Barb's going at it a little differently!

[Barb]

Hi everyone,

I have been full of good intentions re weight loss for as long as i can remember. Trouble is intentions are not enough.

Anyway, with the weather turning hot i have come to realise, yet again, what a limitation this extra weight I carry, all day every day, really is. So what to do? You name it, I've tried it pretty much. Except if that is true, that means there is maybe no hope for me and of course there is.
I know that the very word 'diet' makes me fancy a biscuit. So I think I am going to have to sneak up on myself a little differently.

For one month I am going to lay myself down some new rules.
Easy ones, that i can do. I'm not going to pressurise myself and i am not going to weigh myself (posssibly the toughest rule of all) but I am going to keep a food diary - at least most of the time, I'm not saying 100% because if i do and I forget one diary entry then the result will be a ditching of the plan and I don't want to do that. I am going to really limit nibbling between meals, I know that is my downfall. I am going to cut back on the alcohol, for my health and my waistline. Not dramatically, just enough to make a difference. I am going to really think about what i'm eating instead of mindlessly chomping whilst on the computer or whatever. Finally I am going to try and move more, even if it is only doing the stairs a few extra times.

At the end of the month i will evaluate how I've got on. If i have lost a few lbs, even 2-3, I will feel pleased and do another month and so on.

Thing is if I get to the end of 2010 and I weigh 10lbs less than I did at the beginning then that will be fine. I can't do serious deprivation anymore but i know I have to do something.

So wish me luck -I can only try my best!

 

[Pink!]

Heya lovely, Just here to wish you the best.
I'm just doing healthy eating and a little extra exercise, like going for walks into town or in country parks, and it's working pretty well, so it's definately possible to lose weight without really torturing yourself, lol.
I hope that everything works out and that you find this site helpful

 

[Barb]

Hi Pink,

thanks for that - you look like you are doing well. I think the answer for me (i hope it is, anyway)is to stop with the grand gestures/promises/wild schemes and do something that i can live with. Cutting nibbles out and moving a bit more is reasonable and i won't feel all 'diety' which hopefully will be great. The thing i struggle with on diets is that ALL I can think about is food and how much weight I have or haven't lost.

I love this site, I have been coming here for a long time but I never seem to get very far. This time I am not thinking i terms of time or expected achievements. I just know that every lb that goes will make me feel better.

 

[Ria.]

good luck babe!

 

[Barb]

Thanks Ria - wow you are doing brilliantly. Are you cal counting or just healthy eating/exercising? Whatever it is it's clearly working. Fantastic.

I had a good day yesterday, wrote everything down. In the evening I was feeling the munchies for some chocolate so went and got a mini milky way (70 cals). I decided not to eat it straight away, but had a glass of ice cold water first. The milky way went back in the drawer! very pleased with myself. I know it's only a little thing but it's progress!

 

[Pink!]

Heya barb, well done for resisting snack impulses.
I know I keep on harping on about myself, but mine are the only experiences I can draw from. I do tend to snack throughout the day, but I've found that having half a mug of porridge or a slice of brown toast keeps me form munching on chocolate. The thing with me is if I let myself get hungry I tend to go on a binge, so by snacking on something healthy when I feel a bit peckish it keeps me from doing that; I dont know if that's relevant to you.
also, mini-milk icecream bar thingys are amazing for sweet cravings are only 30 cals
Best wishes.

 

[Barb]

Hi Pink, you are so right, once you get really starving your common sense goes out the window - that's when I end up hitting the biccie tin! It's great to hear your experiences and learn from them; I really appreciate it.

I just want to remind myself that I have choices. I can eat all I want, it's up to me, but if I want to lose weight then I have GOT to eat less. I know I won't be perfectly in control all day every day, but if I can be most of the time then I have to be in with a chance of getting lighter. I am not in the least bothered with getting down to a size 10 or anything - just to be more comfortable and a bit fitter.

 

[Ria.]

hiya hun,

im just watching what i eat, no calorie counting as such i still go out for meals and stuff but just pick healthier options. Main weight loser for me is going to the gym, thats making the weight fall off

 

[Barb]

Yes, I had a look at your diary and I see the gym thing is a big boost for you.

I am going to try and increase my exercise, not with the gym as i don't think it would be my thing. Just by parking further away from anywhere I am going, doing the stairs more, walking the dog a bit further, hopefully that will all help.

I like the fact that you are not 'dieting' - going with the healthier options makes a lot of sense to me.

I am just having a few cherries - wanted something sweet and I would normally have reached for a biscuit/chocolate bar/ice cream but no, today I choose fruit!

