they are also low in calorie.

I guess the best lesson - or what helped me the most was believing it was going to be a lifestyle change - and accepting it would be a slower process in terms of what I was doing. I wasn't expecting instant results.

However, now it feels almost like it was. I started in July 2011 and I've lost 30 lbs. I'm pretty happy where I am, but now that I've achieved this weight, I'm going to attempt to lose 10-15 more lbs. - or at least mass. As I've lost the weight, I now think I should focus more on measurements, rather than weight...as the scale moves much more slowly.

Sorry this is so long. I just wanted to share what worked for me...because to be truthfully honest, I started this with a bit of skepticism, but I truly believe that MFP, commitment, and perception -seeing this as a lifestyle change and not a diet - was the reason for my success.

Good luck on your journey!

Do the work. Do the logging; If you follow the plan and do the work and the plan works.

I can say without a doubt the biggest motivation is having someone, anyone, online, in person, spouse (well not really in my case), friend, coworker, doctor, etc. tell you and make you believe that You Can Do It. This is over many years of experience. The times where I have been the most motivated are when I had gentle and caring encouragement of someone who I felt truly cared about my well being and wasn't like scolding you for being overweight or unhealthy. Encouragement is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other.

Honesty is another thing that has helped. The food logging helps you be honest with yourself and others on here. Accountability breeds discipline which is what I lacked in my prior life.

Lastly, not being guilty to love myself has helped me. There are many times when I feel like have a stark choice to do something either that is healthy or something that is comfortable. For example, I have the choice to go to the market and get a whole bunch of salad greens, come home spend time chopping and preparing a salad and then storing it (which takes time and effort and money), vs. sitting on the couch watching tv. So I just say, you should do something loving for yourself, it will be fine. Or doing my ab workout when I've just done cardio after a long day at work and I want to go home. I whisper that to myself and it helps.

Wishing you the best on your journey. )))

1) Logging on MFP!
2) Exercise - mix it up a bit and start out slow and easy. I recently started MFP and I mix things up with 10 minutes weights, 10 minutes swimming, 10 minutes running, 10 minutes biking, 20+ of walking. I usually do 3 of the 4 on 10 minutes and walk everyday.
3) I recently got a food scale! You might be surprised how much extra you eat by eyeballing portions.
4) I'm of the opinion diet pills are mythical BS. There is no magical pill.
5) Never say "I can't" and never over do it. If you are exhausted take it down a notch and give your body time to recover from shock.

Never quit. never give up.
If it's easy, it's not worth doing!