My name is Mir, and although I am nearing 37 years of age, I have never really been on a diet before.
Oh, there were a few times when I idly said, “You know? It might be good to lose a few pounds,” and I was GOOD and VIRTUOUS for a day or two, right up until I saw something shiny and tripped and fell face-first into a bag of Oreos. I just never really had the need/motivation to diet—I have always been naturally skinny, and— OW! Stop THROWING THINGS!
Correction: I always HAD been naturally skinny. Past tense. Put down your tomatoes (besides, haven’t you heard? They’re covered in salmonella!); as I approach middle age I can assure you that my body has completely given up.
No one is more surprised about this than I am. I graduated from high school with a 22″ waist, despite eating whatever and whenever I wanted. Despite gaining close to 50 pounds when I was pregnant with my daughter, I bounced back effortlessly (“You Too Can Have The Extra Fat Sucked Out Of You Through Round-The-Clock Breastfeeding!”), and then did it again after having my son. I have never had to work at it, is what I’m telling you. And that is why you are so delighted to hear that I am distraught over having become a normal person at last.
Look, I had a hysterectomy, and although I’m on replacement hormones, it’s not the same. My metabolism has been slowing down ever since, though (sadly) my appetite has not followed suit. I’ve never been big on exercise; more to the point, I LOATHE exercise. (“You have to keep going until the endorphins kick in,” people keep telling me. I don’t know how to break it to them, but I am pretty sure I HAVE NO ENDORPHINS when it comes to getting sweaty with my clothes on.) My job is extremely sedentary. My husband likes to bring me ice cream because he’s very sweet.
One day I was trying to get dressed in spite of the fact that every single pair of pants I own had shrunk down in the wash, and I suddenly realized that no, my pants hadn’t shrunk.
My ass had grown.
Now, I’m NOT saying I’m fat. Nor am I saying that it’s necessary for me to remain the size I once was. But when all of my clothes are too tight and my thighs continue to jiggle for three minutes after I stop moving, it’s time to take a good hard look at the empty bag of potato chips on my desk.
So I’m on a diet. And Otto and I are exercising. And I HATE IT.
I am eating half a cup of Grape-Nuts for breakfast every morning. I feel a little bit silly paying for Grape-Nuts when I could just scoop up half a cup of GRAVEL every day, instead, but it’s easier to be virtuous when it says right there on the box that my measly portion of crunchy blandness contains all the fiber and protein I’ll need to sit here and be virtuous and hungry until lunchtime. Yes.
I’m eating a lot of plain non-fat yogurt and cottage cheese and fruit and veggies and I haven’t had any cookies or ice cream or popsicles or chips (or MEAT, because I’ve realized that’s where I’m way overindulging, so I’m backing off until I have my appetite under control) and without the kids here and with what I’ve been eating, truly I have lost the will to live. Erm, I mean, it’s a good thing that The Dining Room Redo Project carries on (and on and on) so that I have the motivation to stay alive long enough to see the walls finished and the new floor installed. AFTER that’s all done, I feel confident that either I will have acclimated to my new diet or I can behold the gorgeousness and then die peacefully. Either way.
Portion control is a humbling experience, particularly when you realize that you have been routinely eating enough for two people. In my defense, both of those people were VERY HAPPY and now this JUST ONE PERSON (me) would cheerfully stab you with a fork to have just one of those salt-and-vinegar chips you’re eating.
Nevertheless, it’s fit back into my pants or bust. Besides, I need to get healthier to ensure that I’m around a good, long time to continue irritating my children.
Mmmmmm…. salt and vinegar chips. There I was all ready to be virtuous and self-sacrificing and everything right along with you and you have to mention salt and vinegar chips.
But I’ll cheer you on from the side lines. I’ll even brush off the crumbs first.
Maybe you could switch to turkey bacon? Because life without bacon…?? May just not be worth it. *sigh*
Yes, same, same, same. Exercise is total crap. Why move when you can sit on your ass?
