No clue where to start...I need to lose a ton of weight...

[truebrit71]

...sorry about the pun...let me put it this way...if I dropped 100 pounds I would still need to drop 80 more to get to my "ideal weight"...

I had some success with weight watchers...I lost 10% of my starting weight in 90-days..but that came back on slowly as the weight loss plateaued...I've tried Atkins, South Beach with mixed results...

I am desperately unhappy about the way I look and i am at an age (48) where it is damned near impossible to get rid of the weight...

In my defense, some of the weight gain has come due to me quitting a 30+ year habit of smoking ciggies 15 months ago (no slips either...dead proud of myself for that)...but I know I need to start taking better care of myself.

I don't eat junk. I eat plenty of fruit and veg. I get nowhere close to enough excercise, especially at work where I am nailed to my desk...other than "Don't eat as much, and get off your backside" is there anything else I need to look at doing?

What has worked for you guys?

[supernova]

1. Hrm.. here's a few things that have worked

for me.. I am about 40 lbs over my ideal. I ballooned up after 45. I started Atkins when I turned 40 and did pretty well on it, but then I strayed from it, thinking I could reintroduce more high carb foods like bread and pasta. Big mistake.

Here's what I've learned after nine years and the weight is slowly starting to come off:

1) Explore whether you have food allergies/sensitivities. Eating foods that provoke an immune response can make you fat. One reason is increased appetite for that food. Common culprits include: milk, wheat gluten, eggs, nuts. If you find yourself eating and not being able to stop some of these foods.. explore further. Or if you find you have so far unexplained allergic symptoms like upper respiratory congestion, gi distress/bloating, rashes from nowhere. I found out I am sensitive to gluten and milk, so I now avoid those foods. Just an avenue to explore.

2) Adequate protein and fats. Make sure you are getting enough protein for your height and weight and plant/fish fats to satisfy you during the day. Doesn't have to be meat, could be nuts, soy, legumes, etc. Learn to love nut oils and olive oil and avocados if you don't already. I'm down to one serving of animal flesh/day. The rest of the protein I need comes from nuts or tofu if I have it.

3)Eat low on the Glycemic index. Make sure the foods that you do eat do not spike your blood sugar levels quickly then drop just as quickly an hour or so later. These foods can make you feel hungry and tired soon after eating them. Common culprits here are the "white" foods: wheat-flour based baked goods like bread, pasta, white rice esp converted rice, white potatoes. Examples of low GI foods include: green leafy veggies like chard and kale, pickles, olives, broccoli, squash, eggplant (aubergines :P ) and most berries like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Not saying never to eat a certain food, just try to understand how your body uses different foods so that you can pick and choose what it needs anytime you think "I'm hungry."

4) Exercise and movement are necessary. But don't go signing up for the gym if you don't want to. Everything helps. Vigorous housework, gardening, walking the dog. Extended window-shopping on a pretty afternoon. For the moment, getting out with my dog 2x.day is working for me. What matters is make sure during the day you make yourself pant. :P :D

5) Drink enough fluids. Water is fine, so is unsweetened tea. So is coffee. If I want something cold, essence-flavored mineral water is good. Since you're British, I hope you put cream in your tea, not milk with it's med. high sugar content. No sugar, no honey. Not to get too graphic, but if the toilet looks pale yellow, you're about right.

6) Since you quit smoking (yay trubrit71!!) I hope you have found healthier activity/habit to take the place of smoking. My hat's off to anyone who quits. :D

As you can see, I had to learn quite a bit of nutritional info. Here are some of the resources I've used:

The Glycemic Index: http://www.glycemicindex.com/

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, by David Kessler, M.D. : http://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/1605297852
(This book is eye-opening when it comes time to look at restaurant offerings. I haven't looked at a menu the same way since.)

Science behind the Atkins diet: http://www.atkins.com/Science/ScienceArticlesLibrary/NotableResearch.aspx Atkins isn't just low carb, but really it's about using the carbs/veggies that you do eat as a way to manage your blood sugar (therefore insulin) levels in ways that will get you to burn stored fat, not the brownies you just ate.

And one that I've learned of the past week:

Wheat Belly: http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543
The author's thesis is that the wheat in our foods today is not our grandfathers' and grandmothers' wheat. It's been genetically altered for production and disease resistance. Unfortunately for many people it may also be indigestible.

Ugh. I realize this is a ton of info. Feel free to keep posting and let us know of your progress. :hi: :-)

[WillParkinson]

2. SparkPeople...

It was suggested here a few times by others and I will admit that it's helped us (Paul and I) a great deal. Logging your food so that you can see what you're taking in is a huge help to us both.

I've dropped 65 pounds. Paul has lost 40.

Side note: SparkPeople CAN look overwhelming. There is so much stuff there. Give yourself a bit of time to become acclimated to it so you don't get lost in the huge amount of information there. Plus there are literally tens of thousands of people there who are in the same boat. The community there is excellent.

www.sparkpeople.com

[noel711]

3. I'm with Willl.... SparkPeople rocks..

Now I am down 73 pounds.

SparkPEople has everything... and more.. than anyone would require
for advice, support and a huge range of helps.

check it out: www.sparkpeople.com

And it's all free..

