Congratulations Rose! How long did it take you to lose 53 lbs.? I agree with you totally about the carbs. I am on the South Beach Diet and it does teach about good carbs as well as the bad ones.

I agree that low-carb counting really works! I am not on Atkins but the Curves low carb plan. I have dropped 53 lbs and counting! I tried slim fat, Weight watchers, thurmans 6 week body make over and a slew of other diets or weight loss gimmicks. THE only one that has been a success for me is Low carb. I read all I can on low carb eating to make sure I cut out the bad carbs but keep the good carbs. YOU gotta eat some good carbs to keep balance!

thanks for you help Antje. i'll look at it now! :)

Myway-- how did you want to lose the weight? i prefer the Atkins way, and you can lose 20 pounds/month on it, especially the first month, then it slows a bit.. i would recommend that far above any other diet plans. go to the link i posted below on Atkins-food plan, lots of ideas there, and if you want anymore help, i have the book i can sort some more ideas for you

congrats to both Antje and Dolittle! many years ago i use to be in a size 3, got married, had children, got sick and then the weight started comming on. i watch what i eat and i don't eat a lot. everyone tells me to eat about 6 meals a day. how do you do that? if i'm not hungry i don't want to eat. that is my hardest part of dieting. if i told you that i am 5'6 1/2" and am in a size 20-22, looking at me you wouldn't believe it. i do hide my weight well but i can't stand to look at myself in the mirror. when i started back excerising and saw the weight cmming on me i got scared. now, my daughter's wedding is at the end of July and i want to get off at least 20 pounds. does anyone think i would be able to do it and if so, where can i find a menu that i can start using? please let me know! thanks for all of your help. it is nice to know that you can talk to someone about things like this! :)

I think all those diets are good. The results depends on how dedicated we are to sticking with it. Sometimes I cheat a little but it is permitted as long as I don't over do it. I did have to get new pants and that felt wonderful to buy a 12 instead of 14.
Thanks for your kind words Antje!!

Dolittle--thats great! feels great when you see the results like that. im sure you need new clothes already!
Someone i work with is doing the Dr. Phil diet, and thats a spin-off of the Atkins and South Beach, low carb with some fruit and dairy options that you cant do on the Atkins, she looks great, she lost 27 lbs in 14 weeks. As of today, (i weighed myself this morning :( ...) im back on the diet... i hope!, hopefully nothing will tempt me to blow it again, ill just keep repeating the number the scale told me this morning! LOL

Great job Antje! I have only lost about 20 lbs. and 4 inches off the waist. Have managed to keep it off but I too have sorta fell off the wagon. Have been on the South Beach Diet and walking a mile a day. Need to get serious again!!
That is very good advice from both Antje and Cole.
Thanks for the helpful hints!
Hang in there myway..you can do it!!

ooops, i didnt answer your original question--it took me about 6 months to lose 42 pounds.

thats always a tough one, myway, everyone is different. its so much easier to put the weight on than it is to take the weight off.. Obviously you need to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. with Atkins, (or any high protein-low carb diet) the benefit is you dont feel hungry, the high protein and high fiber content provide a satiety that you cant accomplish on a low fat, low calorie diet. if i am hungry, i wont be successful, if i dont feel hungry, i can avoid the temptations. thats what works for me, and everyone is different, not everyone can do the Atkins.

one piece of advice i found useful was to write down everything you eat, sometimes you arent aware of how much youre eating because you arent paying attention, and when you do see what you are actually consuming, it helps to avoid grabbing some snacks on the go. and the other helpful hint is to cut down on portion sizes. if there is something you want to eat, go ahead, just make the piece you would normally eat smaller, and over time, you will consume less calories.

i hope that helped a little, i am by far an expert, but ive tried quite a few things, some work, and alot doesnt work :(

