Thanks for the support, Breezy! I'm using the patch and so far it is helping quite a bit. Darn things are so hard to light, though ;)

I didn't gain any weight when I stopped smoking about a dozen years ago, so that does not alway happen. I started gaining weight about four years ago when I started living a more sedentary lifestyle. Can't seem to gather the determination to start a new diet and exercise regime. Keep saying I will...next week. But I really do have to get on board since my health is beginning to be affected. Need to lose about 15-20 pounds.

Is everyone willing to post their progress, whether it's zero lbs or 5 lbs in a week? Let's keep each other honest! Oooh, I just had a thought--that would require me to get on a scale ... scarry.

.. could be.. but then again when ever we didnt have time to stop and eat i always lit one up soooo it could be a combonation of the tw... who knows. oh well all though the eating thing has slowly dropped down too... its more off my lazy duff and go do some thing.

Ok...I'll post...sigh...

I faced my fears and got on the scale: 119 (5'1"). My goal is 106, starting Tuesday ;)

I was 125 (5'3") right before Christmas. I doubt my weight has changed since then. It was only about 7 years ago I was still between 105 and 110. Don't think I'll see that again in my lifetime. Between 110 and 115 would be good though.

I've really cut back on smoking and just had my Wellbutrin dose upped last week to finally just stop. Since I don't usually snack, I'm hoping I won't gain any weight.

I can't start a diet though until my current fixation with pesto is over. You'd swear I'd never eaten it before.

OK, if everyone wants to feel good - I got on the scales and weighed 173 - as much as I weighed when I was 9 months pregnant with my children. I'll try to post my weight - loss or gain - every monday or tuesday.

Tracy

You're on Tracy... I went to the Doc's today...and just about blew a gasket when I saw what they said I weighed with my clothes on!!!!!! I'm 50 pounds heavier than I was when I gave weight to my dd, and she only weighs 88 pounds now!!!!!! EEEEK!

Somehow I just knew those of us just wanting to lose 10 pounds or so weren't who you had in mind for weight loss buddies.

Um, this Lindt truffle is yummy.

I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. The nurse started with certain basics.Â
 "How much do you weigh?" she asked.
"125," I said.
The nurse put me on the scale. Turns out my weight is 160.Â
The nurse asks, "Your height?"
"5 foot 8," I said.
The nurse checks and sees that I'm only 5' 5".Â
She then took my blood pressure and tells me it's is very high.
"Of course it's high!" I screamed, "When I came in here I was tall and slender! Now I'm short and fat!"

Yes, Lisa--I, too, need to lose a few pounds! (Or more than a few, to be perfecty honest!)

There is a bright side though according to the news.

Here is a link that might be useful: Americans Find Being Fat Not Unattractive

Haaa! Alberta that's a good one!

M
(down three, twenty-seven to go)

America's top 10 fattest cities:

1. Detroit
2. Houston
3. Dallas
4. San Antonio
5. Chicago
6. Fort Worth
7. Philadelphia
8. Arlington
9. Cleveland

10. Columbus

Should I be proud to be in Dallas (#3)? Fort Worth and Arlington are just the next county over, so I bet we're the fattest region. Yay?

Looking at the rest of that list I think it just means that Texas is the most northernlike of the southern tier of states =:0

Notice I'm in Columbus....:-)

I don't know how Wisconsin is not on that list.

I ran into the store last night to get black beans for my protein salad. The lady in front of me bought two cartons of ice cream, 2 Butterfinger bars, 4 Nut Roll bars and one black cherry Coke. Yuck. My Dh asked if she was fat. I told him no- she was 'a little overweight'. Ok. She was at least 40 pounds over weight- but here that is a little overweight. Send her to LA and emergency services will be called instantly.

Anyway- I could stand to lose a few pounds- tone up a bit. I just gotta cut out the snacking and get back to normal portions.

I found the absence of any Wisconsin cities puzzling, too.

I find the absence of Pensacola FL puzzling as well. Just being here makes you chub.

