Hi guys! I accidently found this site through Google, and I have spent a few hours reading all your posts and was really inspired by them. I thought this might be a really neat way to keep myself motivated. Let me start by telling you a little about myself. My name is Amanda, I am 22 (as of 3 days ago), I live in Arizona, I work in Homeowner's Association management, I am married to a wonderful husband, I go to college and am currently fat. Yeah, I'll just say it. Im fat.

I am 5'7" and currently weigh 171 lbs. This is by far the heaviest I have ever been and I dont exactly know at what point it got out of my control, but now is the point I am going to take it back. 3 years ago I weighed 142 pounds, and I loved my body. Over these past few years a lot of little changes have occured in my life which have combined to create the extra pounds I'm carrying around. One, back then I had a physical job that basically had me exercising all day long, now I work in an office environment. Two, I got married and got a lot more comfortable. Three, I got cancer when I was 19 and had to do a year of chemo and radiation which caused me a few problems. A lot of people get really sick on chemo and lose weight. Well the doctors try really hard to keep cancer patients eating so they pumped me with steroids and I definitely ate. But I was pretty sick so I was very inactive which is a terrible combination. Then when I was on radiation it killed my thyroid and now I have to take medicine for it and more often than not, I forget to take so basically have no thyroid function. I am totally recovered from my cancer, but looking back that was definitely when I started to put on pounds. Which was the least of my problems then, but now it is my number one problem.

I am so depressed too. Which makes me just want to sit on the couch and eat all day, which will only make me heavier and thus more depressed. You can see the problem with this cycle, eh? I have rolls. My breasts have gotten grossly huge, my legs are pure fat, my butt is dimply, I have love handles, none of my clothes look good anymore, and I feel awful. I think one of the biggest things that is making me want to do something is the fact that my best friend, who is 9 months pregnant, can fit into my pants. I just really cannot take this anymore. My whole family is fat, and I know if I dont do something now, it will get much worse and be that much harder to do something about.

That was a whole lot of negative. I do have a couple positive things to say. A year ago my husband weighed 380 pounds, he is 6' 5" tall, but even being that tall made no difference at that weight. He went on a strict lo-carb diet, and exercised every other day. Well today he weighs about 280. So he is a big motivator to me. If he can lose 100 pounds, then I can certainly lose 30. He just got hired to become a police officer and he is going to start his academy in 3 weeks, which he has to be in good shape for. So he is going to be doing a lot of working out now, so I can do it with him and get motivated.

Today I decided to take my first step toward my goal. I went on a four mile walk. It was hard because I havent gotten up of the couch for months and by the end I was dead, even though I wasnt walking very fast. I felt good though because I know its the right thing to do. I plan on trying to go on walks like this every evening until I feel good enough to jog a little and eventually get to the point where I can run a couple miles.

As far as diet goes, I really dont know what to do about that. I have never really liked fruits and vegetables at all. I dont really know what the best food choices are. I tried the lo-carb with my husband a few times, but could never stay on it. It is very restrictive, and I didnt feel very healthy on it because a lot of the food is very fatty and greasy. But I have to admit, I have never seriously tried to eat healthy, so I dont know what to pick out at the store. Also, I am usually rushed because I am very busy, so I dont really have time to cook. I was doing some research and it seems that the best amount of calories per day for my weight is 1200.

I was wondering what you guys might suggest were good options for quick breakfasts and lunches? Most food that is convenient is not healthy. Also, can I get away with drinking diet soda or should I stick with water. Should a person stay away from bread and pasta or is it OK as long as I am not intaking too many calories? As you can tell, I have a lot of questions!

I look forward to meeting you guys and I am going to post daily about what I ate that day and what I did for exercise. Hopefully, if I make myself have some accountability it will help me with temptation.

Hi Amanda :wave: & :welcome:

WOW! you sure have been dealing with a lot to say the least.

I am sure you know this - however as one dead thyroid person to a nother - our thyroids can also be the cause of our depression....... kinda a circle effect thing.

I just recently found out the past yr and a half on my thyroid meds have been a waste............grrrrrrrrr ( more information about that in my last post at my journal if you wish to read it )

You are for sure on the right track for losing weight and getting in shape ! :D

Take some time and really look at your grocery stores this weekend - you will be surprised how far - quickie foods have come - they are low calorie - low fat - easy to make and yummy now days :)

You were asking for ideas - its hard to give any as everyone has a different taste/style of eating - like they make egg beaters that are 98% fat free and real easy to make and a great bread that has 11 gr of protein in - slap these 2 together and you have a really high protein breakfast for about 270 calories.
High proteins usually keep you fuller longer.