I see that you have lost a lot of weight. How long did it take you to get the pounds off? I have tried nearly every diet plan there is with no success. Of course, I need to get off a few more pounds then that. I have failed at the diets and gained everything back plus more. I need to have something that will help me keep it off. Of course I have a husband that likes to cook so I think I may be in a little bit of trouble there! LOL Any advise would be appreciated. I exercise and I gain instead of take off! Even my doctors don't understand what is going on!

thats a nice link.. thanks Cole!
i was (note was!! i fell off the wagon, need to get back on!) on the Atkin's diet and lost 42 lbs. the best part of the diet, when im on it, you arent hungry. when i choose to eat low fat low calorie, i am always hungry, and i cant succeed. so, as soon as i get in the right frame of mind, im going to start with it again!

here's a link:
Atkins: Food and Recipes

Ok...here's a page with lots of Helpfull Hints...

And when you drink, it doesn't just have to be H²O Because of This article I have added alot more juices, some that I even juice myself, and re-introduced yougurt back into my life (eating some now)...A really good way to stave off hunger pains at night is Tomato juice... or even chocolate milk.

And instead of grousing about the lack of hints..
Why don't you get busy and pass along a few your self?

And here's another Helpfull site I liked.

I agree Star..it seems that this board has almost been abandoned. I keep looking every day tho. I don't really have a good hint as I have hit a stand still in my diet efforts. Maybe I am just not trying hard enough!!!

Ayup,..and my skin isn't so splotchy...and I wake up with a clearer head.

wow, thats great Cole... thats a great idea to not eat for those 12 hours. ill have to try that!!

and i can believe that about allergies, you probably feel soo much better now without those headaches, that will give you more energy and help yet again!

Meaning give your self a certain amount of time in the day to eat.

I won't eat after 7 PM...and won't break-fast untill 7 AM... in just one week I can't believe how the weight is comeing off.

The second thing I did was to toss everything made with wheat or flour...and my headaches are going away...which leaves me to believe I was allergic to these products.

As you are looseing weight, don't forget to exercise the muscles in your face and neck..A place we all will loose weight, and it's the first thing people notice about you..

This article, Drink Yourself Skinny was on the home page of MSN....it's good reading.

Good to know Star..thanks! I like peanut butter, especially the crunchy kind! No cold winter day or night around here for a long time tho..LOL!

I would rather have the celery!!! lol.....

Can't forget the raisins!!

You girls keep talking about that celery and I will be forced to go to the store tomorrow for celery, crunchy peanut butter..ooops I have that!
Maybe that store is open 24 hours!!!LOL

why not peanut butter and raisins? (ants on a log from my children's pre-school days!!!)

better when it's stuffed with pimento cheese!LOL

oh and what a yummy treat that is!! LOL

or maybe get away from the buffet? i just had fun there tonight.. ;o)

thats right Star--there has to be plenty of (i'll use this word) exercise, but it doesnt need to be more than just some stretching and walking, pulling weeds in the garden, just so your body is in motion is going to burn calories and increase your metabolism.
we're all getting lazier, in that we have gadgets so that we dont move like we used to.. we have automatic garage door openers, we dont even roll our car windows down anymore, we push a button, etc, etc. so if we can just move the body more instead of less, there will be a noticeable difference.

Yes, the men have an advantage in metabolic rate too, Dolittle. But some men do get bigger bellies than the women.

Wow, I didn't know there was such a thing as "water intoxication"...get a buzz without alcohol!LOL Am sure it can be dangerous. I drink water but not to excess. Don't drink anything with my meals.
Yes Antje, that round shape is easy to maintain. It's all this other that is the very devil to achieve!!
Linda, I felt out of breath until I lost a few pounds and got the pressure off my lungs. Rarely get breathless now even tho I have only lost about 20 lbs. Think the 4 in off the mid section is what helped! Guess the reason your hubby don't get out of breath is just the difference in our structure. Is that right Antje?

I will Antje thanks. If I'm going to be skinny, I want to do it outside a coffin. LOL

then it should be ok, it isnt a sudden large amount, its a constant amount you consume each day.. i think thats fine. but wouldnt hurt to count how much you take in.

