Diet Time!!! I'm starting, you're invited...

Mark Stewart4 said:Yeah, yeah... I’m honestly just laughing at myself at this point!!! Once again, I decided to take a "big leap" and once again, I completely blew it!!! Way to go, me!!! I don't even know how to deal with this anymore when my willpower is basically non-existent.
Everything feels totally pointless right now. I am so done with the constant setbacks and then the massive mood swings that hit immediately after I try to "fix things" with whatever quick fix comes my way!!!
Seriously though, how do you guys actually pull this off?!?!?! Is there even any hope for someone like me?! Why does everything feel ten times harder now than it used to be?! Does anyone even have an answer for that?!
It feels like everyone here has stopped posting too, and I’m left feeling like everyone has just given up on me—and honestly, mostly I've just given up on myself!!!
But look, even though I’m spiraling right now, I think I’ll actually make that kale dish stormylynx4 was talking about for lunch...
I feel terrible, just awful... My period is coming and I honestly feel like I could bite my own head off!!!

I’m not sure how much this helps, but I’m convinced people don't struggle with weight because they just love food; it's more about bad habits and using eating to drown out emotional hunger. Overeating leads to weight gain, and for those who actually managed to lose weight and stay there, there was usually a mental shift. It’s a total overhaul—changing how you cook, what you buy at the grocery store, when you eat, and basically your whole lifestyle.
Like I’ve said before, I wasn't born with skinny genes. I love cooking and I love a good meal, but I’ve cut certain foods out entirely and honestly, I don't even miss them.
The catch is that right now, you're focused on losing a few pounds, but what happens after that? Looking at the meal you described, it's actually backward—you can't just eat tuna and cheese pasta and expect not to gain weight; I doubt you even cooked 70 grams of pasta, which is likely the max you could eat without creeping upward. If you crave carbs, mix them with veggies. It's zucchini and tomato season right now; try pasta with cauliflower instead. Pair that with a big salad and you won't be starving. For the initial phase of changing your diet, it's better to dodge heavy pasta due to the glycemic index—you'll be hungry again in ninety minutes if you aren't careful.
To start, before you even begin a "diet," you should spend a few days tracking absolutely everything you eat and when you eat it. You need to see where the mistakes are so you can fix them. Check out the book "Why the French Don't Get Fat"—it’s a great read and might give you some solid ideas.

Please, take a look at the thread "What to give up to lose 3 kg quickly," which I started about 8 days ago. As of today, I am 1kg lighter, and honestly, I haven't even had to make any major sacrifices; I actually treated myself to two squares of dark chocolate yesterday when, after 7 days of staying on track, I felt that intense craving hitting me. And now, I feel steady again for at least another week...

stormylynx4, I am 100% on your side here... I’ve been lurking in this thread and I’ve noticed the exact same thing you did.

Pasta + tuna + fresh cream cheese + eggs = an absolute massive calorie bomb!! 😲
Normally, you should stay far away from a combo like that, especially if you're actually trying to watch what you eat.😳

Look, let me give you some friendly advice—this is basically the diet my doctor put me on two years ago because I was dealing with insane heartburn from eating nothing but junk food..

Start your day with some carbs.. grab about 7 ounces of milk or yogurt with some carbs mixed in:
• cornmeal mush
• black bread or toast
• unsalted crackers (tea biscuits, saltines, whatever)
• 3 tablespoons of cornflakes

For snacks, go with fruit or yogurt (like that 330g light yogurt with almost zero calories)..

Lunch should be meat + tons of veggies and a huge salad
..or starch + tons of veggies and a big salad
for example:

Steamed veggies with just one teaspoon of oil paired with:
• Meat (boiled or grilled)
• Low-fat cheese
• Fish
• 2 eggs

Snacks can also be fruit (fresh or frozen, but definitely NOT dried!!) or yogurt

Then for dinner, stick to proteins with a salad

Drink as much water as possible, stay away from juice, and don't even think about alcohol.. Walk, ride your bike, and good luck!

