Newbie here! Needing some willpower & a poor girls diet :o)

Welcome! Honestly, eating healthy has to become a lifestyle, meaning that you have to find your own way. Tons of fatty entrees can be slimmed down and still taste good; it's a matter of knowing what you like and being creative with substitutes. If you aren't a huge fan of meat, I'd recommend cutting that out for a while. It's expensive, and you can get complete proteins from legumes and grains, and I think that trying to craft meals focused on veggies is a good way to load up on nutrients while cutting calories. Of course that option is not for everyone, but it worked out well for me personally. Planning your meals helps save a lot of money, as well as making foods that freeze well. The latter is also great for decreasing your time spent in the kitchen. I can probably offer more specific advice if you tell me what kind of foods you like, but for starters, check out skinnytaste.com for recipe ideas. Good luck!

I forgot to add... also buying lowfat, light, sugar free.. will UP the cost and to honest chemicals.

You are already on your way-- knowing this is a lifestyle and not a diet, knowing to cut food slowly - way to go! Here is what worked for me, as I've had a lot of the same issues:

1. Moderation on the "junk" -- I have 5 kids and we travel a lot with their activities - eating out is inevitible. If I can't get to a subway or healthier option, I choose just the burger, not the burger and friest. I am not a pop drinker - so that is good anyway!

2. I started eating more protien for breakfast (most days), as well as bigger lunches and breakfasts, it reall does curb the appetite later in the day.

3. I set my goal at 1lb a week -- not huge, slow progress,,,, but I am rarely hungry and don't feel deprived. Sure there are days that I could make better choices, but I don't beat myself up!

4. Eating cheap is always my goal- we go through a lot of food in my house. Eat the veggies and fruit that are in season - have a garden if you can. Watch for sales, only buy prepackaged (Healthy food) as an emergency food source, don't rely on it. Once you start eating in moderation, you'll see you spend less!

Feel free to add me as well.

I got the willpower from being so disgusted with my weight. In other words, I hit bottom and I don't intend to remain there any longer.

As for the sugar, I had to go cold turkey.

For me - I sat and looked at all the exercise equivalents - as in, how long I would have to bike to burn off that burger - and so (in a weird way), my laziness helped a bit! As I saw the scale go down, I began enjoying cardio more - but I'd still classify it as a chore rather than a fun activity...Feel free to add me!

Once you start logging your food intake. You will start looking at the calories and so on. And believe me, you will either put it back or only eat a little. If you can't fight the urge, just eat a quarter or maybe a half. Just enough to curb the craving When you see them calories adding up and its only like1:00 pm, you will see that its not worth it. Good luck.

welcome ! like others have said, this needs to be a lifestyle! and as for healthier food being more expensive, LOL thats a bad excuse u gotta kick! honestly it is harder to buy "healthier" but only because it takes more time; looking at labels, looking for deals etc. but by no means is it impossible due to being too expensive! i'm a full time nursing student and i make it work!

good luck

Inexpensive eats: Bananas, Apples, Wheat bread (I buy Meijer brand split top wheat), tuna (in WATER).

for salad: a head of lettuce and a bottle of kraft fat free zesty italian dressing would take care of my lunch for a few days for a couple bucks.

meat: 1 lb of SHAVED deli turkey is low cal and shaved thin can last for a week as sandwiches, 1 pkg of turkey bacon is lower in calories and makes DAYS of bacon sandwiches on wheat bread with light mayo

Don't buy into the "diet" foods and prepackaged garbage. Most of it isn't as healthy as advertised anyway. My prepackaged treats include Fiber One 90 calorie peanut butter/chocolate chewy bars and Pringles Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion chips. Apart from those, I don't really eat packaged stuff anymore. Also, watch your portions. Invest in a food scale (mine cost me $19). It's amazing how much we overeat in our portion size. You'll be surprised what a single serving actually looks like and you should use the scale wherever possible until you're familiar with proper portion sizes.

Hi there, and welcome!

