hate diet plans.

[smilingcat]

I realize BMI index is so flawed but now I'm officially fat. I just checked several sites and woman my age, I may be only 36th percentile (64% of the women in my age weigh more than me) I'm still fat.

I hate diet plans. Never bought into fenn-fenn, as I hate pills. Never bought into forgoing some food groups, I think those are bad like Atkins diet. And in college days and in my twenties, I spent lot of times with the guys where it was see-it-eat-it diet was the norm. And my parents "Eat your peas, there are kids starving in Africa" so I learned to clean off my plate.

I really hate being this overweight. I want to be back down at 125 pound when I felt my strongest. I'm 5'4". Is 125 pound realistic for my height and my age?

I hate gaining weight every year. It's slow but after many years, it does add up. My mother was never this heavy. My father was never fat. And my sister still run marathon so now I'm the fattie in my family and I hate it.

So how do you manage to keep yourself motivated on a diet? I love food. Foodie of sort but I don't really have a sweet tooth except for chocolate. What are some of the sensible diet? Besides yes calories in calories out. Portion control just leaves me craving for more and I end up binging on a regular basis... How does one maintain self-control when you feel hungry. Carrot/celery sticks will NOT do.

Being fat makes me feel like I'm out of control without discipline. I think that's the part I hate the most. No self-discipline. HAND OVER THAT CHOCOLATE AND NOBODY GETS HURT!!!

hate even asking for comments on something so mundane but being fat really makes me gaawwwgggg.

[hebe]

I'm very slowly losing weight at the moment. If I fancy a snack I'll try to go for a miso soup (from a sachet), or about half a dozen almonds. If I'm really desperate for chocolate I'll either have a "fun-size" portion (tiny bars rather than proper "fun" size), or I'll have a pickled onion or a gherkin (nothing kills the craving for chocolate like a pickle). I always eat a healthy breakfast, if I can make it through the morning without uncontrolled snacking then I know I'm halfway there.And if it all goes to pieces I try to stay positive and make a fresh start. Good luck!

[Veronica]

Without knowing your body type no one can really say if 125 pounds is realistic for you. I'm 3/4 of an inch taller and my lean body mass is 117 pounds. I'd probably be dead at 125. I weigh 148 now and I'm working at losing 8 - 10 more pounds. You really have to decide what's appropriate for you as an individual not compare yourself to women the same age and height.

I don't diet. I do eat a lot of protein - I try to get 117 grams a day. It's hard. I do limit my sugar intake and try to keep my carbs more complex. I don't eat any fake sweeteners and I do have a substantial sweet tooth. Although now I don't really crave any sweets. There's a bag of Ghiradelli chocolates in my frig. It's been there since Nov. 1. We picked up a couple of very interesting books a couple of weeks ago in the Eat This, Not That series. The super market guide is kind of eye opening and can help you make some better choices that cut down on fat and calories.

Veronica

[Crankin]

I am somewhat of a foodie, too, but self discipline is necessary when you want to lose weight. I have found that making your eating habits a new lifestyle, rather than a diet is what works. I lost 30 lbs. when I was 25 (57 now) and basically have kept it off, even after pregnancies. I've tweaked what I eat over the years, and the one constant thing has been exercise. What I do for exercise has changed, as I find my body needs me to "mix it up" a lot more as I age.
I eat a lot like Veronica. A lot of protein and mostly complex carbs, low on the glycemic index. I don't crave sweets, either. I cook a lot during the week, using recipes from Cooking Light. We go out quite a bit, too. Sometimes I really watch what I eat in a restaurant, sometimes I allow myself a treat. I don't have fast food, fried food, and I have to watch how much Asian food I eat, because the salt content really affects me.
I do have 2 squares of dark chocolate almost every day, 3-4 glasses of red wine a week, and I have a little weakness for chocolate dipped soft serve ice cream when summer comes around (thankfully when my cycling miles are at the peak).

[Catrin]

I am 5'3 in my stocking feet and weighed 131.2 Saturday morning - and I still have more body fat than I would like (most of it in my stomach area). I can't complain as I've lost over 50 pounds in the last year or so.