You'll definitely see the results!!😘

Thanks!!! Today I whipped up some pasta—about two handfuls' worth—and paired it with eggplant and peppers, plus a little cucumber and tomato salad.
stormylynx4, that kale you mentioned is pure heaven!!! (Yeah, yeah, I know I'm repeating myself... 😵 )
Laura Ramirez10, wait, only 3 tablespoons of cornflakes?!?!?! Oopsy daisy, here I was throwing in 3 massive handfuls 👎
Now comes the hard part: PMS is hitting me hard. I can't tell if it's all in my head or if I've actually convinced myself I need to eat everything in sight, especially sweets, but seriously guys, I am CRAVING IT 🙂 I picked up some diabetic-friendly cookies to help manage the urge, and this afternoon I ended up snacking on 4 of them. They were huge, like little rolls or something, just standard size... Is that a major setback? Also, please let me know—am I allowed to use McCormick? 🙂
I really need to hunt down a mountain of new recipes because I’m clearly off track here. I grew up eating such heavy, intense food, from my grandma's cooking all the way through... Ugh...
I'm trying, I really am. It's probably best if I just 🙂 , hihihihih...
Later! Heading out for a walk in a bit...

Oh please, give me a break. None of us are actually overweight; I just like telling people I have heavy bones, you know?😳
I’m honestly starting to dig this workout routine. My metabolism feels like it’s finally kicking into gear,🤣 though I can't tell if it's the exercise or just thinking about that blue Walter...
I tried to power through a solid 15-20 minute bike ride, but man, I just totally wipe out. Then I end up with massive muscle soreness the next day. It's not like those pro athletes I was watching on TV today, sprinting 5 kilometers without even breaking a sweat.😕For me, just trekking from my bedroom to the stationary bike is enough to make me sweat bullets...
Anyway, I’m heading to the coast this Sunday, so I’m aiming to drop about 4 pounds if the weather stays nice. Fingers crossed that summer lasts forever...
Gonna go watch some football now; maybe seeing them play will actually inspire me to move.😁

Look, I really want to encourage you—losing weight is totally doable, but you have to overhaul your habits first.
Your meal today was okay because you added veggies to the pasta, but there’s way too much starch in there. If your handful was roughly my size, you probably ate about 100 grams of pasta. If you’re a huge pasta lover, try this instead: go with 60 grams of pasta tossed in a bit of tomato sauce, then follow it up with 100 grams of lean meat (like chicken breast, veal, or even a lean pork cut or a chicken thigh) or 120 grams of fish. Pair that with 200 grams of vegetables—maybe a big green salad with some shredded carrots or radicchio mixed in. It forces you to chew more, which is a little trick that actually works. You can also do steamed veggies seasoned with a teaspoon of olive oil and lemon. As for fruit, stick to most kinds, but skip the grapes, figs, persimmons, and bananas if you're serious about dropping pounds.
For dinner, try making a hearty vegetable soup using half a small onion, half a cup of diced carrots, the same amount of peas, and half a cup of Buckwheat. Sauté the onion in a little olive oil, toss in the carrots with a pinch of salt over low heat, then add two blended canned tomatoes, the peas, the Buckwheat, and about two cups of water. Simmer until everything is tender. You'll end up with a thick, filling soup. Follow that up with a salad paired with 50 grams of cheese or a small can of tuna in brine, and you won't be heading to bed hungry.
Changing habits is always the hardest part, but once you flip that switch and adopt a "new mindset," you won't even think about going back to your old ways. If you're interested in slim cooking, check out the Gastronomy thread; I'd be happy to help you find recipes that are filling and perfect for when you want to shed a few pounds.