Wow Thanks Antje. I am eating good. I drink a lot of water though. I did notice I am out of breath a lot during our bike rides. We take water along. I contributed it to smoking but my honey smokes & is not breathing nearely as hard as I am. He's a lot heavier too. I don't feel nauseated though. In fact I feel wonderful & full of energy. I don't take any kind of medication. No drugs for me!!! I take Ibuprophen on occasion for a headache.

___found doing a search:

Can too much water harm marathon runners? Reuters Health recently reported just that. When runners collapse or get sick at the end of a long race, it seems logical to give them fluids. Sometimes, however, water is the last thing these athletes need, researchers report.

In the current issue of Annals of Internal of Medicine, investigators report ( Report 1 and Report 2) on marathon runners who developed brain swelling as a result of "water intoxication." All had taken in too much water during their races, causing sodium levels in the blood to drop. From there, according to Dr. J. Carlos Ayus, excess water is absorbed into blood and fluid builds up in the brain. Eventually, fluid accumulates in the lungs, and athletes become breathless and nauseated.

Ayus, a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, told Reuters Health that when runners collapse or become ill, the natural assumption may be that they are having a heart attack. Yet, rather than being a sign of heart attack, fluid build-up in the lungs--called pulmonary edema--may signal brain swelling, according to Ayus. "I believe," he said, "that this is what happens to many people who collapse and die after a race. It should be diagnosed more often now." In their report, Ayus and his colleagues describe the cases of seven marathoners who collapsed and had nausea and vomiting after their races. When brain scans revealed swelling, six of the patients were treated with an intravenous solution containing high amounts of sodium--a water-depleting treatment that is directly the opposite of the low-sodium solutions that runners may receive if they are misdiagnosed, Ayus noted. The seventh patient, who was not diagnosed with brain swelling, later died; an autopsy revealed that there had indeed been fluid on the brain. Five of the patients were female, suggesting that women may be more prone to water intoxication and its effects on the brain and lungs. And, Ayus pointed out, all seven had a history of using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs--painkillers that include aspirin. These drugs can block the excretion of water from the body, he explained. Whether athletes other than marathoners experience this series of events is unclear, but Ayus said that it is possible. Runners who become breathless and nauseated after drinking large amounts of water during a race should go the hospital, he advised. There, he added, doctors should check blood sodium levels.

there is such a thing as water intoxication, she is right. but i dont know what amount that would be, and if youre eating well besides, its probably hard to drink too much.. i think thats for when you dont eat and only drink water... then your electrolytes are out of balance and your brain, and other organs become affected.

LOL Pity the nice shape is not as easy to maintain as the round. Very funny you two. LOL
Antje I drink a ton of water. I have two 24 oz. squeeze bottles I keep full at all times. I refill each a lot doing the day. Since I started drinking so much water, I find I can't go long without it or I start feeling dehydrated. I'm going to count tomorrow exactly how many times I do fill my bottles up.
Question for you Antje, you're a nurse. My sister said to be careful drinking so much water. She said it could do something to the brain. Is that true? I do feel like I'm getting a headache sometimes. Could the water be doing it?

Linda--do you drink a lot of water? i try to, and some days i forget, i grab a soda instead.. i had the best eating habits when i was pregnant and nursing, i actually counted my ounces everyday, and never drank soda.. only milk, water and watered down juices... its sooo easy to slide back into the unhealthy habits!

Dolittle--and that round shape is soooooooo easy to maintain, isnt it? LOL

congrats on your pregnancy FoxyLady!! it sounds like you are doing a great job eating right for the both of you!!
when i was pregnant i was so careful, that year of nursing did me in, i ate whatever i wanted.. within reason, i didnt eat much junk, but lots of good stuff, nursing made me hungry!! and now the little one is 2 and i have to remove all that excess :(

Hey Linda, ditto on us pleasantly plumpers! Do I like the shape I am in..of course I do, round is a shape!!LOL

Hang in there Foxy Lady. We are with you 100%! If we can help with a little encouragement then we will all make our goal. You just take care of yourself!

