On May 28th, I decided to follow my own advice and start my weight loss program over. This time, I am following my own weight loss program. I’ve bought so many weight loss books and have never been able to follow any of them to the tee. So, I’m doing as Frank Sinatra would say, “My Way.”
What I Changed in My Diet
I’ve lost ten pounds since May 28th. These are the changes I’ve made this past month to incur my weight loss:
- Breakfast: I don’t like breakfast and that’s all there is to it. I quit eating oatmeal, grapefruit, and cereal in the morning. I drink my coffee, green tea, and water.
- Lunch & Dinner: I’ve started making my main meal at lunch time instead of the evening as I had done in the past. I now eat salad 4/5 times a week. I am now eating fish 2/3 times a week.
- Snacks: For a snack in the evening, I’ve been eating the apple and cinnamon quaker little rice cakes.
- Liquids: I’ve traded my diet coke in for plain old water.
Mistakes I Have Made
I can’t say I’ve been perfect. We have gone out to eat a few times and I’ve made bad food choices. I’m not beating myself up over it. I not throwing in the towel. Tomorrow is always another day.
Document Everything
I must say, I think the most important thing I’m doing, is faithfully documenting everything I eat and drink. I’ve been weighing myself twice a week and tracking my weight loss in the same notebook as my food and drink intake. This way I can compare the weeks with what I’ve ate.
Do What Works for You!
I’m sure many will disagree with my choice of weight loss…but the important thing, it works for me.
congrats on your weight loss. I too use to hate the breakfast challenge. I started with herbalife, which took the guess work out of it for me. I also have my biggest meal for lunch and then i have a shake(cookie & cream, makes me feel like i’m cheating) and salad with a lean piece of meat for dinner. i’m not big on water but i seem to get it down btwn crystal light and lemon/lime. i’ve lost 28lbs in the past 4mths…gained a few pounds back and then tried something my coach suggested. The labamba, i lost 4.2lbs in 3days and now i’m back on track and losing bout 1-3lbs week. i’m a busy mother of 4 and hardly have time to feed them let alone figure my plan. i love the fact that it takes the guess work out of the equation for me. good luch to you and keep pressing forward.
Fatihfully documentling everything you eat is a real key to weight loss. Once you see how much you’re really eating makes leaving those ckaes and pies alone a little easier. Good luck.
Thanks for your comment Trish. I tried herbalife a long time ago and it didn’t work for me. I’m glad to see you are having positive effects. It just shows why there are so many different programs out there. People succeed in a variety of ways. Good luck to you. I’ve raised 4 kids also and know how hectic that can be. Good luck to you.
What’s great about this, that I think is very important, is that you are trusting yourself again. You may be “dieting” but you are not letting a plan tell you to do something that in your heart of hearts you know is wrong for you. I truly believe that when you do this you can be more successful because one you are relying on yourself, your knowledge, your instincts, your hunger…all that comes with that. And, you create choice for yourself by truly choosing what it is that works for you.
congrats on your loss
I was shocked again. I never get to realize that doing what you did can actually lose 10 pounds in a month.
Breakfast is the most important meal because we are starved for long 7-8 hours. After we wake up, we have the strongest absorption rate.
If we take carbohydrate food, we absorb it at a maximum level. You took water or tea and take a healthy lunch. This is great! And it’s very healthy.
Great job!
Alex
Thanks for your suggestions Alex but I’ve got to stick with what is working for me. I hope others develop their own program and have success as well. Who knows, my method may work for others too.
You know, I have to agree with you too. I know everyone says breakfast is important because it kick starts your metabolism, and they’re right, I’m sure… but its not for me.
I’m not hungry in the morning, so it usually is just extra calories I don’t need. If for some reason I am starving I buy the Nature Valley granola bars in bulk at Sam’s Wholesale club to keep the hunger at bay until lunch.
My mom always tells me not to bother with breakfast too if I’m not hungry and she is as skinny as a toothpick. I think you should just listen to your body.
Night time eating is still my biggest downfall…..