Hey there!
After almost ten years of being completely out of shape, I’ve finally decided to get moving. I went out and bought a bike—paid enough for it to feel like a small fortune, honestly—and now I just don't have the nerve to sit around the house being lazy anymore. I’m out pedaling almost every day for about two hours, covering roughly 15 km or so—though half of that is all uphill😁. I'm trying to stick to those Zone training principles; I’ve experimented with the Zone before and it seemed to work for me, but I'm not planning on following it blindly, I guess. I've also cut out bread, pasta, potatoes, and sweets—all that stuff I know deep down isn't doing me any favors... plus, I stop eating after 6 PM. Fingers crossed, things should hopefully start heading in the right direction soon. It would be really nice to drop some weight before the wedding 😁

Hey everyone, I’m currently hunting for that piece of paper where I scribbled down all those "healthy eating" guidelines 🙂 Mostly, this info came from some woman whose name is totally escaping me right now—for the life of me, I can't remember it 😵 —but she works as a nutritionist for the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. I got lucky enough to run into her once, and she shared a little story with me.
It was about this Chinese man who came over to play table tennis here. His performance kept dropping and dropping; he saw all sorts of doctors, but his tests always came back fine. So, she asked them what they were feeding him... They started listing off all this healthy stuff: fish, poultry, veggies... But then she hit them with: "Are you guys actually giving him rice?!" Hahahahaha... Basically, the whole thing boils down to the idea that we're supposedly conditioned by our environment, so we should be stuffing ourselves with olive oil, tomatoes, and fish... Hmm... And here I am living right by the coast 😛
I was reading up on the comparison between people living in China versus those living in the US. People in China tend to live much longer and face fewer health issues, even though they actually consume more calories than people in the States—but the catch is they eat way more fiber and significantly less fat. Just something to chew on...
Oh, wait, I just remembered! stormylynx4, you mentioned peeled tomatoes. What exactly do you mean by that? I usually just grab the kind in the carton without any tomato chunks. And what on earth is HELJDA?! Okay, okay, maybe I'm out of the loop, but that's the first I've ever heard of it!!! 🤔 Also, I started a new thread over in Gastronomy—the goal is to make dieting actually fun and tasty, something like that... 🙂
I pulled out my Mayo Clinic book and have been flipping through it yesterday and today, and I gotta say, I'm really digging it. It actually makes total sense! I'll write more about it once I've had a chance to study it a bit more.
Catch ya later... 👋

Peeled tomatoes are basically canned San Marzano types—long, meaty, and perfect for preserving. I’m not saying carton sauces are trash, but I prefer peeled ones because you can actually see what you're getting. I stick to peeled tomatoes in their own juice with just a pinch of salt—nothing else, no weird acids. Carton salsas often end up using lower-grade tomato blends, so if you have to go that route, maybe thin it out with some water.
Buckwheat is a super healthy (and tasty) heart-shaped grain. It was a staple back in the day in the Appalachian Mountains, though people don't eat it as much now. Research suggests it's great for managing blood pressure and diabetes. Just scroll to this page to see what it looks like.
Personally, I'm not a fan of constantly introducing weird, new foods while dieting, but we really ought to bring back some old-school classics. I'm thinking thick vegetable soups paired with things like buckwheat, barley, or wheat.

Mark Stewart4 said:Hey everyone, I’m currently hunting for that piece of paper where I scribbled down all those "healthy eating" guidelines 🙂 Mostly, this info came from some woman whose name is totally escaping me right now—for the life of me, I can't remember it 😵 —but she works as a nutritionist for the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. I got lucky enough to run into her once, and she shared a little story with me.
It was about this Chinese man who came over to play table tennis here. His performance kept dropping and dropping; he saw all sorts of doctors, but his tests always came back fine. So, she asked them what they were feeding him... They started listing off all this healthy stuff: fish, poultry, veggies... But then she hit them with: "Are you guys actually giving him rice?!" Hahahahaha... Basically, the whole thing boils down to the idea that we're supposedly conditioned by our environment, so we should be stuffing ourselves with olive oil, tomatoes, and fish... Hmm... And here I am living right by the coast 😛
I was reading up on the comparison between people living in China versus those living in the US. People in China tend to live much longer and face fewer health issues, even though they actually consume more calories than people in the States—but the catch is they eat way more fiber and significantly less fat. Just something to chew on...
Oh, wait, I just remembered! stormylynx4, you mentioned peeled tomatoes. What exactly do you mean by that? I usually just grab the kind in the carton without any tomato chunks. And what on earth is HELJDA?! Okay, okay, maybe I'm out of the loop, but that's the first I've ever heard of it!!! 🤔 Also, I started a new thread over in Gastronomy—the goal is to make dieting actually fun and tasty, something like that... 🙂
I pulled out my Mayo Clinic book and have been flipping through it yesterday and today, and I gotta say, I'm really digging it. It actually makes total sense! I'll write more about it once I've had a chance to study it a bit more.
Catch ya later... 👋