I started my diet yesterday. Need to lose at least 15, or better yet, 20 pounds. I am at that age when, if you are even modestly overweight, you start having problems like high blood pressure and diabetes; both of which can be eliminated or lessened if you just lose some weight.

What I find very frightening is that medical stats show that one in four overweight CHILDREN are showing signs of Type II Diabetes (not the juvenile type of diabetes). That is something usually only seen in adults of a certain age -- like my age.

Good luck to all on losing weight . I am not a good weight loss buddy , almost 5'6 --- 128 got a cold bug last fall and lost 5 lbs. the hard way . Gin

So ladies, what's up? Who lost weight, who didn't, who pigged out, who gave up, who hasn't started?

I don't have a scale at home, so I'll have to wait a couple of days to weigh myself when I go to the doctors office.

I gave up wine. I don't seem to look a little bloated anymore. I may have to give up my nightly glass or two. Big bummer.

Hey, we need to think of what we will buy for ourselves when we have lost the weight.

ummm...uhhhh....well...ummmm uhhhh...you see, there's this big pile of chocolates in the kitchen...and ummm....you see...uhh...I haven't started yet...Ya know, you can't let all those chocolates go to rot....But, as of right now, I'm ignoring the chocolate chip cookies in the cookie jar and NOT going to get into those Godiva truffles....no no no. Next week, I hope to be able to say something more positive....

I weighed in at the doctor's office today. Would you believe he still hasn't had his %#@$&* scale fixed ???

Well, Lis, the annual orders for GS Cookies went in this week. May as well put off the dieting until April :)

Alberta, docs just haven't figured out who is paying the bills.

I am also trying to lose a little bit of weight. I would be one of those trying to lose ten to fifteen pounds. One hundred and sixteen pounds may not seem like a lot of weight but considering I'm only four foot ten, it is too much for me. My problem is there is stuff like flavored crackers, ice cream (the gourmet flavor type), and a lot of pasta in my home. It is very hard to cut the amount of pasta to be eating. I'm part Italian. Hopefully, I'll lose some weight by the summer time and be able to wear some of my dresses and thinner clothes again.

Alexis has hit on a problem that not many "normal" sized women understand. When you are short, 10 pounds can be 2 or 3 dress sizes. Yes, just 10 pounds makes that much difference. Then add in the fact that we remain proportioned as teenages our whole life, and we are shopping in the junior department at 40+. Now we can get away with junior clothes, if we don't forget we aren't 16, and keep the makeup at mature levels. But, every extra pound counts when you are 40+ wearing those clothes. There is a fine line between getting away with it, and looking ridiculous. I can't wear petite pants because I have long legs but no body. So my jeans have to come from the junior department. I wear petite or junior dresses and skirts because my legs still turn heads, so short is good. (figure I may as well milk it as long as possible for my egos sake). Winter coats are a pain for me. I wear large kids sizes. That's great if you want a ski jacket, but find a nice dress coat, forget it. Admittedly, the savings when buying kids coats and sweatshirts versus adults is very cool.

To a certain extent, we are forced to try and stay at the low end of our weight range, because the clothes that fit demand it.

Misses sizes,forget it. I look like someone has rolled me up in a carpet. Not to mention the fact they can be way, way too long.

Anyway, we have an entirely different set of issues that I bet most of you have never considered.

Well, it's also like this....you know you have to eat. Food has to be available. I grew up in the kitchen and can make anything my heart desires.....and....I have a sweet tooth...well, make that sweet teeth. I have two skinnies that I live with...and its tough...I'm 5' 4".....so I'm bordering on the short end....I just have to get back into the habit of weighing/measuring everything I eat and not eating when I'm not absolutely hungry....and its a pain. I eat for the taste...which is very dangerous.

5'1"--I was a little chunkier in high school, but slimmed down around my Junior year. I have always been active and never had to worry much about what I eat. Then I got out of school, and didn't have the team sports every day after school, and still my metabolism was good enough not to have a care in the world ... I was one of those girls other girls envied, having a beautiful body for no effort.