Like Veronica, I eat a lot of protein - around 115-120 grams a day unless I've done a lot of heavy weights then I eat more. Complex carbs, and am trying to cut out most processed foods outside of non-fat dairy. My doctor and nutritionist sent me this direction and it has worked well - I do have to struggle to get enough fat but I have gotten better at getting healthy fats.

I love chocolate as well, and have found several no-fat or low-fat yogurts with chocolate that is pretty yummy I will allow myself an occasional real hot chocolate (Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate). It has less fat and even fewer carbs than pretty much all other hot chocolate mixes and is quite yummy! It is also good in coffee I just won't add whipped cream or anything else.

[azfiddle]

You know, Weight Watchers has worked for me really well (36-38 lbs), along with the cycling. It is a plan, but you can pretty much eat what you want as long as you are making mostly good choices, following portion control and tracking. I do the online program.

Like Catrin I still have a little around my middle, but I went from 150 to 112 (currently 114) in about 15 months.

Feel free to PM me for more info.

[Miranda]

Without knowing your body type no one can really say if 125 pounds is realistic for you. I'm 3/4 of an inch taller and my lean body mass is 117 pounds. I'd probably be dead at 125. I weigh 148 now and I'm working at losing 8 - 10 more pounds. You really have to decide what's appropriate for you as an individual not compare yourself to women the same age and height.

I don't diet. I do eat a lot of protein - I try to get 117 grams a day. It's hard. I do limit my sugar intake and try to keep my carbs more complex. I don't eat any fake sweeteners and I do have a substantial sweet tooth. Although now I don't really crave any sweets. There's a bag of Ghiradelli chocolates in my frig. It's been there since Nov. 1. We picked up a couple of very interesting books a couple of weeks ago in the Eat This, Not That series. The super market guide is kind of eye opening and can help you make some better choices that cut down on fat and calories.

Veronica

Hey V...

how do you figure this # out?
Is it your low number on what's recommended on a chart? Or what you are measured at now? I know you have/used-to work with a personal trainer for a lot of your stuff.

How do you figure this much protein?
I know as fitness peeps we need more protein overall due to our activity. I googled and found an equation, and that's still bit higher. Which, actually I'm asking because I feel like I could use more protein. I eat, and I'm still starving in a sense, desperately seeking for something my body is craving. I'm not even hungry. I just ate. But, it's a really weird craving. And yes, like others, I do have a sweet tooth... but I don't want it when I feel this way... it's almost like a call for a New York strip lol.

OK... or if V doesn't see this... someone who knows in general how to calculate protein needs chime in. Here is one google thing I found in this link. http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm

[Veronica]

It's based on how much lean mass I have and it's really the minimum I should be getting in a day.

It's funny to think about how my eating has changed since I started working out with a trainer. When I started with her I was still doing a 200k a month and so I was doing a good bit of riding. And I ate a lot of crap. 2- 4 Red Bulls a day was not uncommon, a homemade chocolate chip cookie every day, pizza multiple times a week... My weight then fluctuated between 155 - 158 and I was 26% body fat. In spite of riding 300 - 400 miles monthly on my bike.

Today I had:
B: a protein shake after my morning workout with my trainer, 3/4 cup non fat Greek yogurt, mixed with some sweetened yogurt and 1/2 cup of cereal
S: a Fuji apple with 2 tbs peanut butter, about 2/3 in the AM and the rest after work
L: 6 oz of chicken and some unknown amount of green beans
D: Thom's away, so I had a whole wheat EM with 1/2 tbs of butter and jam and another protein shake.

I weigh 146 and have 19.8% body fat. Dinner is usually a plate of fish, steak or chicken and little else, but I didn't feel like doing that just for me.

What I eat has been an evolving process. I just recently took out the yogurt I had been having with my lunch. It was 140 calories and I really don't miss it.

