Anyone want to join me?

Shannon,
 I'm in!!!  I started getting serious last month figuring it would let me show Markie better if I was thinner and in better shape...my goal this year is to have him in the top 25 so that alone will be work.
 
I have been skipping breakfast and lunch meals and substituting them with 3/4 cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal...130 cals  eating dinner at home, drinking more water, staying away from fried foods, soda and basic junk food...I haven't been on a scale in weeks and also need to buy one to chart my progress.
 
Also I am a muncher and food DOES taste too good!!!
 
I am looking forward to nicer weather to get out and walk dogs to help too

A great site for those seriously interested in tracking their fitness progress - [linkhttp://www.calorie-count.com]www.calorie-count.com[/link]
 
I have been using it for a while. It's not "magic", all it provides is a tool to sort of see where you are at. Each day, you enter your weight, caloric intake and exercise output. At the beginning, you set up an account saying where you are at and where you want to be by a certain day. The program will calculate how many calories per day you need to reach your goal. Also works equally well for sustaining your current body weight. I use it particularly for monitoring the % of carbs, protein & fat per day, and maintaining and decreasing my body fat percentage, which I enter each day as well.
 
There are many expensive software programs available that accomplish the same thing, but this site is FREE. Also, they have a forum, much like this one, that discusses health, dieting, etc.

Yay! I've been waiting for a reponse.
 
I don't know how to go about doing this, but it should be fairly simple. Just know that you should feel VERY guilty if you eat too much at a meal, just because it looks soooooo good, and feel VERY guilty if you even think about the nasty fried foods. I guess just make it feel like you're "cheating on I-dog members" if you do any of the above. And also feel VERY guilty if you miss a walk. 
 
I'd say breakfast is important. Maybe have a yogurt with an apple, orange, or banana? Or a small bowl of cereal.  I know it sounds so plain and boring, it's worth it in the long run.
 
I skip lunch, unless it's a cracker or two.
 
Dinner is VERY hard. I have to feed my family, so that means I have to make a lot of food. That is the worst time of the day. It's so tempting to grab a heaping plate, and scarf it all down. A smaller plate seems to help. It makes a meal look a lot bigger.
 
Water, water, and more water. My mother was a body builder a few years back (She's a tiny little thing!) and water was one of the main ways of staying healthy.
 
I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds. Just state your goal, and we can keep track of the progress.

My only problem with a new site is the fact that I don't "know" anyone. At least here I kind of "know" people. I use know like that because you really don't actually know people, but have a good guess after hanging around here for over a year. I don't have any female friends willing to help in person. So I thought it would be nice to have a couple people here to encourage the weight loss.
 
But I haven't looked at the site, I'll go take a gander right now!
 

Eating chocolate ALL morning and afternoon for 2 days straight, makes you feel reeeally guilty. LOL
 
I'm not overweight, only 129 pounds, but my stomach looks horrible, i have this little "baby" fat right in that area that i want to get off before summer.
 I'm just trying to walk a lot, and eat less ( thats a hard one..lol ). I hardly ever eat out, once a month at the least, so I dont have to worry about that. Just getting enough exercise will hopefully help....

Good luck to all of you!

Shannon,
 I've found that if I am eating my cereal and not skipping breakfast or lunch I do better at dinner...I would always skip breakfast and pick at lunch.
 
 I was told that by skipping you are actually doing it wrong because thats when your body thinks it needs to "store" instead of burn...it uses up more calories to burn instead of store.
 
I don't eat ANYTHING after 7pm water and thats it
 
My goal is to lose 65lbs

I looked at the site, it looks pretty nifty. Not sure if I can handle entering everything I eat everyday, but it gave me a good idea of how much weight I should lose.
 
I'm currently at 152 in size 9... For the last 5 years (other than having Kelly, then losing the weight again) I've always been around 127-130. The site suggested 1,500 calorie intake daily (I'll be sure to make that 1,000 just to be sure) and said my weight should be 136. I'd like to fit into aaaalll the clothes I have in my closet that are size 7.
 
Off to the store to buy a scale after work!

How pathetic is is that I wanted to wait until after lunch to join in so that I wouldn't feel guilty about going to McDonalds?
 
But I'm in, I need to lose some, and I need to be reminded to eat healthier so that I'll look better and feel better and have more energy.
 
My diet right now consists of Diet Coke and McDonald's for lunch and dinner and Diet Coke for breakfast.

I don't really need to lose weight exactly, but I do need to eat better... and sooner's post inspired me. I was planning to go to McD for chicken mcnuggets on my way to school.
 
Can I join and just commit to cutting down junk food? (I was going to say "cutting out", but let's be realistic! [8|])

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone... But before I posted, I just finished my grande cafe vanilla frappachino, and bagel with cream cheese. And that right there is exactly why I have to quit this terrible habit!
 
So is there any harm in making a ham & cheese sandwich for lunch, but only making a half sandwich? What are some good ideas for luch time foods? Try to keep it simple, I don't have a grocery store close, so I have to store the food at home for a period of time.
 