I’ve never had the naturally skinny thing myself, though something similar happened to my brother when he hit 40, and all of a sudden he can’t eat Whatever He Wanted without effect, poor baby. (Sorry.) However, I don’t have endorphins either! No matter how much I exercise, I’ve never felt that whatever-they’re-talking-about either. It’s so hard, isn’t it?
I also don’t “get” Grape-Nuts. You could break a tooth on those things.
Exercise is good. As for diet, I offer two programs.
Plan 1: You can cut back, that is reduce calorie intake by a modest percentage over an extended period of time, or
Plan 2: Adopt a subsistence diet 6 2/3 days per week and revisit “I’m down With the scene, yo” one meal per week.
With Plan 2 you always have something to look forward to and it might keep you in an acceptable frame of mind or avoid a situation where you bite the head off of someone you love for a minor transgression. Good luck with your ASCP.
How did you know I was eating salt-and-vinegar chips?
A binge day is a good idea. I like Weight Watchers, myself – I can eat anything I want. I just can’t eat as much as I want.
So what if I end up eating a chocolate bar for dinner?
Just say NO to GrapeNuts! There are plenty of other healthy, high-fiber, TASTY cereals out there — just look for them. My current box (I bounce between things) is Barbara’s Puffins — a serving of them has a herd of fiber and is only 1 Weight Watchers point. Pretty good stuff!
You’ll probably hear this from Joshilyn, but I do suggest you check out the free stuff on the Weight Watchers site — there’s some really great stuff for visualizing portion sizes and things. That’s what gets me, too. Been trying to make the life-shift to WW for close to 2 years; was doing great until the divorce and the subsequent upheavals. Getting back to paying attention to what I’m doing and it does work. Not a diet, but a change in how you cook/eat/live.
Hugs! I’ve been a pudge my entire life, so I don’t understand the naturally skinny thing, but I can feel for you. I don’t even feel the gloat that it’s finally caught up with you — maybe if we had been friends when we were in high school I would :-)
Mix the Grape Nuts with the yogurt…tastes less like gravel and you won’t break one of those pearlie whites!
Mix the grape nuts with cheerios. Buy a Wii Fit.
There. That’s my total advice. Good thing you can’t see me to see if it works. *sigh* I’m right there with you.
I totally agree with Dad’s plan #2, and with the advice to buy a Wii. I want one too!
And you do not have to eat like a starving person. Diets are total crap and plain yogurt is the nastiest thing evah. (I eat mine as a yogurt smoothie because it’s so nasty otherwise!) Eat what you want and stick with the exercise and portion control.
And while I’m at it, I have to plug sparkpeople.com. It’s free and they actually have really good motivational email and lots of reality-based information. Plus! They have a fun twirly points wheel that makes me think I’m playing Wheel of Fortune.
Grape Nuts are vile! Go get yourself some Smart Start cereal instead. I second (or was it third?) the suggestion to check out WW–it really is the most sensible solution out there for people like me who can’t reduce portions on their own.
Mir,
Skip Weight Watchers and give Spark People a try. All the WW tools plus a few more and it’s free! http://www.sparkpeople.com
Also, Grape Nuts = Ewww! I agree with those recommending cereals other than gravel – I mean Grape Nuts – my personal choice is Kashi Go Lean Crunch with either some berries or half a banana. Yum.
I’m with your Dad – go with his Plan 2.
But: strike out “subsistence” and insert “reasonable” – and see if that doesn’t do the trick before moving straight to “subsistence”. For myself, I have found that if there’s nothing to look forward to, there’s nothing to look forward to. And that’s a bad thing.
Have something to look forward to.
Popcorn is good.
Just wait til you hit the next stage in the process, acceptance. I too was naturally skinny and ate anything and everything. At one point in order to pass a physical I actually had to go on a weight GAIN diet. The early 30’s killed the naturally skinny thing and I began to torture myself with various hated exercise plans and assorted dietary limitations. No sugar! Low fat! Nothing after 8pm!
I have now determined that I am what I am and so I eat reasonably healthy food most of the time, walk the dogs at least 3x a week and live with the results. I do need to do something about the arm jiggle though – I’ve got small freeweights sitting next to the couch, if only I could bring myself to lift them occasionally.
