[storiebook4708]

thats crazy cuz before i got on here to check your reply i was thinking "maybe i could take half in the morning and half in the afternoon because i always seem to get hungrier in the evenings" so im glad u said that. i will definately start doing that tomorrow. and as for soda, youre right. im going to try and wein myself. i usually only drink 2 sodas a day and i drink about 4 bottles of water a day too.

ill let u know how it goes!

[nygrlathrt]

Patty has great info..also on the doctor show i watch he said just this week that you may think your drinking enough water but caffein dehydrates you..and i know this is true because this past weekend my brother was hospitalized w/kidney stones and the doctor said he was dehydrated too...

My brother was like but i drink alot of coffee thinking water..right...Wrong...so pls..pls..pls..try cutting back the coffee and soda

im not allowed anything but sugar free cranberry juice cut w/water, teas..and water per my doctor and thats all i drink oh and i put lemon in my water even hot...try it...its not that bad..

hope i didn't bore ya

[susanpesek]

I was just thinking how hard it is to change a habit such as how to eat and what to eat.

'They' say that repeating a behavior 21 times in a row does the trick as long as you do that consecutively. Not counting snacks, if you count only 3 squares a day, and are diligent, measuring as Patty says, it should take only ONE week for your body to adjust, change cravings, etc.

WE CAN ALL DO A WEEK! YES!

[slimrus]

I'm in the same "zero pounds lost" boat. :( I am ingesting 1200-1600 calories a day, all healthy, in mini-meals, and I have a good 15-20 minute heart beat raising work-out every day. I have not lost a single pound in over 5 weeks now!! I'm taking 37.5 mg before breakfast every day, along with metformin 500mg with breakfast and dinner. I've got 95 pounds to lose, so it's not a small percentage of body weight. HELP!!!! Oh yeah, drinking at least 60 ounces of water a day, and I don't drink sodas or caffeine.

[susanpesek]

Hi, Slim. Weight Watcher's says that carefully measuring foods and writing them down can truly make a difference. 95 pounds is not harder than 10 pounds and it can be done. Does the phentermine help at all?

Try this:

6:00 am-

8 ounces water and phentermine

6:30 am-

1 tsp cremora
1 Equal
3 ounces coffee
5 ounces skim milk
1 4 ounce bowl long cook oatmeal

9:00 am

Apple and low fat cheese stick

etc...write down every sip and bite that goes into your mouth. It helps us be accountable and also to see our triggers and how many calories we actually need.

Please give 'er a try. I can dissect it at the end of your day for you...PM me.

[bella529]

Susan, your document is very helpful!

And I have to agree about logging my food. I just joined sparkpeople.com and I'm using their nutrition tracker. It is amazing how many calories I've been eating without even knowing it!

So, for you vets...realistically if I eat about 1200-1500 cals per day, how much can I expect to lose per week on average?

[pigpen065]

With proper diet and exercise, you can expect to lose 1% -2% of your body weight each week. Using the rate of 2% loss, you would calculate a person weighing 180 lbs like this....180.0 x .02=3.6, so you would have 3.6 lbs of loss. This must be recalculated weekly to your current weight.

I got this formula from Susan, and I think that it is fairly accurate from my experience.

And you are exactly right on logging food...it is amazing what you are eating without even realizing it sometimes. Every little thing adds up, and most of the time I wasn't even counting those "little things"!

[jennabug24]

I've shared this before in my journal, it really helps me alot. I am the kinda person where I like to get things done right now as opposed to drifting along. I guess I'm kinda weird like that, I like organization. So, what I saw on Dr. Oz was to buy a Rubbermaid tub, not those huge storage ones, but one that could fit your entire day of meals in it. Every morning before I make my breakfast, I pull out my tub and plan my entire day out. I put things into baggies or smaller containers. The only thing I don't put in the tub are my liquids, for obvious reasons!! LOL! It helps me keep control over my portion sizes and then I have all my calories already counted for the day and don't have to do it as the day goes.( and Im kinda lazy ) LOL!! Another positive thing is, it really stops me from just grabbing anything. I am a total snacker, and it stops me from grabbing the junk food. Hope it helps. I thought it was a lil strange at first...but it makes it easier for portion control and calorie counting. Which are HUGE! Hope it helps someone out there!!

Jenna