Wanting to Lose 70 Lbs for My Son

I know how you are feeling about weight loss and the struggles that go along with it.

I was 250 lbs in Sept 07, since then I have lost 130 lbs. I have become a personal trainer and work at the YMCA. I also train clients at their home and in outdoor parks. I would love to talk to you about fitness and healthy living.

K. Simmons Fitness
###-###-####
____@____.com
http://www.myspace.com/katiesimmonsfitness

Hey! You are so brave to want to lose the weight for your son and are willing to ask for help! You've taken the first step!
I am a Registered Dietitian and have a few simple tips.

The KEY to losing weight is PORTION SIZES and calories. This is why programs such as Jenny Craig & Weight Watchers are successful. Research what the correct portion sizes are for foods (one resource is calorie-count.com but there are tons of them)

- Get rid of sweet tea & sweetened foods. Try Splenda (it WILL NOT poison you!) to give you a little sweetness as you transition from being used to sugary foods.

- Get rid of refined wheat products- use only 100% whole wheat bread, pasta, rice, etc. This will help you feel full after you eat.

- Eat 6 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones (& DON'T skip breakfast!). The key here is having a small amount of protein with each meal, such as low fat milk or cheese, peanut butter, lunchmeat, etc. This will help your metabolism ramp up & help you not to overeat.

- MOVE your body whenever you can, including using your bike at least 3-5 times a week, park far away from wherever you're going & walk, take the stairs, do weights with soup cans while watching TV, etc. This will help you lose the weight faster.

-Healthy weight loss is 1-3 pounds per week (depends on your age, body type, sex as to how fast weight should safely come off). Don't be hard on yourself if you have a bad week- remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're adding muscle, your weight loss won't be as dramatic on a weekly basis.

-Accountability!! This is another reason why Weight Watchers is so successful- weekly weigh-in's! At least find an online weight loss group & check in with them on a regular basis to report your weight loss! This is KEY! It will keep you motivated!

Good Luck to you!
Please email me if you have any more questions- I'd love to help!
____@____.com
S.

Sounds like you've got lots of good advice and options. I know a good nutritional coach in the Decatur area if you need someone to help you kick in gear. Feel free to send me a message to get her contact info. Good luck!

It sounds like you are addicted to sugar. I am, too, so I can identify with you on that. What has helped me to lose weight has been to completely go off the sugar for three days which is not forever, just three days -- it's not easy, but if you can just do one day at a time til three days have passed -- you will find yourself not even liking sugar at all. Once off of it, the cravings for it subside and it doesn't even taste that good anymore either. I went off for three days, then decided to treat myself to a glass of sweet tea -- I don't use as much sugar as you, just one cup per pitcher -- but after only three days, the sweet tea was disgusting, way too sweet to me. Water tasted better than the tea. So I fight to avoid sugar. My big downfall is the little snack sized chocolate candybars. Once I give in and eat one or two of those, I'm right back to the sugar, so I have to just cut all sugar out and then I lose weight. I also don't like veggies very much except for certain ones, so to get my veggies, I drink one of those little cans of V8 juice with a stick of celery on the side at least once a day. For fruits, it's a little harder because I'm not a big fruit fan either, so I only get fruit I do like, such as bananas and oranges, and just force myself to eat at least one a day. Also, if you will drink some hot liquid about half an hour before you eat a meal, it will curb your appetite. Bland unsweetened herb tea or even diet hot chocolate will do the trick. I have a friend who drinks hot water, but that seems too disgusting to me. Good luck to you. Popsickles are fine as long as you don't eat ones that have real sugar. Get the diet kind; they're good and will satisfy your craving for something sweet. You'll find, though, that after you get off the sugar, even sweeteners like Splenda seem too sweet and you'll like water better.

Hi B.D.
This is B. (deaffmommie). I have to agree with some of the other posters that have read your plea is there are a lot of excuses.

First: change the amount of sugar in your tea. three cups of sugar is TOO much sugar. You can start by cutting out a 1/2 cup each time you make tea. I am diabetic and allergic to aspartame and i don't care for Splenda. A lot of people do. I use Sweet and Low and it does take time to get used to a different type of sweetening.

Next I also don't enjoy exercise but I do walk. I walk a lot. If your son likes to run in a park get him to "run" on the track with you. If you have a dog take it out for a walk. They love it and it's good for them too.

Watch your calories. My dietitian told me no more than 45 grams of carbs per meal and not more than 10 grams of fat. Portion control helps. buy a smaller plate and fill it. When that is done NO SECONDS.

I agree with other posters to find I diet buddy. Having someone to talk with daily helps. Keep a food journal. Write down everything you eat for a few days and see where your calories are coming into play.

Look where you can cut your calories when cooking. Instead of canned veggies, use frozen. There are more nutrients in frozen and you control the salt and seasonings. Look at how you are preparing the food. Fried foods are always higher in calories than baked or broiled. creamy foods, add calories. starchy foods, like pasta and potatoes turn into sugar once we eat it. and the body absorbs the nutrients it needs and stores the rest as fat.

