New and need help and motivation!

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I need HELP!! I am in a different boat than a lot of the success stories I read- I don't have a lot of weight to lose- I would be happy losing 17lbs, but I struggle, sugar is my enemy (cookies, my Starbucks coffee, etc). I am 5'3 currently 142 lbs would love to hit 125lbs. I was always skinny through high school and even college, then I got married, had a baby, same ol' same ol'. I am busy with a career, finishing grad school and being a mommy and a wife and now trying to squeeze in a healty life as well.

Any tips,advice, support to get me started? A good website for healthy receipes? How can I cut out my sweet tooth? I hear a lot about 30 day shred with Jillian- thoughts?

Thank you!!

Replies

  • Blessed1963
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    Hi this is my 100th time trying to lose weight and need that motivation just to get going. I need to lose about 100lbs and I know it will not be easy, but I have the drive and determination to do this.
  • cazzy147
    cazzy147 Posts: 47
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    For me, all the lovely yummy foods like chocolate, and things id eat all day everyday if i could, i have made as a treat.
    Ill save things for days when im under my calorie goal or on a day off =]
    There are quite a few good recipes on the recipe section.
    Ive been doing the 30DS for a while now, ive stuck to level 1 because even though i dont find it hard anymore, its still a challenge and i enjoy doing it. its worked really well for me and seems to for most others too, plus level 1 is free on youtube and the DVD is like £5 on amazon =D
  • Casadekim
    Casadekim Posts: 1
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    I'm at it again. I joined 3 months ago and then did nothing. I have now committed myself yet once again to losing the much needed weight I need to. At 50 years old I cannot be 165 lbs and that is with doing a triathalon the first weekend in May and working out with a trainer. My downfall is my nutrition. I love to eat and need help with moderation. I know what to do, I just have a hard time doing it. My committment is to consistently log everything and make time to connect with others on this site. Thank you.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
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    I would budget yourself a sweet treat once per day or per every few days. In my experience, if I feel deprived then when a weak moment comes it is very damaging. Also, see if you can pare down the amount of sugar by getting a "skinny latte" or having a small piece of dark chocolate, like a "Dove" candy. Berries, such as raspberries and strawberries, with a little dollop of real whipped cream, can also give you a little bit of sweet without totally derailing you.

    If you exercise, you can eat more!! I have 30 day shred, but for me, it's not a long enough workout to get a strong sustained calorie burn. Just my opinion, it seems a lot of people on here love it. Jillian does kick butt on it, that is for sure!

    I also plan in big rewards, the old "grandma's principle"--if (goal) then (reward).

    As for recipes, I don't have much for suggestions. I like to use whole foods and simply prepare them--grilled chicken breast and plain greek yogurt mixed with fruit are two staples for me. Lots of protein, little fat, and loads of flavor!
  • Animalmad1311
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    I am also finding this weight loss difficult, find it almost impossible to work out, find it very boring and tedious, can't afford the gym, and get no helpful motivation from anyone at home. Have just looked at the 30DS and think I will give that a go, see if it helps. I started this weight loss about 12 years ago and am no the heaviest I have been! No will power and too many temptations, but I am feeling really low about myself, so here I go again.
  • 6hourwalks
    6hourwalks Posts: 44 Member
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    Hey, check out my profile. If you want encouragement, support, and advice, feel free to add me :)
  • Casey45
    Casey45 Posts: 160 Member
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    For motivation I recommend watching the HBO documentary "The Weight of the Nation". Discovered it through another forum post. Search the title on the message board website and you'll find a good discussion. Even without HBO and from outside the US you can watch it online. (don't know about countries other than Canada where I am). Watching it has been an affirmation of all I've been learning since starting my new life 9.5 months ago and a great way for my family to catch up and hopefully make the decision to care for themselves better too.

    Knowledge is power... which can be a huge motivator.

    Also, I recommend you read "The Cure for Everything" by Timothy Caulfield. It was publishe here in Canada around about January, and just published in USA a few weeks ago. Two reviews:

    1. FRom http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/02/book-review-tim-caulfields-cure-for.html " If you don't feel like reading the rest of this review I'll summarize it by saying, Tim Caulfield's The Cure for Everything is the perfect antidote to the idiotic glossy paged world we're stuck with and is a definite must read.... Tim's book is something I'm not sure I've ever read before. I'd describe it as an "evidence-based romp" (words that I'd never thought I'd string together) and his clean writing and his truly delightful and delicious self-deprecating brand of humour makes you want to pick it up again and again."

    2. From http://sweatscience.runnersworld.com/2012/05/review-the-cure-for-everything/ "...as the book makes very clear, health is a very complex topic, and those who claim the answers are simple, clear and easy are invariably selling something. What's most important is the way Caulfield formulates his conclusions: by looking at the evidence -- and, crucially, by evaluating how reliable different kinds of evidence are. The most interesting part of the book, for me, was his look at the forces that distort health messages, not just in the popular press but in academia and peer-reviewed literature."

    Both of those reviews take some issue with Caufield's chapter on diet and I have to agree. His approach to his own weight loss journey was very abstention oriented (too many food no-nos) - more than is necessary at least in my case. But then again, he was already an athlete and didn't really have a lot of fat to lose. So in his case he may have needed to be more strict than I have to be in order to achieve the results he was pursuing for the purposes of writing the book.

    The documentary and the book make great bookends for learning about why and how to change your life. I've found both to be a source of motivation to keep up with my choices.

    Good luck to you.