vivmom2014 Member

It's kind of like when I quit drinking 10 years ago: there's going to be extra time there that was devoted to your smoking ritual. Or little blips of time throughout the day, if you smoked throughout the day, or a big chunk in the evenings. So you've got to fill that time. For me, I chose to ramp up fitness and collect a…

Knockoff Zzz-quil for sleep, which "they" say is not habit forming. I don't care if it is or isn't, it gives me some meaningful hours of sleep each night. Fan at the end of the bed. Windows open on cool evenings. Summer pajamas all year long. The chocolate habit is one I'm not willing to part with, so I aim to fit it into…

A lot more joy getting dressed for the day.

Relax. You'll be at this for the rest of your life, so don't turn it into some kind of punishment that you endure for a short time and then revert right back to "the old ways." Find a calorie goal that isn't punitive. Add some pleasant movement -- doesn't have to be a formal workout. Walk, garden, bike ride. As your body…

Not necessary to cut out all processed food and "ALL the sugar." Fruits contain sugar. What's wrong with processed foods? In my opinion, drastic (and unnecessary) diet shifts do not make for long term success. I know that I would have fallen off with my efforts long ago if I imposed a "no sugar, no processed foods" rule…

@8323L I am terrible with the "friends" thing -- in fact, I don't keep track of it at all. Just wanted you to know that I saw your message but I am purely a user for tracking my calories and exercise, and checking in on the forums frequently. I don't have any food allergies, but I eat vegetarian since 2014. All the best as…

For the hunger issue, I've found it helpful to put off eating for the day until very late morning or early afternoon. This isn't for everyone, but it works for me. It means that my cardio is done in a fasted state. Mornings when I eat breakfast at a "normal time" are days that I am eating or wanting to eat ALL. DAY. LONG.

We don't really know anything about you, OP, but CONSTANTLY getting bugged about what's on your plate? It doesn't quite add up; regular folk don't constantly harp on what other adults are eating, do they? Is this something you talk about a lot? You've said that they do not understand your goals -- could this be because…

I'm so sorry that you lost your cat, OP. That's always hard to say goodbye to a beloved friend. It sounds like, from your posts, that you're a "house afire" with wanting to implement new & improved habits NOW. So again the theme of "slow down" seems appropos. I feel like I want to take a huge calming breath for you.…

Hardest part? Probably trying to rein in the sweets. Lord have mercy. Your enthusiasm is great, but make sure you're not going to burn out. Weight loss is one of those things where a "slow but steady" approach keeps it within reach. As far as avoiding alcohol, I detested trying to make it fit into my calorie goal, so I…

OP, what are your stats? Height, weight, etc.? And listen to the above ^^ advice because it's all good. Especially "slow the bus down" - love that! Fast weight loss is tempting in a way, but time proves that it's ultimately pretty fruitless. You punish yourself for several weeks and then say "the heck with this" and throw…

Use your refreshing honesty to your advantage. You've been around the weight loss block before and know what it takes. What if you started this time with a higher calorie goal? Tell yourself that it's not a race, you've got all the time in the world to figure it out, but you're starting. Then just keep going. I read…

I eat like a maniac at night. Basketball on t.v., or a good movie, and it's off to the races. It's an entrenched habit. "Close the kitchen after dinner," they say. Brush your teeth, have a cup of tea." All worthy suggestions that don't amount to squat if I'm in the room. But I DO save calories for night time, and I've…

I do Leslie Sansone walking workouts (with plenty of jumping around) and record them as cardiovascular aerobics - general. If I have a time of strength training with dumbbells or resistance bands, I record it as Ann suggests above.

I don't want to even hear of not eating back my exercise calories!! Knowing that I will earn those extra calories can serve as motivation to get moving, if I'm not already motivated. Seeing the goal bump up a bit after adding in my exercise is always a win. And I pretty much eat back 100% of earned extra calories.

That's tough; sorry you are experiencing this. I would swap the trash t.v. for something -- anything -- physical. A walk around the block. A walking workout DVD. Moving your body often dispels a lot of things: lethargy, anxiety, boredom, mindless snacking.

I drink kombucha cut with sparkling water every evening - that's a probiotic I guess - and I have not seen any consequence (positive or negative) for my insane sweet tooth. I hadn't known there might be any correlation there.

I don't think that it's true as a rule that eating breakfast will stave off hunger or cravings. If I eat breakfast, I tend to set up a waterfall effect of wanting to eat all day. I delay eating until very late morning or lunch, as I prefer to ingest my calories later in the day. If you're new to calorie counting, make sure…

For exercise, Leslie Sansone got me back into working out after an injury. Her Walk at Home DVD's are varied (some use resistance bands, weight belts, hand weights, leg cuffs, floor exercises, etc. -- I've got 'em all) and she's very chirpy but by golly, she kept me coming back. It's been over 10 years now for me working…

I know you've got guru status around here @AnnPT77 and it is well deserved. Your comment about women bonding over the "it's so hard as we age" mantra is spot on, and it IS a thing. It's a weird "misery loves company" kind of thing, in my small realm of experience, to reinforce inertia and ease the difficulty of changing or…

Thanks for the input @mtaratoot and @AnnPT77 I don't want to muddy the waters of the OP and will give the floor back to her. Appreciate the thoughts!

@mtaratoot I love it. Interesting story, and I totally agree about that awful "too full" feeling. I guess humans are fickle beasts (I know I am) and full of contradictions. I don't like to feel overly full, and yet I want to keep eating. I've wondered if I'm a person who struggles with endings (yes, yes, I am.) I don't…

Thanks for this, @mtaratoot ~ and you've reminded me of something. Does the stomach literally shrink with a lower-calorie way of eating? I've gotten frustrated & mad (my two specialties) and decided I'm EATING EVERYTHING. Then I find that I am full, actually full, and it occurs close to my calorie goal. It almost seems too…

I see a lot of myself in @springlering62 ~ and especially this: "Why is this so hard?" My question encompasses comparing myself to other people, so that's bad, but I just want to know: is it either be overweight or chained to MFP for me? It isn't for other people! (Waaah, waaah!) Sure, "other people" (women I know)…

My MIL has been a WW member for more than 30 years. She loses and gains the weight repeatedly, stresses over the weigh-ins, keeps a meticulous journal of her weight, writes Points values on all her cans and boxes of food...and just keeps going back and going back and going back to meetings. I guess that a customer who…

I think it's loving to move your family toward "healthier" (which I read as "delicious" because: can frozen prepared food even compete with freshly made, aromatics-rich, well seasoned, varied, unique, mouth-watering homemade meals?! No, it cannot.) However, you're not responsible for how your husband eats. Your son...well,…

Almost 60 and I think waaaay too many women rely on menopause as an excuse to let everything go to pot. (I see it on other forums that have nothing to do with weight loss, interestingly.) I think maintaining weight at this age is easier in some respects -- I have TIME to exercise, prep food, log food, look at the trends…

Lose weight without diet or exercise! (I'm always wondering: okay, so what does that leave, exactly, for a plan? :D )

OP mentions paring down and focusing on the simpler things in life -- which of course would mean different things to different people. I wonder if doing so would impact weight loss. There are connections between having "too much stuff" and elevated stress levels. Certainly mental wellbeing would be a beneficial byproduct…

We are not minimalist, and my husband and I have differing viewpoints about getting rid of stuff. Having reared 3 children who are now grown, and living in the same house for the last 21 years, oh yes, the stuff accumulates. It helps us both to remember the phrase "Does your house serve you, or are you serving your house?"…