pvju Member

I'm so happy that so many people are positive or neutral around this topic! For the naysayers: all work is selling your body: coal miners, fire fighters, brick layers, waitresses - hello? Drug and alcohol abuse is rampant in the restaurant industry and other fields where a high level or activity and focus are required - so…

Since you are lean and really pretty active rather than reducing calories I would step up the protein. Getting lean means lots of it - a nauseating amount imo - along with lifting weights. 1200 calories is safe as long as it's hitting your nutrician requirements. However at your age and activity level I would suspect you…

I was at my highest weight when I started. I was sluggish, slouchy and feeling older than I wanted to feel. I'd tried to drop weight for years and just couldn't find the motivation to stick with it. I honestly don't know what put me in the frame of mind to do this now but it's working. I came to enjoy logging my food and…

Of course all the animal proteins are available to you - meat, fish, canned options like tuna and sardines. I roll my cold cuts up and dip in mustard for a quick fix. I love olives to fix a salt craving - so low cal but they hit the spot - lots of options both gourmet and super affordable. Not sure if you can do eggs but…

I agree - you will see skin tighten more over time. Give a good 6-12 months before you make any determinations. Weight lifting and increased muscle mass have many benefits but I don't know skin tightening to be one of them. The other thing is we all look one way dressed and another undressed. There are huge variations in…

Starting around 140 Current about 128 Goal 115-124

My partner was a food pusher. He's one of the reasons I ended up 20lbs overweight. I'd maintained my weight 118-128 my whole life, into my forties, no problem. He shows up and he wants to eat out constantly, ordering everything from soup to nuts. I've been poor before so I have a really hard time wasting food or wasting an…

I'm 52 and I totally relate - the caloric needs go way down after 40. Some people seem to have less of an issue with it and I don't know why. All I know is I used to drop weight easily and now it's ridiculously hard - I have to eat like a spartan. Of course, I've learned what foods give me the most satisfaction for the…

Brava! You are on the road to re-claiming your life as your own. You can definitely do this and we're all here to support each other! I totally understand using food as a friend and comfort when life is unbearable.

Thanks everyone!

Lightly active by this app. For exercise - just input it as you do it and it will adjust your calories for the day accordingly.

I'm about 5'3" and I have exactly the same issue! I eat about 1000 calories to lose give or take. Like others have said, I can lose at 1200 - but it's very little. 1400 is about maintenance for me. If I ate 1700 calories a day - I'd be right back where I started in no time. I'm not super active but I do work out a few…

I can personally be quite content on 1000-1200 calories a day if I pick my food wisely. It's totally possible to do - think protein first, fat second, lots of veggies and just a few carbs. You will lose like crazy at your age. You could do 1200 some days and a higher number on others. It's my opinion, and there are studies…

You can definitely lose without exercise. The main thing that's worked for me (though I get lax about it at times) is high protein and fat - when I keep those up I feel fuller and more satisfied on less calories. Good luck to you!

The key to not feeling like crap is eating lots of protein. When I do this the diet is far easier on me - cottage cheese, yogurt and tuna are cheap, easy, high protein main courses. Hard boiled eggs, lunch meat and cheese are easy too - Roll up a piece of cheese and a piece of ham and you get good amount of protein but…

Hi There, I'm a mom of two and work from home for the most part. Hawaii is fantastic motivation! I started with 15-20 to lose and now I'm down to about 5-10ish - depends on how things look as I get down further ;) Feel free to add me.

Welcome back! I've been back about a month now. I'm trying to lose a similar amount of weight. For me, after I lose 5 lbs or so I tend to go off the rails. I think it's just enough that I feel better in my clothes. Then, I start to allow small indulgences, and next thing you know, I'm totally off track. This time I'm…

I'm dying - 6 pounds-ish from goal and eating what feels like crumbs and not losing anything. Cruel, cruel world!

Weaknesses - stress! If I'm stressed or worried I want food! Helps to keep it out of the house. And coming on here and reading and blogging also helps.

Cjrito - you're hilarious and i can totally relate!

Levis! I buy mine in the juniors department at Dillards. They make a few high-waisted styles. One style called "legging" isn't a legging at all it's a jean but it has a fair amount of stretch - they're comfy and stylish - and I'm in my fifties.

Feel free to add me. I'm also gluten-free due to intolerance. I'm a mom of two, but one is grown. My youngest has developmental delays so I experience a fair amount of stress and fatigue, which I've coped with by eating junk. Been here for almost a month and I'm losing. When I can get those workouts in it's a huge help…

I can totally tell! I've only lost 6 or so pounds and I've been whining about no one noticing ;) So, I guess I can stop that now. For me I've been 10-20lbs overweight forever so I'm thinking being less overweight just isn't a dramatic enough shift for people to see. In your case though - it's dramatic - really dramatic -…

I can get like this too so I try to start eating late morning - less hours left in the day to consume. I also try to keep it lightish most days until later in the day so that I have some extra calories to play with. Is it possible you're tired at that hour? A nap, if possible, might be an alternative to eating.

I have dealt with similar. Also, my partner tries to sabotage me by bringing home my absolute favorite sweets and in general just pushes food like crazy. It's threatening for our loved ones when we change - at least for some of the less secure ones ;) This time around I'm dieting in secret and it's working. I know you are…

Hi there, I'm back as well. I was here before and didn't stay with it, tried a few things in between and now this seems to working for me - though I'm having a difficult couple days staying on track. I've lost 6 lbs so far and hope to lose another 6-8 pounds. Good luck!

You must be very active! Just curious as to what you do for exercise, if you don't mind my asking? I'm not very active, just try to hit the gym or take a long walk 3-4 times a week and I need to be around 1200-1300 calories to lose a half pound a week.

All of these recipes are amazing - thank you everyone! Cauliflower here I come!

How inspiring! Great work!!