Then I hit 25. Practially overnight I started gaining 2 lbs, 2 lbs, 2lbs ... and now I can only fit into the two pairs of jeans I bought to be "loose"--now they "fit." DH said I cannot buy any more jeans because it's like an allowance. Looks like I'm gonna have to make some serious changes if I want to get back in shape.

Note: an online calculator for ideal body weight says I should weight 105. Last I checked, I was 118. I'm about 12% over weight.

I need to lose about 20-25 pounds. My main problem in doing so is my SO (who is even more overweight) refuses to stop bringing chips, crackers, cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream into the house. I will admit that while I can resist orchids, I can't resist carbs stacked all over the kitchen. Come evening, I am in there looking to graze. And of course, although I do do some aerobic dancing, I have not been doing it daily as I used to. I was very thin all my life until I hit about 50, could eat anything. Need to start getting more serious.

Alexis, my mother was 4'9" and was almost pudgy at 115. She had all the problems with finding clothing that you do, although in her lifetime, manufacturers didn't even make petite sizes so she was always shortening sleeves and hemming dresses. She wore a lot of childrens clothing as well. What I ended up inheriting from her were dozens of pairs of the finest kid gloves in a size that no one could fit into except her and jewelry that had been shortened to fit her small wrists and neck, with the matching cut-out sections lost over time.

Yep...in my pre kid years I was an avid cyclist (like over 150 miles per week in the summer, and in the winter I still trained on a wind trainer, ran and swam laps in masters swim.). I had been in track in high school. In grad school I couldn't keep weight on...at 5' 4" I was 115. Then....surgical menopause and a what the heck, I'm going to die sooner rather than later anyway, bring on the ice cream and cookies! Plus...I had a dh who could eat MOUNDS of spaghetti, and not show it...so...it crept up and now I can't look at myself in the mirror because I still THINK I'm a size 10...add a few sizes to that...

I'm lucky in that back in high school I gave up snacking and sweets to maintain my "fightin'weight", lol. I've kept those eating habits. But yup,give up all the exercise and the weight comes back. When I was riding I couldn't keep weight on (good thing too, breeches and boots look awful on fat chicks).

When I start needing to wear double digit clothes, I freak out and take the extra pounds off, which keeps things under control. I don't worry about weight so much as what size I'm wearing. And if my jeans have gotten so tight I can't sit down and breathe at the same time, it's time to make a few changes.

i have lost 20 lbs since the new year! i work out twice a day and eat a lot of tuna or some other fish. my goal is to be in a small or medium by prom. right now i can wear a L or an XL. I have a dance class everyday at school, it sure is a good work out. then i go walking everynight for about an hour or so. I wish everyone luck on their weight loss journeys. i just really hope i can fulfill all of my ambitions this year!

-patrick

In March of 2004 I found that my cholesterol and LDL were too high. I was borderline between "overweight" and "obese" then.
I overhauled my diet, my way, and lost 5 lbs. every month for three months. Now I am borderline between "normal" and "overweight".

I am happy with that. I have maintained my weight since June 2004. It has been a bit hard because I love to cook but I really cannot afford to get sick...

Patrick, Congratulations! That's an amazing amount of weight to lose and must make you feel wonderful!

To all of you who have quit smoking: Even if you gain SOME weight, stick with it. You will feel (and smell) so much better in addition to being healthy. You can lose weight but can't lose lung cancer nearly as easy. Eventually, you willget over the craving, smoking is an awful addiction. Congratulations to you guys too.

OK, I'm not sure if this is just fluctuation or not, but I'm down 2 pounds from 2 weeks ago today!

So how's everyone doing? I'm on my second week of going to the gym, but I haven't weighed myself any. I FEEL better--definately less stressed--but my jeans aren't any looser yet. I think if I can kick the pizza-and-beer weekend ritual, I will see results faster. But I *like* my beer!

Ok...I'm ashamed to admit...I have the self control of a wet noodle. I'm actually up 1.5 pounds from starting point....it was my birthday last week, and I had to finish a chocolate cake before it went bad. My dd was very little help. I've really got to get better at this. Sigh....

Got sick- haven't gone to the gym in almost two weeks.

