Summer, as you see from my exercise posts (yeah, I know, didn't post many last 5 weeks) I ride a bike often.

To put it brunt, I LOVE cycling.

I honestly don't have a problem with my weight, but then I have a problem with arthritis. My doc told me, to take up swimming, and run. He knows about my biking.

I swim about twice a week, and walk often two to three times a week. I need to, to be able to keep on moving.

Weight, well, it wasn't ever high.. but mostly because I don't want to buy a bigger wardrobe because of needing bigger clothes.

Vanity! ;)

I know, if I don't move around much, like when I had that nail in my foot mishap... I need to cut back eating. This is very hard, as I LOVE eating as much as cycling, gardening, spending time with the grand kids etc. But again, vanity!

I signed up for the 30 days of cycling challenge, which means, ride my bike EVERY day in April. Then, next comes the National Bike Challenge, where you post every bike ride, to see a tally at the end of the challenge. I have done both of those in the past, and love it, when I can stay at the top of the list for my cities bike club participants. :)

Moni

I gotta keep moving, burn calories. That's why I'm so anxious to get outside and start yard work. I don't care to exercise in the house, altho I have done the walking exercise dvds with great success in the past.

I could stand to lose 10 lb or so, but probably never will. I no longer diet. I try to eat what I am hungry for at the time. I have found out if you want a cheeseburger, all the carrot sticks in the world aren't going to suffice. Since I stopped dieting, I have actually lost some weight. I started dieting when I weighed 103 lb and I did nothing but gain weight. I gave up diet soda and anything with artificial sweetener several years ago. I don't even know what I weigh any more. I only find out if I go to the doctor and I haven't been to the doctor in well over a year.

I never cared for the idea of dieting, though I'm a bit overweight--my height hides it sometimes. I'm with Marilyn, eat what you're hungry for, within reason. When I crave a hamburger I know it's because my iron is low. When I crave lots of veggies I know I need them. (I'm too lazy to eat quite as many as I should.)

After hysterectomy, I gained about 30 pounds fast. Prior to that, I was wearing the same size I wore in high school. I tried dieting and was grumpy all the time. When I finally said to heck with it, I dropped about 10 pounds and have stayed right there ever since.

Interesting. I’ve often heard that a dietary
regimen for losing weight “diet” doesn’t work in the long run. Based on the replies it appears to be more of a lifestyle and cutting back.

In my case, I have never been on a “diet”,
but I have remained the same as high school.
I have a hearty appetite and do not deprive myself. Physical activity
and walking are a constant. Also I never ever drink soda and don’t use
convenience foods.

I think the word diet connotes "depriving" yourself of something and who wants to do that. Lifestyle changes is a more true word for simply taking care of yourself. If you're not going to take care of yourself, no one else is that's for sure.

I remember a trainer that I had years ago said you only have to be good 90% of the time. Trying to be good 100% of the time is a set up for failure. If you eat what you shouldn't or slack off from working out 10% of the time, that isn't a failure it's being human.

I've had trouble keeping weight *on* for quite a few years. I was good at about 120 lbs. Now I'm 105. I'm an "Eat to Live", not a "Live to Eat" person.

DH and I got 10 - 20 lbs. overweight in our late forties, but quickly lost it when I decided to skip the Poison Food Aisle in the grocery. (It's usually in the middle of a store and has the sugary sodas and salty chips -- high profit items that are not 'food'.) We also ate smaller portions of many things. We still eat some sweets every day -- ONE cookie or ONE piece of chocolate, etc.

Chisue - I admire anyone who can stop after eating one cookie. I don't drink soda, but I love desserts and sometimes call it an addiction. Right now, I'm avoiding all desserts and perhaps eventually I can introduce small amounts, like a single cookie.

Chisue - I can relate.

I really haven't struggled. I'm 5'5", narrow hipped with a small frame and in the last 20 years or so, I have hit the low 130s a couple of times, which is heavy for me, and was down to 100 with a thyroid issue about 8 years ago. I could and did eat everything in sight and still keep losing. With my thyroid under control now, I feel best and healthist in the low 120s and that's my normal weight. Usually if I go a bit over that, I'll just be careful for a couple of days. Also when I get busy I really tend to lose weight because I forget to eat sometimes (just don't get hungry if I am preoccupied). Recently, I have been running around 115 (113, this morning), but I have been pretty busy the last few months. Just like when I am over my best weight, when I am too thin, I try to take note and eat accordingly. Hum, maybe I'll head to the kitchen for a late night snack. I do love food and cook a lot (but don't bake often and limit breads). I don't keep sodas at the house, but if I want a coke when I am out I don't feel guilty about one every week or so.

Most people eat out of rhythm with how our bodies are designed to work. Try looking at 5 rules of the leptin diet for a start. If you can get your endocrine system working in harmony, your weight takes care of itself.

Ask yourself, why would my body want to store calories when it has plenty of food all around. The answer is simple. We weren't designed with abundant food in mind. Our bodies only have strategies to keep us from starving.

When your endocrine system isn't communicating well all kinds of things happen. You get hungry when you shouldn't. You crave certain foods. You feel lousy and you eat to try to stop feeling lousy.

Remember sleep is ESSENTIAL for weight loss. If you don't sleep enough, you can't possibly get rid of that fat. At night, we repair our cells and work on detoxification. After a few hours of that, our liver takes the fat out of storage and attaches it to fiber and sends it out your intestines. If you don't sleep enough, you only do the first part, not the weight loss. So you need sleep+fiber+liquid every day to keep the extra weight off.

Get your liver in good shape. That's your best friend in all of this. If your liver is overworked or burdened with too many toxins,weight is hard to maintain.

Ann Louise gittleman has some books on helping your liver and endocrine system so you can start letting go of fats. I like Byron Richards leptin books too and his website has specific health articles to help us understand how our bodies work and how to help them.

To begin, eat 3 or 4 balanced meals. Don't eat anything between meals. Get at least 8 hours of sleep and exercise whenever you can. That's the minimum to get started. Eating all day long is the fastest way to throw things out of whack.