Another dinner idea is to eat one broiled chicken breast and a veggie of your choice, or some cooked ground beef (plain) with a veggie.
 
 

I've already lost 60 plus pounds, but I got sooooo big after I got hurt that I still have about 15 lbs left to loose.
 
First off, I gave away all my skinny clothes.  Once I had nothing that would fit me after I lost weight, it started coming off. [:@][:@]  Stress was a huge factor too, with TWO long distance moves in less than a year, and then having to MOVE from town to the country several months later.
 
The biggie for me was learning to eat only when I'm actually HUNGRY...and not cuz the clock says it's meal time.  And I do tend to wait until the old stomach starts making so much noise that I can't hear myself think before I dig in.  That's not a great idea tho.  I'm usually up between 5 and 5:30, and I rarely eat before 10 or so.  If I'm starving tho, I'll grab an apple or bananna and that keeps me satisfied for a long time.  But, the first thing I do when I get out of bed, after the bathroom, is to drink a very LARGE glass of water.  As in a quart of water.
 
I don't deprive myself of anything.  If I have a chocolate craving, I'll eat a single serving of mini tootsie rolls....those are great because they require a LOT of chewing so it FEELS like I'm getting more than I really am.  I know me well enough to know that if I feel deprived, I'll pig out eventually and undo all the good I've already done.
 
For salads I make a ranch dressing with fat free yogart instead of mayo if I MUST have salad dressing.  Usually I squeeze a little lemon over the salad instead.  The taste grows on you and actually gives salad a nice tangy zip.
 
I drink a LOT of water every day.  My minimum is at LEAST 7 quarts a day.  If I get less, I retain fluids and "need pumpkin".  And aside from coffee and 2 % milk, that's about all I drink in any given day.
 
and exercise makes  a HUGE difference.  I walk between 10 - 12 miles at least 4 times a week.  And exercise actually CURBS my appetite.  I'm wearing a relaxed fit size 6 now....down from 16's and 18's 18 months ago!

ORIGINAL: amstaffy

I was told that by skipping you are actually doing it wrong because thats when your body thinks it needs to "store" instead of burn...it uses up more calories to burn instead of store.

So true! Don't skip meals and don't stop eating...just eat healthier things! It's actually better to eat little (healthy) things all day long than to eat just 3 meals a day (or fewer). Eating keeps your metabolism going. If you stop eating, your metabolism stops dead. You won't burn calories or lose weight if your metabolism stops! And then your body holds onto the fat it has b/c it doesn't know when the next food will be coming.

Another tip...Don't snack on carbs like crackers and pretzels etc. Even though things are touted as "fat free" that doesn't make them healthy or good for you. Eat something with protein in it, or fruit (but don't overdose on fruit either...even though it's natural sugar, it's still a lot of sugar and that makes your blood sugar spike...you'll feel tired and hungry as that spike wears off). Snack on nuts, low-fat cheese, veggies, fat-free yogurt, lunch meat, hard boiled eggs, tuna, cottage cheese. Stay away from fried foods, butter, whole-fat dairy products, sweets, mayo and by all means fast food! If you eat any fast food, make sure you find out how many calories you're eating...that should be enough to help you pass it right on by! They are SO bad for you. (or watch SuperSize Me) And exercise too. It doesn't have to be strenous. I know it's SO HARD to exercise, especially if you work all day. But once you get it into your routine it becomes easier. And you'll notice you feel better, which helps motivate you to continue.

Good luck ladies! I would love to lose 5 to 10 lbs. but just can't seem to get there. I'm hoping your motivation and success will help me with my own!

I want to join too.  I only need to lose 5-10 pounds (don't hate me) but my work clothes are getting tight... my problem is low blood sugar.  I have to snack all day long in order to not get faint, dizzy or shaky. 
So for breakfast I eat a bowl of Chex, Honey Nut Cheerios, or Raisin Bran, with skim milk and a glass of orange juice.  I drink coffee with creamer and a spoon of sugar on my drive to work.  I NEED it to stay awake for the hour.
At lunch I eat a fruit/veggie, yogurt and a jello.  Plus water all day long.  Occasionally I'll have a 12 oz Big Red but not everyday.  LADIES-jello really helps with nails and hair growth!
Dinner, well I suck at this point.  I over eat and eat crappy.  But I will say that if I eat at McD's, I eat a cheeseburger and a medium fry, no soda.  And that's on Thurs before agility practice.

My problem is lack of exercise.  With daily pain, sometimes just doing it takes a lot of effort.  Can't wait for warmer weather to begin walking more regularly.

ORIGINAL: glenmar

I drink a LOT of water every day. My minimum is at LEAST 7 quarts a day. If I get less, I retain fluids and "need pumpkin". And aside from coffee and 2 % milk, that's about all I drink in any given day.

Very good point about water Glenda! It really helps flush out all the crud inside you. Drink, drink, drink water all day long. It makes you feel full and curbs your urge to snack. The only bummer about it is having to run off to the loo so often, but hey, that's just more exercise! [sm=lol.gif]