I’m right with you Jenny. It’s the late night snack attacks that get me too. That’s a good reason to be documenting what and when you eat. It is helping me to change my habits. (My mom is skinny as a rail too)
Great job, i also had to find what worked for me. I had tried all of the diets and finally just started counting the calories. I can pretty much eat what i want as long as i work out 4-6 times a week and keep my calorie count at 2500-3000. I’ve lost 110 pounds in the last 18 months without surgery. I wish I had figured this out 30 years ago. It’s still a one day at a time struggle.
Jane (Windsor, Ontario)
I had a hard time with the breakfast thing too – I start work at 7 am and I’m done by 5…I tried having a big breakfast at home before leaving… tried the cereal thing… didn’t work… I now have a glass of water with my multi vitamin, a cup of tea (milk and half a sugar or honey), and a fruit of some sort… A banana is great year round – it’s easy to pack and I can finish it by the time I get down the street… It works for me…around 9 I have more fruit and then by 10:30 I have my sandwich (whole wheat/cracked wheat bread with low fat turkey/chicken with lettuce and mayo) or I’ll have some of a veggie/stirfry from the night before or I’ll have a can of tuna with a little oil and vinegar. Tea at noon. Around 3 I’ll have a peach or apple (holds me over till dinner). Dinner is usually when I get stuck – don’t know how many people are going to be at the house – my son is a picky eater (meat/potatoes/pasta)…summer is easy (chicken breast usually for me). Fruit again as a dessert with another tea. Also with dessert comes a piece of chocolate (when I have the urge) 60-70% cocoa. Yummy. It’s an easy meal plan and you can switch it around alot…
i would love to lose 30 pounds fast. i am 21, about 160 lbs and 5’2. i work as a teacher’s aide and tutor. monday and thusday nights i have class. i am on the go, but the weight is coming off slow. i can i speed it up? i walk everywhere because i can’t drive and i don’t have the time or energy to work out like i would like too, Yes i am in college too. hard time to lose weight
malsue, Slow is the best way to go if you want to keep it off. Keep a couple of apples in your school pack. They are a great snack while at work and school. Walking is the best overall exercise. Keep up the good work. You will reach your goal. 🙂
Congratulations, I am very impressed with your honesty and determination. You inspire us all.
Hey i am trying to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks? can anyone tell me if herbalife is the way to go or the special k diet, please help !
Okay, so for all you who want to lose weight, there are simple solutions. I eat like a damn pig plain and simple. I can lose 10 to 15 pounds in a week if I want to. And no this is not a gimmick or something Im tryin to sell you. My mother as well has a weight problem just as I did at one point in my life. The fastest way to lose weight is very simple. It’s as simple as….
Burn more calories than you consume, meaning that if you use up more calories than you take in then you will simply lose weight. I made a plan for my mom to pretty much walk the weight off. Walking the weight off is the easiest way to lose weight. With that being said, there is no use of drinkin energy drinks or Gatorade or anything like that if you want to lose weight. Water is the only liquid that will not make you gain weight. Everything else will in one way or another.
Plain and simple, just walk the weight off. Continue to eat regular food, but remember that you need to burn more calories than you take in.
Congratulations on your success. Try to keep up the results.
Congrads to everyone that has lost weight…I have had a weight problem my entire life and of all the sites that I have looked at recently…I love this one the best…..No magic pill or hypnosis or hype…..it’s really one of the smartest weight loss plans so far…I think we all have been programed that we need pills and weight loss clinics to do something that we can do ourselves…..Thank you Chris…And hopefullY the next time I post mething it will be about all the weight I have dropped…..Thanks again for your thoughts!
I know this is weird, i’m only 12, but I really want to lose some weight. I weight 130pounds and my new years resolution is to lose 20pounds. I have been looking for something to help me lose weight. I don’t eat breakfast because i have to go to school. I usually don’t eat a big lunch and sometimes I don’t even eat supper. I eat when i’m hungry,so im not starving myself but i do snack a lot. My mom says i eat too many chips but i dont want to stop chips but i will pick healthier kinds. How do i lose weight with my wacky scedule?
