New on the Scene

[Nat]

Well, I am new on the scene. I have been on the diet 1 week tomorrow. I have not done well. What made it worse is what my three year old said to me tonight. He said "look mom, that guy (a cartoon) was lean like us and when he turned he was fat like you." I am crushed. Children are very observant, and he did not mean it to be hurtful. It's hard to understand why I sabotage myself and keep myself unhappy and unhealthy. I read the "fell off the bus" thread. Tomorrow is a new day. I have never written a thread before. Sorry if it is dull. Thanks for letting me get some stuff out.

[MrsPeel]

Don't worry about posting a "dull" thread - it IS good to get some stuff out there. Tell us more - how did you go wrong in your first week? Wrong foods, skipped meals, cheating? Everyone here has been through all the same things, so let us be your sounding board!

[Nat]

Wow MrsPeel, you are doing great!! I hope to do as well. I ate lots of stuff from my kids meals-mac n cheese, fries, chips, brownies. I didn't eat helpings, but I took bites of it. It's really hard for me to resist when I'm hungry. Thank you for being my "sounding board". It helps to hear people like you who are successful say that you have "messed up" too. Thanks.

[MrsPeel]

Thanks, Nat! But my hat's off to you, as I don't have kids to feed - which has got to make it harder to stay on plan. But may I make a small suggestion? It sounds a bit like your kids could benefit from some slight diet modifications, too - which in turn will help you stay on track. Your new, healthier eating habits might help them to avoid ever needing Dr. Cohen!

As for having trouble resisting when hungry, try to arrange your snacks - fruit and crackers - for those times when the kids' meals are tempting you. I won't sugarcoat it - self-discipline is the mainstay of this diet, so you need to get yourself in hand and focus on your desire to LOSE THOSE POUNDS!!!!

And whle you're at it, make yourself a ticker so we can cheer along with you :)

[Hugentobler]

Nat- Welcome...Welcome...Welcome... I love the post "Fallen off the bus". It helps make sense of what is going on. Some suggestions to help you get a good start. I make my kids put their plates in the sink so I don't touch the "leftovers" on them and I turn on the water as soon as I get to the sink. Who wants to eat a wet brownie?! I also have made them throw away everything leftover on their plate before putting the plate in the sink. I have not gone in after the food, yet. I also chew a lot of gum when I am getting dinner ready. You just don't take bites when you have gum in. Throw out the tempting food!!!! Set up an environment where you can succeed. Get rid of the tempting food. I also have my husband clean up from dinner so I'm not tempted to put their food in my mouth as I pack up the leftovers. If the problems is that you are just hungry, get out of the house. If you're not around food, you can't pop anything in your mouth. Carry around a water bottle to keep your hands busy. I hope these suggestions might help. Hang it there. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

[Nat]

You guys are great! Thanks for the support and the words of encouragement! Sometimes that is hard to understand if you don't have children. My kids are 3 1/2 and 2 so they are limited in their abilities. But what a great opportunity to make my husband do more!!! GREAT SUGGESTIONS! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Hugentobler]

My 3 1/2 year old niece takes her own plate to the sink. She sets it on the counter. You will be surprised at what they can do. I like Mrs. Peel's suggestions that it might be time for a whole family change in healthy eating. Good Luck.

[Shasha]

{hi}there Nat, Mrs Peel and AmyLynn

{oops} {sorry} to hear that you got off to a bit of a bumpy start…
...but a very WARM WELCOME in any case!! :bighug:

I just want to ask you a little something: when your children learned to walk, what happened?

Did they suddenly one day jump out of bed one morning and say TODAY I’M GOING TO WALK, NO BETTER, I’M GOING TO RUN!!! Then did they GET OUT OF BED AND RUN???

Unless your kiddies have special unheard of talents, I didn’t think so… Success more likely came after a few bumps and falls... but that didn't stop them from trying!!!

Sometimes it’s like that when you try to break old bad habits – it’s like learning to walk or learning to drive – you need to focus and concentrate and it may be a bit difficult at first, but with the right mind set, some determination, a safe environment and a little encouragement you are BOUND TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL!!!

So, read and absorb that BUS post, understand how your hormones are working… think about your goal, what you want to achieve etc… this give reason and determination… Make sure you get plenty of sleep so that you are not too tired and for the first week take a second multi-vitamin each day at lunchtime and avoid the yogurt and the cheese meals because they are the least filling meals. If you feel full you are less likely to deviate from the program.

Come and visit us daily and let us know how you are doing!!!