 

[Barb]

Had a bit of a naughty evening last night - chinese and a vat of wine. On the plus side, had 2 nice walks and had been excellent all day. So, not aiming at being perfect, so not disappointed.

Recorded all in my food diary though and have not weighed myself either. That's an important one for me - once I start I am always on an doff those darn scales and it just demoralises me. This is the first time ever that I have set myself a goal of no weighing for a month. So, I'm going to try hard.

 

[Barb]

Much better yesterday - ate sensibly, enjoyed what i had, had a barbeque in the evening, but still managed to do well. I cooked some lean 'good to yourself' lamb steaks and had salad and new pots with it. Lovely.

Nearly got on scales this morning but didn't. I'm pleased. That was a habit getting me nowhere!

 

[Rigby]

Good luck with it, Barb I'm calorie-counting but there's such freedom in it that it doesn't feel like a 'diet' at all, I really don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

 

[Barb]

Wow Rigby, you are doing very well.

I agree, the freedom of cal counting is brilliant; if you really want something, you can have it, count it in. I have done well with cal counting in the past but this time I am going for a more relaxed approach in the hope that i don't become so obsessed! I just want to lose the weight forever; so I know i need to learn new habits that mean I am less likely to disappear into the biscuit tin every time something goes wrong! I know that's a big 'just' but if I can make the right choices more often than not, then I think it's doable.

 

[Pink!]

Heya, glad that you're doing so well
Maybe you should give your scales to a friend or family member and tell them to only give them back once the month's up.
Hope everything continues to go well

 

[Rigby]

Wow Rigby, you are doing very well.

I agree, the freedom of cal counting is brilliant; if you really want something, you can have it, count it in. I have done well with cal counting in the past but this time I am going for a more relaxed approach in the hope that i don't become so obsessed! I just want to lose the weight forever; so I know i need to learn new habits that mean I am less likely to disappear into the biscuit tin every time something goes wrong! I know that's a big 'just' but if I can make the right choices more often than not, then I think it's doable.

Thank you

Your approach sounds like a good one. If you've done calorie counting in the past then you'll already know what's good and bad and you'll probably stick within a sensible calorie range even with your more relaxed approach. I started the year thinking I'd do it like that but calorie counting then followed on from that: I suppose I like the total freedom to eat anything, whilst having the numbers to work within.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Barb]

Thanks Rigby - I think you have the right approach too. It's all about tweaking things until you find something you can really work with. I find myself calculating the 'rough' cals of what I'm eating, so that must be helping.

I had a good day yesterday and rediscovered good old mini milk lollies. Now there is 30 cals well spent!

Let's hope this is a good journey for both of us, I have the feeling you will get there quicker than me but as long as i get there in the end, that's fine with me.

 

[Pink!]

Heya, how's it going?
Mini-milks are sent from heaven I'm sure of it!

 

[Barb]

I agree - I prefer the original ones, they taste like condensed milk. Mmmmmm

Doing well today, very busy morning, came home and made DH his sandwich, but made myself a lovely fruit salad with crushed meringue nest and low cal ice cream. It was yummy. Just what I fancied. Got 2 parties to go to this weekend which may be a bit challenging, but hey, I can still be sensible most the time!

 

[Barb]

Well, it all went a bit wrong last night. Been angelic all day, then started on cocktails in the garden and didn't get to bed till 2.30am! Oops! Didn't eat badly but the cals in those drinks must have been sky high. Oh well, I'm not beating myself up over it, I had fun. Trouble is today I have a bit of a hangover which has resulted in the need for a bacon brunch! Then i've got a party to go to tonight - i'll just have to pace myself and do my best.

 

[Russiandoll]

Hi Barb
Just seen your new thread and thought I'd pop in and say hi. Your new approach is a sensible one - it's all about finding what works for 'you'. And sometimes what worked in the past doesn't work now because of different circumstances etc. It's all a matter of tweaking things to suit circumstances and for that, we need to be able to really look at ourselves, recongise our areas of weakness and find a way to combat them. In my case, Cambridge works - always has - but not I simply cannot maintain the strict sole source regime and so am now doing the SS 'plus' route. I've been doing this for 6 weeks now and think I've found my own personal 'path' to some semblence of success.

Keep us posted on how things are going - we all have blips (I had a chocolate fudge sensation at the pub carvery on Thursday but as I CHOSE to have it, I don't feel a smidgen of guilt). I figure if I make sensible choices 90% of the time then I can excuse 10% of indulgences

Here's to 90/10