As for the pop ? - sorry - water water water - flavor it with a lemon or something........

I hope you stick around here and get to know us - we are a pretty supportive group if I do say so myself ;)

Hey, Amanda--

Wow, it sounds like you've been through a lot at a really young age... *hugs* Grats for getting through it!

I'm 21, and never have been through what you have, but as far as disgust with the size I was at (I began in January at 184...), I completely understand. I got tired of shopping in the "fat girl" section... I'm 5'7"--like you, we're about the same age, and we've got about the same amount of weight to lose (my goal is 145).

So, if you're looking for someone to talk to, feel free to drop me a message.

Best of luck to you on your journey.

--Azure

OK I am checking in to report the progress of my first sucessful day! First off thank you for the kind replies, it made me feel good to get your support!

Beth - the thyroid problems sucks, depression is awful and I hate that I have to deal with that, and I hate that you are also struggling with those issues. I will check out your post to read your story with your meds.

Azure - Thanks for your reply, we are just about in the exact same situation, aren't we? You are a few pounds ahead of me though, lol. I apppreciate the support :)

So this is what I ate today (not bad for a first day I think.)

Breakfast - Maple flavored oatmeal - 160 calories
Lunch - Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 330 calories
Chips n Salsa - 175 calories
Snack - Fruit Snack - 100 calories
Dinner - WW Frozen Lasagna - 290 calories
Snack - Smoothie Popsicle - 100 calories
8 mini rice cakes - 60 calories

Total: 1215 calories

I also drank about 40 oz. of water, which isnt the best but I am not a water drinker so I am trying to get in the habit. But I didnt drink any soda! I had a half cup of coffee also but I believe that is calorie free, I think.

As far as excercise goes, it was super rainy all day but I did squeeze in a brisk half-hour walk.

I went grocery shopping this evening because all my food was not diet friendly. It was pretty good. I picked up some light yogurt, whole grain cheerios, rice cakes, strawberry snack bars, sherbert popsicles, whole wheat bread, waffles (which suprised me with their low calorie count), potatoes, carrrots, tuna, soups, rice, and a bunch of lower fat condiments. Oh yeah, a giant case of water, lol! It was a good trip. I found a lot of low calorie snack items so thats good, because snacking is definitely my downfall.

Now I have to tackle tommorrow, but Im pretty excited! :D

OK today was not the greatest food day because I spent the whole day at the hospital with my friend who was having a baby. (She didnt actually have it, her labor stopped progressing so they sent her home to wait some more.) But I new I was going to be there most of the day so I did stick some low cal snacks in my purse (to avoid hospital vending machine snacking). And I didnt get a chance to excercise at all. I left my house about 10 this morning and got home around 9pm. So that sucks. But I will get a nice long walk in tommorrow. But here is what I ate:

9:00 am: 2 waffles w/sugar-free syrup - 245 calories

12:30 pm: Strawberry granola bar - 130 calories

2:30 pm: fruit snack - 100 calories

4:00 pm: Caramel mini rice cakes - 60 calories

5:30 pm: Tuna Sandwich - 350 calories

9:00 pm: WW Turkey dinner - 210 calories, side of corn - 80 calories

Total: 1175 calories

So it wasnt a bad calorie count, but I guess it was weird because my eating schedule was off because of being at the hospital. I may still eat an apple later, I will be up for another 2 hours and I am sure I will want to munch on something during that time. But it will small, I promise!

I tracked you down, Amanda! Okay, I'm going to try to answer some of your questions (to the best of my ability).

1. Your decision to take a walk was a GREAT one. Walking is a fantastic exercise because it is great for burning calories but doesn't do damage to your knees. I do not think it is necessary for you to have running as a goal simply because running IS damaging to the knees (for many people). Running is the exercise that produces the MOST sports injuries! However, running is highly efficient at calorie burning, so if you are pressed for time, it is a good idea to run to burn a bunch of calories fast. But if you have the time, walking briskly is better for your body, and you can burn the same number of calories. However, ultimately you should do what you feel best doing, and if running makes you happy and feel good, then by all means do it! I just wouldn't want you to feel like you were out of shape until you are running a few miles.

2. Even though you *think* you don't like fruits and vegetables, it's possible that there are kinds of fruit and vegetables, or ways of cooking them, that you WOULD like. For me, sometimes the thing that turns me off with fruit/veggies is how "plain" they seem -- especially compared to highly processed foods that have 30 ingredients, how can a simple tomato compare? Here's a suggestion to get more excited about fruits and vegetables: try ethnic varieties, so for example, go to an Indian restaurant and order a veggie dish, or go to a Spanish restaurant and do the same. The more interesting preparation, unexpected ingredients, etc., can be really inspiring and might help you find stuff you like that you didn't even know existed -- and then you can play with it in your own kitchen.

