I have the book in hand. So I guess my first goal was realized, yeah! As I look it over, I have a question. So where are the rules? I'm used to lots and lots of do's and don'ts so where are they? Do I plan a weekly menu using my own common sense with no one to guide me? As I'm thinking about it, I could use KD's cookbooks as a guide. Man this is really enlightening to me. I have always had someone else telling me what or not to eat and that never worked. So it makes sense that I will need to understand what and how much I eat and why. OK first week here i come. I will begin the homework assignment for week 1.

quote:

Originally posted by citydweller:
Bee you have lost 75 pounds, awesome! I have lost 15 and still need to lose about 55 - 60. How long did it take you? What were your biggest hurdles?

My biggest hurdles was, and unfortunately still is a challenge - stress eating. I've gotten much better but it's still a big issue for me.

It took me about 6 months to lose my weight but I drastically cut my calories which is not something I would recommend to others.

Weight loss is not a race - slow and steady changes are easier to maintain for the long haul. Lots of lessons that I should have learned on the way, I missed and had to learn later!

Bee you have lost 75 pounds, awesome! I have lost 15 and still need to lose about 55 - 60. How long did it take you? What were your biggest hurdles?

quote:

Originally posted by citydweller:
Is it really possible that a common sense approach with no gimick is really going to work?

Absolutely YES! I lost 75 pounds and have kept it off for 3 years now following KD's approach and exercising regularly.

Get back and buy the book - it's definitely worth it!

It won't be easy but nothing worth achieving is : )

I haven't bought the book yet. I have picked it up looked at it and put it down, picked it up again and walked around the book store with it and put it back down. Is it really possible that a common sense approach with no gimick is really going to work? I've tried so many many many many many diets and have failed at each one. So really common sense is the key? I'm willing to give it a try! Lord only knows I've tried everys single other thing. I'll buy the book this weekend (no really I will ) It will be nice to not eat so much cheese, cabbage, etc. etc. etc. Here's to a new beginning.

Welcome Janice!
This is a great place. If you have any question just give a hollar. More than likely someone has "been there, done that" and can give you some advise.

Also check out the other posts further down. I will bump up the Introductions thread so you can find out more about us.

I am new and not sure how this works. I am on week 3 and trying to grasp the log. I am going to try the spinach salad tomorrow. I will keep coming back every couple of days.

quote:

Originally posted by Smartchick:
Well, SheriaVa, unfortunately, my boredom eating has absolutely nothing to do with actually being hungry. I eat in the car because it helps me stay awake in the morning. I eat during the day at work because "it gives me something to do" when I'm processing endless documents in our imaging environment or when I'm procrastinating working on a project.

This has been a big problem for me. I think that's why I lose weight when I'm on vacation and regain it when I come back. I have actually given notice at work but that's a pretty extreme solution. I am a grad student and going on assistantship (20 hours a week making about $10K a year plus tuition) while I finish up my degree. I think the munching was directly related to being sick of my job.

Keep up the good the work. I am only in week three of Journaling. There are days when I do not write a thing in the "wish I had'nt eaten"and then there are the days ouch! Kepp your chin up. WE can al do this together

quote:

Originally posted by susanrows:

quote:

Originally posted by patty-mom/of/3:
Hi ALL,

I'm still journaling in this 52 week plan. it just seems that the part where we write "what I wish I didn't eat is " getting the most attention. Maybe it s stress (the usual blame). But on the days I don't write nothing in the wish I didn't eat part seems so scarce. Anyone else having this problem?

ttfn
Patty

Yep. I've noticed that almost every day, there's something written in that space. Guess I'm just a slow learner. But I'm focusing more on "What would my ideal self do" this week. Maybe next week, fewer entries under What I Wish I Hadn't...

Don't feel bad I am on week three and there have been days when I don't write a thing in the "wish I didn't eat" but then there are other days.

quote:

Originally posted by patty-mom/of/3:
Hi ALL,

I'm still journaling in this 52 week plan. it just seems that the part where we write "what I wish I didn't eat is " getting the most attention. Maybe it s stress (the usual blame). But on the days I don't write nothing in the wish I didn't eat part seems so scarce. Anyone else having this problem?

ttfn
Patty

Yep. I've noticed that almost every day, there's something written in that space. Guess I'm just a slow learner. But I'm focusing more on "What would my ideal self do" this week. Maybe next week, fewer entries under What I Wish I Hadn't...

quote:

Originally posted by Smartchick:
I am a bit weird in that I know exactly what I need to do to eat healthy(been reading cookbooks and nutrition info for most of my life), I just don't seem to be able to do it.

Trust me, Smartchick, it is so NOT weird to know what you should be doing but not do it. I think that may be one of the main reasons why we're all here!

