geltner1 Member

At least keeping weighing yourself 2-3 times per week and see if this alarming trend continues. If you do continue to gain, you really have to go back to logging your meals. Think how depressing it would be to gain back all you lost!!!!

Well, it seems safe enough. It's a natural plant product. I tried it and quickly went back to other sweeteners; mainly agave and maple syrup.

You have a right to be proud and happy! Congratulations ! Now time for the long journey of maintenance. It's not easy. I only added about 100 calories for maintenance and it doesn't feel like I'm eating much more. What saves me is eating back the exercise calories. Especially bike rides. You get many calories for cycling…

Long time vegetarian here. Maybe it's better to focus on the quality of the carbs. Aim for nutritious whole grains of various types and all the good recipes you can make. Lower on the sugar. (my problem is my sweet tooth)

I agree about the holidays. Not gaining weight is a win. You're smart to go on maintenance. Congratulations on your very impressive accomplishment !

I believe that it will sort itself out. The proof, of course, comes with your weigh-ins. Are you on target to reach your goal. I have over and under days too. 200-300 calories is not much compared to total intake.

What does NEAT mean?

What do you do when it's getting hard to stick to your plan? Take a walk? Meditate? Cheat for a meal or a day? Try a new food or a new recipe? I try not to dwell on the "this has to be forever" aspect and take one meal at a time.

You have come to the right place. Start thinking about your meals, logging, and buying a better choice of food. Think how pleased you will be to see the numbers go down on the scale when you weigh in and feel that wonderful looseness in your clothes. Yes, it is a big effort but we all know that it is worth it.

The library can be so helpful. There are lots of vegan cookbooks around. One thing I've found. If you buy dried beans, then soak and boil them at home, they tasted much better than canned or frozen. Reminds me, I want to buy some dried black eyed peas and try a new recipe. Good luck ! It is worth it for your health.

Slowly try to swap the animal foods for vegetarian foods. Experiment with fruits, vegetables and nuts to find ones that you enjoy. Also try different cooking methods and recipes. It's a long journey and a very worth while one. The MFP logging of course is very important. Good luck.

I am so impressed by your accomplishment. You say that you are still overweight but think of how much healthier you are now! I would go to maintenance for a nice bit of time and see how it goes. When you are ready, you can return to weight loss. Congratulations !

I need to eat back all the calories that I burn with exercise. Otherwise, it would be hunger all the time and I wouldn't last long on the program.

Please make sure that your thyroid levels are in the normal range. If they are, your body will function just as if you had a normal thyroid gland. So follow the MFP and it will work for you.

You need a good plan to make sure that you keep off the weight this time. That will motivate you to start. Something like; biweekly weigh-ins; re-start losing if you re-gain 5 pounds. Probably, you can do better since you know yourself and what exactly happened before.

Congratulations on your weight loss. Keep up MFP. You've gotten some good answers above.

Hi, This journey is one meal at a time. You've already gotten some good answers. I would add that some good quality food containers that you can bring to work would help you eat healthful meals and you would know the quantity. You can eat tasty food with variety. The beginning will require more thought and planning. When…

MFP can help you reach your goal. You must log your food or it can't work. So even if you don't have a food scale, you can log foods and portion size. In a week or so , you can figure out what your problem eating has been and start to eat a more healthful diet. Habits take about 3 weeks to make so give yourself that time…

I learned much about how many calories specific foods contain and about portion size. We're all still learning. Congratulations on your one pound loss. I started with 1/2 pound loss per week. Because of vacation, I fear I've gained some back but I'm on MFP again and I'll get right back into the program!

MFP has really helped me. It's tedious to log every meal at first but when you see the results and all the things that you learn about food and calories more than make up for it. Get started!

You've gotten some wise comments. I've enjoyed reading them and I wish you luck. It's one meal at a time!

If you start logging your food and it starts to become a habit, the weight loss will follow and then your motivation will continue. If you are out of shape, start with free exercise. Some possibles are walking, jogging, body weight exercises. Try youtube for some routines. The library has many DVD's for dance exercise,…

Very impressive. Welcome to maintenance.

A good way to avoid bingeing (at home) is environmental control. Keep your kitchen stocked with healthful foods and snacks. When I buy the cookies etc, they are always eaten. Maybe not immediately, but they are always eaten. Is your calorie count what MFP suggests to reach your weight loss goals?

Sounds as if you may have a problem with wine. Start by only drinking wine three days per week. Get used to those non-alcohol days and you will begin to enjoy them. I've had this experience.