Bottom line is not a diet per se, but a lifestyle change for you.
Your health is at risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, arthritis, join pain, back aches, high blood pressure, premature aging.
Talk with your doctor about getting checked for these illnesses as well.

I remember an Oprah show after she had lost a HUGE amount of weight, like 100 lbs of body fat. She brought in a wagon she pulled that weight in butter/lard... It was eye opening to a lot of people to SEE 100 lbs of butter/lard in that wagon.

No it was not an over night cure. I took Oprah a long time and the dedication to change her lifestyle.

I find it admirable you want to change your weight for your child, but ultimately YOU need to change this for YOU!

I hope this helps.
Will be GLAD to talk off line if you need a diet buddy,

Hugs,
B.
deaffmommie

i don't want to sound harsh, but you are not ready to make the commitment and you are making excuses. i know this because i was the same way. there aren't too many people out there that prefer water over something else or that would rather go for a jog than something else. excuses are easy to find. losing weight is not easy... when you get fed up with being overweight, you will make the sacrifices needed to be successful. you can do it. you can. you just have to be willing. you can follow the weight watchers plan without paying the monthly membership. just get you a starter kit for about $25.00 and follow their guidelines and point system and you will be successful. best wishes.

Congratulations on your decision to loose weight. The first thing I would suggest is to educate yourself on the hows and whys our bodies store fat. I've found Dr. Atkins to be the most comprehensive and understandable. I know he got bad publicity but that was because of all the $ the sugar,cereal and bread industry was loosing. Sugar is our worset enemy. Do not fall for this "low fat" craze. Our bodies need the right kinds of fats. The bottom line will be eat what nature intended; meat and veggies. SWEET TEA BAD BAD BAD!!! sorry...It takes a strong mind to control our matter but you'll be thrilled when you get on the right track. Good Luck!
M.

I haven't read any other responses, but this would be my recommendation. Try the low carb diet, plenty of protein and veggies, which keeps you full and not hungry. The protein sounds like it will save you and get you losing weight happily.

The sugar in your tea needs to go, but I have another alternative. Use Stevia. It's expensive, but you only need anywhere from 2/3 to 1 teaspoon per gallon of tea. My mother likes it sweeter (we use an herbal tea that is a mock black tea), so she uses a teaspoon where I use 2/3 of a teaspoon. I use this in koolaid for the kids too. You can't tell a difference and it's not a chemical sweetener (as I call them) like the splenda, equal, etc.

You can get the Stevia at a health food store. You have to make sure there are no fillers in them. It alters the taste and doesn't give you pure stevia. I'd say it's about $23 per 3.5oz white powder bottle of stevia...I'd get the Kal brand.

Do you like nuts? Pecans, almonds, etc., that would also be a great snack. It's full of protein and good for you (that is, raw, not roasted and salted). I love almonds.

Have you tried taking Chia? It makes you feel really full. It is an amazing source of antioxidants and fiber! Dr. Oz just told Oprah to take it and it was on Good Morning America as the top 5 things you need in your life in 2009. It really helps with health and weight loss.

Hey Girl!
Diets do not work, you have to change your lifestyle and exercise. Contact Katie, I think she can help you. I have lost 70lbs in the last year and it was a fight the whole way. I ate well and exercised like crazy and my life is so active now that I am able to treat myself every once in a while. Losing weight is hard and you need a support group.

Tea does not count as water because it is a diuretic. That means it makes you pee more. So because it makes you eliminate water, it does not count toward water intake. You can acquire a taste for anything if you just keep trying. I know because I lived with another family in France for a year and they cooked a lot of stuff I didn't like. But I didn't have a choice so I got used to it. Food that I hated at the beginning of the trip (zucchini casserole) I loved at the end. You will need to acquire a taste for water with lemon, also fruits and vegetables. There is no way you can succeed on any diet if you keep such a high sugar (or fake sugar) intake. Instead of making your goal to lose 70 lbs, make your goals smaller and more achievable. First being what you drink. Get in the habit of drinking water with lemon. That alone will probably make you loose weight. Also, don't be fooled that Splenda will help you lose weight - it will only prolong the sugar cravings, and also has side effects. See www.Mercola.com for info. Also, if you eat or drink sweet, you will crave sweets. The more you can cut back on your sweets, the easier it will be to eat better. Good for you for exercising!

