I get letters... I'm posting this one because I believe in the power of numbers and the power of your wisdom. I'm hoping you'll all jump in with your suggestions and support.
Dear Kathleen,
I won't bore you with my life story. Suffice it to say that I'm more than 100 pounds overweight and struggling to make healthy changes in my life.
My questions:
I'm making some inroads into adopting healthier eating habits, but I'm finding it difficult to cook for one person. Any suggestions on cooking for one that doesn't (always) involve leftovers?
Motivating myself to exercise is a constant battle, in part because I'm lazy (sleep in or exercise, sleep in or...sleep in) but also because I'm so self-conscious. How did you handle this when you were heavier, or even now?
Thank you for any advice you can offer and keep up the good work.
quote:Originally posted by michelle may: Hi. I am totally new to this. I have about 120 lbs to loose. I live in a house with my parents, my husband and two children (1 & 3), my brother and I wont count the dogs and cats. My dad is on the south beach diet. My mom can't seem to tolerate anything with any flavor at all. We use to Joke that my mother had an irish mouth (handling no spice) but it has gone to far. My husband has a high metablism 6'2" and 125 lbs. Needless to say he can't handle dieting. I have been able to shove in new recipes from KD since my dad went on this diet. Balancing everybodies needs in this house at the moment is crazy. Somebody always has to fix something else because they can't eat or don't like what is fixed. My husband and I just moved back from cincinnati to california. It is a long story. I am hoping it doesn't take to long to get back on our feet financially so we can get our own place again. It is impossible to diet in this house. Ice cream, cookies, doughnuts, and chips regular snacks in this house. The will power of my father I don't have or I wouldn't be 250. I am trying to exercise every day. Three days in a row is a minor miracle for me. I try to drink water everytime I think of food. That is alot of water. This is intimidating. I have dieted before, but I have never been this out of shape or this heavy. It has taken me a long time to get to this point. I have never in the last year or so managed to exercise that much in a week. I have read posts, but never posted before. In a house full of people that have never had serious weight issues they try, but don't really understand. I thought being in touch with people that are there or have been there might help.
michelle
Welcome Michelle! It sounds like you are already making some great baby steps - drinking more water and exercising! Good for you!
It really does sound like a very challenging living situation at the moment.
If people end up making different meals for the themselves anyway, maybe you could just cook for yourself and your kids and let the others fend for themselves. Try to stash some healthy snacks for yourself so that you aren't as tempted by the unhealthy ones.
Try to stay focused that this is only a temporary living situation and do the best that you can for right now.
You've gone to the right place though - this group is awesome!
There are so many posts already, but I just wanted to chime in with my support too. I still have 100 pounds to lose too, and I have already lost 60! The biggest hurdle for my was getting into the mindset that this is NOT supposed to be a diet. It's a lifestyle change. There is this tendency to think about our "goal" weight, and how it will feel to be thin, and those are all great things to think about! However, 100 pounds can seem *so* daunting, as some of the other posters said. Just make the best choices you can every day. Think about changing your life and your relationship to food and exercise, and the pounds will take care of themselves.
I also struggle with making single portion sizes. I was the cook in my family before I got my own place, and have almost always had SOMEONE to cook for. I will echo that portioning out single servings of things like chicken breast, etc, into little ziploc bags and freezing them has been a real timesaver for me. I take one out and nuke them on defrost and they are ready to go...no temptation to make extra as it is still frozen! Frozen and fresh vegetables are a mainstay. It takes a little tinkering but it is entirely possible to make just ONE serving of rice or pasta or anything else that you tend to make a lot of at once. Measure measure measure always until you get the hang of what to cook to create a single portion. You can find ways to adapt your favorites, too. I make individual 2 serving low fat veggie lasagnas by using a bread loaf pan and making only one row. (I use no boil noodles) You'll figure out what works best for you.
I'll be happy to share some of my single person recipes with you if you like! Post anytime you need support, and we'll be here!
Today I ran 3 miles in 35 minutes. Now, please bear with me, I'm not trying to discourage you. If you had told me that within a year, I would be able to go from barely being able to jog 1 mile to running 3 miles, I would have laughed in your face and said "no way." But here I am a year later and proof that baby steps work. Weight on your body does make it difficult to move - I struggled through my first yoga class 50 pounds overweight. I hated it. But I knew that persistence would pay off. Start as small as you think you can manage and very slowly build up your energy. You will be able to make progress. Every step counts.