Grape Nuts are better in my opinion when they’re warmed in the microwave like oatmeal. Add a tiny bit of honey and some raisins. Much better that way.
As for exercise, don’t kill yourself, just walk. Walking is easy and unless you trip and fall you won’t injure yourself either.
I’ve also known a few other women who never had a weight problem until they had a hysterectomy. Why is that? It doesn’t seem fair.
And then there’s always just getting comfortable with a slightly larger size. I’m not sayin’ you shouldn’t be healthy, but look around you. It’s absolutely OK to move beyond the bikini and into a one-piece suit.
Smart Start is THE cereal. My kids even eat it! (must buy it in Walmart to save $2/box)
Good luck. I’ve been fighting the same 15 lbs for 3 years. You and I are the same age. Connection?
Oh, and beyond staying healthy to annoy your kids, you must do so to avoid the Evil HMO. ;)
On behalf of the Women Who Have Dieted Since They Were 16, I’d like to welcome you. Welcome to the world of the Perpetual Diet. Have a look around, feel free to browse thru our huge library of diet books. Have a Pepsi One. Took you a while to get here, but we’re happy to have you. :)
Mir-
I am going through exactly what you are talking about… but at 34 (almost 35). I have always been able to eat what I want. If I happened to gain a pound or two I would just cut back the portions and I could lose 5.
Call your doctor – Phentermine doesn’t make you feel icky, you still desire food, just not as much… I use that and drink a Slim Fast for lunch.. In first 2 months, I had lost 11 pounds… (Then I started PMSing and gained some back…) official check of DR while PMSing is 6 pounds… we were finally heading in the right direction! (BTW… I hate taking pills… but if I didn’t take this pill my self esteem would have quickly had me on a whole different series of pills.) =)
I wish you well… us well…
I am with everyone else… there are much better alternatives to 1/2 cup grape nuts. The Wii Fit is excellent, especially for those of us that have a love for computers and gadgets.
I offer you a rationalization for ditching the diet: fat plumps out wrinkles.
so – for me, at least, high protein-low carb made the whole weight loss, portion control thing effortless. I keep track of what I eat on fitday.com or nutridiary.com, and it’s a struggle to eat over 1500 calories/day. eating this way somehow makes it possible for me to pay attention to how much I eat. I’m losing weight really steadily – ~2lbs week, and my version of exercise is slouching hatefully into a gyrotonic studio 2x/week and keeping up with my (largeish) yard.
also? I feel great.
so – disclaimer – it’s a long time since I’ve been skinny, and I have a pretty good amount of weight to lose. I tried WW and sparkpeople, and it turns out that I do a lot better with going without treats than I am with the physical sensation of hunger. who knew?
Geez, if I’d known you were gonna start eating kitty litter for breakfast I’d have brought you over a bag. Controls odors, too, in case the fiber makes you gassy.
Seriously, girl, find a better cereal than Grape Nuts! Your dentist will thank you!
Mir, like you, I have never had a serious weight problem, but when 40 got here, so did these annoying 10 lbs that settled around my waste and hips. They will not go away. I have tried everything, but settled on walking every day for 30 minutes and eating small meals more than 3 times a day. I do not like to feel hungry, so I portion out my food throughout the day. For example, I might have a banana with my coffee, then 1/2 cup of cereal with soy milk at about 10. Lunch would be a cup of soup at noon, then maybe half a peanut butter sandwich at 3. This way, I get the right amount of food, but it is spread out all day so i don;t feel hungry or deprived. It works for me.
Grape Nuts make a tasty topping to ice cream. Am I helping?
I highly recommend All Bran with Yogurt Bites…also, the recipe for Original All-Bran muffins (printed on the side of Original All-Bran boxes sometimes) with a handful of choc chips tossed in for fun. My kids LOVE the muffins.
Have you tried the Fiber One caramel delight cereal? It tastes like cinnamon toast sugary cereal, but has lots of fiber and healthy stuff. I think it tastes pretty good and my kids think it IS sugary cereal. Not the very most healthy healthy cereal, but way better for you than the sugar stuff.