I think the title of your post sums up part of the problem (no offense). You need to 'want' to lose weight for 'you'. I hate to say it but if you dont really really want it....it wont work. That is why it takes crisis's to scare people into weight loss like heart attacks, blood pressure, cholesterol ect....
I feel for you. It is very hard to lose weight. I have done it and it took me changing my life. Diets.....they dont work. I hate to say it. Jenny Craig works for some because they teach you portion and basically make you realize you have to change your life. Which you can do on your own.
Baby steps. Too much at one time makes people get overwhelmed and actually gain weight.
Firstly, the sweet tea is waaaaayyy too sweet. I know, I like sweet tea too but not that sweet. The first change I made was only having a sweetened drink at meal times (I now have none). Then I got a half gallon jug with a easy spout and I filled it with water twice a day and that is what I still do. Water is actually the ONLY thing that quenches my thirst now. My Mother did the same thing and she now only has tea with her dinner. If she can do it.....You can do it.
Secondly, the fruit and veggie thing. It sounds like you have made your mind up. Open it up a little. Try new things. I have some wonderful veggie recipes.....truly!! Please let me know if you would like some ideas or recipes. I would be glad to help. Im not a huge fruit fan either but I have an apple every morning and a handful of almonds. It works. You probably need to have 6 small meals a day. Look it up online. There are many ideas on this and you can shape it the way you like. Cut back on starches. Dont eliminate them just cut back. Cut back red meat. We will find out later in life this is one of the main causes of cancer (sounds freaky) but its true!!
Thirdly, throw out the bad stuff! Chunk it!! If its there, you will eat it. Luckily, my husband and one of my two children do not like sweets so that helps me and my daughter, who does like sweets. I simply dont buy them. I buy animal crackers and ginger snaps for my daughter for when she wants them but it is rare. Chips. Now that is my downfall but how I do it is I dont buy them!! I only get them if I get a sub or a sandwich somewhere. Its my treat. Occasionally, I will buy a small bag and chomp them down but thats it.
No fast food. Like once a month let yourself buy it to keep yourself from gorging out.
Exercise is def. important. The bike should work if you can do it every day for atleast 30- 1 hour. You gotta sweat!! When you go shopping, park far away from the door. I do that all the time. People will think Im crazy but I do and it give me more exercise! Once you start losing weight you will be inspired to do more.
I personally want to feel good inside and out. That is what inspired me. Realizing it was one battle I had to do on my own. I still work every day on it.
Let me know if you want some recipes or meal ideas. Goodluck!!

Hi B. D.:

Your problem is carbs and sugar. I lost a lot of weight when I cut out the carbs and sugar and went on protein. You will be amazed at how the weight will come off and you won't be hungry. The more sugars and carbs - the hungrier you are. Protein will not have that effect. Here's a sample day's food: Breakfast: eggs fixed any way with ham or any other meat. Lunch: Tunafish with salad greens. Dinner: Chicken or any type of meat or fish with broccoli or any lower carb veggie. As far as sugar in the iced tea - use equal instead - you won't know the difference - or diet coke is fine as well. You will be amazed at how the pounds come off - this diet works every time. Best of luck to you - you can do it - don't be discouraged. Best to you, M.

First of all, good for you! Just a few tips...

- Switch to Equal or Splenda and ditch the sugar. Their are online recipes for Tea (and other things) EVERYWHERE that will cost you NOTHING! Sugar makes you crave and eventaully eat more. EVENTUALLY learn to like water and sip it CONSTANTLY. Don't go ANYWHERE without a cold glass of water with you.

- Eat food that keeps you full for a longer time frame such as proteins: chicken, lean pork or beef. Portion sizes are important-they should be the size of the palm of your hand.

- Don't laugh, PLAN ONE cheat lunch per week. That way you aren't craving something and falling off the wagon! Eating something you want ONCE each week for LUNCH gives you time to walk it off!

- Eat lots of veges. Season them with Butter Buds / spices. Let them taste good! When eating spaghetti, use lots of yummy spices and make it a VERY meaty sauce! (Use ground round /sirloin & drain it WELL. Even rinse it gently before adding it to the tomoato sauce.

- Eat your meat first, then your veges, then a fruit for dessert... this will fill you up and you'll only have room for a little sweet.

- Drink ALOT of water BEFORE your meal, limit your fluid intake DURING your meal (as you want the good food to stay in your tummy as long as possible. Resume sipping all the time about 1/2 hour later. STAY hydrated.

- Watch breads and carbs-Pay attention to portion sizes and read every label BEFORE putting it in your mouth.

- Use or drink low fat milk. MOST Yogurts are FULL of sugar-be careful and buy only those with low sugar. PUBLIX brand is low fat AND lower sugar than most and cheaper, as well!

- MOVE, MOVE, MOVE... Get headphones for your bike riding or put the bike in front of the TV... You'll no longer be bored! Park farther away and walk more. Get a cheap pedometer & ultimately you want to BUILD UP to taking as many steps as possible.

GOD bless you! L.