I do drink coffee in the morning and I use whole milk in my coffee, my protein shakes and oatmeal. We have tried going to the lighter milk and the calorie and fat savings just aren't worth the loss of taste for us. I also drink a container of oj over about 10 days. I like it when I first wake up. Mostly I just drink water.

It's working and I feel good. I don't feel unduly hungry and my energy level is good. I had gotten into some bad habits over the late summer and fall (pizza is so evil!) and had started gaining fat and losing muscle. It's nice to see that trend reversing.

Weekends are much less structured for me and I don't eat so cleanly then. My latest thing is guacamole with Trader Joe's pita bites. Yeah... I know not the worst thing in the world. And a bottle of champagne.

Veronica

[Susan]

Hey smilingcat, I hate diet plans too. I don't want to count calories. And I also don't like to stop eating certain food groups completely. I hate carrot sticks
I am not doubting that those things may work for a lot of people, but they don't work for me.

As you realized, you can't maintain self control if you are hungry. My personal weight loss "plan" is to eat enough to never be hungry, but eat the right things. I try to keep eating the right things before I even start to crave the wrong ones.
Eat 3-4 meals a day, always eat breakfast. (Don't eat more, but also, never eat less!)

Portion control without counting calories: Always try to eat 1 "piece" of protein-rich food about as big as the palm of your hand, at least 2 handful of vegetables and at most 1 handful of carbohydrates. For example eat a steak about as big as the palm of your hand, as much Brokkoli/other vegetables/salad as you like, and 1 handful of Quinoa. (This doesn't always work this perfect - but it gives an idea of how much you can eat.)
Always try to eat enough protein for every meal. And try to eat "real" food, whole grains, I think you get the idea.

This has worked for me and my husband for the last 1 1/2 years and we lost weight slowly but steadily without counting and weighting everything. There's wiggle room if you have a sweet tooth, you don't need to be "perfect" all the time. We both have gone from fat to quite fit.
I try to keep this short, but if you think this could be the right thing for you I can try to explain it in detail, just let me know.

[Pedal Wench]

Same height, and probably close to same age, and I have to work hard to get to 125. Lots of muscle mass makes that harder, but if I add pudge, I know it's harder to get it off too at my age.
I try to avoid white flour, sugar, potatoes and rice - whole wheat, brown rice, sweet potatoes only. For some reason, bread in general seems to puff me up, so I don't really do that. I eat massive amounts of food --- lean protein (chicken and fish only) and tons of veggies. Seriously, what's a portion for a family of four is my usual dinner. Those bags of precut broccoli - one meal for me. Same thing with a bag of lettuce.
And, obviously, if I'm not riding, it all goes out the window.

[maillotpois]

My skeleton weighs 125! . (actually my lean body mass does weigh right around 125).

Anyway, no comment on the weight itself, because I have no idea if it is a realistic goal for you, but I did want to second the weight Watchers suggestion. I did WW 20 plus years ago and lost over 50 lbs (and kept it off for years til I got pregnant).

The recent WW plans have felt too diet-y for me, but this new plan they rolled out at the end of November has been amazing. Real emphasis on healthy food and I am not feeling deprived at all. I am down about 18 lbs from last year. Like azfiddle, I am happy to share more if you want to PM me.

[beccaB]

I've had success with the Curves weight management plan, 25 pounds gone and stayed off for the last year and a half. I need to be told what to eat, not what not to eat. And it has a phase 3 that's do-able for life. I have to admit though, phase 1 was nearly impossible, and in the week before a big ride, the diet goes out the window and I eat whatever i want.

[smilingcat]

Thank you ladies.

I was feeling bit down over my weight. Part of my problem is I grew up on rice and still eat it just about everyday. White polished rice. I know its not good for me. My doctor even told me that my cholestrol level was good but my triglyceride was getting to be high. Warned me to cut down on simple carb.

I know I have to cut down on simple carb.
Eat Mexican food, there's rice and beans
Eat Thai food, yummo, there is coconut milk in the curry and there's rice
Eat Italian food and yup there's risotto.
Eat Indian food, oh geez there's basmati rice yummo.
Chinese, Vitnamese, Korean, Japanese, Mongolian all have rice.
And there is rice pudding My partner likes it cause its sweet.

