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Thin(ner) by summer

"NO PAIN-NO GAIN"

I cut down my sugar intake by 98% (that meant one dessert serving on the weekend) and I lost 20 pounds since August 2007. I was exercising for 1/2 an hour three times a week but didn't start to loose weight until I stopped consuming so much sugar. I began by noticing the ingredients and anything that had high fructose corn syrup or sugar as one of the ingredients I didn't eat it. That cut out a ton of food! There's still a lot of fresh food that tastes better and is more healthy. It is usually less expensive than prepared food too. This also meant no fast food because it's loaded with sugar (even the beef and buns...). I had fast food withdrawals after this (scary!) which meant I was addicted to it. After a year of abstinence I really dislike fast food. It's pretty disgusting. And, what do you know? My bank account looks better too.

Oh man, I hear you! I'm in the process breaking an addiction to fast food. I have those same withdrals you speek off and it doesn't help that there is a fast food restaurant on every block you drive past and that it is SO convenient. People laugh when I tell them about it, but it is real problem for me. Ultimatly, it comes down to self control and I guess when it comes to food, especially fast food, I struggle more than others. I went the entire month of January drinking no pop and eating no fast food, and lost a good 9 lbs, but I relapsed last week. So I'm starting again today and I'm going all the way to the end of August without fast food! Hopefully by then it wont even be appealing to me. And I can save some $$$ too.

I agree with the sugar thing. I lost 42 pounds by cutting out sugar and nothing else. The main thing was switching to diet. I also cut out ice cream and yogurt and candy. Just went cold turkey. I did not increase my exercise program because I was already pretty active. The first thing I learned was that it's really, really hard to find a breakfast without sugar. I will eat fruit and veggies with their natural sugars in them, but I avoid any canned fruit. I immediately noticed that I wasn't hungry all the time. Evidently sugar sends a signal to the brain to manufacture more insulin. That triggers hunger. And when you're hungry, it's hard not to eat, really, really hard not to eat. When I don't eat sugar, my insulin level stays normal, and I just don't hungry as often. I've also learned to stop eating when I'm not hungry. I used to eat until I couldn't eat any more, and when I was younger that wasn't a problem because I burned off all the food every day. But with my slower metabolism I can't do that anymore and maintain a healthy weight.

I too have tried cutting WAY down on how much sugar I eat. I have SO much more energy and have been losing weight. Now when I eat sugary things I get headaches and don't feel good at all.

Go Fight Win for a healthier slimmer you! :)

I tried the cutting out Soda Pop and the Sugar. I did it for 3 months. I ended up gain 15 pounds. I would love to lose weight but it just is not happening. I went to the doctor and ran all these test and nothing is wrong. I just do not know what to do. I exercise 3 times a week for 1.5 hours. Well, I guess I just was meant to be big.

You are not just meant to be big. Soda and Sugar are good places to start, but you need to look at your overall nutrition/exercise plan.

We always hear about different kinds of diets. Losing weight is really much more simple than it seems. (Note I did not say easy).

It is simple math, really. If you burn more calories than you eat, you will run a calorie deficit, and you will lose weight. Roughly 3500 Calories equals 1 lb. of fat. Thus, every time your calorie deficit goes over 3500, you lose a pound. Everytime your excess calorie intake equals 3500, you gain a pound.

Consider eating smaller, more freqent meals, with lots of fiber and protien. Take a good look at the foods you are eating. Are they prepared or processed, or are they fresh? Are they whole grains?

Also, take a good hard look at how you are exercising. What types of exercises are you doing for 1.5 hours 3 times a week? Try to mix both aerobics and strength training. Moderate exercise done in a variety of ways (i.e., walking, weights, swimming, etc.) will give you the best results.

Don't give up and get discouraged.

Hey 'Discouraged' I feel your pain. I have a hard time loosing weight too. I rarely eat sugar (except in fruit) never really drink soda, and live pretty active. Somehow, I struggle loosing the weight. One thing that does help however, is drinking plenty of water. (Around 100 oz a day) It keeps me hydrated and I heard it helps the function of your liver and kidneys so the body can work better (metabolism wise). I am not slim by any means, but at least it helps. Speeding up your metabolism is hard, especially if you are prone to a slow one, but every little bit helps...don't give up...just keep plugging away, otherwise, you just keep gaining and gaining and it just gets harder and harder for you to come back. Try the water! Good luck!

I found a great website that helps you track your calories and how many calories you burn each day. I simply make sure I burn more then I consume. I also found out that I was eating way to much each day. I have lost 10 lbs since early january.

I have stopped drinking beer and have lost 8 pounds in 1 month. I don't drink any juice or sugar-laced pops (sodas as you Americans say, I'm Canadian). Because I don't drink any drinks with calories other than beer, I thought I was okay. I exercise 1 hour 6 days a week, but still need to lose 20 pounds, even though I'm in great shape!
So I've given up drinking about 2 pints of beer every day and the weight is coming off at about 2 pounds per week. It's true - it's all about calories in and calories out and I believe we have a variance between what we think we consume and what we actually consume.

I have cut sugars, soft drinks, fried food and pasta since the beginning of November of last year. I can't exercise right now because I'm dealing with some joint problems but I will start swimming at least 3 times a week and 45 mins. each time... but so far, without exercising and just dieting, I have lost a total of 49 pounds! I'm not kidding... After 1 month of rigorous dieting, I started allowing myself one 'free meal' during the weekend and that has not hurt my goal to lose weight.
I know it's hard, at the beginning I was very discouraged and not very excited to do it, but I had my mind set and I did it. Today, I'm back to my normal weight.
No matter how many pounds you have to lose, don't give up.. you can do it!!

The biggest key here is not just cutting out the sugar. What is key is increasing nutrient density in the foods you do eat. For example...eat the main portion of your food high antioxidant nutrient packed foods.

Meats are high in protein, but have zero antioxidants and zero fiber. They lack high nutrients.

Eat beans (legumes) greens, fruits, veggies, nuts and occasionally have a treat if you want it.

Stay away from processed foods or man made foods. The white stuff is just bad for you. All of the fiber is removed completely. It has zero nutrient value.

It's hard to do this, but I dropped 30 lbs. in 3 months eating this way.

I don't crave the garbage that sugar and flour products offer. It's a vicious never ending cycle.

It's not about dieting..it's about choosing High nutrient dense foods...That truly is key.

For those of you having trouble losing weight, I would highly recommend checking out the Zone Diet (though it's more a way of life than a diet). Many of the comments about maintaining insulin levels are a big part of what the Zone diet is all about. I've had good success with it myself.

Over a period of several years I gained alot of weight. After giving birth to my second child I realized I was about 100 lbs. overweight. I have tried fad diets and nothing worked. So I decided to try and figure out what was going on. I started calorie counting and keeping an emotional journal. I was able to see where I used food to help through any emotional trial. With the calorie counting I have lost 70 lbs and am on my way. I eat better because an apple has 80 calories and a coolie has 200. So if I'm hungry I grab fruit and vegetables because I can eat more and it fills me up. But I also learned that sometimes I binge. I make up a batch of cookie dough and eat it all. But I've learned the best thing is not to beat myself up over it or punish myself. I just keep working. I faithfully record and learn about myself. And just because I eat 4000 calories in one day of cookie dough, does not mean that I should starve for 2 days to make it up. Just keep moving forward.