You've come to the right place. Most of us here have been there, done that. Have you considered doing Weight Watchers. It's an excellent program because you learn how to eat real food, like normal thin people do without deprivation. Come join us on the WW thread. I don't follow the same program as todays, some do points, some do core so it doesn't matter if you are a WW menmber or not.

It really comes down to a calorie in and a calorie out. There is no magic formula. Restrictive diets like Atkins are bound to fail because no one should have to give up whole groups of food for life. Its simply not realistic. On WW and similar programs you can have your cake and lose weight too.

O.K. Where do I go? I have never been to a WW meeting before, so I am a newbie. Is it a website or forum? Please give me directions:) I am not sure where you are talking about. Please excuse my ignorance!! Thanks, Ellen

We have a weekly thread right here on this forum.Just jump right in and ask away. I am posting the link below. Weight Watchers has a website you can go to and there are meeting held in every major city most any day of the week. They're in the phone book. You can join online but it is really better to go in person if it is your first time. You can also just start posting here and I'm sure other's will have a lot of support and info for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: WW Weekly Support

Many, Many thanks. I will be here. Ellen

Do not feel ashamed. I lost on WW two years ago and if you go back a thread or two on the WW threads we have, you'll see it was a series of really weak excuses that kept me from the meetings.

They seem weak now in hindsight but during the last two years, they felt very valid :-)

At any rate, I lost it slowly, I regained it gradually, and that's why we have a wake up call - all of a sudden I weighed more than I did when I was nine months pregnant with DD!!!!!!!!

Nothing happens overnight - life gets away from us - so do not beat yourself up. Find a program that fits your lifestyle. For longterm success, Weight Watchers is great for me, because I can eat real food - just have to make good choices, and practice portion control.

And for me, the meetings are key. I guess I need buddies to succeed. I think if I had kept going to meetings I may not have gained it back. Others are more successful with Online only. It is great that they have something for everyone.

Welcome and best of luck!!! Join people like me that are doing it 'the second time around' and hopefully the LAST!!!

YUP!! I have been there done that!! This is my 4th time back too WW's and my second time being made a Lifer:) I love the program and it does work and going the the meetings is key just like TK said. You eat regular food on WW's and by the time you lose your weight and go on mintenace you are just eating a bit more real food nothing special. It just teachers you to make good choices I love it. I am a YOYO dieter, but if I keep YOYOing with WW's I will keep most of my weight off for sure.

You can go to goggle and find the web site for weight watchers and from there you can find ones in your area?? If you need help doing this just e-mail me through here and I will look it up for you:)

Hey rthummer! Good for you for catching it before you gained it ALL back!! And good for you for catching before you gained it back and more!! I think it must be about as hard to maintain as it is to lose! I don't remember ever losing more than 25 before I gain it back. I am determined to stay on the journey this time!! (I've lost 20 and I have 70 more to go for my goal).

You know, one of my weight loss heroes is a friend who lost over 100 pounds over 13 years. She encourages me because it isn't about how quickly I lose it this time, it's about forward progress with lifestyle changes.

I go to WW meetings (am about to leave for mine, which is why I checked this forum I haven't really posted much on) and I track with their etools. I also use sparkpeople for motivation, and have found this one of the better forums. (SparkPeople and WW both have message boards)

I know you can do it!!

Don't beat yourself up. I know of several folks who lost weight on one of the low carb diets then gained all or most of it back.

In July I was diagnoised with 2 different life threatening diseases and that doesn't include my obesity. Cancer was one of them and fortunately for me the tumor is gone. Also, I have a wonderful doctor who told me to get some good books on nutrition and supplements. The books and the doctor helped me figure out what I need for my own body. This includes nutrition, supplements, and exercise. Two oncologists that I have seen are quite impressed with my plan.

I decided not to go on any diet. I am making life style changes that include the way I eat. So far I have lost 35 pounds since my surgery. I don't feel deprived and my appetite is under control. I don't have cravings. I am loosing slowly but that is okay because it is giving me time to adjust to my new weight. This is how I will be eating the rest of my life be it 6 months or 40 years.

*C*

Oh heck there's nothing to be ashamed of. I posted here for a long time and then dropped out because I gained weight back. You just get tired of fighting aometimes. Right now I am sucking on a cup of tea and listening to hubby eat chips. What fun! Keep trying and eat those veggies - it helps. Hugs, Kathy

I agree with kathy....it is all about what works for you...I think Atkins as most people think of it is not a good way to lose weight...If you study Atkins and really work the plan it would be reasonably good but there are better ways out there. ...way too many peoole think atkins is a plan that just allows you to pig out on meat and fat stuff...not true at all...I was never on it but my husband was so I do know Atkins...I started out with WW's and have tweaked it to a plan that helps me lose weight but is mindful of other nutritional parts of my life as well...I do WW's...but I pay attention to the glycemic index, don't eat the white stuff, sugar, flour etc etc and I avoid any fat except olive oil, flax seed oil and I do have butter but never use it for myself...whole wheat and grains have become a way of life for me...and fresh fruit and veggies are a way of life for me...Yesterday I stirfried veggies, cooked cabbage, spinach, and squash so that they are available for me anytime I am ready to eat....I cannot even imagine going back to eating the limp and lifeless white bread type stuff...

About 4 years ago I lost about 50 lbs and kept it off. I then did a remodel and gained 40 of it back. I have now lost 28 and have set a goal of losing 50 total again. Let me point a few things out.