-- midwest neurotica @ starxlr8.com {comfort foods, cottage living & sweet old fashioned goodness}
Posts: 757 | Location: College Park, MD | Registered: March 17, 2004
Michelle, Welcome to the forum. Sounds like a tempting living situation. You are making some great steps with exercise and drinking water. As you post more and ask questions, you'll get lots of great support and advice.
Hi. I am totally new to this. I have about 120 lbs to loose. I live in a house with my parents, my husband and two children (1 & 3), my brother and I wont count the dogs and cats. My dad is on the south beach diet. My mom can't seem to tolerate anything with any flavor at all. We use to Joke that my mother had an irish mouth (handling no spice) but it has gone to far. My husband has a high metablism 6'2" and 125 lbs. Needless to say he can't handle dieting. I have been able to shove in new recipes from KD since my dad went on this diet. Balancing everybodies needs in this house at the moment is crazy. Somebody always has to fix something else because they can't eat or don't like what is fixed. My husband and I just moved back from cincinnati to california. It is a long story. I am hoping it doesn't take to long to get back on our feet financially so we can get our own place again. It is impossible to diet in this house. Ice cream, cookies, doughnuts, and chips regular snacks in this house. The will power of my father I don't have or I wouldn't be 250. I am trying to exercise every day. Three days in a row is a minor miracle for me. I try to drink water everytime I think of food. That is alot of water. This is intimidating. I have dieted before, but I have never been this out of shape or this heavy. It has taken me a long time to get to this point. I have never in the last year or so managed to exercise that much in a week. I have read posts, but never posted before. In a house full of people that have never had serious weight issues they try, but don't really understand. I thought being in touch with people that are there or have been there might help.
I will start by saying hi to all. My life has been a whirlwind lately and I haven't had the time I used to, to post and read this wonderful web site. When I saw this thread, I HAD to say something.
Susan, PLEASE believe me that I was exactly where you are a couple of years ago. I weighed nearly 290 pounds and was miserable. I was so tired all the time that I could barely summon the energy to go to work, let alone exercise, besides, who wanted to go the gym where everyone (in my eyes) was fit and looked great. They certainly didn't wear a XXXL shirt and tights in the largest size made. But I knew if I didn't do something I would surely die and besides, I was so unhappy with myself, how bad could it be to go to the gym like that?
Well, most of the folks here know my story. KD found me, I had the privilege of being on the first two episodes and learned the secret of "baby steps" and learned to love myself and believe that I was worth it. I had all but given up and was resigned to being fat, but all that changed. To date, I have lost and am maintaining a 137 pound loss and although I would love to lose another 25 pounds, I am happy with myself, my body and all the things I can do now. I have traded each pound for more energy and now look forward to going to the Y and swimming every day. I will never be fat again because I am not the same person I used to be.
KD has written two sensational books, and I recommend them both. There are many many success stories and recipes, food choice tips etc in the second one, but I love the recipes and KD's story in the first one too. You have to believe that you are worth the effort, and motivate yourself one day at a time, if you need to. I love to cook for myself, I don't have to consult anyone to see if they like what I choose LOL, and portion control is one of the first things I learned from KD.
You have lots of support on this board as well as the Cooking Thin message board on the Food Network and everyone here is like family. They don't judge, and will respond to any requests for help whether it be for recipes, suggestions on food choices or lots of other topics.
Good luck and welcome to KD's Cooking Thin family. You will love it here.
Hi Susan, Nice to meet you. Something that has helped me a lot is buy pants with a waistband instead of elastic. Otherwise ditto on what everyone else has said. Sherry
Hi, I am sure glad I found Kathleens site. I am 61 as of yesterday, I have been thin my whole life time. I turned 55 and each time I looked I had gained another pound. It is amazing how fast 30 pounds can jump up on you. I belong to a group called TOPS, I really enjoy the women and the support. I joined a swim club and I go 5 days a week with a friend and walk for 1 hour each day. My physical problems hold me back a lot but I am improving with day of exercise. My doctor told me I need to drop my triglycerides and cholesterol levels or ELSE. So, here I am, ready to follow the low fat healthy way of living. I want to be around to see my 8 grand children grow up and enjoy my retirement. I weight 168 and hope to report a loss each week. Glad to be here. Susan
Posts: 2 | Location: robsusan33@hotmail.com | Registered: May 07, 2004
Don't think of total pounds, the guidelines they use (and print) are just that, guidelines. You may find that your ideal weight is less than that. Baby steps are necessary, and sometimes your life story plays an important part in *why* you are heavy.
Don't obsess. If you fall off one day, pick yourself up and get back on. I have a chronic disease, so its taking me longer to lose the weight because I have at least one week a month where I lie on the couch and moan! I've just factored that in, I try to stretch then, but if I can't, I can't.