Been trying to eat more fruit. I'm a berry girl. They tell you to take an apple to work- I never ate the freaking apple. So now I take some berries.

I tried on a swim suit. Do that- try on a swimsuit- talk about a motivator. Sheesh.

I tried on my bikini. It was damned depressing. I'm developing saddle bags. I have to do something about that. The stomach is one thing but when the legs get a bulge where it doesn't belong, this is war.

those are great tips, cloudy..

so, how are the diets going, Peeps?

I gained 10 lbs back when DH was recuperating and people were bringing such goodies.. but April 1st I jumped back on south beach diet and they're gone now, no way were all those nifty new summer clothes gonna be too tight;-)

It's the easiest diet once you get thru detoxing the first 2 weeks; you never crave the bad stuff again IF you don't let any back in.

I've been sort of following this thread and the trials of losing weight. Some of the sugestions are really on track.
Especially the part about cutting out sugar(it's in everything!)and cutting out bread(grain products are also in everything!).

After decades of health issues, my Dad was diagnosed with Celiac Disease! We all went on a restricted diet and it's made a huge difference.
I knew that many things have made me sick for many years. I tried to weed out what I thought they could be and was really close.
I had allergy testing done and although I don't technically have the same thing, I do have some major allergies.
Since I cut them out completely, I've lost almost 30lbs and am not so sick all of the time.

I found out that I'm highly allergic to whey, bakers yeast(virtually all yeast)That means BEER!, egg yolk, almost all gluten products(wheat, spelt,oats...), red grapes(red wine!), and sugar cane!
Many of those are hidden in everything!
I'm also sensative to milk, yogurt, oysters(yuck!),etc...
Since I've cut most all of this, my weight has been melting off! :~)
At least there is some good coming out of giving up so many things that have been staples of my life.

I'd encourage more of you to get tested and see what comes of it. Most of this runs in families and some of it can cause long term health issues.
So far my gluten problems are not that damaging, but the Celiac Disease causes permanent damage to your intestines!

Scott

So Lisa (and everyone else), how much weight have you lost till now?
I hate dieting ... being refused something makes me want it all the more : \
Anyway after years of wishing I could lose a few kilos, I finally managed to lose some. How? Simple ... I was smart enough to put myself in the way of my kids viral fever bugs and ta-dah! I had no wish or the energy even to open my mouth and pile on the fat. This went on for 2 weeks and I love what its done for me ; )
Based on that and past experiences of the Good Friday routine, I think the best way to lose weight would be.... have bitter-gourd juice! Have you ever had it? Its really vile ! Our churches dole it out on Good Friday ...so we can participate in the agony of Jesus, I think. After a sip of that, the all-day fasting that is expected on Good Friday becomes the best idea that anyone can come up with. I'm pretty sure it has zero calories. Calories wouldnt dream of sticking around something that tastes sooo yuck!
Hmmm... maybe I should be patenting this : )

I just found this about wieght and losing it. Hope everyone is losing what they want. I started a diet (learning to eat right)on Jan 1, I'm so happy to say I have lost 72 pounds so far. I'm wanting to lose 28 more by the first of the year. It is really getting harder. Any help, you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Maryann

Wow!
Congratulations!!! :~)

I've been thrilled to have lost 40lbs.
72lbs. is great and it must be really rewarding to feel so good.

I actually stopped caring so much about what I couldn't eat for a long time.
I made the mistake of reading "Living Gluten-Free For Dummies" and got really depressed about it.
It really hadn't actually sunk in yet, as to what was now gone.
The biggest issue was that the author kept saying about how things aren't so bad...you can substitute this for that and all of these great options!
Well, I am allergic to virtually every option given! :~(

I can't have the yogurt or the eggs or the milk...!
Crap!
I'll just be over here, in my cave, eating the box that the food came in!

Scott

wow. 72 lbs sounds like a lot of work.

That's astonishing. I dont' think i could keep up that kind of effort.

Congratulations!

I have no weight loss tips however, I personally need to have activity built into my day in order to keep anything up. ( walking to school/work, or having a very active job) Even taking the bus and being too lazy to bring food for lunch works.