Another vote for mixing Grape Nuts with yogurt-especially a low-fat vanilla kind, yum!
Same here, you described why I need to diet/watch what I eat too. Never had a problem, but now being 38 and on meds that are making me gain :-( What I did learn, just make a few changes at a time, I stopped eating after a certain time at night (no late night snacks!), drink LOTS of water and even just walking helps. And the only snacks allowed during the day are fresh fruits and veggies (sorry, no dips lol). It really does help! Best of luck to you! BTW…instead of Grapenuts, try Kashi Go lean cereal. Tastes MUCH better!!!
Hate to exercise too… but then I tried Yoga and love it because it doesn’t feel like exercise. (But it soooo is.)
My current get-thin-or-die-trying diet consists of multiple cappuccinos per day. Not sure whether this is worthy of it’s own book on the NY Times Bestseller List or not, but maybe Starbucks will sponsor me or something.
I was diagnosed with gallstones about a little over a week ago. I’ve been on a pretty strict low fat/no fat diet since. I feel totally deprived of all things fatty and delicious! On the other side though, I’ve lost a couple pounds already. Good luck!
Good Luck. I’m with you, though not ever being naturally skinny (you b#@*&) I have significantly more to lose. It’s okay, I still love you. And I won’t throw tomatoes.
try go lean crunch. NOT the original go lean, it is disgusting. and the serving size on go lean crunch is a whole cup, and it doesn’t break your teeth or make you want to floss dirt out of your teeth.
-steph
*sigh*
Now I need some Oreos……
let me say, diets don’t work. when one “goes on a diet” there is an implication that it will end and your life can resume as you once knew it. it can’t.
make the change. eat things you enjoy, but not in the same quantity as once before.
and get outside to do something. walk, weed your garden/yard, play tag with the kids. anything, as long as your heart rate gets up there.
i will now step down from the soap box. but trust me, i lost 30 pounds by simply changing my views on food and exercise.
Oh, I’m so sorry! I literally feel your pain! Also, a chip here, a candy bar there totally won’t hurt!
Good for you, Mir! I’m the same way — never had to diet or exercise until I rounded the corner to age 40. I hate exercise so much I just don’t do it. Aging sucks.
Dieting tends to work best in conjunction with exercise, but exercise doesn’t have to be something to hate. Try to find activities you like to do that burn calories in the process. Heh.
And, don’t buy the foods that get you in trouble. Fighting the urge to liberate naughty food trapped in a cupboard can be overwhelming, but if it isn’t there in the first place, you won’t hear their pitiful cries of abandonment.
…am I the only person on earth who actually LIKES Grape Nuts???? I love em with a little bit of Stonyfield Farm non-fat vanilla yogurt. YUM! But also, check out Kashi Cinnamon Harvest. Serving size is one cup and they are yummy!!
I’m almost afraid to say this out loud but now at 47 years of age, and after spending nearly my entire adult life feeling like “if I could just lose those last 10 pounds I’d be happy”…I have been at a great weight and eating healthy (with a TOTAL Friday night binge built in…and also a small daily dose of chocolate) for nearly two full years. I keep reminding myself that when menopause kicks in, all bets are off. So I feel for you. But I’ll NEVER join you in eating cottage cheese. Wrong on so many levels…
I’m with Lisa on the SparkPeople. It’s all about subtle lifestyle changes, otherwise you end up binging. I wish I could help you with GrapeNuts, but those have been my favorite cereal since I was a toddler. Then again, I was raised by hippies who thought plain yogurt + wheat germ counted as ice cream + sprinkles. Anybody want to hazard a guess as to why I had food issues when I got to college?
AND: Water makes you feel full and keeps you hydrated (opposite of the sale in those potato chips). We buy limes by the bag at Costco, squeeze a half lime into each bottle of water, and keep a continual supply in the fridge.
You sound just like me, except for the always naturally skinny part. But then I guess that’s the important part.
Hey! 37 is by no means close to middle age (um, guess how old I am and who is royalty of the Nile?)
