:( Weight Loss - Jefferson City,MO

Congratulations S. on taking the first step to losing weight! Both my mom and mother-in-law have successfully lost weight through Weight Watchers, which I believe is reasonably priced. I can tell you my mom did the online version and my mother-in-law did the actual meetings, and my mother-in-law has been much more successful in her weight loss and maintenance (has met her goal and maintained for several years, still attending meetings). My mom lost close to 100 pounds, probably needed another 50, but slipped and has gained a lot of the weight back, though still claims to be on Weight Watchers. Just something to consider! Good luck to you!

I have a short list I stick to when I am trying to lose weight - if the food I want isn't on the list, I don't eat it. Here it is:
Lean protein (turkey, fish, chicken, ham 2-3 servings daily)
Lowfat dairy (unsweetened!!!! this is very important 2-4 servings daily)
Whole grains (up to 6 servings, read the nutrition info on the package to see how much a serving size is. No refined white bread, rice, pasta, etc. Needs to be 100% whole wheat or brown rice, read the package for ingredients)
Any fresh fruit (unlimited quantity)
Any fresh veggie (unlimited quantity, cooked is fine, just don't cover it in butter and salad dressing)
Eggs (limit to 1 per day)
Nuts or nut butters(2 servings per day, read the nutrition info for serving size)
Olive or canola oil (2 Tablespoons per day max)
Nonfat condiments (pickles, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, spices)

Drink lots of decaf green tea, it will give your body tons of amazing nutrients to support your weight loss. The cheap ones you buy in bulk wind up being about 10 cents per tea bag,which is not much in terms of the benefits you get from drinking it. And take a daily multivitamin so you don't get too tired. Lots of sleep at night. Keeping a super clean house burns tons of calories and so does rolling on the floor and chasing your little one! Good luck!

here are some inexpensive ways to lose weight... one, go to your local library and check out exercise videos (they usually have the most recent ones) often you can reserve them.. two, do you have stairs in your home, if so, make it a plan to go up and down them SEVERAL times a day.. count your steps....
three, healthy food needn't cost a lot. it's not planning is what ends up costing a lot... buy your food at the beginning of the week and chop up veggies/fruits and put into tupperware so that you can easily throw together a healthy meal... for example... take pasta, heat that up, throw in some diced Zucchini, saute with garlic and olive oil... add tomato sauce if you like... draw up your own meal plan... there are several FREE sites on the net if you take the time to search them out that have FREE recipes.. myrecipes.com has a section for just light eating..

also to save money.. buy chicken when on sale and freeze... put into smaller portions and take them out of the freezer as needed..
drink water instead of sodas and or fruit juice <<< if you do drink that stuff, then just eliminating them alone will help you...

It's clear that a person doesn't need money to lose weight, but instead, motivation......... also at the library, you can check out motivational speaker videos.. find people who discuss nutrition...

look at it this way.. Oprah has lots of money but is still fat.. so goes to show that money is not what helps you lose weight.. what helps is good old fashion exercise and good nutrition..

again, start small.... then add on from there..

good luck to you

WATER...LOTS OF WATER!

You HAVE to move. Start with 15 minutes working yourself up to an hour.

Cut out soda EVEN DIET. Diet soda is soooo overly sweet it'll trigger you to want more "sugar" and/or salt.

This is what I do. I have lost 26lbs. I watch what I eat. I use ground turkey instead of beef but that is a personal choice. Lots of vegetables and fruits. Things high in protein try to keep your sodium down. I exercise 6days a week for 30min or longer. I use videos because we don't have money to go to the gym. Good Luck!

S.,
Of all the people I know, including myself, who have succeeded in weight loss in real life (not television with 24 hour personal assistance), there is one thing they have in common, they took charge of the situation. I'm not talking about will power. I'm talking about rolling up their sleeves and saying to themselves, I'm going to figure out what I need to do, and I'm going to do it, even if its hard.