Hi, sounds to me from your letter that you want to loose the weight but are making excuses for yourself. The first thing you need to do is a cleanse. You are addicted to sugar. Your body should crave water and love the taste of fresh fruits and veggies. If you are serious about loosing weight you will learn to love these foods. Try www.iwantitall.net This will help you change your life not just a diet. I think its about $30 a month and you get daily counciling through email and your meal plans that you can stick to. PLAN- People Learning About Nutrition.
I know that loosing weight is SO hard because it's so much self dissipline but in the long run you'll be so glad you did and our kids learn from our habits. Best of luck. You have lots of support from lots of mammas!
(One person mentioned Splenda or Crystal Light.......... you'll poison yourself more with that stuff, it's horrible. Anything with aspratame or sucrolose stay away from. If you don't believe me do your own research!)

Unfortunately, all the things you don't like are the things you need to do to lose the weight. Sugary items (like popsicles and sweet tea) are only going to keep the pounds on. It the food item you choose has more than 9 grams of sugar you shouldn't eat it. I only drink water and when I dropped drinking soda I lost 7 lbs in 2 weeks! If you find water is "nasty" look into a filter - I don't spend money on bottles of water, I have a bottle I refill during the day and I love our tap water, it's just as good!

You DON'T have to do Jenny Craig or any of that - my hubby and I have worked together to drop weight by doing it the right way - exercise and portion control. The stationary bike is a good step, but you are going to need to do more exercise and change your eating to drop those unwanted pounds.

Another suggestion is to get a reliable workout buddy to help motivate you. I have my hubby but I also have a friend in Utah who I talk to multiple times a week to keep me motivated!

You need to cut your diet to 1200 - 1400 calories a day, but they need to be GOOD calories, not empty ones (like sweet tea and popsicles). Eat every 3 hours - meal, snack, meal, snack, meal, snack. This keeps your blood sugar balanced and keeps you from feeling hungry.

You have internet, so do some research online to find HEALTHY ways to lose weight. Watch Biggest Loser - even though I am not as heavy as the contestants, I find great tips and get motivated watching them change their lives for the better.

The biggest thing is remembering that the weight didn't get put on in one day, it's not going to drop off in one day - it's going to take months. I wish you lots of luck!

www.emofree.com will teach you "tapping" techniques to control your hunger between meals. It's free and it is working for me.

Check out the Augusta YMCA. They have financial assistance available and your son could also participate in their programs.

My son is a personal trainer and he emphasizes to me the importance of weight training. Start with soup cans or coffee cans. The Y can put you on a program and show you the proper exercises.

Popsicles? The regular ones have to much sugar and the sugar free - the substitute sweetener actually stimulates my appetite. I found myself eating a whole box!!

Start looking at serving size and calories. I keep a daily running total on the fridge. When I eat something, I check the amount I'm eating and the number of calories, then write the calories on the paper. The first few days I was very surprised how fast I got to 1000. ( I have to lose 65 pounds so I'm trying to keep my calories under 1000 per day)

You can do this, but please don't think of this as a diet you go on for a short period of time - it is a lifestyle change you are making that will allow you to live longer and healthier. It will also make a difference in your son's health. He will start picking up your good habits.

Good luck.
Dawn

I have the same issue with weight, and I don't like plain water either...I have tried using Crystal Lite, or the generic version, in water, and that is more palatable. Also, have you tried Splenda in your sweet tea? It is similar in taste to sugar, and dissolves the same when making it, just leaves a little after taste. I also drink too much sweet tea, so am trying to cut out real sugar. Just try to eat the fruits and veggies you do like, and eat those for snacks instead of chips or sweets. Popsicles that use a sweetener should be fine for a snack, just look for ones with Splenda. Good luck!
A., mom of 3

I know you may not like water, but it will help considerably. Try adding a little lemon juice, or any other flavor to it. Tea with that much sugar may be adding pounds instead of helping to eliminate them. As far as the exercise, maybe switching up your routine occasionally will help speed up your progress. Good luck with your weight loss!

Hi! I know you you'll get a lot of advice here, but I just wanted to chime in! You have got to stop with so much sugar and try some new things! There are many herbs that are not only nutritious, but naturally sweet and have some appetite curbing effects. I think that those weight loss systems are terrible nutritionally, they are so processed and with not so healthy additives. I don't have much time now, but if you intersted in more herb info, contact me at ____@____.com
Also, try adding some freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice to your water! Have you ever heard of Stevia as a sugar alternative? It's herbal, safe and not artificial like aspartame, Splena, etc.