Anyway, sounds like you have a good plan, using the "baby steps" concept. Don't try to change everything all at once. Tackle a few bad habits at a time. The changes are more likely to stick.

Keep posting!

Thank you all for the warm welcomes! I know already that this forum will make the process a whole lot easier.

Well, SheriaVa, unfortunately, my boredom eating has absolutely nothing to do with actually being hungry. I eat in the car because it helps me stay awake in the morning. I eat during the day at work because "it gives me something to do" when I'm processing endless documents in our imaging environment or when I'm procrastinating working on a project.

I'm trying to only eat when I'm hungry or every 3-4 hours (whichever comes first) but that is a HARD thing to untrain. I've never been a "binge" eater, but I tend to be a "mindless" eater. I guess it's a good thing I don't smoke or I'd be a chain smoker! The one thing I am able to do consistently is get enough water. That has never been a problem.

This week hasn't been too bad. I've put more things than I care to on the "What I wish I hadn't" but I only had one soda yesterday which is the first time in a long time that I have held myself to one. Baby steps, right?

quote:

Originally posted by Smartchick:
Hello all-

I bought Kathleen's new book and the Daybook a couple of weeks ago and am going to see if maybe this time I can stick to real life changes. The longest I've ever stuck to a plan is about 3 months. I usually get bored and quit. I am a bit weird in that I know exactly what I need to do to eat healthy(been reading cookbooks and nutrition info for most of my life), I just don't seem to be able to do it. My boss is a vegetarian and has been told she needs to eat healthier so we're going to try to do this together in a sense. I'm at the heaviest I've ever been and need to lose about 75 pounds but that is a secondary concern. I mostly just want to change my eating habits and live a healthier lifestyle.

I'm a boredom eater so that is usally my downfall. I have a "desk job" with some repetetive tasks and I commute an hour each way to work so those are my danger zones. Any ideas for how to deal with that would be appreciated.

I'm a newlywed (5 months) and my husband will eat pretty much anything so no challenges there. We are going to start walking when we get home from work while dinner is reheating (I started a meal plan for May and froze a bunch of stuff to reheat so we aren't tempted to eat garbage because there's "nothing to eat".)

That said, here are my goals:

No drive thru trips on the way to/from work.
Exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week.
Limit my soda intake to 1 can per day.

Thanks in advance for all of your support!

Welcome to you! You have definitely come to the right place for support, encouragement and tips : )

I lost 75 pounds following Kathleen's approach so it really is doable! (I've kept it off for over 3 years now).

I think it's great that you have your goals mapped out, have a support system in place and that you've identified your "danger zones".

My recommendation would be to keep healthy snacks with you both for the car and at work. Things like raw veggies, air popped corn, high fiber cereal, fresh fruit, etc.... Portion control things out in baggies so you know you won't get yourself into trouble by eating too much.

quote:

Originally posted by Smartchick:
I'm a boredom eater so that is usally my downfall. I have a "desk job" with some repetetive tasks and I commute an hour each way to work so those are my danger zones. Any ideas for how to deal with that would be appreciated.

First, welcome smartchick!! Good to have you with us.

Second, regarding boredom eating, do you continue to boredom eat even when you are already full? Are you eating every 3-4 hours throughout the day? If your answers to both questions are no, then I strongly suggest you start eating regularly every 3-4 hours throughout the day. Have breakfast and then, about 3 hours later, have a piece of fruit mid-morning, then lunch, then another piece of fruit or light snack mid-afternoon, then dinner. If you keep your stomach full and satisfied, you are less likely to reach for food out of boredom. You'll also have the additional bonus of having more consistent blood sugar and metabolism rather than those spikes and dips that can leave us sagging.

I've read that snacks should have a carb component and a protein component, but I don't always get the protein in at all my snacks.

quote:

That said, here are my goals:
No drive thru trips on the way to/from work.
Exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week.
Limit my soda intake to 1 can per day.

I can SO relate about the drive thru trips. I have been working hard on that as a goal the past several months as well. Also, reducing soda is GREAT, but make sure you're adding water to replace whatever soda you would have been drinking.

Look forward to hearing more from you!
Sheri

Hello all-

I bought Kathleen's new book and the Daybook a couple of weeks ago and am going to see if maybe this time I can stick to real life changes. The longest I've ever stuck to a plan is about 3 months. I usually get bored and quit. I am a bit weird in that I know exactly what I need to do to eat healthy(been reading cookbooks and nutrition info for most of my life), I just don't seem to be able to do it. My boss is a vegetarian and has been told she needs to eat healthier so we're going to try to do this together in a sense. I'm at the heaviest I've ever been and need to lose about 75 pounds but that is a secondary concern. I mostly just want to change my eating habits and live a healthier lifestyle.

I'm a boredom eater so that is usally my downfall. I have a "desk job" with some repetetive tasks and I commute an hour each way to work so those are my danger zones. Any ideas for how to deal with that would be appreciated.