That said, as a frequent lifetime dieter (I grew up in So.Cal–it’s a pre-req), Grape Nuts are not necessarily the best diet choice, but I’d agree with the earlier poster about WW. Good chocolate substitute snacks and their ice creams are especially good.
Sorry about the dieting–it is a drag.
I totally agree with Walking in Your Sleep; accept a new, slightly larger Mir so you can still eat like a human. I was naturally skinny till age 40, when the metabolism bomb dropped. Took me almost 7 years to acceptance (i.e. getting rid of all those cute, size 2 clothes and saying I’m okay as a 6, which many women would love).
I am in your SAME BOAT. Always skinny, eat what I want, never even knew which foods WERE fattening…Someone forgot to tell my appetite (and habits) that apparently things change with age. Because these thighs! Why are they still moving and yet I am sitting still? It’s baffling.
Hey, finally some love for the Grape Nuts. They are yummy. So is the Kashi stuff, though. I actually love a lot of the things people eat when they go on a diet. I also love macaroni and cheese, though. Hence my extra 10 pounds.
Totally there with you. Lost the weight with my first… Not quite with my second. I’m doing WW and the first month was pure hell. I was hungry. I binged. I got angry and hungrier and more determined and even though I’m losing weight exactly at a snails pace, at least I feel like I’m doing something. And I’m not quite so hungry any more. Oh, and give yourself 5 more points than WW suggests your base is… I went down 1 pt / week until I wasn’t STARVING all night.
No one else seems to have mentioned it, but I am totally amused by the bit about getting sweaty WITH your clothes on. You know, that (the without, that is) is a pretty good form of exercise – and I’m sure Otto would have few objections to helping you out ;)
I’m overweight enough that I’ve nearly given up…so I’m finding people’s comments and such rather inspiring. I’m going to have to check out the SparkPeople thing :)
Best of luck pursuing a healthy lifestyle, Miss Mir!
This is EXACTLY where I’m at this moment. Just turned 37, have been slim my entire life (even when pregnant) and have eaten whatever I have wanted whenever I wanted.
Now I’ve started to develop hips, saddlebags and a pooch in the front. I HATE IT! So now I’m like you. Two pieces of toast for breakfast, a yogurt and granola for lunch and lots of water throughout the day. Dinner – tbd, but it will have more calories than breakfast and dinner combined. The exercise will be done today even if it kills me.
(Oh, and as a note of precaution from something I learned last Thursday: Thin people are not allowed to feel fat. Everyone will chastize you and tell you to shut up and then glare at your thinner-than-them self. I guess they think that we have no right to want to change since there are others suffering more than you. Just wanted you to know the possible outcome were you to share this in person with anyone else. Me? I say I’m entitled to feel that way. I know I’ve got weight to lose and 10 extra lbs shows up a bit more on a small 5’2″ frame.)
Remember to give yourself some free days (every Saturday, maybe?) to eat what you want. You’ll last longer… at least that’s what all the experts say.
Welcome to the world of skinny-fat :). Even at my personal non-prego heaviest, most people would consider me thin, but that didn’t mean my bum didn’t wobble and that my clothes had stopped fitting.
I agree with everyone else that you shouldn’t deprive yourself of food… just eat reasonable portions of the things you do like. I don’t believe any food should be off limits (says the vegetarian.) I’m a big believer in a cheat meal once a week too. And if you know you only have one cheat then you can make it really count. Why have a mediocre dessert because it’s there when you can wait a day and have something really, really yummy (and possibly shiny?)
As for exercise, I’ll confess I’m an endorphins kind of girl. I’ve used exercise to help control my depression for approximately half of my life. I think the secret is to find something active that you really love. It shouldn’t be a chore you have to do, but something you look forward to. I’m almost 39 wks prego and the second the husband walks in the door the kid becomes his responsibility for an hour and a half while I head to the gym. (It helps that the husband is also into exercising/sports and completely gets that I need my “me” time.)
You can do it, Mir. And think of the healthy example you are setting for the kids.
So…it’s “fit back into my pants or bust”? Is that an either-or? ;-p
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I have also always been naturally skinny and started gaining weight about a year ago, so I joined a 30 min. gym.
