i love food
 

a few months ago i came to realize the biggest thing that affects my weight.. I LOVE FOOD!!. I love cooking, trying and especially eating. no matter what it is. i love bbq, baked, fried, meat, vegetables, everything.
my doctor put me on a strict diet NO meat, NO fat, NO oil. they thought my gallbladder had to come out. it was hard at first but i could do it. some days were better than others but i started seeing the weight come off. well i got the test done to see if my gallbladder was bad and the tests came back normal. well i thought why should i still be on this restricted diet and then all the weigth came back. i had on lost about 10 pounds but that was a lot for me. i still want to continue but i find it very hard. i pack my lunch everyday. and im normally good at work but when im home its another story. today alone omg i dont even want to think about it. i need help. i joined this group today to maybe give me the boost i need. i cant afford jenny craig or weight watchers. i also have a WII and an elliptical so going a gym is also out. i have an outdoor bike so i can go out and do that on nice days. but i need help.. any ideas

Hi and welcome to FD!

Keeping faithful track of your foods here on Fit Day holds you accountable and you can clearly see how much and what you eat on a daily basis and maybe you can see places you can/should change.

I have found the key to this is... is isnt a diet, its a lifestyle change that needs to be permanent.

You didnt mention how much weight you need to lose but if you look in the list of topics, I am sure you can find the catagory you would fit into.. thats where the real support and encouragement comes from. When you post in a certain group and people get to know you, and you get to know others. It helps a lot.

Good luck! :)

Hiya maryellen and a big welcome to the fitday forums. Youve made a big step to change so congratulations!! Here at fitday the support is invaluable,it helps me when im doing good or bad and every member is sooo supportive.
Like you i love my food too. I like watching it,eating it and cooking it. I love every type of food but i like the foods that are good for me. I just tend to eat way too much of it sometimes. Weekends are worst for me cos im out of my usual routine and i eat out of boredom. Im trying now though to plan for the weekend ahead. I have 2 kids so im going to maybe do some games or go out to the park just to keep myself occupied.
I agree that with gamegal on the lifestyle change-as soon asthe word diet comes into our head we start wanting things that we feel deprived of. Everything in moderation and a little bit of a treat aat times will help keep satisfied. I used to eat so much and when i look back now i cant believe how far ive come and how ive changed my habits. I now chose good foods automatically and am not as tempted to the bad stuff as i used to be. It all takes time though and step by step you will reach goal.
Tracking is key, always fill in the foods everyday. You will get there just stick with us and log in each day to get the advice,support and motivation from all the fitday members. Welcome again and Good luck!!!

Start weight-235lbs
Current weight-174lbs
Goal weight- 140lbs

Sister, you are preaching to the choir, I love food too. Our children actually have food allergies so over the years I've made up recipe after recipe for them. One of my girlfriends said to me "Oh that's so fortunate that you've been able to use your love of cooking to help your kids". And I was like "Love of cooking?", heck no I LOVE TO EAT!!!

I think one of the best things I ever did for my diet was to clean out the cupboards and get rid of all the bad stuff. And the other thing was to commit to a workout schedule. I workout 6 days/week, and when I miss more than 1-2 days now I ache all over. So now that I'm used to it, I need it, it's a good addiction.

Welcome, maryellen! You've gotten a lot of good advice already...I have to agree with the tip to log every bite of food and sip of any drink that goes into your mouth. You will be amazed how quickly the calories add up!

To decide how many calories to eat, you can use a calculator like the one found here: Calories Per Day Calculator or just Google for Calorie Calculators. To lose 1 lb per week, cut 500 calories per day from that number. To lose 2 lbs per week, cut 1,000 calories per day from that number.

Drink lots of water, eat as many whole, unprocessed foods as you can, and exercise on your eliptical and Wii as often as possible. The pounds WILL come off!

I also agree with the suggestion to find a group here on the forums based on how much you need to lose. It really helps being with like-minded people who know what you're going through!

Best of luck. =)