ewbie Has Lost 45 Pounds and has 25-35 pounds more to lose.
Hello everyone. My doctor told me two years ago that I needed to lose about 70 pounds. I have managed to lose 45 of those pounds through a combination of diet and excercise but I am starting to lose motivation and my weight loss is starting to slow. I have lost 14 of the 45 pounds since May by taking six mile runs every day. However, I have been using Fitday's software and found that I was taking in 1500-1800 calories a day and my weight loss was slowing so I have added a six mile walk to the six mile runs in the last week. I lost two pounds in the last week with this addition.

My problem is that I can gain weight very easily and I hate counting calories. I am now doing my own individual diet, but in the past have lost lots of weight with Weight Watchers and Atkins only to gain it back. I do not want to do this this time. I used to be very skinny and could eat anything that I wanted and have now faced up to the fact that those days are long gone and I need to be very, very careful with my eating and must excercise regularly. I hope that this will be the last time that I will have to lose this much weight, but I do not want to count calories for the rest of my life - that is simply not sustainable for me. As it is, I find this diet, between my current three-four hour workouts and entering in Fitday to take up much of my day.

Also, I have a big problem where I am going to be traveling for work and there will be days of receptions and free food in the next few days. I have a problem where I will just eat and eat and eat at these events a) because I love food and b) because I get nervous about making conversation and c) everyone else is eating a lot as well.

What can I do to stop myself from eating so much at these events? Also, I am often hungry or craving food on this diet and allow myself a cheat day per week. I am averaging 3,000-4,000 calories on days when I REALLY cheat and 2,000 -2,500 on cheat days when I am more in control. Any advice how I can control my hunger without eating so much would be greatly appreciated. I would like to lose at least six pounds if not ten pounds before I big event that I have coming up at the end of the month. How can I do this?

I know that there are a lot of questions here. Thanks in advance to anyone who responds.

Congrats on your weight loss, thus far!

As you probably already know, aim to lose 1-2 pounds a week. If you’re maintaining your weight by eating 1500-1800 calories a day, you could lower your calorie intake a little until you’re losing 1 pound a week if walking and running are too difficult.

To help with motivation, set small and manageable goals for yourself every day, i.e., eating 1500 calories. If you meet your goal, give yourself a point. At the end of the week, treat yourself to a non-food related item if you have 5 or more points. Make sure you don’t do or get this non-food item unless you obtain enough points. Some ideas are going to a movie, buying music, going for a leisurely walk with your significant other or best friend. Also, think about how far you have come. You’re over half way to your goal!

Recording your food and exercise helps you become aware of what you’re eating and how much you’re exercising. Some people continue recording their food and exercise after losing weight to help prevent weight regain. Before giving up on the idea of recording, first decide if recording is helping with your weight loss. If so, you may decide that recording is an important habit to keep.

Being at events can be awfully challenging when you’re trying to manage your weight. Instead of worrying about what other people are doing, try to be a healthy role model for them. You can explain to them that you are watching your weight and eating healthy. They should respect that. If not, it’s their problem, not yours.

Making conversation with strangers can be nerve-wracking. It’s common to turn to food for comfort in uncomfortable situations. Just take one conversation at a time. Don’t beat yourself up if a conversation doesn’t go well. Before meeting people, remind yourself of your positive qualities. After the conversation, think to yourself how the conversation went well. If it was a struggle, you can always try another conversation with another person.

Best wishes with your continuing weight control efforts.

3 -4 hour workouts every day is not going to be effective long term... the exercise you want to do - is somethng you're going to be doing for the rest of your life - what happens when you get to your goal? do you see yourself stop running/walking every day?

I'd spend some time reading the stickied threads aorund the forum - especially in exercie and work on coming up with a more effective exercise plan... 1 hour a day should be your limit...

Bump up your daily intake and cut out the "cheat" days. If you treat this as something you have to cheat on, you're going to go right back to your old habits once you hit goal. There's nothing wrong with having a treat now and then (heck, even every day), but build that treat into your daily routine.

If you eat 1,800 calories 6 days a week, then binge up to 3,000 calories on the 7th day, you've averaged 1,971 calories per day over the week as a whole. So just eat your 2,000 calories a day every day, and don't get the hungrys 6 days running.

Just me, but I try to keep the too-much-information personal commentary out of business meetings. No one cares what you're eating, or why. Keep your hands busy with a bottle / glass of water, make the best choices you can with what you have, and make sure you get enough calories that you don't feel deprived (which can trigger binging).

Thanks to all of you for your responses. I have found them to be very helpful.

I have been going running, which I enjoy and which is cheap and has worked for me in the past. I figure that it was much more sustainable than joining a gym, which is quite expensive, so I do think that it is something that I can see myself doing after I've gotten to the goal weight.

There seems to be a lot of information on this board, some of it contradictory, about exercise. It would be helpful for me and other newbies who might be reading this thread if you could reply with specific links.

Thanks very much for your responses.

Hi HelloHello,

To help with you craving for food, you may want to consider taking a particular enzyme supplements. Enzymes are produced by the body's pancreas and are used for digestive, systemic, and metabolic functions.

If you are living in the US, there is a reputable company called Transformation Enzyme Corporation. They have a product called BalanceZyme Plus.

This product is specially formulated to promote healthy weight management. A completely natural source of support for the endocrine and digestive systems, it contains chromium, synergistic herb extracts and plant concentrates to assist in the control of appetite and food cravings. It helps to balance your blood sugar and curbs yo-yo dieting. It also lowers cholesterol / triglyceride levels and reduces constipation.