3. I tried low-carb too. I stayed on it strictly for over a year, but after the first six months I never lost another ounce. While still on it, I gained back all the weight I lost plus 5 pounds. I know it works for some people, but it DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE. Don't beat yourself up that it didn't work for you. If it didn't feel healthy, that's because it wasn't. The food IS fatty and greasy, and although low-carb diets that limit calories as well as carbs are not bad ways to lose weight, diets high in meat have been linked to certain cancers, and there is a reason why Atkins and such are SO much less popular now than they were 5 years ago: because they are SO INCREDIBLY hard to stay on, and keeping low-carb weightloss weight off REQUIRES you to eat low-carb forever.

4. What I like to do for breakfast is very simple, you probably saw it in my journal -- I just toast two pieces of low-calorie bread, put some Laughing Cow Light cheese on them, and slice two eggs, and put the slices on top -- but I throw away the yolk, which is just fat anyway. Some breakfasts like Total Whole Grain with skim milk are pretty filling, great with nutrients, and incredibly fast. For lunch, definitely check out the freezer section of your grocery store for some prepared stuff that is low-cal and you can just pop in the microwave.

5. I think water is better than diet soda, but diet soda is not so awful. It might make you crave sweets because it is sweet, and the more sweet stuff you consume, the more you'll want it. But water is really really good for you when you're losing weight. The amount you should drink should be half your weight in ounces, so if you're 171, that would be 85 ounces. Just shoot for that to start, but anything more than that is great too. Diet soda alone won't really hurt you but if it makes you eat sweets, that will definitely hurt you.

6. They make low-calorie bread and whole wheat pasta which are not bad for calorie counting. Regular bread and regular pasta are okay once in a while but I wouldn't eat that more than once a week. Regular pasta is not very nutritious, and is caloric. If you are concerned about glycemic index, whole wheat options are much better.

Some more thoughts....

- Try to schedule in a "cheat meal" or "cheat day" once in a while. It definitely won't make you gain fat if you eat one larger meal every 2 weeks, and not only can it be a nice change, but it can keep your metabolism from freaking out and assuming that you are stuck in the middle of the desert during a famine for the forseeable future, thereby lowering your body temperature and doing other lame and annoying things to reserve your precious bodyfat.

- How often you weigh yourself will probably come up. I weigh myself every single day, write it down, dwell on it, sometimes get grumpy about it, average my seven daily weights down at the end of the week, and so it goes. Most people weigh once a week, on a designated day (I think you shouldn't weigh yourself the day after a cheat meal because the excess food has not been completely digested yet and will skew the weight). Others choose to go by body measurements in inches rather than weighing at all, or simply noting what size jeans they can fit into. I chose daily weighing because I believe that the more information we arm ourselves with, the more powerful we are. I worried that, due to the high number of daily fluctuations in my weight, if I only weighed myself once per week, there was a pretty high chance that I would happen to weigh myself on a day when I had an artificially high or low weight for whatever reason -- but by averaging together seven weights per week, I think I have a more realistic picture of how I'm doing. For many (if not most) people, daily weighing is too difficult from an emotional perspective, and can be discouraging and even have a negative effect on their progress. See what works for you. I started out not weighing every day, but decided to do so when I felt it would benefit me.

- Get a lot of sleep. Research shows that there are chemicals produced in the stomach that regulate how hungry we are (the chemical has a funny name that sounds like "gremlin", I think "ghrelin") and this chemical is less present if we sleep more. So sleep at LEAST 8 hours every night, more if you can.

- Keep track of your exercise in written form (DT journal or computer file or both or whatever) so you can refer back to it. I HIGHLY recommend getting a pedometer. They cost about $20, clip to your waistband, and simply record your steps, distance walked, calories burned, (and sometimes more information) per day. It is completley worth it. I LOVE mine. It gives me so much motivation. Set yourself a goal: 8,000 steps per day, 10,000, whatever you want. Pedometers have an iffy reputation because they aren't as accurate as a Swiss watch, but they have gotten pretty good -- the Omron one is the best.