In other words, look at what you can realistically incorporate. Even if its adding an extra veggie, or walking around the house, taking the stairs instead of the elevator... little things really do make a difference.
Find something you love to do, if you want to take a belly-dancing class, do it! If you want to swim, or ride horses...
I think one thing that comes across in this letter is that the writer is very hard on herself. Her life story is boring, she doesn't exercise because she's lazy, etc.
Maybe changing the way she thinks about herself would help. I agree with all the other suggestions about gradual changes, but I think a lot of us need to do an attitude adjustment if we're ever going to make real progress.
I think the way we think about and talk about ourselves is very powerful. So start to think about yourself as strong, and healthy, and determined, and resourceful... that kind of person is going to have a lot of success, right?
----------- Jen
Posts: 2868 | Location: Ohio | Registered: March 11, 2004
Many people recommend exercising in the morning, just because it gets it out of the way, and you don't get "busy" doing other things. However, no one ever said exercise HAS to be done in the morning.
IF you really aren't a morning person, then don't force yourself to do it then. Find time in your schedule later in the day. It sounds like you must be single since you talk about cooking for one, so it doesn't sound like you have family demanding your late afternoon/evening time. (I could be wrong.) If you do choose to exercise later in the day though, you have to make sure to stick with it. (That is the tough part for me.)
Also, the point of breaking it up throughout the day might be helpful too. Walk 10 mins in the am, 10 at lunch and then 10 in the evening. Then work on lengthening the amount of time of a couple of those little by little.
You CAN do it. There are a lot of wonderfully inspiring people on this board that have and are doing it.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4334 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
I will toss in the thought of wearing a pedometer all day. I participated in a work sponsored program where we wore a pedometer and recorded our steps each day. We were encouraged to increase our steps 10% each week for a period of 6 weeks. It is said that 10000 steps a day is good for general fitness and 12k per day for weight loss. Doesn't matter how you get them...doing them in a block of time isn't any different than going to the furthest bathroom at work, taking the stairs, etc. I found it to be very, very motivating to not have to find a big chunk of time in my schedule. Now I don't mind walking so much and don't wear one all the time but it was a great eye opener and facilitated a change in my way of thinking/attitude. I also do soooo much better if I make arrangements to walk with someone. I rarely cancel on others but will flake out on myself in a heart beat. Also, if I'm chatting away with someone I don't care who's looking at me.
Numbers that high can seem too hard to work on. i started this at 304 pounds. I'm at 265 now. I have found that concentrating on making tomorrow healthier than yesterday is easier than numbers sometimes. When getting up seems easier than exercising, picture yourself in twenty years if you stay in bed, or if you move. For me it is less about actual weight than it is about living a better life.
Laurie
There is no luckexcept where there is dicipline.
Posts: 1512 | Location: Adams, MA | Registered: March 10, 2004
I've been thinking about this one all day. I was thinking "wow, 100 lbs seems so overwhelming". THen I was thinking about the jouney my friend (she lost 75lbs so far) has been on over the past year or so. I was feeling lucky that "all" I have to lose is about 25-30 lbs. BUT, then I thought, hey...I'm not "lucky" (see the Lucky Me thread)...I want to lose 2lbs this week and that is all she should want to lose this week, too. (I'm assuming it's a she - funny how your mind does that to you).
When the whole thing becomes overwhelming, we tend to give up, so don't think of it as I need to lose 100 lbs, think of it as I need to lose 2 lbs this week. Worry about those other 2 next week!
This also reminded me of something my grandmother says - "My problem isn't losing the weight, it's making sure the weight doesn't find me again!"
Mel
The miracle isn't that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start. - John "the Penguin" Bingham [/I]
Posts: 593 | Location: Nashville | Registered: April 05, 2004
I agree that cooking for one is pretty easy if you are starting with fresh ingredients. After coming from the market, re-package your meats into single portion sizes so that they are ready to go later.
When I started going to the gym, I was VERY self conscious. What I noticed though is that there were people of all shapes and sizes there and everyone was so focused on their exercise that people weren't really looking around much. It was hard to get over that insecurity but just walking through the door at the gym was the hardest part. After that, it kept getting easier.
Before joining my gym, I did lots of walking in place in front of the tv and then walking around the block. That helped give me a bit of confidence.
Out of our beliefs are born deeds; out of our deeds we form habits; out of our habits grows our character; and on our character we build our destiny.
I've just factored that in, I try to stretch then, but if I can't, I can't. 
