Hello! I just joined today too. I would like to shed about 50 pounds...so far I am down 7. It's a long struggle but I am determined to make it.

I think the most important thing to remember is patience. It is going to take a while to shed the pounds. Sometimes they come of slower than we want them too. One pound here, two pounds there...but don't get discouraged! What I try to do is think about how much one pound actually is. Think of a pound of hamburger, or a pound of butter. That's pretty much to take off your body. So a one pound loss is really a huge deal.

You say you struggle with will power. I do too. My boyfriend loves to eat, loves to dine out and loves desert! Now I love him so we often are together eating more than we should. I try to cut back on servings, eat only 1/2 of something rather than the whole plate, and I try to convince him to eat in more so I can control portion sizes. Just keep trying...don't give up. Sooner or later the scale will be going down and you will have more incentive to ramp up that will power.

Good luck to you. Stay strong and you will be successful!

Happy losing! :0)

Hi!! If you are looking for support and motivation you came to the right place! We are all here for eachother because we are all in the same boat - we have all been throught he same things you are battling with right now so feel free to lean on all of us!
Motivation is indeed a pain in the butt - my advice to you is to read the forums. You will find lots of hints and tips there and find out what is working for other people. If you are struggling to diet alone then maybe you could join a forum challenge? There are a few going on right now, with groups of members helping eachother along and weighing in at the same time, so it gives a little accountability.
Hope that helps and see you around!
K.x.x.

Hi - a message from a fellow 'shorty' :0) It is difficult when we find ourselves 'locked' into this negative place where we don't want to look as we do, but find it hard to pull ourselves back out of the hole.
I have started the endevour again today to shift (at first) 15lbs (the weight of my 5 month old daughter) and then I will set more goals from there.
I am a terrible choc-a-holic. My partner has to hide his stash of chocolate or biscuits really well so that I dont binge on them. Going to the shops is fatal as I usually succombe, I have zero will power. I am planning to substitute this fix for low cal chocolate drink (40 cals per cup) so that I don't feel too deprived.
My goal is to get into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes - that would make me very happy.
Would love to keep in touch with anyone climbing the same hill. :0) Taggie

Don't be too hard on yourself! Be kind to yourself and understand that we as human beings have evolved to want to eat the sweetest and fattiest things that we can because it gives us more "bang for our buck".

Everyone who is alive today has made an incredible evolutionary journey through times of very little food. We have a built-in need to want to store fat for the times of lean. What happens now, particularly in the United States, is there are no times of lean. We can get food at all hours of the day and mostly we do.

So understanding that part of what is driving us is a biological imperative may help you be kinder to yourself. This does not mean, of course, that you should throw up your hands and decide that you have no control whatsoever and should then eat pizza (which unfortunately is one of my favorite foods) and dessert any chance you can.

You do have control over your immediate environment. For instance, if it is not in the house, then late at night when you get the "bingies" (this is my weakest time, I don't know about you) you won't find anything to binge on. It is more likely that if you have to make an effort to do so, like go out to a 24-hour store at midnight to get what you are craving you will have second thoughts and decide that sleep will do just as well.

Also, is there any possibility of your husband supporting you by not eating these tempting foods while he is around you? He could have the pizza or whatever for lunch while he is at work and not for dinner. Right now, you need to have a "safe house" with no temptations around so that you don't have to rely on willpower alone while you watch your husband eat some of your favorite foods in front of you. Your body's evolutionary "memory" will make it very hard to resist these foods so it is better not to be surrounded by them, at least at first.

I hope this is helpful! Love, kindness, and understanding is always the answer.

Hi! I have been on the Jenny Craig program for 5 weeks and lost 8 pounds. I have 35 more to meet my goal and with your support and reading your posts I feel very confident I can do it. I quit smoking 8 years ago with the help of online support, so I believe this will help me and you too. I can relate to the will power issues shoryg talked about. My hubby eats all the wrong things and always reminds me how he loves me just the way I am...151 pounds at 5 feet. Well, I don't love me like this, and that to me is more important than his love for me. So, if will power becomes powerless I plan to log on and talk about it vs. eating. Weight Loss is a big struggle, sometimes emotions just want to be fed calories, and you know what, I am so done with feeding emotions. You can feed my eme, and I will feed you otions and I will just feed my stomach when I am ligitamately hungry. How does that sound?

Thank you everyone for your replies. I appreciate everyones support and advice. If anyone wants to chat ever you can find me on yahoo messenger- shortyg07. Come and say hi, I can always use some support.

I also have windows live(msn messenger)- shortyg08@hotmail.com

I am about 80 pounds overweight, i think, because like you, i do not weight myself. i look at it as a lifestyle change. if you think diet, you think restrict!! I will be glad to keep you motivated. do not beat yourself up! we can help each other!

I wanted to stop by and say hello and welcome to DS. There is alot of support here. I've been on a calorie counting carb counting food plan since September (I'm a new diabetic). I've lost 49 pounds and have tons to go. If you ever want to message or need a sounding board, just send me a message. I'm real serious about losing this weight. Again welcome. Vickie

Shorty, I feel your pain. I have a back injury and have a hard time exercising too. I'm also looking to lose 70lbs, it is a tough road. Want to be diet buddies?

Wow...you have just written my story. I would love to chat. Like you I struggle to stay committed. The more I gain, the more will power I seem to lose. I hate how I feel right now and need some motivation!

We are in the same boat kinda. my wife is not dieting either and it is really hard to watch her eat whatever she wants. WW worked good for me. Just try to stay busy its the only way to avoid binge eating for me anyway. Good Luck!!