C.
www.LostRiverNaturals.com
Organic Herbal Handcrafts

BD,
The biggest part of losing weight is changing the way you think. Think of your body as a machine. It needs really healthy food and proper exercise in order to run properly. So, with that in mind try to think of food as fuel for your body, not enjoyment for your tongue! Food does not have to taste good in order to eat it. American society has created a whole industry (to make money) on food that tastes good, but is horrible for our bodies. They use marketing to make you think that everything that you put into your mouth has to taste really good. So, once you start eating that way, veggies and fruits and whole grains don't taste quite as good. However, once you start eating healthy fruits and veggies and whole grains start to taste really good and the other food actually makes you feel really bad when you eat it.
So, I suggest starting to eat healthy...eating breakfast is really important...cutting out the sugar is really important. In fact, I bet if you just stop eating sugar, you will drop weight really quickly. Using your stationary bike is a good idea. Walking will feel better once you start losing weight. You get tired and your back hurts when you walk because you are overweight. Once you begin losing weight, you might want to alternate days walking and days riding, just so that you don't get bored with the bicycle.
You mentioned that you get hungry right after you eat. Foods that are high in fat and sugar and not very filling. So, when you eat those foods, you get hungry more frequently. When you eat foods high in fiber and whole grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, fruits and veggies) you will stay full longer. Try eating some carrots for a snack or a glass of milk or a bowl of cheerios.
I also recommend watching the Biggest Loser on NBC. It is such an inspiring show. They give great tips and they talk about what people at home can do and work on to lose weight.
Losing weight is really hard. It is not always fun and doesn't always feel good. However, once you get the weight off, you will feel so good physically and mentally. Good luck!

No offense BD, but this post was full of excuses! That needs to stop first. Have you had any chance to watch Oprah this week? Go on Oprah.com if not b/c her show this week is about this and has been excellent. First of all, walking is not out of the question. Of course you get tired from it b/c you are too heavy and that's what makes it hurt. So do the stationary bike at least 30 min a day until you feel better and lose some weight and then try just walking 20 min. Build up a little each week. Also, start with a more realistic goal to lose say 30 lbs and then go from there. Once you lose that, you will want to lose more. Stop putting the sugar in the tea! Buy some crystal light packets and see if that works better for you. Look at weightwatchers.com and see if you can afford to join online. I think it's around $13 a month. Your health is worth every penny. If that's too expensive, find a friend who also needs to lose weight and make a weight loss pact. I found I all of a sudden liked tons of fruits and veggies as I got older than I hated when I was young so try things again and again. You might be surprised. Most importantly, stop making excuses and good luck!!!

HI!
I am a Chiropractor and I will tell you that even at your current size, you would benefit a lot from our care! You can find a Chiropractor to work with you on payments, it does not have to be exspensive! You are on the right start with knowing that this has to be done 1st for you and then your son. I am so proud of you for your efforts and I know you can do it! Your asking for help and that is a HUGE step. Heres how I can help in addition to telling you to see a Chiropractor (this will boost your metabolism also); the tea has got to go! Not completely, just your current method:) Use Stevia (natural plant based sweetner) instead of sugar. Stay away from artifical sweetners like spenlda, equal, aspartame, etc. They actually have a chemical in them that offsets your brain and tells it to hold on to fat cells. This will work against your goal! Not to mention, artifical sweetners also cause back pain! If you cant manage plain water, work on it. water in the tea does not count when it comes to replacing your cellular water intake which makes up 90% of your body. It your not getting plain water, you will feel aweful and your aches and pains will magnify! Try starting with vitamin water and adding just a little spring water to it, increase your plain spring water each time and you will be training your taste buds to accept the water. You will start dropping pounds right away if you do this. If you only like peas, green beans, bannannas, and grapes that is fine! Eat them everyday and as often as you want! Stay away from fried foods. If you insist on frying something, do it with olive oil! THis will help with your omega intake, which you need everyday. The yogurt isnt a big deal, however you do need probiotics which is what the hype of yogurt is over. Go to your healthfood store and get you a bottle of probiotics, in the refrid. section. Take this everyday! About 80% of our digestive health is in our intestines. This is GOOD food for it. It will help you break down and rid the bad fat from your diet. Bake chicken or your other favorite foods. Read labels!!! Stay away from hydrolated or high frucose corn syrup, (a great butter to use is Smartbalance). These are red flags for raising your BP and adding fat cells. If your doing 1 or 2 popsicles as a snack/per day that is fine but they wont offset the hunger, add some granola or almonds to it. Its much better than cake, etc. If you take care of your digestive system like I mentioned and add fiber thru your foods (adding benefiber would be good too), your hunger cravings will go away after a good balanced meal.Remember, you can and will do this. It wont be easy, you have to make a lot of changes but the result you want is change. You also want to add a good multivitamin, not a synthetic one like at walmart but a whole food based one, you can also find one at the healthfood store. You can get the vit and probiotics for about $30. Best of luck to you and please contact me if I can help any futher:)