Put you need to eat. You're eating for two. That was for us pleasently plumpers. LOL

Thanks Linda i eat pretty healthy but man those cravings do me in.The water with meals does work.

Congrats to you Foxy Lady. Just sit back and relax. We'll keep you company. You can watch us all lose weight. LOL
I saw a doctor say on Tv about the water. He said when a feeling of being hungry comes on it could be a sign of your body telling you, you beed water. I thought it was so interesting. I tried it. It works, water will satisfy the feeling of being hungry. Of course you have to eat too. LOL

Throw away food...lol Just send it my way.

BBW's guide to losing weight!
=====================

1) Don't worry about any of those "fad" diets. Eat what you like.

2) Eat 3 meals a day. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) If you start to skip meals, your body knows you are missing food and will start to STORE FAT! (Rose's idea of eating small meals 5-6 times a day may work also.)

3) Learn to throw away food. (THIS is probable the hardest step). Eat, and when the "hunger" feeling is gone, stop eating and throw the rest away. (or store it in the fridge for later or whatever.) For example, it's usally cheaper to get a value meal at fast food places - and it can be very hard to just eat what you need, then not eat the rest.

4) Be active. I hate exersice... so find something you like to do - golfing, bowling, swimming, walking, biking, etc... Something that will get you vertical and doing something - and hopefully something you enjoy. (And it does not have to be anything that makes you sweat, or work hard... just to move and be active)

... And those are BBW's tips to lose weight.

Thanks Chattytea.I'm one of the lucky ones had a problem of being too skinny lol.......Thats just as bad i guess.Right now i'm holding at about 4lbs a month got 6 too go.It's the cravings like sweets,carbs are my biggest problem.I can live on Macaroni with meatballs all week.Got my hubby keeping an eye on me but he works nights so i wake up hungry.lol I can't go walking or excercise since i'm in a high risk,more bed rest and only allowed up to go potty.lol.......and to the fridge.

You said it there Kanga! I noticed a big drop in my weight when I started to walk daily on top of going to the gym.
I also have a huge water bottle at my desk all day and when I feel a tad hungry that big gulp o water usually does it. I also eat 5 or 6 small meals a day not just two or three main ones. I find eating smaller meals more often helps alot.

Your right, if you think of it as a diet then it makes you feel restricted, you don't have to live off salads and veg, just eat sensibly and excersice. We have a program on tv at the moment called Fit Farm which is about overweight people learning how to lose weight and change thir eating habits, and one good tip I picked up is that if you feel hungry have a drink of water, you may just be de-hydrated a bit, if you still feel hungry about 20-30mins later then eat. I have tried this and have felt hungry and just had a glass of water and the hunger has went away. Walking it supposed to be one of the best forms of excercise because you are using most of your muscles and it also clears the head and relaxes you too!!

WTG Kanga. I too have found taking it off slow is the KEY. I have dieted more times then I have fingers and tried every diet out there, but this time it is working. Because I am in no hurry. Changed my life and eating styles and am taking it off slow. I exercise every day (walking plus I go to a ladies gym - Yea Curves!)
Every time in the past that I took weight off fast it came back with a vengeance so this time I am hoping by taking 18 months to 2 years I will have changed my life style enough that I wont go back to the old habits!
Never quit trying is what I say to peeps!

Keeping it off is the hardest, and the longer it takes to lose the longer it stays off:) I tend to lose some weight and then get it into my head that I can eat what I want and end up putting it all on again, have joined a gym last week and intend to really stick at it:)

WTG Beach!!!

Some say taking it off the hardest but I think keeping it off really is the hardest part! Keep up the good work

beach..75 lbs..thats 34 kg!! (had to check my converter)..wow..im impressed, i use to brag i lost 23 kg (51 lbs) once when i was young (-er) :)