- Do some sort of resistance training. You don't need to join a gym or own any equipment to do this. You can do a LOT of strength training by using your own body-weight, a wall, a kitchen counter, etc. Building muscle gives you a faster metabolism because muscle at rest burns more calories than other tissues; it also makes the weight you carry look better and more shapely, even before you lose a lot of fat. Just don't do it every day; best to do it every other day. If you do it every day, you won't build as much strength. Don't worry about getting bulky, you need a lot of testosterone for that, and most people named Amanda have very little testosterone ;)

- A tip for drinking water that I got from DT: get a glass, say 12 oz., and put 7 rubber bands around the glass. Every time you drink a glass of water, take off a rubber band. This way you know how much you need to drink to hit your goal of (approx) 84 oz. I use a 1 liter water bottle, and put 4 rubber bands on it. I slide them down from the top to the bottom as I finish a liter. At the end of the day I write down how much I drank. I just started doing this and I already love it.

- Mix up your exercise. Walking is great, but try to vary your route so you get different hills into it once in a while. If you can add hiking, biking, swimming, or any other aerobic activity, try to do this. I see big drops in my weight after I switch off walking for hiking or biking, which I try to do once every 10 days or so.

I'm also 5'7", and my goal is 165! You are so close to my goal! I started at 235, which you probably cannot even imagine. Once I get to 165, I'll reevaluate, but you may find that as you build muscle and get back into shape, you don't need to be 142 to be the shape you want to be. Maybe you will, or maybe you won't. But when you were 142 before, how toned and defined were you? If you used to work out a lot, maybe that's the weight you should be ideally, I'm just suggesting that maybe you think you need to be lighter than you really do need to be, once you account for toning and muscle.

Okay, I shouldn't have written a book in your journal. But I already did so I'm not going to go delete it. I hope some of this is helpful or motivational or something good! You're off to an excellent start with the food and exercise, so keep at it and the things that are conscious choices now will gradually turn into natural habits.

N.

OK this is what I ate today:

Breakfast: toast w/butter - 210
Snack: Chips n Salsa - 175
Snack: Teddy Grahams - 100
Skipped Lunch
Dinner: Chicken Breast, Potatoes, Corn - 430
Snack: Tuna w/crackers - 200

Total: 1115 calories

I plan to eat another snack before bed, I always post a couple hours before bed, but I have to have a late night snack, lol. But that will put me right around my 1200 calorie goal.

I jogged for 2.5 miles in about 30 mins which an online calculator told me burned 336 extra calories. My Basal Rate is 1589. So I think my total loss is around 700 calories by the time I have last snack. The jogging was very difficult and I had to stop once and walk a little, but I made it! My husband coached me through it, he is a great exercise buddy. I want to try a bike ride tommorrow, IDK.

I also drank about 2L of water. I dont know how many ounces that is, I'll have to look it up.

Nausicaa - thank you for all the advice, you really have some wonderful ideas. I looked on ebay at the Omron pedometers, I am probably going to get one. They seem like they have a lot of handy functions. As far as the fruits and veggies go, its a texture thing. I cant explain it but the way most of them feel in my mouth is weird. I know thats odd, but its the truth, lol. I did eat an apple yesterday, and I bought some grapes today and I am going to give them a shot. I also bought some more frozen items today. Weight Watchers and South Beach both had a lot of low calorie stuff that looked pretty tasty. I really do appreciate all your advice, thank you for taking the time to give such a thoughtful reply, it means a lot!:)

Ok, I have to talk about my weight for just a second. When I started this journal 3 days ago I weighed 171. I was weighing myself before bed (I know that is not ideal but I wanted to go off my heaviest weight so that I would be operating at the worst case scenario, lol.) Anyhow, last night I weighed myself and it said 168.4, then tonight I weighed and it said 166.4. There is no way in the world this can be right. A person cannot lose almost 5 pounds in three days. When I weighed in at 171 it was the first day of my period, now I am on the third day of my period. Could that cause a 5 pound fluctuation? I am also wondering if maybe these first couple pounds are just water weight? I did sweat a lot today on my run. I just dont know what in the heck is causing the big difference. Maybe my scale is broken. Arghhhh, this is so frustrating because it seems extremely unaccurate and I would like a true picture of how my diet is actually going. GrrrrrX-(

Don't worry Amanda your seeing things right yes it probably is water weight which is fine that is what happens when you first start dieting.I have no problem seeing 5lbs less in 3 days when during my first week and sense you are 3 days into your period you are usually heavier from retaining fluids on your first day of starting,so I would say no your scale is not broke at all wtg and keep it up you will see your goal in no time

Thanks MinnieMe, I kinda figured that. I am got a much more accurate reading today, so thats good. I was at 166 even today.

Well I missed posting the last two days. On Monday my best friend actually did have her baby and I was at the hospital all day. I did horrible that day, I had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and that night I ate ice cream. I dont even wanna count that day, lol. And I got no exercise at all, so that was a really bad day.