Hello!
I understand what you're going through! I actually bit the bullet and was seeing a diet doctor until I couldn't afford it anymore. But, I learned quite a bit about food while on his diet and I lost 30 pounds. I reduced my carb intake and fat intake, and increased my proteins; and that did wonders. I've been told that women who do not take in less than 1,000 calories a day will not lose weight, but that's probably debatable by others.
Be sure to read the labels on anything you ingest. Sugar is definitely going to be your enemy. Unfortunately, the quickest, easiest food to eat is usually the worst for you. A lot of the prepackaged food has a lot of additives that are either too salty, fatty, or too sugary.
I would suggest that you try to eat several times a day, but eat smaller meals. And try to read labels and understand what it is you're ingesting. And I would also suggest lots of water (it's cheap!) before, during and after you ride your bike to keep from getting dehydrated. And you might want to check out some of the diet sodas, no sugar added stuff. They are actually quite tasty. My diabetic neighbor eats the sugar free banana popsicles and loves them! You can also check out calories and carbs of items you eat/drink on the internet. There are a couple of good websites for this information. Keep a log on everything you ingest all day and you will soon see the bigger picture.
Good luck to you! It will be a hard road, but is definitely worth it in the long run. Your health is way too important to you and your son.

You don't need broccoli with cheese sauce that just defeats the purpose. If you truley want to lose weight you need to stop saying "I don't like". It doesn't sound like you are ready to lose weight. When you are ready you will stop the I don't likes and start saying I will like. Tea is NOT water. There is not substitute for water. You have to stop the mental whinning.

B-D. You posted on this board because you needed help. Obviously what you've been doing, or in your case, NOT doing is NOT helping you! We get it. You get it! When you read all of the responses from these great women on here, do so with a serious mindframe and take it all in. We are all moms but we are on this website to help. Being a parent, one of our responsibilities is to educate and help guide our children and their minds. When my 2 year old tells me he doesn't like a particular food, I tell him to take 3 bites and if he still doesn't like it, then he doesn't have to finish it. By the third bite, he usually ends up eating the food.

Just try! Stop being so close minded. That was my downfall for a long time. Just educate yourself on the different types of food groups and how each one can help you accomplish your goal. WHEN you are serious about committing to your goal and bettering yourself, you will. You've taken the 1st step but the journey is long and hard.

I am on that journey with you but I have to sacrifice my love affair with sweet tea too. You will have to as well. It won't work if you don't. No one's saying you two can't reunite but that can only happen after you've done what you need to in order to get this weight off.

Excuses are tools of the incompetent. They build bridges to nowhere. People who use them become monuments of nothingness.

Excuses don't explain and explanations don't excuse.

Please do this for yourself. Please let your love for yourself and your best health outweigh your love of sweet tea and unwillingness to make serious dietary changes.

I am wishing you the best of success on your journey and if you need an email buddy to help keep you motivated, just hit me up. No problem. If I can do it, so can you!

What is the reason for not liking fruits and veggies? I'm a texture person if the texture feels weird I won't eat it. I also won't eat most fruits and veggies, simply because of how they feel in my mouth. For yogurt I eat the custard style, it's got no little fruit pieces or seeds in it. For veggies dress it up, broccoli with cheese sauce, carrots raw with some low fat dip. Get creative, anything can be dipped or smothered in something to make it taste better.Go to the mall and take a couple of laps while looking at all those new skinny clothes you could wear after you loose the weight. Go and get some Special K protein water packets, its sold by the coolaid and chrystal light. There's all kinds of stir in stuff to make water taste better. CUT DOWN ON THE SWEET TEA. if you have to have sweet tea use splenda to make it it's actually sweeter than sugar. Eat light popcorn as a snack in stead of a candy bar. Stationary bike is great but it dosent' do anything for your upper body. get some of the firm series of DVDs the 8 minute abs is great for toning. do the 6 small meals and when you get hungry other wise break out the special K protein water stuff , it actually helps you feel fuller because of the protein in the water.

Try the Atkins or similar low carb diet. Cut out all the "white" from your diet...white flour, sugar, potatoes, rice etc. Eat 6 mini meals/day. Try to exercise 20 min/day. Use Crystal Light to flavor your water.

I know that many, many people with disagree with me, but you do not have to drink water all day long. The fact of the matter is, water just goes right through you, which is why you'll pee constantly. As long as you're staying hydrated by drinking enough fluids each day and cutting out the sweet tea, you do not have to try to fill yourself up with water. I get extremely hungry after drinking water, and I am a very small, petite person. I don't think water will do anything but make you pee all day. The key is balance. You need carbs, proteins, veggies, fluids. Oatmeal for breakfast is a great option, because it will keep you full long and is very nutritious. Just be careful how much sugar you put on it. A little goes a long way with sugar. Rather than drinking sweet tea, drink Gatorade or something with less sugar than sweet tea. Make your own tea at home but with less sugar. When you eat dinner, give yourself smaller portions, like someone else said handsize amount (not heaping!). Honestly, if you clean your plate every time you eat, the order in which you eat your food will not make a difference. Just be sure that your dinner includes a veggie (w/ very little butter or salt) and a protein. When you eat carbs, be sure it is made with wheat flour. White/bleached flour is interpretted by your body as sugar. Therefore, your body "turns it into" sugar (it treats flour like sugar). However, this does not occur with wheat flour. Finally, having small snacks between meals is fine, if you do not turn your snack into a meal itself. A snack should be light and small. You have to get out of your habit of eating all day long. It's okay to feel hungry! That's what many people forget. Feeling hungry does not mean you have to eat immediately. You should eat no more than 5-6 times per day including meals and snacks.