Liz,
You need to get up earlier and eat breakfast. Have a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit. Make healthier food choices for lunch. Cut down on snacks. If you eat a balanced diet, you won’t feel the need to snack so much. You didn’t mention how much exercise you get. Take a walk before/after supper every evening. Use stairs instead of elevators….it all adds up.
Hello evaryone,
i was feeling a bit down this morning. i made a baby eight months ago and i can’t seem to get oof this baby weight. i am so glad i came upon this site-me again looking for solutions. i know i have been eating badly but after reading your comments i am feel inspired to go at it again.today is 28th Feb, 2009. hopefully a month from now i can post back with positive and encouraging results. i currently weigh 230lbs-i know i ballooned during my pregnancy-i previously weight 140lbs so i guess you can imagine how this weight gain is for me!!!! but you guys will definitely hear from me again. thanx everyone for reinspiring me.
congrats.
so im 15 and i want to lose 10 pounds before prom and its in a month.
how do i do that?
Weight weight go away dont come back ever. I hate breakfast to, i find if i eat cereal like spk i’m staving by 10 am. I find a high protien breakfast good, at lunch one piece of wholemeal bread and some meat Chicken or fish then for dinner a stirfry with as much veggies and meat as you like. Snack on meat and veggies. I’ve lost 15lbs in 3 weeks just by making these changes, i promise you wont be hungry either.I do very little exercise. Little bit at work. maybe a mile a day
Paul,
It’s great to see you are doing so well. I’m not sure that losing 5 pounds a week is healthy though. I wish you continued success on your weight loss journey. Please stop back and let me and the readers know how you are doing. Thanks for sharing your weight loss method, I’m sure many of us will give it a try.
I am so glad I came across this! Back in my early to mid 20’s I was in pretty good shape. Now that I’m almost 32 and have had a child, it’s been very difficult to get the weight off and keep it off. I’ve been battling with my weight for over 3 years and have had some successes, but more failures. Back when i was smaller, I also used to skip breakfast, have something for lunch, and maybe have something to eat at dinner. If I didn’t eat dinner, I would have popcorn or pretzels or even a baked potato with just salt. But I was also more active back then as well. It was much easier to go for walks without a child. So, sometime last year, I started doing research and saw that I was “doing it wrong” from what I had found. Naturally, I was frustrated. I saw I had to intake at least 1200 calories and eat about 3 times a day. The only problem with that was, I am not always hungry three times a day. I only eat when I’m hungry. Of course I didn’t always eat the right things, but I ate them more than I did the junk food. So tonight I started getting my meal plan together because I was going by what I thought I should be doing. And by the grace of God, I came across this blog and I am so glad I did! I am so glad that I’m not the only one who is fed up with what the experts say. Since when did they interview all of us to know what is or isn’t good for us? Thank you, thank you, thank you! For giving me the boost to do what I feel is right for me! I’m still going to incorporate fruits and vegetables with chicken and fish (which I love). But I’m not going to stress over how many times a day I eat and if i’m eating enough. Now that I know to listen to my body, I have a feeling the weight will fall off in no time.
Again! Thank you so much!
Hey it’s very nice reading other peoples methods, I recently started trying to lose weight for summer and ive been going on my own diet methods just like you chris. I walk about 6 miles a day which takes me about an hour and a half overall. Replaced any drink with water and eat 1000-1200 calories a day. I’ve currently lost 30 pounds in about 5 weeks and am extremly happy. There is no real secret to weight loss just cut out the calories guys, water is your best weapon guys if you cut out soda’s coffee’s and tea’s it’ll help out alot and walk whenever possible, try to avoid the car.
what is the fastest method to loosing weight?
Holly,
Losing weight fast is not the best way to lose weight. Eating a balanced diet, tracting your food intake, drinking lots of water, and getting exercise will help you reach your weight loss goals. This is the best way to KEEP the weight off once you have reached your ideal weight.
congratgilations on your weght loss i am gonna try what you did it is great advice thank you!!
