I am an ex smoker, two years as of January 1. Over the past two years, I have used food to help me kick the nicotine habit, and have slowly but surely gained 25 lbs.Now it is time to get serious and lose this weight.
I started on a 1200 calorie a day diet. I have always exercised, but I am trying to also kick that up a notch.
I guess I am looking for some support and encouragement.
Thanks everyone!

Good for you in taking that first step. Good luck.

You can do it! Just remember to be patient..it took 2 years for it to creep on...it wouldn't go a way in a few months!

Good for you in taking that first step. Good luck.

You can do it!

Just remember to be patient..it took 2 years for it to creep on...it wouldn't go a way in a few months!

You go girl!!! Just remember slow and steady wins the race! If you stick to a healthy eating plan and keep up with exercising you'll drop the pounds in time for bathing suit season. :banana:

In my opinion it takes extra effort to exercise when it is so cold out! Just this afternoon I did a Sweatin to the Oldies video, plus I took a little walk this morning.

Keep us posted! :smiley40:

What has helped me was getting use to Diet every thing giving up Sugar and hi fructose corn syrup Exercise helps too as was said one step at a time be in it for the long haul

Rethink what you eat and try to incorporate a balance of protein/fat/carbohydrate each time you eat. Protein with the right(small) amount of healthy fat can help your body absorb and process the carbohydrates so that you actually digest and burn the calories instead of going right into fat storage mode. Dr. Barry Sears wrote an excellent and very practical book (The Zone Diet- I think) that really explains what we are doing wrong when we try to "diet" and if I recall he also addresses the effect of smoking and diet failure. It is all about balance and choices. You CAN do it!

Josie-- Support & Encouragement for the weight loss...you got it, but you also deserve a HUGE kudos for quitting smoking. And now tackling phase two...the weight...you are a trooper and if anyone can do this it sounds like you can! :banana:

And what a great example you are setting for that beautiful family of yours. Really admire you and I hope you'll keep us posted. You go girl! :smiley48:

Well it is a good discussion.I really like it.This information is useful for reducing weight .Thanks for posting.

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Check out myfitnesspal.com. Has helped me lose almost 40 pounds since February and I know a couple other members have or do use it as well.

I'm one. 30 lbs. since Jan.

Good for you! I've been cooking more homemade soups, making different kinds of salads, lowfat sandwiches on whole grain breads, and using Spirutein or Fruitein protein powder shaken with milk or juice. Yum! They have a lot of nutrients packed in them and I noticed those shakes helped me gain my strength back after an illness and surgery, as well as being a good addition to my diet. (Don't use if allergic to bee pollen, which is very healthful, but not if you can't tolerate it.) You can find that at health food stores locally or online.

And I enjoy different kinds of teas.

Low calorie/starvation diets are doomed to failure. I see so many people on the same type of diet...where they starve themselves, and eat "lo-fat", but what they do consume is almost all carbs...and all exercise is in the form of cardio.

Eat small portions throughout the day, don't walk around hungry. Biggest thing is cut out the unncecessary sugars and high glycemic index foods. Drink lots of water, and exercise. Make exercise fun - hour after hour day after day on the treadmill gets stale fast.

[COLOR=deepskyblue]Cut out all sodas! Regular AND diet! They are crap. I lost my weight with the 1200cal/day regimen. Like everyone else said..small meals through out the day is a must to rev up your metabolism and drink lots of water. Exercise is great but yoga seemed to pull me back together fastest plus I was taking [URL="Click to follow link..."]pole fitness [/URL]classes. Now I am looking into kick boxing. A friend of mine who teaches it is a personal trainer and martial arts expert. He is currently helping me with my flexibility issues. Gary (The Dragon) is the one flying through the air. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#00bfff]You Can Do It!!:banana:[/COLOR]

is looking for a diet buddy!! :rainbow:

Good luck to both of you!

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