The body has a natural reset mechanism to lose weight. Have you ever noticed that when you go to bed hungry and wake up the next morning you are not hungry? The body resets the hunger to neutral the next day.

After gaining weight you must fast to increse your metabilism. Try fasting for 3 days. If you do this you will start to change the way eat. It will be hard at first but it's worth it.

Change the way you eat. Salads are great with some chicken pieces.

At first I fasted for 6 days and lost 10 pounds eating 1 piece of toast cut in 3 pieces between 3 pm and 10pm and drinking about 3 glasses of water.

I now eat 1 meal: Salad with grilled chicken about a pound a day and lose on average a 1/2 to a pound a day. I do not get weak and just got use to it. When I lose 12 pounds I go and try my self to a good but medium dinner,gaining about 3 pounds average and then go back to my regimen.

I will reach my goal in the middle of july after starting in April. Remember to take advantage of the reset and just eat a piece of toast after 5 pm. go to bed with not a full stomach and wake up not hungry. Good luck.

P.S when I reach my goal I will go back to eating more than once a day but will use fasting and 1 a day salads to control my weight.

The last time I lost weight, I tried an "Atkins" style diet and it worked, but after I tried sugar again, it all came back. I have made the decsion to try WW again. My challenge is getting vegetables in. I am so tired of carrot sticks! I don't mind cooked vegetables but I don't know how to do it besides boiling them. How boring. (I was raised to slather them with butter, hence the starat of my problems). Any suggestions? Oh, also, I like salad but absolutely HATE fat-free salad dressing. Again, any suggestions. You might think these questions are stupid, but they really do bother me. I have 50 lbs to lose and have heart problems as well, so I REALLY need to lose it. Thanks for listening.

Rosiequilts, I have just recently started back at WW and feel really good about it this time. I am a life time member, have gained it all back and then some, and have been back and forth so many times I have lost count. I'm more angry at myself then ashamed, but I have decided to get over it. At least I'm persistent! As far as the veggies go, I have been putting them on the grill. I bought one of those racks that you put on your grill so the veggies don't fall through. I just coat them with a little olive oil and throw them on and they are so good. Try getting a little vegatable steamer that fits into a saucepan and steam them with a little water or nuke them with a little water. I never boil them, they get too soggy. As far as dressing goes, I make my own. I also hate the taste of no fat dressing so I buy the Good Seasons dry package and mix it with balsamic vinegar, water and olive oil. I follow the markings on the bottle that comes with the dressing mix, except I use about 1/4 of the oil and substitute the rest with water and extra vinegar. WW encourages olive oil, so it is good to use it everyday. The other thing that has been my savior is the 100 calorie snacks. One bag of anything is 2 points. I have a basket in my closet that I have filled with all different kinds, sweet and salty. So I know when I want something it has to come from that basket and I have a variety of things to choice from. I also buy the WW chocolate mousse bars, 1 point each, so if you have 2, no big deal. I bought the big sippy cup from WW and have 2 of those filled with water each day. They go down pretty pretty quickly when you are sipping through that big straw!

The thing with WW is you can have anything, just allow for the points. I don't do CORE, I don't have the self control for it. If there is something you really want, have it, just count it. I know it is not always that simple. Believe me I know. I have more the 50# to lose, but if I only lose 1# a week, I'll be happy.

Good luck,
Besh

rosiequilts, I lost 50 pounds last year by calorie counting, which is just another way of saying "eating-loads-of-fruits-&-veggies-so-you-can-eat-the-most-food-with-the-fewest-calories". I learned to love vegetables! A pile of eggplant, onions, mushrooms & peppers with a little spaghetti sauce on just 2 oz. of pasta & 1/4 cup grated mozzarella is delicious & filling. Spaghetti squash can be substituted for the pasta (just put the spaghetti squash whole in a crock pot & it's done in 4-6 hours). For salads, I love to mix spinach, lettuce, diced raw green beans, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes and use 1/3 cup dried cranberries for dressing, or sometimes green olives and a little of the olive juice in the jar. If fresh produce isn't on hand, then combining frozen veggies & cooking in the microwave is tasty: kale, lima beans & cauliflower, for example. Veggies in combination taste much better than just plain. In winter I enjoy turnip greens & squashes. Cabbage is a versatile veggie, good for filler in soups & stews, sauteed, microwaved, or sliced for low-fat cole slaw made with Splenda. For munchies, I love to microwave a tub of Brussels sprouts or cauliflower & keep it in the fridge for mindless snacking (you know, when you get those urges to eat but you're not really hungry).

A little butter or oil won't hurt you and, in fact, makes the vegetables more nutritious. Your body absorbs the nutrients better when a little fat is present with the veggies. Sometimes I like to make a green sauce of chopped fresh spinach & French parsley in a little cream & parmesan cheese, heated in a sauce pot. I serve this over a big plate of broccoli & cauliflower, and it's delicious. There are so few calories in the veggies that you can afford to indulge in the cream sauce. But then, that's dinner -- no bread, no side dishes, no heavy meats.

Anyway, didn't mean to hijack this thread. Just wanted to pass on some good veggie food ideas. When you walk through the cookie/cracker aisle with indifference, but your mouth starts watering when you get to the produce section, you know you've made a good change!

Just to clarify, I don't enjoy turnip greens & squashes in combination, but separately. That read kinda funny :)