:o Okay, this is sort of embarassing for me but its time I suck it up (literally! oh wait, thats in!) and go for it. I am a miserably unhappy 244lbs. I am the heaviest I have ever been. I am about as happy as I can be right now in other aspects of my life but I feel as though my weight sort of bleeds out into those other parts if you know what I mean. I have no friends because I am so uncomfortable with myself that I feel self conscious when I am around anyone new and thus can't make any friends, my confidence has diminished and it has affected my intimacy level with my significant other (even though he NEVER berates me for being fat, because he himself is in poor shape) and I stay so tired physically that I hardly ever go out and do anything fun. My long term goal weight is 150lbs. I would like to reach that weight by october of 2004. Do you think this is unrealistic? I have dieted before but nothing structured. It was basically my own diet. You know, no sweets, plain chicken breast (no skin) etc... but I always fail. I am wondering if any of you could give me any suggestions for a plan that would work long term and not leave me feeling soooo deprived ( I know the D in diet really stands for deprivation, lol!) I need help !!!!!!

Thanks emily! I often wonder about all those chickens too!! :D I figure if I want to lose roughly a hundred pounds in twelve months maybe I should make my short term goal, eight pounds a month. You know that sounds a lot easier than saying, I have 100 lbs to lose!!!! Thanks for the suggestion!!

I do the Richard Simmions foodmover. I have recently joined Curves for toning.

I like the Foodmover because no food is outlawed. it is just based on portion size, exercise 5 times a wk, self love, and water.

Hi amoeba,

Lisa just gave you the name of one program, Richard Simmons, and there are several other programs here, the newest being the Dr. Phil program and South Beach Diet program, but browse through the forums and read up on a few to see if you find one you feel "fits" your lifestyle. There's also the NDA, No Diet Approach where you basically form your own plan and check in with others just to talk, stay focused, etc. So there are many options here, just jump in and see where you feel most comfortable.

:welcome: to diettalk and just jump right in and ask questions in all the forums, its the best way to feel your way around.

Donna

Hi amoeba and welcome. I'd say that you can reach your goal weight by Oct of next year, but if you don't, you don't. I have found over the last three years; that I've spent fighting my way to lighter me, it not the destination but the trip. After all your real goal isn't to loose 100 pounds, its to keep those 100 pound from ever coming back again. So my first advice to you is not to get to bogged down by dates.

As to ideas of diet plans, there are so many out there, who's to say what's right. I know what worked for me, and what didn't because of a lot of trail and error. I can tell you that what ever diet or life style change you choose, hanging around here, will make it work so much better. I look forward to seeing around, and I know that you will be getting lighter :D

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. I am going to browse around and see what I can find out about these diet plans. The NDA never really seems to work for me. I think maybe I just go about it the wrong way and like vtmom said, I have a tendancy to boggle myself down with dates and become discouraged quickly. But I like to think of it as changing my lifestyle as opposed to just changing ym eating habits!

:laugh:

Hi Amoeba,

I use to live in Statesville, NC which is 40 miles north of Charlotte. I was there a year ago for a H.S. reunion.

I think what is helping me is not to go on a short term diet, but to slowly change my unhealthy eating habits for better habits. I, personally needed to find a way of eating that I can do the rest of my life. My emphasis is on developing a healthy lifestyle. It is a process .

I follow the principles of "The Weigh Down Diet" which stresses the need to eat only when you are physically hungry.The key is not to turn to food when you are emotionally hungry (such as feeling one of the following: boredom, anxiety, frustration, depression, anger, etc.] I eat slowly to allow my brain to tell me I am full and then I try to stop eating when I am full. Sometimes it is hard because I still have the desire to overeat, but I am working on it.

I hope you find a program that will suit your needs and lead to weight loss and maintenance for you! Good luck

Hi amoeba,

Congrats on taking the first step to a healthier you. I put my best foot forward again this past April, and its starting to pay off. I have been on a low fat plan eating 1400 calories a day with no more than 30% coming from fat. I also workout 5 days a week. You have definitely come to the right place for support I hang out alot at the Awesome Accountables thread, we just a group of gals who support one another. We recently started a new challenge for Turkey day, visit the thread if you like and join us. Again welcome aboard and best of luck.

Thanks everyone! I have finally decided that I am going to start the atkins diet. I am a little scared because I know how difficult it will be for me (b/c I am a total carb junkie!) but I feel like breaking that carb addiction will be my key to losing weight and keeping it off!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!:coach:

good luck!

Make it your goal to make permanent lifestyle changes in your eating and exercising habits not to diet until you lose x number of pounds. Learing to eat properly doesn't mean deprivation, it means learning to enjoy a new way of life at a smaller size. If you don't make the lifestyle changes, you'll gain it back, no matter how many chickens have died.

A safe amount to lose is 1-2 pounds per week so losing that much by next October may be a little dicey. It doesn't really matter how long it takes, as long as the scale is going down.:)

Thanks Bertha!