Looking for guidelines is one thing. But it seems you want someone to do the thinking for you. But a meal plan is not going to help you on your next vacation, or on a week when you simply didn't have time to get to the grocery store, or at a restaurant, or when you are faced with your favorite dessert sitting in front of you, or the next round of holliday meals. Calorie counting and keeping a food journal is what will work in the long run. If you are going to do this and succeed, you will need some tools and guild lines, but mostly, you need drive and determination. Again, not talking will power to starve yourself, thats called anorexia. I'm talking about that inner spark that says, I'm going to do this thing even if its hard work.
That said, when i was feeling my lowest and needed to loose a few, I happened to tune into a radio show on fitness hosted by Jillian Micheals. This was before she was well known on Biggest Looser. She talked about calories in vs. calories out. How eating your basal (resting) metabolism was the lowest you should go in calorie deprivation without causing your body to go into starvation mode. I took this advice to heart, calculated how many calories I should be eating daily to loose (1440) on the computer. I scheduled three exercise appointments with myself a week, kept a food journal (calorie king.com came in handy) and went at it. It was all consuming those first two weeks (measuring food). But I lost 6 lbs in the first two weeks. By 6 months I had lost 17 lbs and felt great about my self. It was hard work. But I was motivated because I wasn't spinning my wheels. Since this time I have had to do it all over again twice with each baby. I used a model for weight loss that succeeded and my success (while slow), was worth the work. Jillian Micheals is very famous now, has programs on line (not free), but aside from the hype, her advice really got me where I needed to be. You will find the same thing with weight watchers (they have an on-line program too), and many other programs.
I hear you wanting someone to tell you exactly what to do, and thats okay to a point. But know that you are going to have to find a way to live real life and real life will not always accommodate meal plans. I recommend you go to weight watchers, or go to a site like jillian micheals, or Spark people....figure out how many calories you need to eat in a day, figure out how to measure and calculate your food, keep a food journal, and figure out what a good sweat means to you (walking, running, exercise videos....). I personally have gotten a lot out of running 30 min, elliptical, and work out videos like Jillina Micheals 30 day shred.
Best of luck to you.

I like spark people too. Also...go to your local library and rent some workout DVD's, this will give you variety and hopefully keep your interest. I try to limit my carbs after lunch and stick with meat & veggies at night. It's a struggle to be consistant - but it's a start. Good Luck.

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I used a free online site called spark people...you can google it to find the site. You put in all your information starting weight, goal weight, how much you want to loose a week, etc etc etc. Then it tells you how many calories you can have each day and you log your food into the site after each meal of at the end of the day. Then the site charts everything for you...if you exercise at all and they list a bunch of different types...you put that in too.

I liked that there was no fees or special food...and it counted a calorie as a calorie whether it was from an apple of an oreo with no judgement.

I lost 30+ pounds using the software.

I did the Weight Watchers online only program and can share what works with that program.

1. Accountability. You have to record everything you eat. You'll be surprised at how much you'd normally forget about. It's also an eye-opener how many calories and fat are in some foods.

2. Planning meals out in advance. Going out to eat? Look up nutrition facts at the restaurant online before you go and decide what you'll order. You'll make much better choices. Many restaurants have info. available online now.

3. Exercise. WW even counts things like vacuuming as exercise. The key is moving and getting your heart rate up. Walk the mall if the weather's lousy (maybe after the Christmas rush). You don't need to join a gym. Get workout DVDs. I like Lindsay Brin's Postnatal Boot Camp series. She's a mom of three so she "gets" it and really targets the right areas in a short period of time. Can get a great workout in just 20 minutes and see results. There are a lot of similar DVDs out there.

4. Meal ideas. WW's website and magazine has some great meal suggestions. You don't have to be a member to subscribe to the magazine. Cooking Light also has fabulous recipes and most are posted on their website.

5. Quantity info. If you search online for healthy serving sizes, it's not hard to find. For instance, a serving of pasta is a cup. A serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards.

6. Eat more fruits and vegetables. These are really low points in WW and help to keep you feeling full, not to mention, they're healthy. If you're lazy like I am, get the fruits and veggies that are precut so they're super easy to snack on.

I agree with others in that it really comes down to motivation. If you want an easy plan to fall into your lap and not have to think about things, you're doomed to fail. You need to REALLY want this and want to commit to changing permanently, not just to reach a certain weight. It's a lifestyle change. If you have the right "nothing's going to stop me" attitude, you're going to see the best results.

Good luck!