No diet (I’m lousy at dieting) and that’s all it took for me to go back to my original weight, 30 min., 3 times a week and I actually like it.
meusli with yogurt
basically raw granola that you haven’t slathered in sugar/honey and oil/butter to toast. Throw in a bit of millet and eat it with yogurt. Way tastier than grape nuts.
Here’s my recipe.
I mean, here’s my recipe, don’t know why that link didn’t work.
http://foodthatnourishes.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-make-muesli.html
Grape Nuts + lemon yogurt= actually rather delicious. And if you let them sit for a minute they get a little softer.
For plain cereal, I too prefer the Go Lean Crunch.
The good news: The exercise gets easier. You may even get to the point where you are surprised to learn that you no longer loathe it but actually sort of enjoy it.
The bad news: The metabolism keeps slowing down as you get older. It sucks, but it’s better than the alternative.
But good news again: You’re nipping it in the bud, before it gets REALLY bad. And when that thing about sort of liking exercise kicks in, it will not only be easier, but your metabolism will be working better again and you can eat in a more “normal” fashion (whatever that means…)
I hate exercising too. I just do. Lol. But I think eating healthy is the option. I need to do this.
I am so with you on this entry and I can completely relate with it. I also “have been” very skinny all throughout my life. When I was still breastfeeding my son, I’ve lost a lot of baby weight but not until he’s weaned. But, I’m loving a few jiggles here. As I have said, I have never seen myself chubby so I love seeing myself this way for the meantime. (It’s ironic, right?)
I’m so with you…however after 3 years of faithful walking, my treadmill now is the worlds most expensive clothes rack. (my not so bright engineer hubby wanted to adjust it..lol) Grape Nuts are an acquired taste, like scotch,only scotch is better. And just one thing on the subject of Weight Watchers…just say NO. The only weight I watched with them was mine rising…post hysterectomy that is. There’s just not enough good grain and protein to get your metabolism pumping even if you exercise. :-)
If there is one thing people loooooove to give advice about, it’s dieting. So I shall simply stand in solidarity with you and declare “I TOO LOATHE EXERCISE.” But, I too have been determined to drop those extra lbs and darn it if exercise isn’t crucial to that goal. Six months of working out 5 days a week and I still hate exercise. But now I need new pants…which is nice. Good luck!
Hee! Once I was sick and lost a few pounds and was so happy about it that I decided to diet to maintain my new weight. That only lasted a few days because I felt hungry 24/7 and couldn’t take it anymore! I’ll have to try some of these great suggestions! I like the idea of eating multiple small meals a day.
Here’s to hoping my fat is sucked out completely after my last kid is born. Though the last two times have been total failures.
I’m with you – HATE HATE HATE exercising. Unless I can distract myself by having fun. My recommendation is to go out and buy yourself a Nintendo Wii and as many games as you can find that will get you running around your living room looking like a complete dork but – most importantly – having FUN!
I bought one three weeks ago (along with Wii Fit) and I’ve not minded exercising (much) since then! I’ve even lost a coupla pounds. Seriously.
I hear ya, sister – I, too, was a skinny little kid, who became a skinny little teen and could eat whatever she wanted without gaining an ounce (thanks, dad for that good metabolism!). Then I got pregnant and gained 50 pounds too and also lost it all through round-the-clock breastfeeding (I think we might be twins, dear Mir!). But, despite being back at pre-baby weight, I was still “bigger” than I was before the kid (anyone who’s had a kid knows, your body just changes). I was ok with the new body, though it was weird not to be a stick anymore (and too damn lazy to exercise – I hate it too).
But then something amazing happened – I got depressed! Really, really depressed! And lost 20 pounds in a month! W00t!
Seriously though, yeh, the “depression diet” did work, but that pesky suicidal ideation might result in the kind of permanent weight loss you just don’t want. So good luck with the exercise and diet – I’ll just keep taking my meds and saving money to have all my pants and skirts taken in (which costs just as much as having them taken out). Ugh.