[bitten]

you will do fine.
do not let the kids food or age be an excuse for you to deviate.

if it is not on your plate, it is not your food.
do not eat others people's food.

that is how i look at it.
i have a 4 year old and a 9 year old, so i do understand the difficulty of feeding others.

my advice, if you want it ( and you may not!!!!LOL!), especially since your kids are super young and you can TRAIN their palates...do not give them fries, chips, brownies or mac n cheese. none of that is healthy or nutritious. it is fake food. have them eat what you eat. healthy fruit veg and protein. hopefully they will not struggle with the same problems we do with our weight.

it is so important to lead by example and also, if you do not buy it, they will not have it. do not bring foods like that in to your home. and ban fast food and highly processed food.
it really is toxic to young growing bodies.

i am really strict with what goes into my kids bodies. we have one chance to parent our children. one shot at giving them THE BEST start in life.
i hope i am not being too preachy, but it is our duty as parents to teach them how to have a healthy relationship with food.

i look forward to hearing more about your weigh loss and family-

bitten

[Bronwyn]

Hi Nat! Wanted to say welcome and glad that you're here. This diet will absolutely work for you but you have to dedicate 100%!!! I also have a 2 1/2 year old and part of why I'm doing this is so I can lead by example. He has always only been given very healthy, non-processed foods and he's getting old enough to realize that Mommy and Daddy aren't eating the same stuff so we've switched gears. While I've been on the diet my husband has lost about 30 pounds too, just because he is eating the same foods I'm eating. He will go ahead and make him potatoes, or eat bread, uses regular salad dressing, and has the occasional cocktail or glass of wine and he's still lost a lot of weight and looks fabulous! We are so excited to be on this path together and to be building this solid foundation for our son so that he doesn't have to fight this hard later on in his life (hopefully). Keep us posted on how you're doing and what challenges you are facing. Making life changes is not easy, but I'll tell you that a few months down the road you will not believe the difference in your health and happiness!

[Shasha]

{hi} there Everyone

WOW, Bitten Babe, I’m really impressed: what a fantastic, simple and yet winning revelation for anyone who has little children: if the food is not on your plate it’s not your food!! So simple, but that’s really telling it the way it is! These kind of simple mind barriers or boundaries can really help one to focus! {goodjob}

I’m really so very proud of you and Bronwyn ~ if more parents were like you years ago, we’d have less weight problems today – on the bright side of life: at least we’ll have less problems in the future because of you!!! {wave}

So, tell all your friends & family: let’s start an EATING HEALTHY EPIDEMIC and, while we are at it, let’s teach our children to be proud of eating healthy foods… to the point where they can proudly said to their little friends “I don’t eat that junk!”

:thinking: I don’t care how expensive the petrol price becomes, you wouldn’t fill your car with ½ petrol, ½ water… you know better than to think that the engine will work properly on water… our bodies need healthy food!

Be proud of yourselves ladies!!!

[LesKiya]

Nat, you can do this diet! Just remember and ask yourself this.... does this little cheat food taste as good as skinny will feel on me? A bunch of us here can tell you for sure that the answer is NO way! Just think about that everytime you want to reach for that NoNo item.

[Shasha]

{hi} there Leskiya

Thank you for sharing that wonderful thought!!

I’ll bet you asked yourself this question quiet often and that’s why you’ve been so very successful!!! Always focused on the right thing!


{wave} {goodjob} {wave}

[bitten]

see,

this makes me sad. nat has not come back.

nat, where are you?

[Shasha]

{hi} there Bitten


DITTO: :crying: NAT WHERE ARE YOU??? :confused:

[Nat]

Hi Everybody. Don't worry. I am on vacation in Hilton Head Island, SC. I have limited access, and I was very busy before we left. I will be checking in again when I get back. Thanks for the concern!

[bitten]

yea for nat.

i love hilton head. what a great place to be.

hope you are well and able to stay on plan!!!!

[Shasha]

{hi} there NAT

Sounds like such fun {wave} can’t wait to have you come back and tell us all about it!

Here are a few travel tips to help while you are away:

Your personal diet program is made out of the precise food items and weights you need to take. When travelling or eating out etc, the best would be to have a kitchen in which you can prepare your food just like at home. Unfortunately, this is not always practical and you may need to eat the available foods en-route. Therefore, a setback of your diet is unavoidable but you can try and minimize the setback by eating smart.

Try to find food items that are allowed on your diet (plain yogurt, hardboiled egg, vegetables, canned tuna and the likes). Eating these foods – even with no scale to weigh the foods – is better than eating a sandwich or a hamburger.

Eating out while you on a personal diet program where all your food intake is calculated carefully, might be a challenge. Some brave customers take their kitchen scale with them to the restaurant and order just a green salad. Others go out but just drink coffee / water. Eating out while on the program will set your progress back and we strongly recommend trying and avoiding this. If you have to go, just order a small green salad with a low-fat dressing on the side. This will help in having a smaller setback.

Hopefully, by eating smart the setback will not be as bad - some clients even report loosing weight while being away and following these guidelines, so here's wishing you much success on your weight loss, even when you are on holidays! YOU CAN DO IT! {cheerleader}