I have lost 4 pounds, 1 pound per week healthily I believe over the last month. Each morning I eat a two servings of all bran cereal (240 calories) with an apple. I have a piece of fruit mid morning, eat a sandwich with soup for lunch. Sometimes I’ll use the other half for dinner later. I have a piece of fruit mid afternoon and a 500 calorie dinner with no dessert.
If you can find time to walk for a half hour a day, and then exercise 3-5 times a week the weight will start to melt off.
I have completely stopped eating desserts though since October 25th and its been almost 2 months since I have stopped. This helps me eat so much healthier.
I highly recommend All Bran to get your metabolism started in the morning!
no exercise
walkin some weekly
but rarely.
eat fish bake fried yummie. few times a week.even with desseart 2x a wk. no biggie.
eat my ANY cereal at night before 11 pm. few times and sometime grape or juicy red grapefruit at night time no biggie with a tall glad water to wash it all down i additionally at times use BLACK ICE now know as black ace,the secret ingredient is to lose fast weight is ephedra/ephedrine the REAL ephedrine with ALKALOID, i think this how you spell it one or 2 a day not a magic pill nope but amazingly it working for me lost last year around 32 pounds fast within three weeks,then i stop now taking it again and usually i just add in green leaf veggie KALE mustard green,collard greens or corn string bean with all this and i am good to go NO EXERCISE even if people LIE sayin o you need it
NNNNOPE. i lost it with my ephedra product that truly make those lose alot of fat even within days,as water weight as well as FAT and i am happy doing this MY way always eating breakfast if i remember first then small mid day snak CEREAL AGAIN,or few cookies with milk 1 or 2% and i am good to go until din din time fish chicken breast chicken taco even soft or hard shell, rice arroz goya yellow rice on side i been losing much again and i really do believe ephedra product with REAL alkaloid making me lose again lot of weight and healthy and fast,sad the goverment block such incredible weight ephedra product i guess as expert say,”they know when obese or some overweight men woman figure it out it shall then tap into their pockets with all of the other wasted pharmaceutical drug etc. for so called overweight human,bottom line EPHEDRA WORK i am proof 2x over as i lost in 1 day most three up to four pounds,then was smooth sailing since then good luck to all this work for me proving SOME supplement do work,as just EATING less and not too late at night
good luck
from gene.in my late thirties,look feel still mid twenties,all about eating what your liking but LESS cal intake,no need to EXERCISE as many lie and say you HAVE to i am here to say NO YOU DO NOT.
god speed happy new year and good night and happy losing!
I eat Fiber One Cereal for my breakfast. It only has 100 calories and it is good. When I was busy, I would just have a protein shake. I don’t feel right if I don’t have something in the morning.
can you give me ideas on how to lose 20 pounds? i have until may but i am a 14 year old and i already weigh about 189 lbs. but i need a fast and free way to help me.
sierra. . .
I hope that you have started out on a weight loss plan. My advice to you is to make smalls goals and write it down!!! I have lost 40 lbs just my jogging/walking and doing interval training. When I first started I was over 200 lbs and I’m going 5″2. I could barely jog for 5 mins without feeling out of breathe!! Now I can go for 45 mins and I’m still losing weight at a rate of 1-3 lbs a week. Don’t weight yourself everyday. Eat 6-8 small portions a day. Try not to drink/eat empty calories such as pop and chips. Don’t be fooled by low fat because it’s often high in sodium with will cause weight gain. SUGAR IS YOUR ENEMY!! Avoid sugar as must as possible. Remember that anything ending is “ose” like maltose, sucrose, glucose are all forms of sugar. Eat healthy fats such as olive oil, Stick to complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbs. AND DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!
Im going to a Wedding in 1 month and I need to lose ten pounds or more, I’m 15, 5″9 and 116lb,
my problam is snacking, does anyone know foods to help stop cravings?