OMG!! You are my sister! She never excerised and lived an all-you-can-eat buffet kind of life and never, ever gained weight (ironically, everyone around her gained weight though!) Sadly, last year she had a hysterectomy and has been putting on weight. She HATES having to watch what she eats and exercising. She’s not a happy person. Good luck!_
I feel you, because I am also That Person. Good luck — I’ll be trying to stick to it, too.
I like my Grape Nuts with cottage cheese and a packet of Splenda. Almost like dessert. Mmm. But douche chips? Makes my mouth pucker at the mention of them. *shudder*
Having never been naturally skinny, I’m perfectly happy to take my Adderall XR and have the weight slowly melt off. Keeps my appetite at bay and my energy up AND I can now focus! Woohoo! Yay for ADD!!!
Hang in there, Mir. :D
I am SO not like you! I actually weigh less now than I did in high school, but I still have a ways to go.
I actually just wrote my own blog post about not being on a diet, but rather in training. (Somehow it helps if I trick myself into being good)
I literally just ate a bag of kettle chips, now I feel disgusting. Argh.
Oh Lord I need help in this area too! I’m addicted to sweets. I’m talking doughnuts, cookies, cake, pie, anything pastry! If you find the cure, let me know!
Ah, there are worse things than being skinny-fat. You could just buy bigger clothes. Just sayin’
But if you do decide to follow an organized diet plan, let me me put in my 2 cents. I’m going to have to disagree with the folks touting SparkPeople. It’s fine, and its free, but I totally prefer Weight Watchers Online. You don’t have to be hungry on it all — you just have to eat smart. I lost 13 pounds in 3 months.
Also, if you don’t like Grape Nuts for breakfast, don’t eat them. Try GoLean Crunch or my personal diet favorite: an egg and egg white scrambled together on high fiber toast, fresh fruit, and coffee. Yummy and filling.
I have to object to the Grape Nuts bashing! Grape Nuts are extremely tasty. The key is to top them off with three spoons of sugar.
I’m doing it wrong, aren’t I?
Good luck from your polar opposite – the girl who was always chubby (and now is not, because she knocked it off with the sugar, already). Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Well, at least you’re not alone! South Beach Diet makes some good cereal too. And I only exercise when I promise myself a Starbucks afterward. (Skinny version, of course.) It’s a little expensive, but it’s all I got to keep me going.
And did your dad say “Yo?” So cool, Mir’s dad!
yeah. aging. how i love it. (vomit). i was real skinny like you and never worried about what i ate. i’m still pretty skinny but i really have to think about what i put in my mouth now. like that bag of golden oreos… i cry when i pass them by the grocery isle.
Welcome to the strange and annoying world of dieting. My older sister once told me to enjoy my fast metabolism because once I hit 30 it would all be down hill. I laughed. Then I turned 30 and my ass fell. So hey, you made it to 37? Well done. I found skinless chicken to be my new best friend.
Greetings Mir,
I don’t know if this will help you, Ducky and I are in the same place as you and Otto. My breakfast is a cup of brown rice and raisins (and cinnomon) and two spoons of yogurt (mixed in – low fat vanilla perferrably.) It stays with me until lunch when I do it all over again a half an hour after a piece of fruit. With the exercise (crosstrainer) I’ve lost 14 pounds since May.
Damn it is slow going, but finally I am losing, I’d loss hope long before when nothing else had worked. Before I said diet and I automatically gained ten pounds.
This is a much happier process.
I’ve been, for the first time in my life also, watching my intake and upping my exercise (well, starting exercising). My favorite breakfast is 1 cup of cooked oatmeal, stir in sugar (1 tbsp, raw) and one egg and zap it for 3 minutes. Healthy, good and filling and (checks sparkpeople page) only 259 calories.
Keep it up, you can do it! After being in total denial for the past 20 or so years (yikes) I started to attend a diet group here in the UK in January, and have lost 35lbs since then. We can eat SO MUCH it’s unreal. People at work are always surprised how much I eat. Yet it works, go figure! You can sign up online, at slimmingworld.com. Whatever you choose to do, I’m rooting for ya.