You have to get your body in motion. The reason you ache from walking is because your body is carrying so much extra weight. Swimming is a great way to get yourself in better physical shape without feeling the aches and pains of exercise. I swam for 10 years competitively and couldn't have asked for a better workout growing up.

Good luck! I really hope you do this for yourself and make your life more fulfilling for both you and your son.

K.:)

you might want to check out Overeaters Anonymous at www.oa.org. there is no cost (they take voluntary donations), though if you decide it's for you, you might want to purchase some books. They have phone meetings if childcare is an issue, or if you just want to check it out from home. But live, in-person meetings are the best if you can find one in your area. Everyone understands where you are and offers a lot of support. Best of luck!

www.stickk.com

Someone said "You have to do it for yourself, not someone else" - but you know, that's just not so. I'll bet we all know people who have quit smoking when they get pregnant, for instance. I myself have had to force myself to get up earlier and get my rear in gear in the morning to get my kid to school on time. People will do all kinds of things to straighten up thier lives for the sake of their kids, even overcome some very powerful addictions and that's a GOOD thing!

Everyone needs help to reach big goals like this, so you need the support of people around you. There's a great, FREE way to do this if you have friends and family on the Internet.)

Make a commitment at www.stickk.com and get as many friends to support you as you can. (You could probably even find some folks on this website to be your
"supporters" - just ask!)

It's ABSOLUTELY FREE (supported by banner ads) and it was developed some Economics professors at Yale University who created this after researching what makes people stick various goals an commitments and it incorporates various ways. (Basically making it known, and putting your reputation and/or money on the line.)

Basically, whatever your commitment, (losing weight is popular, but people put in all kinds of goals, like "cleaning out the spare bedroom", "replacing my sofa", "being on-time", "maintaining weight" - after losing a good amount - and "saving money"), you put it down in writing and get as many of your friends and family as you can to support you. Then, for weight loss, every week you weigh in and report your weight. (They recommend using a "referee" - a trusted friend or family member that will keep you honest and verify your weight on the website.) Then an email goes to all your supporters letting them know if you're on track or slipping. If you fail one week, you have a LOT more motivation to keep going, rather than just quit. (Like, if you do great for 3 weeks, then miss your goal 1 week, it still says you've met the goal 75% of the time. And since you're still supposed to keep reporting for the duration that you said at the beginning, (or your friends will start reminding you), you're much less likely to just give up.

Another option they allow you to do is to specify a charity that you will give money to for each week you fall short of your goal. To REALLY pile on some incentive, they recommend choosing an "anti-charity" (some organization you don't really want to support at all). My husband, who made a commitment to lose 15 pounds over 15 weeks will be donating $5 to the "George W. Bush Presidential Library" every week he fails. (He's *not* a W. fan, so that has *really* lit the fire for him.) Not to mention all his friends are teasing him about donating to that charity.

Even better, one of his friends that he asked to be a supporter *also* signed up - to lose 20 pounds! - so now it's a contest and they keep making comments on each other's pages about how their going to sabotage each other. (Sometimes guys have a different definition of "support" than women do. They send each other text messages like "Wouldn't a banana split be great right about now?")

You know, I actually saw one person who made the goal of eating more fruits and vegetables every day. That would be another one to consider.

By the way, that's some seriously sweet tea! It makes my teeth hurt to think about that. But you know, since it sounds like you make your own, you can gradually cut that back - add one ounce of water or one ounce less sugar every week or so. You acquired a taste for it to be so sweet, and you can change your tastes, if you do it slowly. I reduced my need for salt that way - cutting back just a little so that things I made were just SLIGHTLY-less-than-perfect-saltiness. It just takes time.

Switch to Splenda instead of sugar. Zero calories but you still get your sweet taste. I like drinking Crystal Light. I think if you avoid sugar and bad carbs, like bread and pasta, you can lose a lot. Eat protein, like eggs(but you don't want too many yolks because that's where the cholesterol is), tuna, even hot dogs. Try getting a South Beach Diet book from the library. Sugar free popsicles are a good treat. Also sugarfree jello. Use the stationary bike or see if you can find other people to go on walks with. It's nice to enjoy the outdoors and chat. Then it isn't boring. Try to find local parks to explore. Try other sports. When it's your birthday and your family wants to know what you want...ask for sports stuff. A tennis raquet or something. Challenge yourself to get ready for a race, like a 5K. You can do more than you think. Others will be inspired that you are challenging yourself and they will fill you with positive comments. It's not about winning the race, you win by trying. I've had a lot of fun that way. Do a web search for "training from couch to 5K" It's do-able. Good luck! Just make small changes, stay positive and you'll gradually make the progress you want. Oh, and one more thing that could make walks more fun is listening to music on an ipod or something. One more thing, make sure to get enough sleep. I find that I eat more during the day to give myself energy when I fail to get enough rest.