When we dine out, we always take three tupper-ware containers with lids. We only eat half and pack the rest. Saves the restaurant the container cost, being environmental... Sure other diners look at us funny but who cares. and we don't overeat. And to top it off we get second supper pre-made

What I really need to do is graze several times a day so I don't feel hungry. I've been diligent with my lunch. I only eat half of my Chipotle buritto (chicken with roasted bell peppers, black beans, RICE, lettuce, and salsa. No sour cream, no avocado, no cheese). But I'm still "polishing" off the plate at Thai place.

At home, we only eat about 8oz of meat per person per week if that. Just too much carb. My partner has a terrible case of sweet tooth. I think my problem is I'm craving for meat all the time so I try to make up by eating too much carb. Chips and Salsa, Cheese and stone ground wheat crackers, crisp bread (in finnish its näkkileipä, hapankorppu). I like mine baked with poppy seed on top.

Sometimes, I think my arm is hooked up to Chai latte machine. I drink way too much. Gallon of the stuff in four days or less. I know because 1/2 gallon of fat free milk will disappear in 4 days flat or less. Strange neither my sister or I are lactose intolerant.

And oh rarely do we eat red meat. And when we do its free range bison meat very expensive so its a very special supper for us.

I also realize I need to do my exercise first thing in the morning. I understand that this will allow my body to keep the metabolism in high gear for the rest of the day. Whereas if I were do my exercise in the evening, it may affect my ability to go to sleep and I don't get the same benefit as if I were to work out in the morning. But this is tad hard to do logistically.

My partner was at Curves, she lasted maybe three month. Weight Watchers, I'm not keen on their food. Sorry, but I'm picky about my food.

Reading everyone's response, I have to approach this diet thing differently. Not think of it as a diet but minor changes in my behavior. Thinking of diet just back fires. And it does. I hate the yo-yo thing with eat not eat, starve, eat a lot, sometimes eat so much I end up doing the unthinkable. just on blue moon.

Anyway, thank you for all your suggestions.
It's not a diet
graze a bit
not to over indulge
make minor tweaks in lifestyle.

I think I was looking at it all wrong.

Thank you,

[GLC1968]

Another 5'4" woman here with a lean body mass of about 120 lbs! I could never be 125 without sacrificing a lot of precious muscle. I also know other woman my height for which 125 would be heavy. It really, really varies by individual.

I'm currently at about 151 and heading down to the 130's (from a start at 175). I was doing my own 'healthy eating' diet and it worked for awhile. Then I got kind of uninspired and I lost interest in being diligent enough to lose weight. I joined WW 3 weeks ago and it's been really good for me. I've tried their other 'points' plans with no success, but this newest version is great. It's easy, it's a great way to keep track, and it's working. I'm down 5.2 lbs, I've got all the energy I need for my workouts and I'm not suffering at all.

[tulip]

It sounds lie your current eating is unbalanced--too many carbs and not enough protein. You could start by switching to brown rice, which is a complex carb and a whole lot better for you than white rice. White rice is a bit like WonderBread.

Also, you mention that your partner has a sweet tooth. That doesn't mean that you have to eat what she eats. It's easier to lose weight with a friend sometimes, something to think about.

I have never done WW. But it seems like alot of people have much success with it. It seems like a very good way to plan and track and learn about a balanced way of eating for life.

Granted I am one of those people who is 5'6" and my winter weight is 130. Summer I'm at 125. But I wasn't always. My adult weight until I was 38 was 145, but then I got serious because I knew that I was the only person who could make the change I wanted in my body. So I did. The first thing I dud was to drop the daily latte habit. I also ate fruit every day. I upped my protein and cut down the carbs. The carbs I do eat are whole grain: brown rice, whole wheat bread ( make it myself,so I know what is in it), whole wheat pasta. Lots of veggies. Common sense, but doing it makes it real.

Best wishes for success and happiness.