Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Dieters Support Thread

It could be the lack of eating, rick. Or maybe you're just tired. Hope you get some R&R soon.

As for me, my weight has been ballooning recently. I've gotten sick a couple of times - one was a viral infection, the other seems to be due to the awful heat wave - which means a lack of exercise. I really don't feel good without regular workouts.

It's a combination, Ibby. I'm just not eating like I did, I'm eating better, it's hot here in South Carolina and I work outside. I don't like being this light, but it's part of life now.

I feel ya rick. The heat wave here is making me sweat a lot. I spend over 30 minutes a day walking outdoors and it really messes up both my appetite and my workout schedule. It's tough, but you're right such is life.

This isn't really about dieting, but it falls under this thread.

Does anyone know how to quit drinking soda cold turkey?

I did that before, BraJa. When I started trying to slim down. I just made sure not to order any... but I was motivated because I was very fat (200 lbs on a 5'8 frame).

It gets easier after the first couple of months. After a while you will stop craving for the sweet taste of soda.

Maybe if you crave for sugar, try drinking or munching on other sweet food/drinks that are less unhealthy? Start each meal with a big glass of water too.

I still haven't given up soda, diet soda in my case. I've kicked caffeinated soda in the past, and the caffeine withdrawal was fierce! A headache that just won't go away! I always return to caffeinated soda, though, for the extra pick-me-up since I don't like coffee.

I feel, though, that to take my weight loss to the next level, I may have to hunker down and cut all soda out. We'll see....

I'm wrestling with a burgeoning caffeine addiction myself, brought about by tons of overtime. It's really tough! I just take my coffee black or with a little honey to compensate.

Once again, Legion World has a thread that caters for my needs. Although perhaps "caters" is a poor choice of words here...

Baby's first diet is about to begin.

I spent most of my life unable to put on weight, but in the last few years I've noticed it starting to creep up. Which was great. However, I've waved that comfort zone ship goodbye, while eating fish and chips from the dockside.

Now I have some weight to lose. I've become a bit lazy since I moved here, so there are a few habits to remove. Being a bit more active and having a more balanced diet would help considerably.

Balance is probably key here.

Goal 1 - Lose 6.3kg (around a stone). That gets me into my comfy weight. Once there, I'll see about another 3.8kg (half stone) to move me towards the center of my weight range. While that may not seem like huge amounts, this is as much about changing lots of habits and things along the way. The weight has been creeping upwards, and like a large tanker (not that I'm comparing myself to one you understand) it might take some turning time.

Goal 2 - Get a balanced diet. I've seen a couple of sites giving me some calorie information and RDAs based on various factors. So, putting a plan together based on that will be a start.

Goal 3 - Eat regularly. Part of the balance, but I don't eat regular meals frequently enough. I'd like a bit of a routine.

Goal 4 - More active/ exercise. Built into daily routine where possible. I've no intention to go to classes or rejoin a gym. So this will have to be more gradual.

Goal 5 - Hopefully as a result of the rest but there's a bit of .. well I'm not calling it "fat". That's icky and I'm enjoying my time on the shores of De Nile. I'll go with something with a bit more dignity. There's some Man Podge to lose around the middle. Yes, that's a much better term. Not huge, but a young Kangaroo could appear at any moment and it has to go. The Podge. I'd probably adopt the Kangaroo.

This week is really more of an awareness exercise. I'll put together a plan, work out what's in the things I'm eating and get some idea of what I have to change on the way to getting a more balanced diet. It'll not only help me understand a balanced diet, but half an hour typing on a spreadsheet, is half an hour I can't snack. A win-win.

On the obviously verboten list are:- Crisps, sweets, chocolate, soft drinks, pastries, alcohol, fast food and biscuits.

The habit to break is that I generally snack when I get home at night, before dinner. Cutting that out should make a difference.

So a nice gentle start, that hopefully won't have me pawing at the Cupboard of Snack-a-Doom after an hour (no, I'm not throwing them out. I'm hoping to sneak the odd one in somewhere down the line.)

Sounds like a good plan, thoth! Best wishes!