Maybe give "Count Calories, Lose Pounds" a shot—it was released with the Los Angeles Times back in early July, $9.75. Beyond the general healthy eating advice, it features some of the most comprehensive calorie charts for pretty much any dish you can think of.

Laura Ramirez10, give me some dinner inspiration!
If I eat lunch at 3:30 PM, when should my dinner be?

Laura Ramirez10, YOU ROCK!!! :klap: At first, I was skeptical about just three tablespoons of cornflakes, but then I realized that combining them with about half a cup of 0.1% milk makes me feel totally full—only I swapped the cornflakes out for oatmeal instead.
stormylynx4, thanks for clearing that up and posting the photo; now I actually know what to grab at the store. 😘 It’s honestly kind of crazy how clueless I can be sometimes, my God, my God...
I am feeling pretty great about how yesterday went. Breakfast was what I mentioned above, then a single peach about two hours later, and for lunch, I had the rest of that amazing kale recipe from stormylynx4 (and here I thought I hated kale 🙂). Later on, I went shopping with my mom, which ended up taking until late at night. I kept a water bottle with me and sipped on it constantly, and honestly, I didn't even feel hungry later, so I skipped eating entirely. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but since I wasn't craving anything... Before hitting the hay, I went for a thirty-minute walk and knocked out 200 crunches 👍
I've also started keeping a food diary. I really liked how this book mentions a 1200 calorie diet paired with physical activity, obviously 🙂 They break down food using a pyramid, emphasizing fruits and veggies first, followed by carbs, proteins, fats, and of course, sweets, all with balanced ratios. Here is what you're allowed per day:
4 or more servings of vegetables
3 or more servings of fruit
4 servings of carbohydrates
3 servings of protein / dairy
3 servings of fats
So, let me know what you guys think, and if you want to know the specific measurements for one serving, I'll post them for you.
Hey everyone, cheers 😘

Melissa Perez10 said:Laura Ramirez10, give me some dinner inspiration!
If I eat lunch at 3:30 PM, when should my dinner be?

Hey! If you're eating lunch that late, just grab a snack around 6:00 PM—maybe some fruit—and then hit dinner around 8:00 PM..
Keep dinner light, like yogurt—you can go for one of those bigger light ones (like an Activia, 12oz) or just a big glass of warm milk with a spoonful of honey.. Or maybe some low-fat cottage cheese with a green salad or some tomatoes..

The meal plan my doctor set up for me doesn't even hit 1200 calories total, so seriously, don't stress about eating all your meals!!
Those first few days are the absolute worst, but after that, it’s smooth sailing.. You won't feel heavy in your stomach, and there's no freaking meltdown because you get to have a snack whenever, like grabbing whatever fruit you're actually craving.. So you're basically snacking and eating real food, just taking it slow and steady..👍