I cut out any and all junk food in the house. We make home made food. Not boxed foods. There is many reciepe websites if you don't know how to make home made. Start simple then go from there.

I also made sure that I only put one scoop of each food on my plate and made a point of leaving atleast 2 bites left over. Then would take smaller scoops and still left a couple of bites left over. I quickly realized that my eyes were bigger than my stomach.

I also cleaned the house for an hour straight. That's how long it takes to clean all the rooms in the house. When I fold clothes I do it standing up not sitting down. I realized I moved faster when standing vs sitting.

Pretty much just smaller portions of what ever I wanted to eat and moving for an hour a day I lost my weight. I am 5'1 and I was ( last time I was weighed.. but I know I gained more because my clothes didnt fit anymore) 215lbs. With in about 9mo I lost my weight and was down to 150lbs. Then I had 2 more babies and was back up to 165. Now I am at 150 and still would like to loose 10 more. My husband likes where I am at now, but for myself I would like to loose 10 more.

Good luck! Set your mind to it and you can do it!

No babies for me but I was injured in a bad car accident and had my cervical spine fused in April 2010. Combine this with recovery, a layoff in Feb '11/job hunting and a new job in April '11, I was really limited on my exercise abilities but always eaten very healthy (maybe 1500 calories a day). The weight crept up on me slowly and I felt horrible about myself. As suggested below, I schedule it into my life and stick to it (it's a lifestyle and habit now)! I take kick boxing through the city as well as pilates and actually use my gym membership now. I'm very tall and since Labor Day I have lost 31 pounds....just by moving!! I didn't realize I needed to lose that much. Feeling great now!! Good luck!

Get an account on myfitnesspal.com. It is free (and it's an app if you have an I-pod/phone). It will help calculate how many calories to eat and burn, will tell you how many calories are in what you're eating, how many calories a given exercise burns, etc. I had my baby at the end of July and am already back to my pre-baby weight....just by using this app.

Hope it helps!

You don't need to buy expensive foods. Just change your eating habits and use portion control. Eliminate junk food and replace with fresh fruits and veggies. You don't have to starve yourself because eating healthier foods is more filling.

As for exercising, just keep moving. Park farther out in parking lots and walk; take stairs instead of elevators, etc. Find some Zumba or other aerobic exercise videos on Youtube and do them. Use the internet to your advantage. Do squats, crunches, push ups or jump roap while you are watching tv.

Find what works for you and stick to it. It takes about 3 weeks to develop a habit. It's a matter of priority. If losing weight is important to you, then find something that works and go for it. I promise, a little bit of change will go a long way. Achieving a weight loss goal is addicting! However, don't say I want to lose 50 lbs by a certain date. Rather, say my goal is to lose one pound this week. Then increase your exercise goals/habit as you go forward.

Good luck!

I lost 80 lbs in a year and have kept it off for 2 yrs. I'm currently working on losing another 30, but I'm OK where I am, if it doesn't happen. Anyway, I joined myfitnesspal.com which is a free exercise and food diary site. They also have a free app for your smartphone, if you have one. I also implemented one or 2 small changes a month to get used to eating healthier. It only takes a month to form a habit.
I started by actually eating breakfast. I never used to eat breakfast, and it's true that eating breakfast actually helps you to lose weight. You feel full,and are less prone to overeat at other meals/snacks. Some days I have an apple, somedays a boiled egg, some days I'll have a bowl of raisin bran. The 2nd month I added a fruit to my lunch, instead of chips/fries with my meal. The 3rd month I added more veggies to my dinner. By the 4th month, I was eating a healthy breakfast everyday, eating fruit with lunch everyday(which fills me up better than chips, anyway), and eating 2 servings of veggies with my meat for dinner. I am currently working on eating leaner meats with dinner, I've taken the baby step of trading ground beef for ground turkey. Next step is working in more chicken!
I also found a mini-eliptical at the Goodwill store, and I try to exercise on that for 15-20 mins 3 times a day. I also found a really good deal on a boxing set, and work out with that occasionally. I use the wii fit to workout, and would like to get one of those "Just Dance" games to dance with. I remember how much of a workout that was when I used to go out dancing all the time!!
Hope this helps! Good luck !