Thanks Ibby! it felt a little weird yesterday with no snacks, especially after dinner. But tonight is much better already.

awesome! Glad you're adjusting already

Early days. Who knows what snacks will leap out at me as I go about my chores. Personally, I think my housekeeping is good enough that I don;t leave snacks lying around to jump out at me.

But we'll see.

Snacks really are the bane of my diet too. Thankfully, I've found "out of sight out of mind" does work for me.

Private Privations reporting for...um...reporting....

After a week, I've lost 3 pounds. Keeping to the verboten list was easy. The first day felt a bit odd. I checked the nutrition on a closed packet of biscuits on Tuesday (I didn't hold it for comfort...for long)

I felt a difference by the end of the week. Keeping to a rough planner of regular meals helped prevent any snacking urges.

I had mentioned balance. I get a lot of protein in my no mammal meat diet. But I was below my planned diet RDA in a number of things. Fine for Fats, Salt and Sugar to a point, but I was very low in fibre. It's made me aware of the creep of processed food and cutting out veg.

So, I was increasing that towards the end of the week. Sprouts...yum!

I read it's not good to increase fibre too quickly. This is after a guy called Martin Culvert put too many beans in his diet and farted himself into orbit. While I'm sure his goal was to burn off the calories, I'm not sure doing it from reentry was what he had in mind.

I'm not expecting more than a gradual weight drop in the next couple of weeks. I'm actually planning to eat more, but more healthily and get that RDA balance closer.

I'm really embarassed to say I broke my days without soda streak today. I went out with my friends to get dinner today and without even realizing I drank Fanta with my meal. I had been going a solid week without it and I feel really frustrated now.

I know how you feel Indy. I used to feel like that at the start of my diet a few years back. Now that I have made huge progress though, the occasional slip up does not bother me as much.

Re thothy's post all I have read agrees with you. Slow and steady, stick to making changes you know you can live with. That's what I did too and now I am 50 pounds lighter then when I was at my fattest

Thanks for the reassurance, Ibby. I've decided to take this setback in stride and change my goal to not consuming any non-water beverages (juices,alcoholic drinks, etc.) Maybe this will make me stick to my goal better.

Starting this in a week with no real social commitments helped get me started. But I will be having the occasional pint and dinner out. So while the verboten list is one thing, keeping roughly to the planner is a back up to that.

As long as I'm going steadily in the right direction, this is all guilt free for me. Keeping it in moderation and as part of an overall diet is the main thing.

*nods head* science says willpower is finite. So that's why Green Lanterns have to recharge every so often...

Good luck Indy and thoth! It IS harder to stick to a diet when out with friends, but still possible to eat healthy.

I'm not a picky eater when I'm out. There is always something on a menu I can have and the veggie (or at least no mammal meat) options tend towards being healthier anyway. So it's a win win and none need know about the <whisper> diet </whisper>.

Diner: Is that a small kangaroo?
Me: It's a Podge and I'm dieting, OK?! mutttery, mumble, mumble...

It's a bit of enjoyment within a framework rather than lack of willpower. If it comes to the point where I'm obviously calorie counting every time I leave the house, then I've gone wrong somewhere.

Same for me, there is almost always something "healthier" on the menu for me. If the meal comes with rice, I give the rice to someone else; I ask for dressing o the side. Things like that. I don't deprive myself but I do go for healthier choices that are still satisfying.

If you give the rice away, how do you get full without carbohydrates? That's one thing I've found hard about setting a good diet. How does one still feel full without consuming excessive amounts of carbs?

A lot of Asians have the same problem! We're so used to eating rice.

When I started out it was a challenge as well. I would eat lots of fruits and veggies and get hungry again after a couple of hours. Now I try to eat more eggs and oatmeal and fish, all of which are quite filling. It just took some getting used to for me.

That's the Asian struggle, isn't it Ibby?

I've tried consuming more lean meats and "heavier" vegetables (i.e. broccoli, carrots, cauliflower) to satiate my hunger. The problem is that college dining food isn't very reliable when it comes to cooking vegetables well.