Good luck!!😘

Mark Stewart4 said:Laura Ramirez10, YOU ROCK!!! :klap: At first, I was skeptical about just three tablespoons of cornflakes, but then I realized that combining them with about half a cup of 0.1% milk makes me feel totally full—only I swapped the cornflakes out for oatmeal instead.
stormylynx4, thanks for clearing that up and posting the photo; now I actually know what to grab at the store. 😘 It’s honestly kind of crazy how clueless I can be sometimes, my God, my God...
I am feeling pretty great about how yesterday went. Breakfast was what I mentioned above, then a single peach about two hours later, and for lunch, I had the rest of that amazing kale recipe from stormylynx4 (and here I thought I hated kale 🙂). Later on, I went shopping with my mom, which ended up taking until late at night. I kept a water bottle with me and sipped on it constantly, and honestly, I didn't even feel hungry later, so I skipped eating entirely. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but since I wasn't craving anything... Before hitting the hay, I went for a thirty-minute walk and knocked out 200 crunches 👍
I've also started keeping a food diary. I really liked how this book mentions a 1200 calorie diet paired with physical activity, obviously 🙂 They break down food using a pyramid, emphasizing fruits and veggies first, followed by carbs, proteins, fats, and of course, sweets, all with balanced ratios. Here is what you're allowed per day:
4 or more servings of vegetables
3 or more servings of fruit
4 servings of carbohydrates
3 servings of protein / dairy
3 servings of fats
So, let me know what you guys think, and if you want to know the specific measurements for one serving, I'll post them for you.
Hey everyone, cheers 😘

That's awesome, way to go!!👋 👋
This is lightyears better than those beginner menus you were using before!!😉
You just gotta dive in headfirst!
See? You can see it's plenty of food; it's all just mental game.. Yogurt with 3 tablespoons of cereal is a killer meal—healthy and great for losing weight too!🧐

Good luck.. Just take it slow, no need to rush things.. 😘

hey Mark Stewart4 😉 good to see you over here too 😉 it looks like this thread is basically the kickoff for the whole Gastronomy section. count me in, because I’m chasing the exact same goals—dropping some weight, toning up, and just feeling better overall 😉

I’ve been meal prepping for myself for about a month now, and I’m pretty stoked because I’ve already lost 11 lbs 😍 though I definitely have a long way to go..
Plus, having support is huge, and honestly, I get zero help from my family. Even after I had a serious talk with my mom about how I'll only eat sweets when I actually crave them—and asked her not to offer me stuff every time she opens a bag—she still hasn't quite gotten it. She'll be offering me ice cream the very next day or buying chocolate for me and my brother... 😢 I know she means well and hates seeing me "struggle," but it really just undermines my progress. After two weeks of dealing with this—where she was practically inviting me to lunch every single day (usually pizza, fried food, greasy stuff, you name it)—I finally snapped and yelled at her 😢 I felt bad afterward, but I just couldn't take it anymore!

Anyway, I realized that I don't actually have massive sugar cravings like I thought I did 😲 It turns out it was more about circumstance. Like, if I walk in the door starving and there’s a bowl of cookies on the table, I’ll eat half of them... or if we’re "sharing" a chocolate bar as a family, I’ll mindlessly polish off two or three bars without even wanting them. But then, one afternoon, I actually *did* have a massive craving for something sweet, so I just had two teaspoons of Nutella 😍 and I hadn't touched anything sugary for at least a week. And I felt great!
I also learned that you really have to listen to your body. If you just suppress your cravings, they only come back stronger, which usually ends with me inhaling a whole chocolate bar or a pint of ice cream..

Like most people struggling with their weight, this isn't my first rodeo. Last year, I lost 45 lbs way too fast, and a few months later, it all came rushing back. I just didn't have the energy to start from scratch again because, frankly, I was exhausted... not to mention I ended up in the hospital twice last summer right after finishing my diet. I'm pretty sure it was my immune system crashing.. and I told myself—never again!
I think this time might actually stick, though, because I’m focusing on changing my habits rather than just fighting my urges. I feel like it could actually work 😁
So, yeah, just some thoughts from me so far..
😘

Willpower is the absolute foundation of any diet. I’m about 5'8", and I've carried an extra 40 or 50 pounds around my whole life. By the time I was finishing up college, things really started spiraling, and three years ago—when I was 22—I hit the 265-pound mark.

