It might help you to do "baby steps" with your diet. Diving in sometimes can be intimidating to people. You could try starting with eating 1600 calories a day for a few weeks to ease into it and then lower to about 1400 if you want, just don't go any lower that 1200 or else it becomes unhealthy. Or you can start by changing what you eat a meal (or snack) at a time. I had a hard time starting out as well, and when I changed things slowly, I actually stuck to it after years of dieting failure of trying to drastically change things and then getting overwhelmed.

Also, I know you said you wanted to start your diet on Monday, but why not start right now? I know people like to start diets on a full week, but be careful it doesn't turn into a series of putting off your diet until the next Monday, or the next Monday and then a few weeks go by. I've been there before...

Good luck with your diet! There's always people on the boards for support when you need it! You can do it! :)

Why start on a Monday? You can start today by getting a pocket sized notebook or journal, put the date at the top of the first page and list everything you eat. Tomorrow put the date at the top of the second page and list all you eat and so on..

Then look up on the internet (google search) how many calories you are ate and learn what is nutritious and what is not. What foods to cut way back on and others to eat more of. Learn to find foods that are low fat, low sugar, high fiber or protein, vitamins and minerals.. and that taste good to you.

Get a scale to weigh food so you can figure out your calorie intake. Eat between 1200 and 1600 calories a day. The closer you are to 1200 the faster you will lose. I have lost 64 pounds in 7 months this way.

If you have a problem with hunger, eat a little more often. I eat about 6 meals a day but I don't go over 1400 calories for the day.

Start right now. The new week doesn't start on Monday anyway. Sunday is the first day of the week.

I'm pulling for you.
Tom

Good Luck Girlfriend!!!! U go girl!!! I'll be cheerin ya on!

Gluten~free cooking is working for me....

www.chronicfatiguehealing.com (under healthy eating)

I also think you should start right away, and start slow. Don't dive in full force or you will be completely overwhelmed. I started by just drinking lots of water and limiting myself to one diet soda a day. Then I started finding healthier sweets (because I love chocolate). I found that things like lowfat pudding and weight watchers snacks help a lot. Of course portion control is still key here though. With exercise I am also starting slow. Walking and some light pilates a couple times a week. So far I've lost 25 lbs. It's been about 4-5 months, but I haven't been sticking with it as much as I should.

I used to think like you...I'll start on Monday...but the right Monday never seemed to come...so I actually started my "diet" on a Wednesday! One thing I am trying to get away from is calling my eating habits a "diet"...I am going for a lifestyle change. I've dieted in the past only to put it all back on and then some. Eating healthy has to be a way of life, not to say that I am never going to slip up or have some unhealthy food. The other lesson I am trying to learn is moderation in all things! If you just start slow by cutting out one or two foods that are high fat/calories...for me it was butter...I could eat butter on about anything. I also cut out sodas...drank just water or an occasional diet soda or crystal lite lemonade. I think you will find if you just make small changes at first you will see results and that will encourage you to continue on, and if you slip up don't give up...don't blow the rest of the day...start over right then and there...don't wait for the next day or the next Monday or the next whatever...get right back on the wagon! DS is a great place to get encouragement, support and ideas to aid you in your quest to get healthy and fit. Good luck!

Thank u ladies. I started today. I ate breakfast this morning. I will be eating lunch at around 1:00. I think u ladies are right, my problem is I was trying to go full force. I am gonna start off slow.

Don't wait till Monday, I used to have that mindset and never work for me on getting started. This is an a lifestyle journey. I keep plugging along and don't stop.I continue ,good or bad and each day is a new beginning!!

Good luck with your efforts!!

Liliann

I was going to also question - Why wait? Then I read that you jumped right in and started. Good move.

I am reading a good book - Body Clutter and the chapter I just read is Excuses, Excuses....they stress that we try to be perfect and we let our perfectionism get in the way....just get started...any change has to be better than what we have been doing.

When my mother was a not-so-little little girl, she would ask tearfully, "Can I start my diet tomorrow?" At 91, she still has a very active sweet tooth. I guess starting tomorrow is better than starting next Monday! But there's no time like RIGHT NOW. Even if you messed up already that day, Weight Watchers taught me to get back to your diet at the very next meal or snack.

Remember, your body weight over time will reflect what you did MOST OF THE TIME. If you eat healthy 80 percent of the time, you will lose weight. We are not perfect. Just try to be good--MOST of the time!

I am all for writing down calories. I do it pretty much every day. But I stopped writing it down in a journal. I felt like when I had a bad and I wrote it down, and I saw it sitting next to all the other days I did good, it mad me feel like a failure! So now I just get a blank piece of mutlipupose paper and dont even date it. I just write down a brief discription of what it was and how many calories. At the end of the day I throw it away. So that way if I screwed up it wouldn't haunt me. LOL I like mamaequms 1600 to 1400 to 1200 calorie thing. I did that too and it's worked well for me. And don't wait for Monday. Because Monday will turn into 5 Mondays, LOL. Been there done that. But I know you can do it!!!! You need support I'm here : )