You want to lose weight, get a job doing yard work 40 hours per week. I'm down to 130 lbs (at a fraction under 6' tall-granted I'm pretty small-boned). I can wear my 'skinny shorts' again, 30 inch waist (it was 28 in high school, I'm 43 now).

Another helpful suggestion: move to Arizona. When it's a zillion degrees in the shade, eating food of any sort somehow doesn't seem that attractive. As a bonus, I have the most marvelous tan ever, getting comments....

I still have a couple of pounds around my waist that would go away if I quit drinking, which is unlikely. I think I'll call them my 'pet pounds'. Perhaps I'll name them....

-O-

Or paint a house using a ladder. 25-30 trips up and down that thing, to the second story and beyond, every day will melt the pounds away faster than you could ever imagine. Another benefit of hard exercise is that it kills your appetite. The harder I worked this summer, the less I wanted food.

K

Orrin, I'll be right there :)

Another thing to do: Keep track of everything you eat for a while. Also, get out of the habit of eating.

I feel like dweeb sharing this, but yesterday I finally broke down and went to buy new pants--I got rid of most of my smaller ones a while back. Once in Macy's I also grabbed a bunch of shirts, headed to the dressing room. I actually smiled the whole time. Turns out it wasn't just bad lighting all those years. Full-length mirrors are not quite my best friend yet but they are no longer my enemy. I got a couple of shirts and a really sexy pair of straight-leg Calvin Klein pants.

10-15 pounds to go.

"Also, get out of the habit of eating."

I think that's a big key, right there!
Since it's become just so inconvenient to eat, I barely care anymore.

Although, right now, I'm splurging on gluten/wheat-free pancakes, mixed with shredded coconut, egg whites(from my own chickens and I can actually eat the whites!),
almond meal and topped with fresh local honey and raspberries from the garden! :~)
So much of my family's life has revolved around the kitchen.
The last house that we built was designed with it as the focal point!
Now, with everyones diet so restricted, I'm not sure what we'll do about it.
We have, literally, hundreds of cookbooks.
Everything from professional, ethnic/regional and even ones from my grandma.
With the exception of many of the Asian ones, they're sort of useless now. :~(

I've been doing massive amounts of harvesting and freezing all sorts of berries and veggies.
I'm going to start making preserves out of beet sugar.
(I used some in my coffee and it's actually drinkable now.)
I've wanted a large cold storage for fruits(apples, pears, etc), potatoes and whatever else, for a long time and just might put one in.

Also, the only good pizza place in town, was wiped out.
A motorhome drove through it this summer! :~0

I'm now almost down to what I weighed in high school.
At least, as a junior!
My coach kept wanting me to move up weight classes, for sports.
We used to weigh-in and if I didn't make it, I'd have to go eat and try again.
Everyone else was starving themselves to make a lower weight.
Eating far more than I needed became a very bad habit and hard to stop, even 20+ years later.

Wow! I'd look like a corpse at 130lbs!;~)
I don't think that my body would take that.
I figure that 190'ish(+-) is around my ideal weight!
I'd just be far too thin at anything less.

Even the clothes that I bought the last shopping trip are getting baggy.
Not that I'm complaining!! ;~)
I wondered where my cheekbones went to!

"As a bonus, I have the most marvelous tan ever, getting comments...."

Never been much of the tanning type!
Especially, at my age now!;~)
God forbid I start getting wrinkles!
All of my friends that spent years tanning around pools, in Palm Springs, look twice my age! :~)
Laying in the sun w/o protection, lots of booze and cigarettes will do that to you.;~)
Being fa..., ahhh larger, I kept to the shade and fully dressed...thank you very much! ;~)
I don't mind a few character lines.
I just refuse to look like an old crone, just yet! ;~)
Especially, now that I've lost weight!!

Scott

So is anyone trying to lose weight this year? Well so far i have lost 50 LBS in three months! Go ME!! I am on this shake and food program at this weight loss clinic in dunwoody ga. I am going for maybe 20 to 30 more. What is everyone else doing?