I’d tried dieting before, but it always followed the same pattern: I'd drop a few pounds, hit a plateau, quit, and then end up right back where I started, often with a few extra pounds added on for good measure.👎

But three years ago, something finally clicked. Looking at that 265 on the scale, I realized that if I didn't change my trajectory, I was headed straight toward 330 or more.

So, I committed to a plan, and today I’m sitting at 167 pounds. The most critical thing you can do is stay the course when the scale stops moving. For me, plateaus would sometimes last as long as two months, but I stayed disciplined through those stretches. Eventually, the weight would drop again, then stall, then drop... it was a cycle.

Let’s be clear: losing the weight isn't enough if you just slide back into your old habits. If you stop following your regimen and go back to eating like you used to, those pounds will come right back.👎 That's why you have to actually change your entire lifestyle.

Even though I've lost the weight, I haven't stopped training. I ride my bike about 20 kilometers five times a week, I lift weights, and I do core work (I still have a bit of a gut left, so I need to burn that off by next summer.🙂). Getting started with exercise is the hardest part, but now, it’s not a chore anymore—it’s actually something I enjoy.

And honestly, being lean feels great. My stamina is on a completely different level—I used to be winded after running just 100 meters—and I feel much better in my own skin.

Anyway, that's my experience. Good luck to everyone out there.👍

Way to go, Taylor Walker59! 👍
I totally agree—iron will is everything. If you're just forcing yourself through it without that drive, the whole thing just falls apart...

If you don't mind sharing, could you walk me through how you handled your diet?
Sometimes I just run out of ideas...

Look, just hit up Whole Foods or some other health food store. They’ve got really good vegetarian stuff that’s actually healthy and won't have you counting calories...😉

As for me, I usually just pick up my healthy grains, cookies, and all that sort of stuff at CVS.

Charles Kern28 said:Way to go, Taylor Walker59! 👍
I totally agree—iron will is everything. If you're just forcing yourself through it without that drive, the whole thing just falls apart...

If you don't mind sharing, could you walk me through how you handled your diet?
Sometimes I just run out of ideas...

I didn't drop all these pounds using just one single diet. Over the last three years, I've rotated through several different plans: the Max-Planck diet, carb separation, the Atkinson diet, the UN diet...

From my own experience, I noticed that when I stick to one diet for too long, I start to loathe the food. Then I begin making excuses to cheat, and before I know it, I've completely derailed and gained all the weight back.

So, this time around, whenever I got bored with a specific plan (usually after about a month), I simply switched to a new one. I know the UN diet claims you have to follow it for three months to reset your metabolism, but I never did that. As soon as I was sick of the food, I moved on to something else...

The truth is exactly what doctors say: weight loss is simple math. Burn more calories than you consume, and you'll lose weight. Of course, not every diet works for everyone. There are certain limitations, so you have to choose your approach carefully.

I made mistakes too. There were times I'd crave pizza, burgers, ice cream, or a Coke... and once I finished eating them, I just kept going with my diet. I didn't restart from day one (which is what every diet guide tells you to do if you slip up); I just carried on as if nothing happened. That ended up being an experiment that actually worked.😁

If you get a craving, just satisfy it and move on.

There is an excellent calorie chart on this site. If you head over to that forum, go to the third page and you'll find ten documents containing very detailed tables.
http://www.x3mforum.com/smf/index.php/topic,88.0.html

Combining a diet with physical activity is vital. In the past, like many of you, I lost weight only to return to my old habits and see the pounds come right back. If you want to maintain a slim figure, you have to exercise even after you finish the dieting phase. I have thin friends who haven't exercised a single day in their lives, but for me, I have to work out or the weight will return. Sometimes I hate it.😉

Starting an exercise routine was harder for me than starting a diet. I simply didn't enjoy working out. I preferred strict diets, but as soon as I stepped off them...👎

Eventually, though, you'll grow to love exercising. At least, that's what happened to me.👍

Hope this helps.🙂