Yesterday I was on track though. I didnt post because I left my laptop at my office. But this is what I ate:

B: Whole grain Cheerios & Toast w/sugar-free jelly - 250 calories
L: WW frozen lasagna - 300 calories
D: Rice w/veggies and beans - 380
Snack: Caramel Rice Cakes - 120
Cheese Snack Crackers - 130

Total: 1180 calories

I also jogged/walked 2.5 miles. I think I drank about 2L of water.

Today:

B: Whole grain Cheerios & Toast w/sugar-free jelly - 250 calories
L: Rice w/ Veggies and beans - 380
D: Baked Potato w/ low-fat cheese and fat free sour cream - 230
Snack: Teddy Grahams - 100
Ice Cream: 180

Total: 1140 calories

I didnt do any official exercise today but I did shovel rock around my yard landscaping, and I pulled weeds for about 2 hours, that has to count for something, right? LOL. I only drank 1L of water though.

I also found out that I probably have to look for a new job, but even that stressful news didnt drive me to eat, haha.

hey Amanda, hope you had a good weekend! Just popped in to say hi and see how you're doing! ciao ciao, n.

I have been so bad since last week. Friday was alright, I think I only had around 1100 calories. Then Friday night we drove up to spend the weekend with friends, and I was ill-prepared for that. My friend Jaleen cooked for us all weekend breakfast and dinner and I didnt know how to tell her I couldnt really eat that stuff so I just ate it. And it was her daughters birthday so there was cake and ice cream. It was pretty ugly. Monday when we got home it was my best friend Veronica's birthday, and she was stuck at home with the new baby, which she cant take him out of the house yet because he is only a week old. And she is really depressed because of postpartum, which I dont know much about, but I feel bad for her. Anyway I brought her an ice cream cake to cheer her up, lol. I only had a little piece, but her mom was also making toastadas for dinner, tortillas cooked in oil, beef, cheese, you get the picture, haha. So Monday was a loss, then yesterday was off to a wonderful start until hubby wanted to go to Olive Garden for dinner, which I know I could have made healthy choices, but I didnt. I had spaghetti w/meatballs, bad Amanda!

My point is I have been letting myself screw up, well not anymore! The last few days I have been dragging ass. I am back to the basics today. My eating didnt screw my weight up too bad, still at 166, but I wasted 5 days I could have been losing.

Anyhow, I have to go grocery shopping and restock on good stuff later. I will report in tonight with what I ate today.

OK today was much much better than the last 5 days. I got my mojo back and Im pretty excited. OK this is what I ate ---

Lunch: Roasted Chicken, Potatoes, Mixed Veggies - 320
Snack: Tuna w/ Crackers - 100
Dinner: Creamy Chicken & Rice, Mixed Veggies - 385

And that brings me to now. So far thats 805, which leaves me 395 calories short for the day. I am either going to have a snack later of fruit, yogurt, or some reduced fat oreos. I'll probably end up in the neighborhood of 1100 for the day. I did skip breakfast because I was so full from pigging out on spaghetti last night. This morning I weighed 166.5, now I gotta get some of that off. I didnt drink much water. I had 1 cup of coffee, 2 bottles of water, and a glass of crystal light. No running because it was raining all day.

I shopped briefly this afternoon and found the coolest thing. Frozen fajitas in a bag. Each bag has 7 tortillas, 7 chicken packets, and 7 veggie packets, you just cook the chicken and veggies in a skillet then warm up your tortilla. And the best part is that they are 130 calories apiece! I figure with a dab of salsa they are probably pretty darn good. I'll let you know when I try it. And as you saw, I bought reduced fat oreos. They are 140 calories for 3, but I really do love cookies, so I will limit myself to 3 at a time, lol. Anyway, thats all for now!

Ok last 2 days were pretty good, heres yesterday:

B: Whole grain Cheerios, piece of toast
L: Leftover chicken & rice
Snack: graham crackers
D: chicken, potatoes, veggies
Snack: Reduced Fat Oreos

Total: 1180 calories

Today:

B: Cheerios, Toast
L: Chicken w/rice
Snack: Yogurt
D: Chicken Burrito, Rice, Chips n Salsa

Total: 1420 calories

I went a little overboard with dinner but oh well, haha, it still is a better calorie count than I had before when I was just being a fatty.

