I'm a decent weight, but I really want to shed a few pounds. I've tried it all! I'm so proud of myself that I'm making healthy choices. But I eat too much health food. I have so much trouble with restriction!

I've gone to extremes, and I always seem to sabotage my own efforts. I've weighed too little, and I've weighed too much. I know where I'm happy, and it's about 10 pounds less than where I am now.

I'm currently living a moderately-active lifestyle, and I know the weight would come off if I'd commit to a solid exercise plan. But I have "been there and done that", and I always end up burning out. I've overtrained in the past, and it's not fun. I'm trying to find a way to shed some weight with a "comfortable" lifestyle.

I do not want to commit to exercise (again!!!) [-X unless it's something I KNOW I'll keep up.

I'm concentrating on lean proteins, whole grain carbohydrates, and very little fat. But the weight isn't coming off! Do I have to resort to calorie restriction again... AGAIN!?!!
:whip:

Thanks for listening. It's a hard road, and I've traveled it for 17 years now, and I'm tired of the struggle! :(

Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), calorie restriction is the way many people lose significant weight, and maintain significant weight-loss for life. While it is possible that combining calorie restriction with certain biological tricks (such as ketosis-lypolysis) can help certain people glean a marginal amount of additional calories of intake over calorie restriction, even with those tricks studies show that the key is still eating less and exercising more than you had before. Without knowing where you stand with respect to calories in and calories out, it may be difficult to establish and conform to a baseline for intake and expenditure that successfully aids you in your journey. While a protein-rich, low-glycemic load diet is a great step in the right direction, you may need to do more than that to get where you're aiming to go.

Hi Kyarahh!

At 115 pounds your BMI is 20.44 which is excellent for your height
and age! At 105 it drops to 18.66 which is a gnats eye from being
too low for your height and age.
[18.50 is considered underweight]

Not to play devils advocate here, but is there a chance that your
body needs firming and toning more then weight loss?

*don't hit me Im old and I bruise easy* :)

As a dancer I'm sure your familiar with the bennies a Pilates
program affords for sculpting long lean muscles. Perhaps that
would be something to check out??

Skew

Why on earth would you want to go lower in weight.. You are at a perfect weight for your heighth.. I'm 5'2" and anything below 108 pounds is considered underweight..

Thank you ALL!

Skew and Joanne, I certainly appreciate your pep talk and honesty!

It's ALL in my LEGS, to be honest! I've tried aerobics, strength training (which only adds bulk, learned a little too late!), and other forms of exercise.

Problem is, I think I have too much knowledge, but it's too difficult to keep the exercise routine that works for me. What works? Treadmill at 5am before work for 20 minutes, treadmill after work for 30 minutes, weight training, AND watch my diet. And I wanna live life too!

I'm sure it's the same for us all. Thank you for your support! It's so nice to know we can come here to talk about our individual situations. THANK YOU!

Your absolutely correct! It's a fine line to walk indeed.
Finding the program that works well for us diet and exercise
wise as individuals. While not getting hung up on numbers.
After awhile they seem to take on almost too much importance.
Or that might just be me. *g*

Kinda why I was leaning towards a Pilates class when
considering your age and height. Does remarkably wonderful
things for one's spine too. Something those of us 5 3 and
under are always appreciative of I think. We really don't have
any height to lose with age. *g*

Hatha yoga might be a good way to de stress while still giving
your body an excellent toning big time firming work out.

At this stage in my life I'm heading more towards weight
bearing exercise. Its never too soon but if I don't pay
more attention now it can spell major trouble later.

Good luck with whatever program you decide to incorporate into
your life! For what it's worth? Your height to weight ratio is
absolutely wonderful now. Theres no guarantee you'll be healthier
or happier 10 pounds lighter. There is a chance you won't be
"as" healthy as you are right this second.

I want you happy. But I "really" want you healthy. Thas all I'm
saying. *g* Please let us know how it's going!

Skew

Hi
I gained 20 pounds in the past two years. I have started eating healthy and exercising and lost 12 of the 20 I gained (in 3mo.s almost). I am 5.3-4 and I weigh 117, now I want to loose 8 more pounds... I want to wear comfortably the clothes I used to wear. I am trying to exercie regularly 3-4 times/week and eat healthy a lot of raw veggies, some non-fat dairy products, and some whole wheat carbs...
I have also limited my caffeine intake and benefited a lot.

But now it's getting really hard for me to loose weight. I used to loose a pound or two/week but now i cannot!!! but I have to tell that I sometimes(once/week or once/2weeks) give myself a break and eat food that I miss(red meat or carbs), but I try to limit the portions...

I will be really happy to hear from those who have gone through the same thing...
Thanks all for reading...

Hi Bonosila!

Congratulations on your weight loss. I applaud you, but I AM in the same boat as you. It's the last few pounds that seem to refuse to budge from my body! I know "I" am more comfortable at my goal weight, and you may feel the same way. But I wonder if you have taken a look at yourself and asked yourself if you really need to shed the last few pounds? Yes, clothes are a good indication of where we want to be, but you're really not far off. I wonder if your weight is more in condensed muscle mass?

I'm very interested, when you have time to respond, how you found that limiting caffeine helped you out. I'm big on coffee, and do enjoy diet colas frequently. I'm not shy with water, and I've found pure water really helps digestion, etc. But I have not given myself any break from caffeine, and I wonder if it would benefit me at all.

I think it's great you "give yourself a break" from your normal diet. I believe doing it in a controlled way really helps the body get back to following a more rigid diet plan. It's like a "day off", and we all need vacations from things once in a while. I'd say your choice to do that would only benefit your results in the long run and help keep you on track.

Where am I at? I am attempting to limit portion sizes of my healthy foods, and I am feeling a little better. I'm also working in more exercise, which I know is essential. I know I'll feel better by doing these things, but the hardest part is keeping it up!

Thanks again, Bonosila
... and thank you all for reading! :)

Hi
sorry it took me sometime to return your message...
I find cutting cafeinne useful
1-i used to drink 4-6 cups a day and it gave me a craving feeling
2-i can sleep much better
3-i feel calmer
4-i remember reading somewhere that caffeine makes selulite -i'm not sure it's another diet myth or for real...
i'm drinking decaf coffee but not more than 2cups/day since turning to a processed drink is not a great idea+i'm drinking decaff-diet soda and it helps... no more than 1can/day
hope these helps...
by the way i eat luna bars and love them...

Thank you so much for your reply! I was interested to hear how cutting out caffeine helped you out. I completely agree with your answers 1 thru 3, and your answer 4 - I've heard the same.

I think caffeine is considered a toxin, perhaps? I believe that's why it's been said to hold onto cellulite. I know many anti-cellulite "diets" incorporate antioxidants and "detoxifying" the body. Like you said, I don't know if it's true or not, but I've heard it too.

I've also now read that caffeine may produce insulin response??? It is said to affect the bloodsugar in some way. I don't know if that is true either, but if it is, the more insulin the body produces, the more fat it stores. I mean, come on now! It's calorie-free! I guess moderation is the key to everything. And that's hard to do sometimes!!

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/67/79915.htm

Give this a look see!

Skew