soniams Member

This is really helpful and hopeful. I am so close and know I will get there. I just need to remember how far I have come and how much I have benefited from all of the changes I have made to my life.

I recently made the switch from PC to Mac (I still use PC at work). Biggest difference for me on the Mac is no viruses. This cannot be underestimated. My old PC at home just stopped functioning because of all the problems and I was especially vigilant in trying to keep my computer virus free but they get in. Don't have to…

Congratulations. These types of milestones are a great motivation to reach the finish line of your journey. Best wishes!

Yes, up your calories. I was at 1240 and my weight loss slowed considerably. I increased my calories to 1400 and I am back to losing weight at my previous pace. At the lower calorie amount, given my exercise level, my metabolism had slowed. By eating more, my body no longer needs to conserve energy to sustain itself. Eat…

I enter all of my meals a week in advance. I then do my grocery shopping on the weekend and cook a week's worth of meals on Saturday and Sunday. This way my meal planning stays on track. My breakfast and lunch is quickly packed for work each morning. When I get home at night, all I have to do is take a dish out of the…

How about walking the half marathon? I am not a runner but walk everyday for exercise. I participated in a half marathon last October and have another one early next month. I went from no activity what so ever in July 2010 to walking 13 miles in October 2011. You can do this. Start with short distances. Walk everyday, even…

This is truly a lifestyle change. The approach I have taken is that anything I am doing to lose weight is what I will keep doing to maintain the loss. The foods I now eat, the exercise I now do are what I am willing to do forever. This keeps me motivated and happy with the choices I am making now.

I think this is the issue for me. By getting smaller, I am just getting to a normal size - someplace I should have been all along. While clearly the effort to reach this place is remarkable the outcome is just to be normal.

Make sure to check out Skinny Taste website: http://www.skinnytaste.com/ There are great low calorie recipes on there, in appropriate serving sizes. And she includes calorie counts (also WW points for those who are counting).

I didn't tell anyone when I first started. I think it was because I wanted to be certain I was committed to making the necessary lifestyle changes before going public. When I started losing weight, no one said anything at first. I was surprised by this, but I chalked that up to the fact that most people, and in my case…

I've handled this a few different ways. If I go to a chain restaurant, I will look up the nutritional values on their website. If the restaurant is not part of a chain, I will search for similar foods on the MPF database. (For example, at my office we recently had mexican food for lunch brought in from a caterer. I entered…

I am so inspired. I had never considered walking a marathon before and your post has peaked my interest. I just signed up for the Long Beach, CA half marathon. My walking pace is 3 miles per hour, so hopefully I can complete the route in just over 4 hours. I do walk everyday for about 3-4 miles, so hopefully I won't need…

I measure my body fat each day with one of those electrical devices. I find that it fluctuates between .1 and .5 percentage points each day. I just officially record the amount on a monthly basis and use that as my baramoter. I would say don't get too caught up on daily increases or losses. Too many other factors go into…

Count me in as a huge fan of the recipe tool on this site. I originally started on a different website, but found their recipe tool to be limited. So glad I found MFP. I cook pretty much all of my meals, so having this resource is invaluable.

This is such useful advice. Thank you to those who have responded.

I like to cross check with the USDA nutrition database: http://www.newcaloriecounter.com/articles/goverment/usda/usda_national_nutrient_database_for_standard_reference.html

I get my daily exercise in the evening when I get home from work and before dinner. I like to workout before I eat.

I absolutely agree! My approach has been to develop new healthly habits during the weight loss period that I am also willing to commit to for the rest of my life. It's not too soon to think about maintenance. A book that I have found helful is Thin for Life by Anne Fletcher. Best wishes as you proceed on your journey.

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How about starting a bit more easy on the exercise? Just try walking through your neighborhood or in a nearby park. I am 50 and was never an exerciser either. But I do like to walk. So last July, I started by going up one block and back. A few days later, 2 blocks. Now I walk 3-4 miles each day. I also just bought a bike…

When I travel, I have found that fruit bowls that you can buy at Starbucks, or places like that, are great for a quick lunch. Maybe also get a plain whole wheat bagel (but only each half) to fill up on fiber as well.

Bravo to you at taking on this challenge at such a young age. This will completely change the direction of your life for the better! Best wishes.

I am the same. It has helped to understand that a 1-3 pound weight gain is related to my body's rythmns (and monthly cycle) and not to fret about it. If I am stuck at a weight for a few days, I have also seen that my weight takes a big drop a few days later. Not sure how, but I have been able to not freak out at the…

I'm not sure that I have any special method for this. I have been consistent with exercising (I walk 3-4 miles 7 days a week). Since I started my weight loss effort last July, I have increased my daily exercise (I started at walking 3-4 days per week at 1-2 miles per day). I think that increasing my activity level over…

Newman's Own light dressings are yummy and about 45-60 calories for 2 tablespoons.

Thank you so much for this.

Here's a good one with normal batteries: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Bathroom-Technology/dp/B001KXZ808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303128064&sr=8-1 [/quote] Love this scale and it is very accurate.

The process you go through to lose the weight will be the same as maintaining your weight once you reach your goal. Determine what permanent lifestyle changes you are willing to commit to and then make those changes to start your journey. Start with just one thing and then make more changes as you progress. The confidence…

My goal is 140. Still more than I should be given my height of 5'1". I lost a lot of weight 20 years ago and got down to 130. That was really hard to maintain so I am shooting for something I know I can manage. I still have a ways to go but I am thinking now that I will aim for 135 and see what happens when I get there.

Having gone from size 24 to 18, I know exactly how you feel! I will never take my size for granted again.