I want a bike to ride. Jarrod's Aunt said today that she has two really nice road bikes in her basement that we can have if we want. She said they are pretty good ones, that she paid like $600 a piece when she bought them, but her and her husband only road them like once. So tommorrow we might go pick those up. I am so excited, because I decided I hate to run. And I went to like 6 yard sales today looking for workout DVD's, but I didnt find anything. So I am looking for new ways to excercise. I really wish I had the money to join a gym.

I did hit my 80 ounces of water today. Yay for me, lol.

Weight today: 163.3 (the last few days I was 164 even, I was sick of 164, haha)

What I ate yesterday:

B: whole grain cheerios: 150
L: minestrone w/ 1 bread stick: 340
S: chips & salsa: 155
D: potato, 1/2 ear of corn, hot dog: 595 (yikes!)

Total: 1240


OK heres today:

B: waffles w/sugar free syrup: 275
L: whole grain cheerios & toast w/sugar free jelly: 275
S: 2 reduced fat oreos: 100
D: fajitas w/ low fat cheese, FF sour cream, & salsa: 350

Total: 1100 calories (Yay! That means I can have a 100 calorie snack before bed, lol)

Yesterday I got about 100 oz of water, so I had that one in the bag, today I have been drinking Crystal Light all day. Does that count for drinking water?? LOL. I rode my bike a little bit yesterday and today so that was good too.

:up: Congrats for breaking past 164! I know how it gets boring seeing the same number on the scale for too long. Okay maybe 'boring' isn't the word -- how about 'infuriating'? :laugh: You are doing awesome with food! I think, actually, that crystal light is okay to call water, believe it or not. I have read that elsewhere on DT. keep it up, you are doing great!!

Testing to see if my little ticker is working...

wow you must have one ACCURATE scale!!! to go to the hundredth of a pound! hehehehe

Nausica- Hahaha!!! I didnt even notice it did that, what a doof, lol.

162.5!!! <---Yay! My diet is really working.

What I ate yesterday:

B: Cheerios-150
L: Grilled Chicken Sandwich & Black Beans from Chilis - 400
S: Chips n' Salsa - 155
D: Baked Potato w/lite butter, FF cheese, & FF sour cream - 300
S: Oreos w/ FF milk - 280

Total: 1285 Calories.

I didnt do jack yesterday for exercise, but I drank a lot of water so thats good. I started a new job today, its not new, I used to work here and now I am back, which makes me happy because this is my favorite job I have ever had and I was crazy to leave before. The only bad thing is that it involves a lot of sitting around, which has the potential to lead to snacking.... but I wont give in that easily, lol. Anyway, hope you guys out there in DT land have a wonderful day.

Ok this was today's eating:

B: Cheerios: 150 calories
L: Frozen Pizza - 450 calories (bad, I know!)
D: Lean Burger & Baked Fries - 455 (not much better, lol)
S: sugar free pudding cup - 60 calories

Total: 1115 calories

I drank 2L of water & 1 cup of coffee. I also found the best website called www.hungry-girl.com There were a ton of ideas for different lo-cal food to eat and healthier alternatives to a lot of popular snacks. It is definitely worth a look. I started making a list, I found about 45 different things I hadnt thought of before, or things that are an improvement on something I eat already. Just a tip for all you other hungry girls, haha!!

Hiya Amanda!

Just dropped in to say hello :)

Our dieting stuff seems kind of similar too.

I'm 21 yrs old and starting in the 170's
( even though you're a few inches taller than me, so that just means i have more to lose :O)

Congrats on the weight loss so far! Keep it up!

I'll be back to check on you.

TTFN!

Blue, thanks for the encouragement, and best wishes to you on your diet. You and I have age on our side, if we get it under control now we can be hot grannies later on, lol.

So todays weight was 162.2, so not drastically different than yesterday. Here was todays menu:

B: Multi grain cheerios, toast w/ sugar free jelly - 245
S: Half a Zone bar - 110
L: WW Frozen Ravioli - 250 (super yum, btw)
D: Fajitas w/FF sour cream - 300
S: 5 reduced fat ginger snaps - 140
Another Snack: sugar free pudding w/whipped cream - 95

Total: 1140 calories

I cant believe that only came out to 1140 calories, I felt like I was eating all day long. I think my stomach must have shrunk because I felt full all day long. And I had 3 snacks to boot, lol.

I went grocery shopping today. I had a couple of good finds. I bought some fish, which I love to eat but have never made myself before. I found some new bread that is about half the calories of my normal, and I also found waffles that are half the calories of my usual also. I also bought some lean pockets, which will be a nice mix-up for my lunch routine. Also, the ginger snaps I bought are wonderful. I also got some 0 calorie I cant believe its not butter spray. I usually use Brummel & Brown, which is a yogurt butter, but that has 35 calories per serving. I also bought Honey Nut Cheerios, Im getting sick of the Multi grain ones, they are yum but I eat them almost every stinkin day. I also bought a boat load of WW & South Beach frozen dinners.