Kate, you are 5’9 and 116 pounds? Yoyu already seem underweight. I am 5’8 and at 125 pounds people tell me I need to gain weight. Idont think it would be healthy for you to lose 10 pounds.
I have also lost 10 pounds in less than a month ! I took out white bread- rice- pasta and sweets. I don’t eat breakfast either- !! Don’t get me wrong – When I crave something I eat it – but I used the substitution method. Like one day I had pad thai- which is rice noodles with chicken or beef or w.e but that day I didn’t eat any whole wheat bread and its been a success! Diet plans don’t work !! Just trust in yourself, stay motivated, and watch what you eat!!
Tremendous advice, I have used a similar approach and have managed to lose 20 pounds in two months. I have replaced two meals with a diet cookie and I am walking for an hour a day. I feel the real key difference for me is to drink 3 to 4 liters of water each day.
hey my name is kyle and when summer started i just barely changed my eating and ive lost about 35 pounds but i cant seem to keep losting more weight… i use to way 265 now i weight 230 and i was woundering if there is a way i can loose about 40 pounds..? any tips or anything would be useful :[)
hey all looks like there are alot of you who just cant seem to eat breakfast and you know what that is ok not everyone is hungry when they wake up. The trick is not waiting
until you are famished that you just throw anything into your mouth and lets face it once our day gets going sometimes we forget to eat or dont have time and then we grab something full of calories and not the best choice for us. I believe that is why the push to eat something for breakfast or at least something even if its an apple, banana before headed out for the day. The best advice is eat when your hungry, don’t wait too long and then stop when you no longer are and for the person who seems to of hit the plateau sometimes adding just an extra something into your diet for a couple days and then backing off again will get you past it. way to go for everyone striving to be healthier
When I first started to get back in shape & lose weight I found (for me) it was better to eat them so called 5 meals a day. Who would have thought lol. I found it best if I eat a little every few hrs I could make it the whole day & not be hungry. Guess I was lucky. & one thing I didnt do was snack on anything right before I went to bed. The treadmill we bought still calls me from the corner of the house LOL. Yeah,I dont get on it that much lol.
Thank you,
Your blog is great in its honesty and you are right to not beat yourself up over eating out.
We are all human and we make mistakes, just get up, brush yourself off and make the changes necessary to get back on track.
You are also right about losing weight slowly,you have a greater chance of keeping it off.
I have found a solution that doesn’t start with the word Diet. That is such an emotional word for me and I am sure a lot of you feel the same way.
This is about building muscle and taking better care of ourselves.
Did you know that lean muscle burns calories 24/7 and that you can build muscle efficiently in just minutes a day.
I hope you will check out my blog- this system is working for me and I have struggled for a while with weight-loss. I have lost 12lbs of fat in about 6 weeks!
Thanks and God Bless
~Mary
Mary,
Congratulations on your weight loss. I’m so glad you found a program that is working for you. I checked out your website. You have it set up very nicely. I’ll be checking back to watch your progress. I hope you stop back and to keep my readers updated on your progress.
God Bless!!
Chris
I’m so happy to see you are working so hard at this and found a program which is working for you. I like how you have created your own diet instructions for your own program. I seriously believe that weight loss is so individualized and you gotta do what works best for you! I also find that in the mornings I am never really hungry so I usually just have a bigger lunch and this has worked great for me too. Its good to see you trade your diet coke for water because diet beverages actually trick our hypothalamus’ (the site in our brain responsible for hunger and thirst) to think we are hungry when we are not actually. I LOVE DIET COKE, don’t get me wrong but its good for a one in a while thing! Keep up the hard work. You’ll feel great!
Provide proper nutrition to feed your body and your brain. Did you ever try to fill the gas tank in your car with diesel fuel? If you have, you would have found yourself stuck on the side of the road watching your car smoke and sputter because you fed it fuel that was not designed for you car’s optimal performance. Everything we eat and drink affects us on a cellular level. Food is the fuel for the body and brain. The type of fuel you choose to consume will determine how your body operates. Most of our food choices are made with our taste buds, driven by the desire to obtain pleasure with little thought about the consequences of our actions. There are many small but still palatable changes you can make to your eating habits that can have a big impact on your health.