I am fairly new to MFP. I am not however new to losing and gaining weight. About 4 years ago I lost 55 pounds with weight watchers and walking. It went fairly smooth for me. Thinking I knew the plan and didn't need to attend meetings, I stopped all of it. What happened? I gained the weight back, then some! So here I am, hanging my head in shame doing what I said I would never do again - lose weight. This time I am counting calories. What has worked for me tremendously in the past and now is logging/journalling. I am using the MFP app on my iphone and absolutely love it. My phone is always with me, I don't need to carry around a separate journal or need to get to a computer to log my meals. I am also using a fit bit to track my activity. The fit bit also syncs with MFP which is another bonus!

I currenty have 48 (well lets just say 50 pounds to lose). I'm so angry with myself for letting myself go. But I'm back on the path and hope that this time I can stick with it.

Reading success stories and finding a weightloss "buddy" are also things that have helped me in the past.

You can do it! We can do it! Hang in there, the road may be bumpy but it will eventually even out!

My will power has come from me finally being ready to make a change. I know what my last straw was, and I'm sure you know yours too. My beginning motivation was realizing what I was eating when I first started logging. It made me feel guilty about what I was doing to myself. I started slow. Before changing what I was eating, I changed how much I was eating. A big part of it is portion control! I was eating 2 or 3 times the amount of one serving. I started weighing everything. Get a food scale! I've slowly added more whole grains, fruits and vegetables (trust me, I'm not a big fan of rabbit food), but I still eat some of the old foods too. I drink lots of water (which thats all I really drank anyway). My typical day includes a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a sandwich on something multigrained and steamed frozen vegetables (in the microwave) for lunch, whatever my family is having for dinner (my husband cooks) and a few snacks in between (fruit, carrot sticks, fiber one bar (my daily chocolate) and most days a fun treat at the end of the day (sm piece of cake, scoop of ice cream in a juice cup so it doesn't look lonely in bowl). Nothing exotic and nothing that requires trips to a special grocery store or even a special aisle at the store. My struggle is exercising regularily, but that will come with time. My problem is making "mom" time. We are constantly running for stuff for the kids, and they aren't old enough to leave unattended yet.

My willpower now, is the fact that people are noticing my loss and are saying something! It keeps me going!

Forst off, welcome! I know exactly what you're feeling right now with that eye opener. The first day I tracked my calories, I realized that I was eating 4000 calories a day. Talk about a slap to the face. But, you're here and you've taken the first big step to getting on track.

Like Dani said, you gotta stop thinking about it as a diet.

Diets don't really work in the long run. You have to look at it as a change to your lifestyle.

What helped me is to realize that there really aren't any bad foods, just bad decisions regarding food. Yes, I can have a brownie at lunch, but that means I need to be smarter with my food and spend a little more time on the tread mill the rest of that day. I was watching someone being interviewed after losing 300 pounds and he said something that really helped me. "If I want chocolate, I have a Hershey's kiss, instead of a whole candy bar. If I want Mc Donald's, I get a small, single patty value menu cheeseburger instead of a quarter pounder with cheese, fries and a drink. Basically, I eat just enough to stop the craving, but not enough hurt my new lifestyle." That may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

For cutting out sugar and fat. Cut out the processed pre-made food. If you're making it, then you control what goes in it.

Look for bulk things. Rice, beans, bags of apples/pears. Talk to your grocery store department heads. I talk to produce and the meat section and ask when shipments arrive. A lot of places mark down food when they're expecting a lot more to come in. I got 6 whole chickens for 2.50 each (usually around 6.00 each) last week. Even with the produce, there's nothing wrong with it, they just need to make room.

Frozen veggies are awesome! You can get a bag of generic frozen veggies for a dollar or two.

Also, if you price out the food you buy vs the food you get at a fast food place the cost is less per plate when you make it. For me to have a Chicano breast, green beans and a starch side at a fast food place, I'm looking at around 6.00+. Making it at home (even paying full price for the whole chicken) it's about 2.50+.

The other cost effective thing you can do is team up with a few people (one of which a member of a bulk store, Sam's, Costco ect) and all split the cost of a 15 pound bag of carrots, 20 pound bag of potatoes...ect. I've done this a few times. It comes out really cheap and you get a crap load of veggies.

Lastly, for willpower, get some friends on here (I'm going to friend you) and every time you feel your willpower slipping, or need a bit of encouragement, post. I can't tell you how many times I've posted when my willpower starts failing and I have people comment telling me it isn't worth it. And, they're right.