I'll check in again tommorrow.:)

Weight this morning: 161.6
Exercise: 30 minutes on bicycle
Water: 1.5 L

Today's Menu:

B: 2 waffles w/sugar free syrup - 165
S: 1/2 zone bar - 110
L: WW frozen macaroni - 270
S: 5 gingersnaps - 140
D: spaghetti & make shift garlic bread - 350
S: Sugar free pudding: 110

Total: 1145 calories

My dinner was interesting, I had spaghetti w/ sugar free sauce, and I made a version of garlic bread with a light piece of toast and I cant believe its not butter.

OK thats all I got. I did make some progress by getting on my bike and riding around for half an hour. And my neighborhood is HILLY, bigtime. I definitely got a work out, I had quite a sweat going. I should have went for another half hour but I was being a wuss.

I want to try and start a new thing with setting goals. So I am going to make a goal for tommorrow. I want to get an hours worth of exercise tommorrow. And I would like to set a weight goal to be at 159 by next Thursday. Thats only 2.5 pounds, I think I can do it.

OK I definitely didnt get an hours worth of exercise today. I worked til 5 then had to go to the bank. Then I wanted to go to the movies at 7:30 and by the time I got done making dinner and cleaning up, it was time to leave for the movie. So.... yeah thats my excuse. So here's the menu:

B: Honey Nut cheerios, toast w/sugar free jelly - 240 calories
L: I had two small pancakes w/sugar free syrup & eggbeaters - 300
D: Tilapia and mashed potatoes - 320

Total: 880 calories.

Damn I didnt until just now realize how low my count was today. I was so busy all day I didnt snack at all. And I was so good at the movies, I didnt get any snacks! I only had 1L of water. So now I have to decide what I want for a late night snack, hmm..........

So tommorrow is going to be busy too. In the morning we are going to set up for a benefit for this girl who has cancer. Then in the afternoon my best friend is having a Briss <---- I know thats not right. But Im talking about the ceremony the Jewish people have to circumcise the baby. Im a gentile, I'm not down with the spelling of the Hebrew words, haha. Then Sunday I have to move all my furninture out of my old office and paint it white again. It is currently a really dark chocolate color. So thats going to be a pain. I was so glad today was Friday. As soon as I woke up the first thing I thought was "Yay, its Friday!" But now I realize the weekend is going to be jam-packed too. Darn.

Ok, yesterday was a major cheating day. It started off fine, then there was an incident with a sloppy joe, and then there was Olive Garden, so I basically just wrote it off, lol. But today was much better.

B: waffles w/sugar free syrup - 225
L: WW frozen enchiladas - 310
Snack: gingersnaps - 140
Dinner: Rooty Jr. from IHOP - 369
Snack: Sugar free pudding w/SF whipped topping: 110

Total: 1154

The Rooty Jr. I am not too sure of. I googled the individual ingredients and thats what it added up to. The Rooty consist of 1 egg (scrambled), 1 bacon strip, 1 small sausage link, 1 average pancake w/apple topping & squirt of whipped cream. It was off the kids menu, but when I was looking at the adult menu it all sounded like soooo much food that I knew I would want to eat if it was in front of me, and plus on kids menu was only like $3.99 so it was a score!

I rode my bicycle today for half an hour and I spent 4 hours painting my office. So that was plenty of exercise.

Ok here was todays menu:

B: Cheerios w/ toast - 250
L: South Beach Frozen Pizza - 350
D: Spaghetti w/garlic toast - 385
Dessert: Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich - 140

Total: 1125

No exercise. It was raining all evening when I got home from work, so I couldnt walk or ride my bike. I suppose I need to get an indoor activity, but there arent any I like to do.

Have a great day everybody, hope everyone's diet is going well.

Today:

B: South Beach wrap - 160
L: Frozen pasta - 350
D: Spaghetti w garlic bread - 400
Snack: Sugar Free Pudding - 110

Total: 1020

I am very blah today, most just cause Im exuasted. So Im gonna be brief today.

