So, I've got one official week on the books. It was a good week, as I lost 3.5 lbs., but it was also a bad week because I still find myself eating near bedtime. For some reason, I'm having a hard time getting over this. Before I started dieting, I would have a snack every night before I went to bed and I think that it is just so ingrained into my memory that my body feels hungry just out of sheer habit.

When I first introduced myself I got a few suggestions to eat more than the 1200-1500 calories that I was taking in on a daily basis, so I've upped it to 1500-1800 daily. Even with my late night snacking I'm not crossing this threshold. I wonder if I just have a few more calories with each meal, especially supper, if that would satiate my late-night cravings?

I also managed to squeeze in a few (two) brisk 2 mile walks during the evening after classes. Later in the week though the weather turned sour and I've been confined to my house so I'm anxiously awaiting somewhat warmer weather to melt away all of the snow and ice. I found the walks refreshing.

Any words of encouragement/criticism are always welcome.

I eat a full meal at 10 PM. I am, most nights, sounds asleep at 10:30. If I had it my way, I would be sound asleep by 10:10.

Energy balance derives fat loss. Eating close to bed time is not going to ruin your results, as long as you are in a caloric deficit over a specified time continuum.

Hi PB,
Just keep doing what you're doing, keep your calories in range and when the weather breaks, hit the trail The weight WILL come off!

Week 2 started off great, but towards the end of the week I noticed some of my old eating habits start creeping back into my routine. I'm pretty much cut the late night binges, or at least replaced them with an apple or a banana.

Exercise this week was non-existent. Crappy weather coupled with a cold had me inside all week. I'm planning on putting my treadmill to use starting tomorrow.

Tonight I ate a huge dinner. By far the biggest meal I've had since the whole diet thing started, and I wasn't even hungry. Had a pretty stressful day and I'm almost certain that it led me to overeat. I'll have to keep close attention to this in the future.

Any advice, criticism, and encouragements are always welcome!

If you were feeling up to it, that treadmill probably would have helped eliminate some of that stress today! Try that one on sometime and see what it can do for you.

I used to always feel free when I ran and it really helped out with those stressful times and loved to be out doors and really hate running on the treadmill in doors.

Does your late night snacking bother your sleeping ability, cause indigestion or heartburn etc? If not, and you aren't exceeding your caloric amounts, maybe it's not too bad of a thing to hold onto. If you change everything at once, it's going to be harder. Maybe try out your fruit suggestion for a couple of weeks and then try another activity to keep your mind off of food during the usual snacking time.

So here we are, with another week gone by, and another mini-update.

I lost another 1.5 lbs this week. I was very surprised when I stepped on the scale because I didn't exactly eat as well as I could have. One trip out for wings and beer, and a lot of pizza on Super Bowl Sunday had me not wanting to step on the scales this morning. I fully expected to gain 5 pounds.

As far as the diet goes, I find myself craving all of the junk that I used to eat. Big greasy hamburgers, heaping piles of cheddar fries, potato chips, and all that jazz. I'm also growing tired of all of the salads, steamed veggies, etc. I guess I just need some motivation to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Motivate me!!!

instead of living on salads and steamed veggies -why not incorporate some of your favorites into your m eal plan - only cooked a little more healthily..

this should be a lifestyle change and not a temporary fix... figure out how to get those favorites in your day - portion control and all that

congrats on being down in poundage - that's awesome

I took maleficent's advice and incorporated some of my "old food" back into my diet. It's amazing what portion control can do for a diet. I also added a few nights worth of exercise. Even after going out to dinner on Saturday and eating my fill, I'm still down 2 lbs. on the week. I'm not really eating at bedtime anymore, and don't really find myself as hungry as I used to be. I think my body is finally starting to adjust to the smaller portions, etc.

Next week I should be pretty close to the halfway mark as far as my weight-loss goal is concerned.

This week could have gone better. I only lost .5 lb. The weather is starting to break so I'll probably be able to get outside and get some extra exercise in. I need something to kickstart what I fear is a stagnating routine.

Boo to plateaus. I've been holding steady over the last three weeks, weighing in at 227. I need something to jumpstart the weightloss again. Hurry up spring!

Well, I kind of forgot about this forum for the last few months. Busy with school and taking a new job leaves little time for other things. Anyway, here I am. I am currently weighing in at 219 lbs. I think my original goal was 215 so I'm very close. I can't wait to get there.