[Big Blue Marble]

4. I agree Sparkpeople is an amazing resource.

I lost 60 pounds and have been maintaining successfully with the help of Spark.
I would also recommend The Gabriel Method. The author, Jon Gabriel lost over 200 pounds over six years
ago with out dieting. His story and his method are amazing. The book is available on Amazon for about ten
dollars and you get a free mp3 download to help with stress.

These two programs plus consistent exercise changed my life.

[justgamma]

5. I vote for Sparkpeople.

I lost 100# 3 years ago with their help.

My biggest tip is don't try to talk yourself into eating anything you know you shouldn't. When I get a "craving", I immediately start planning supper. It takes my mind off the "bad" stuff and makes me think of the good stuff, I'll get later.

[ginnyinWI]

6. going 95% vegan has helped me

I am down about 65 pounds from the highest weight. The first 30 came off about 16 years ago when I simply stopped eating such big portions. And about 7 years ago I began to exercise regularly, which helped some. But exercise alone will never do it.

After trying South Beach and failing at that after losing 11 pounds and then getting stuck, then gaining it back, I started just watching carbs and limiting portions even more, and that helped get another 20 pounds permanently off. Then I got onto a plateau which lasted 3 years or so. During this time I'd also given up red meat--pork and beef, to eliminate some of the saturated fat in my diet. But I was still eating too many calories and too much fat to get anywhere.

Last spring, fed up (pardon the pun) and looking for answers, I started reading about a plant-based diet, and didn't shut my mind to it, because I'd spent time with my vegan daughter and saw how tasty some of her cooking could be. I read books by Neal Barnard, Dean Ornish, John Robbins, Joel Fuhrman--you know, the type of eating that Bill Clinton has adopted. I haven't done it perfectly (and you don't really need to--95% is good enough) and have lost another 13 pounds since last April.

What you do is focus on plants and whole grains: salads, cooked vegetables, beans, brown rice, whole grain breads, fruit, nuts and seeds, while avoiding animal products: meat, poultry, fish and dairy. You stop eating these for three weeks or so and you stop craving them, or even wanting them anymore. You are constantly eating very nutritious food and you feel younger and more energetic. You get the fat out of your diet so you automatically consume fewer calories but still get full at each meal.

The best thing about this way of eating is that you never need to be hungry. You can always eat something and that something really fills you up. You find yourself liking those foods more and more, and greasy heavy stuff is no longer appealing. I know I won't be going back!

A plant based diet protects the heart, and is anti-cancer and helps improve a lot of chronic health conditions. And it's really fun--there is no "falling off" because you become happy and content with what you are eating. Yes I eat chocolate sometimes, and desserts, and when eating out stray into eating things like onion rings--but most of the time I'm eating healthy and feel really good. I still want to lose 20 pounds but I think I'll get there.

You can substitute a lot of things for your favorite meat and dairy foods: like veggie burgers, tofu sour cream, non-dairy milks, non-dairy butters. But mostly, especially if you like to cook, you can find a million recipes for making wonderful dishes made simply from cooked and raw vegetables, potatoes, rice, pasta, and fruit. These foods, contrary to that the big meat and dairy lobbies have taught us, have plenty of protein and calcium in them.

Did you know that the chimpanze, our closest relative, eats a diet in the wild that is about half fruit, and the rest mostly vegetables with a small amount of nuts and seeds? So why are we eating so much milk, meat, sugar and fat? The answer is that we have gotten away from our roots and have been trained to eat those things. We still need to cook our food, because we no longer have chimp teeth, but still the concept holds.

Books I recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Plant-Based-Nutrition/dp/1615641017/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321508139&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Amazing-Nutrient-Rich-Sustained/dp/031612091X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321508180&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Herbivore-Cookbook-Delicious-Fat-Free/dp/1935618121/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321509148&sr=1-1

Movies: "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" and "Forks Over Knives" (Netflix streaming)

edited to add: If you have a huge amount of weight to lose, you will surely lose more than 13 pounds in six months. It will probably be more like 30-50 lbs depending on how much you have to lose. In "Eat to Live" there are personal stories that say it can happen.

[Brickbat]

7. Counting calories and exercising. I log everything I eat at myfitnesspal.com.

I've lost 33 pounds since July. I never wanted to be a calorie counter, but fuck it, it works. I've had lots of beer, pizza, cheeseburgers and chocolate since July, but I've also had a lot of salads and lean meats as well. Cutting out certain foods or forbidding treats or tossing carbs or anything like that just doesn't work for me. The website tells you how many calories a day you should aim for, and if you follow it, it works.

I spent a long time hoping that there was something other than "don't eat as much and get off your backside," but in the end, that's what worked for me.

[Goblinmonger]

8. Cutting out certain foods just to lose weight is dangerous.

If what you do to lose weight isn't what you will do for a lifetime, then you aren't going to keep the weight off. I've come to that realization the hard way.

[ginnyinWI]

9. I second that thought.

If you are eating what someone else is telling you to eat, as in giving you a meal plan or a list, you will eventually stall in your weight loss and then in frustration go back to the way you were eating before.

If, on the other hand, you begin to love the new way you are eating, you will stay with it for that reason even when the weight loss plateaus.