The key to liking vegetable is experimentation. When I first started eating healthy there were veggies that I didn't like but it had been years since I had ate them (childhood actually) but my tastes had changed since then so a lot of veggies that I hated before I actually like now. There were also a lot of veggies tha tI had never tried before. So I basically started a goal for myself of trying one new veggies a week and finding a new recipe. Don't force yourself to eat things you don't like either. It will only make it more difficult to stick with it. Also spices help a lot. And if you are still not finding anything you like, take things that don't have a very strong taste and dice them and cook with them. They may even be so small after cooking that you don't even taste them and in the process you may aquire a liking for them. Starting garden is also a good idea you burn off a lot a of calories maintaining it and have pride for the vegetables you have grown so you may be more incline to eat them.

Suggestion for lunch and breakfast is to prepare things the day before when you have more time. I prepare most of my meals for lunch in advanced (breakfast is a little more trickier so I usually have cereal or bagels) I cut up things for salads the night before and put together the things that won't get soggie over night together. For breakfast I usually cut up fruit the night before and put it in to a considerable serving size for the next moring.

I tried to do the lo carbs diet too, I don't continue with it because it is restricting but I am more aware of what foods will put weight on. So I usually throughout the day went I am in motion eat things with carbs in sugars but in small doses then for dinner I prepare lo carbs dinners. It actually makes a considerable difference.

Exercise, vitamins (Stress B complex is good) green tea and many others, are all non prescription ways of easing depression. I have had to battle with depression for awhile and these thing help considerably. I have also found that writing a journal about once a day helps. I find it is better to put it in written form so later I can read it and have a bit more understanding about why I am feeling the way I am. And it is also a way to make sure I don't spend all day obsessing about it.

Above, accept you body for what it is. I know its hard when it has done so much to you over the past couple of years, but your going to be with it for a long time. It is a good goal to improve yourself, but if you accept your body you will be more happier.

Thanks Vulgarian, all excellent advice. As far as the veggies go, that is a slow process I think. I like a few veggies, and maybe I'll slowly expand from there. I really appreciate you reading my journal and taking the time to comment.

Well he was the menu today.

B: Cheerios (2 bowls, ha!) - 300
L: WW frozen pizza thingy - 290
Snack: Zone Bar - 220
D: Burrito - 280

Total: 1090

So this week was back to school. For the last few years, I will have taken a class or two at the local college, I always really enjoy it, school is kinda my thing. So this semester I am taking 4 classes. My Comparitive Religions class started tonight, and it was so interesting. I can already tell I am going to love this class. Its all about learning about the different cultures around the world, and just basically opening your mind to new ideas, and seeing how we are all the same at the root of it all. Its very inspiring.

Thats all I know for today. I wish one of these years it would stop raining...

Well I didnt make my goal of 159, but I did weigh 160.7, I'm pretty happy with that. I cant wait to be in the 150's though! I slacked off a lot this past week too. I just need to pick up the pace.

Hey and that means I have officially lost 10 pounds! Sweet. 10 pounds in just under a month, that'll do!

Wow!! Good job Amanda!!

10 pounds in under a month is really good!!

:cheer: I'm a'cheering for you!:cheer:

Thanks Blueroses!!! I feel really good about it. I was like a madman today though. I cannot wait to be below 160. So I didnt each much, and I exercised wayyy more than normal. (Which normal means none lately)

For breakfast I had 1 bowl of cheerios and skipped my usual toast. So thats 150 calories. Then for lunch I had one slice of pizza and 2 cheesey breadsticks (Bad I know) I have no idea what the calorie content was. Tonight my husband took me out for mexican and I ordered lite chicken flautas and they were disgusting! So I only ate a few chips and a little of the beans that came with it (not refried, so they were ok) So my so-called dinner couldnt have been more than 300 calories, and that is a stretch. I am so not hungry though because I was chugging water today. I didnt eat anything between meals either.

I rode my bike all the way across town to a friends house and back. That was probably a good 45 minutes round trip, and let me tell you it was HILLY!
Then I walked for about 3 miles. The good thing is that it was rather hot today and I worked up a really good sweat.

So to sum up, I excercised quite a bit today, and I had a low calorie count (albeit made up of horrible food). And drank at least 3 liters of water. I hope maybe I will have a good bump when I get on the scale in the morning. I weighed myself a minute ago, and I was 163, which my night weight is almost always 2 pounds heavier than my morning weight which would put me at 161, which would be a gain! I hope I get some miraculous skinny sleep, haha. Come on 159.9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Amanda,
I guess you haven't been on DT for a while... but hopefully this will get through to your inbox. Just hoping things are going well, diet-wise and otherwise. I had a long hiatus from DT as well, just came back when I realized I'd regained a lot of weight, and I felt really upset with myself, DT does keep me in line (as long as I show up here lol). But I'm just seeing how folks are who I haven't talked to in ages... maybe I can lure you back lol.
take care, nausicaa.