Wow, I am right there with you
I am a 55 year old and having a major issue with losing weight. My biggest challenge is procrastination. I am one of the best at being able to block out what I need to do and go forward with eating all the wrong things.
Last year I lost 25 lbs. I was feeling great. I got injured, carpel tunnel on both arms. I subconsciously used this as an excuse to do all the wrong things.
Where is my self control? I am looking for places that I can interact with others, maybe find some support in the way of friends who can help me with staying with the program. I have no support at home and no close friends.
I have tried several of the major diet programs and all failed. When I did lose weight it was pretty much just staying true to watching what I ate and when, I stuck to a 1500 calorie per day diet, no soda, sugar, bread or junk food, no eating after 5pm. Well all that went out the window and I am back up to 246lbs. I need to be 200.
I do have a blog that I post on and would like to be able to place my link on other sites. I do not advertise anything. I am just looking to interact with others that face the same challenge I do. My blog is about my addiction to food and I also have a couple other categories I blog about
I really feel my problem with eating is much like an addiction. I just can’t seem to kick the habit.
Thanks for letting me post
Robert
I have heard that it is better to feed yourself early and not late. A doctor told me once that I should eat like a King for breakfast…Eat like a Prince for lunch, and eat like a pauper for dinner. I have not followed that myself, but it makes really good sense to me. I guess that you need quality food early so that you can burn calories for the day, and then start eating less as you need less as the day comes to an end.
I personally have had good success following the Atkins diet and then replacing my lunch with a really fantastic weigh-loss shake called Shakeology. Not sure if it will work for everyone, but it has helped me to lose 26 pounds in 3 months with no real exercise.Shakes in the past never worked for me, but this product has been AMAZING for me. You can click on my name for more info if anyone is interested.
About 3 months ago I started a journey to lose 20 pounds. I had grown frustrated with my appearance so I did something about it.
I started taking 2 mile nature walks each day. I changed my diet. I totally eliminated sodas, juice, junk foods, fast foods, fried foods. I had plenty of water, veggies and baked foods.
I also purchased a stationary bike and rode it for 10 miles every day.
I lost 20 pounds in about 8 weeks. I look great and I feel great.
I’m glad that you found a program which is working for you… I have been dieting and exercising for 1 1/2 years, I have lost 42 pounds and probably have that much more to lose.
Hi, I think your doing it so right, me I’m 67 and doing it the same way as you. You are right in making the midday meal the main one, we should never go to bed on a full gut as it turns to fat in the night. They say breakfast should be a good meal as it get you going for the day, I tend to agree with that. We never had this problem in the past as we did not have the range of process and fast foods that we do today. Carbs today have created an inblance in our food cycle and it’s dangerous. Still time to change your life style.
I like your tip about documenting the food we eat – it is so easy to be unrealistic about our consumption. And drinking plenty of water – another good tip, thanks!
Chris,
I’ve maintained a 125+ pound weight loss over almost 6 years now and I have to tell you that I’ve never been able to follow diet either. No one is perfect. That doesn’t mean you’re a failure or lack some sort of weird ability to not follow through. We’re all human. I’m glad you posted this blog post. I always work with my health coaching clients on this problem. The reason diets don’t work is because they leave no room for failure. They only focus on the end result. They forget to talk about the journey along the way. I hope that you’re doing better now!
Congratulations! Sometimes it’s better to just do things your way, it’s got to be a lifestyle choice right, rather than a short term diet. It’s next to impossible to stick to what somebody else does for a long time.
I really feel mistakes are key as well, nobody is perfect and having a little treat now and again helps to keep you focussed and on track.
You seems to be motivating loads of people, keep up the good work!
Making breakfast and lunch my main meals of the day helped me a lot.
My best change was to drastically increase the proportion of plant based foods in my diet. They give my body the right balance of energy and nutrients.