The best way to do it is to start keeping a diary of every single thing you put in your mouth. Keep your caloric intake to 1,500 calories a day. Stop watching the clock and forget about eating at 8AM, 12PM and 7PM. If you are hungry at 10AM or 3PM, then EAT! Just make sure you try to eat a "good" carb, a "good" fat, and a "good" protein every time you sit down. Google these terms for more information.

I think you will be surprised by the number of calories that are going in your mouth. Yes, sugar in tea has to be counted. It sounds like you have a sweet tooth. If you could reduce your sugagar intake dramatically you would probably crave less sweets.

Try a filter on your sink--it may just change the flavor of your water. That's a MUST! Your body cannot perform properly and flush out toxins if you aren't drinking PLAIN water (no sugar added).

I kept a diary for 8 weeks and was shocked by what I was eating throughout the day. Then, you start to question whether a handful of crackers (120 calories) is really worth it when you only get 1,500 for the whole day.

Good luck!

Hi BD,

Nutrition and water are essential in weight loss. Forgive me for being direct but if you lose weight any other way it will just return with a vengence. Find things that work together well that you like and rotate them out. An occasional snack is okay but water is not optional. Water cleanses and thats what keeps your colon clean enough to absorb nutrition. Flavor your water with lemon juice to make it palatable and it will be good for your digestion as well.

From what you said you need a colon cleanse. (Not all are expensive, the one I use is $20.00) Nutrition cannot absorb if the absorption sites where the nutrition gets into your blood stream are covered with residue from previous foods. Everyone NEEDS to "go" after every meal or there is build up causing disease and usually extra weight.

My husband lost 110 pounds three years ago and he has kept it off. He took an absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex and the first 60 pounds came off with no change in his eating or activity level. The next 50 came off when he started running. He continues on the vitamin and actually continues to lose weight, a little slower now because he's smaller, but still losing just the same.

Continue to ride your bike. It's excellent exercise that's good for the heart and easy on the knees and ankles as well. Exercise you enjoy is essential!

Good luck to you!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

I'll tell you this because I have seen it work twice already. STOP drinking sweet drinks!!! My mom and husband both drank lots of pop and kool aid. When they both switched to diet sodas or water they both lost 15 -20 pounds just like that. Mine you my husband drank a gallon of Koolaid in 1.5 days. My mom went thru 8 pepsis a day. I hardly ever drink sodas, just water and I have never had a problem with my weight. Even when we go out to eat we always have water with lemon. My husband noticed now that juice is too sweet for him. I used to tell him all the time that juice is too sweet for me and I would dilute mine and girls with just a bit of water. My mom used to complain about the taste of diet pop until she started drinking it regularly and got used to the taste. So I know you said you HAVE to have sweet tea, the reality is you don't. You can make the switch to drinking it with an artifical sweetener or mixing them half sweet and half unsweet. That's how I drink mine when if I do get it when we go out to eat. You will need to retrain yourself if you really want to see results. If you don't buy into the idea of losing weight hook line and sinker, you will just go back to your old way of eating.

I like the idea of the stationary bike and much as you do. Coupled with eliminating the sweet drinks is a good start. They provide no nutrition and the calories can add up to a whole meal or two depending on how much you drink.

When I do feel like eating fast food, I get a kids meal. For lunch at work stock up on frozen meals like lean cuisine or something nutrious you cooked up at home. I usually have an apple or orange with it. Try not to eat out so much if you do that.

I wish you all the best with your weight loss program. Once you start seeing the results you'll get more inspired to keep going. If you deprive yorself too much then you won't be able to maintain the life style. Try the easy stuff first like drinking water or diet only drinks,increasing your excerising and not eating out much. I bet you will see a difference.

Sweet tea is definitely better than soda, but 3 cups per gallon? Wow, I thought I liked mine sweet. You honestly are going to have to learn to like water. Stock up on it, make it your best friend. Some people like it really cold from the bottle. Some like it on ice. I find I can gulp it down better in a glass, no ice. It really is the best way to go. I mean, how bad do you want to lose the weight? Maybe try having tea with your meal, but drink water all day long in between meals. It is just like training yourself to eat well.

The most important thing is your mind set. You have to want to lose the 70 lb more than you want to drink this high sugar tea, no water, very few fruits and veggies. You probably do not have enough fiber in your meals is why you stay hungry. Your body knows you are not treating it well. No diet will work for you until this weight loss is the most important thing to you. It's like an alcoholic - Staying sober must be the most important thing of all. You might try Overeater's Anonymous. Good luck. V.