I'm a newlywed (5 months) and my husband will eat pretty much anything so no challenges there. We are going to start walking when we get home from work while dinner is reheating (I started a meal plan for May and froze a bunch of stuff to reheat so we aren't tempted to eat garbage because there's "nothing to eat".)

That said, here are my goals:

No drive thru trips on the way to/from work.
Exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week.
Limit my soda intake to 1 can per day.

Thanks in advance for all of your support!

Hi ALL,

I'm still journaling in this 52 week plan. it just seems that the part where we write "what I wish I didn't eat is " getting the most attention. Maybe it s stress (the usual blame). But on the days I don't write nothing in the wish I didn't eat part seems so scarce. Anyone else having this problem?

ttfn
Patty

quote:

Originally posted by p7eggyc:
Also, wanted to make sure you (and any other newbies who came here via the new daybook) knew there was a much bigger world on this forum beyond this folder. This is just a small part of the forum and frankly it's not as active as we all might hope. Click on Fan Forum in the top navigation bar and you will see all the posts of this very active forum.

You beat me to it, Peg! I was going to do the same thing when I first read B's response this morning but didn't have time at that moment. I wonder, because some of the newbies are only posting here and not on the board in general, if they realize that there is a whole world of helpful discussion for them to join out there. Thanks for bringing that to the forefront!

Hi B! Good job choosing to post before succumbing to a craving. I totally understand where you are coming from. You will find a lot of what I call "all-or-none thinkers" among our board members. Your statement about eating this weekend ruining what you've done this week is a good example of a phrase that indicates that kind of thinking to me. I encourage you to give yourself credit for whatever you do that is better for you and don't negate those things in your mind just because you made another choice that wasn't quite as good. If you have a little time, I encourage you to use the find button and search on 'all-or-none' and read some of the various posts that we have talked about that issue. You might find some insight.

Also, wanted to make sure you (and any other newbies who came here via the new daybook) knew there was a much bigger world on this forum beyond this folder. This is just a small part of the forum and frankly it's not as active as we all might hope. Click on Fan Forum in the top navigation bar and you will see all the posts of this very active forum. We would love to have you join us in all of our various discussions. There are homework 'captains' that most days will post some sort of discussion or action item and I really encourage you to try and post to that. There is also a group journal where you can post anything you'd like, healthy eating or not. The more you participate, the more you get out of it so just fire off responses and questions and we'll all learn from each other!

Peg

Hi B. Congrats on the new job!!! Very exciting and of course, stressful at the same time.

Can you celebrate by doing someting non-food related? Taking an outing somewhere? Treating yourself to something new to wear on your first day? If it "must" be food - how about steering towards grilled seafood or shellfish.

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about portion sizes for fruits and veggies right now. I say eat them to your hearts content and focus your attention on staying away from the ice cream and the chocolate.

Question for you - if chocolate is too tempting, why not eliminate it from the house? I have plenty of trigger foods that are just no longer allowed at home. It makes my life much easier.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for the welcome and friendly words P7eggyc. I am glad to see some new people joining the conversation. I have been pretty good this week. I am only on my third week and really struggled, rather poorly I might add, through the first two. I have not had ice cream for several days which I am very happy about. Ice cream is the ultimate destroyer of my willpower so I am trying very hard not to walk by it in grocery store and convince myself that I really do not need it. I am craving it and/ or chocolate right now and I've decided to stay out of the kitchen and write a posting in hopes that my craving will pass or subside a little. I think part of this is due to me starting a new job next week. I am starting to get a little nervous about it. That stress and the unhappiness I feel about my body just build and I feel helpless. I am also worried about getting through this weekend without ruining what I've done this week. We're supposed to celebrate my new job and I'm trying to figure out what I want to eat. Another thing I'm concerned about is I wonder if what I think has been good this week has actually been that good for me. Before I would have just said "oh who cares, I'm not happy with my body anyways, might as well eat what I want and try to make myself happy that way." I know that logic doesn't make any sense. So I am counting each day I stay away from the chocolate and other sugary wonders of my kitchen as a victory. I did not buy any ice cream the last time I was at the store so hopefully not having any in the house will prevent me from seeking it out.
Thank you for your time to anyone out there who is reading this. It's strange, when I joined this I thought I might check it a couple times a week and just leave it at that. For some reason, though, I feel really compelled to check it and find out if there's anyone new, how people are doing, if there's any helpful tips I can find, etc. Thank you for welcoming me to this world and putting up with my crazy ramblings. I think I'll go have a mango. By the way, is it bad to eat a whole mango myself? I'm still trying to figure out that whole portion thing in relation to having good calories but at which point the amount of good calories you are having becomes bad.

Anyways, best wishes to you all.