brenty

No kidding! When my wife and I started, we thought we would die after running for 20 minutes. Then it was 40. Now we can do an hour! It is amazing how much easier it becomes over time -- as you lose weight and get your body conditioned.

I use Herbalife Personal Protein Powder in my cooking (soup, pancakes, macaroni and cheese, etc.) to add some if I need a boost, depending on what else I'm having that day. Protein powders can work in a lot of situations where you have thick, battery, or brothy-type stuff. You just need to balance it out with water if you don't want it to be too thick...but sometimes thick is good!

That is all. Seriously though, my wife and I have been using Wii Fit (and now Wii Fit Plus) for years, and it is a lot of fun. Living in Vermont, it really wasn't feasible for us to get outside and exercise most days...and to be honest, when I'm trying to lose weight I'm not over-eager to do it in public! Anyway, there are a lot of little activities that are a blast, but I found what worked for me best was doing more long-form workouts (running, cycling, boxing, or my yoga/strength training fitness routine/batch/playlist). I could just zone out, forget that I was working my butt off, and enjoy an audiobook, podcast, tv show, or movie to pass the time. Just wanted to throw that out there!

You will probably have more than a few 'ut oh' moments/days where you have things/quantities you shouldn't. Logging makes it so we can see our mistakes and make the necessary adjustments. Sort of like athletes who record video of themselves and study their form in slow motion. We're all unique, so trial and error is par for the course. Just keep at it!

Not at all, surprisingly! The first few days I was a little timid, but I went for it (since I was at home) and I've been having breakfast ever since! That sounds silly to most people, but it's really exciting for me!

If you vary your calories and foods over the course of the week, it can help kickstart your metabolism. Just make sure that you're getting all the vitamins, minerals, and protein -- which varies from person to person -- you need, and if your average calories is less than you burn, you will get there. I think we've all been there at some point. Just keep it up!

It is super important that we all find something that works for us as individuals. Personally, I didn't eat breakfast at all for years. Very unhealthy, I know; but it just made me sick when I did. Having a shake every morning has been a game-changer for me, since I can now get fuel right away to start my day.

I agree, Cazzy. I try to be super strict about these sorts of things at first, until I can get good enough at estimating; but long-term, I think we all have better uses for our time. The important thing is to be mindful of portions and train ourselves to make good decisions. And after a while, it comes naturally.

Aye. Kids know what's good until they are brainwashed to love junk. Most 2 year-olds get better nutrition than most 20 year-olds, just as a matter of course for growth and health. It's crazy.

It's just a little weird, because I still sometimes get that guilty cheating-on-my-diet feeling when I have one!

This is awesome! Doing it as a team makes it so much easier. My wife and I have both done much better since we teamed up for diet and exercise. We're in love with Herbalife shakes. Isopure looks like it has more protein, but also higher calories. That's a bit out of the way for us (in SFV), but it is good to know! We moved in down the street from Follow Your Heart (by chance!) and we have fallen in love with them.

We've been using Lose It! for a couple years now to track food, exercise, and weight loss. We do not generally log mundane activities (walking to the theater, cleaning, etc.) since it is really hard to estimate those things. And if our net calories are slightly lower than they look, that doesn't hurt anything.

I was making our protein and meal shakes at night to save time in the mornings, and it turns out that they thicken nicely in the refrigerator overnight. It's like McDonald's, except healthy!

Strawberries today. It's hot here! Everyone has to find what works for them.

Potatoes and bread are clumpy, and frankly don't have much nutrition generally (depending on the type and preparation). I wouldn't rule them out completely, but take baby steps. I'm glad to hear you're both okay.

My wife and I tend to share appetizers and entrees, and that helps in a few ways: smaller portions for each of us, smaller bites (save some for me!), and more variety. Depending on where you go, portions are often way too big eating out. If you use the buddy system, it can really help!

Potatoes are the equivalent of bread. Nobody eats just bread. I cut it up and spread cream cheese on it. This is a recipe for disaster, so I try to stay away. I am not a potato guy. My wife loves potatoes though. Similarly, she bakes or fries them, and adds fat (oil, butter, sour cream) and salt. So a potato usually isn't just a potato... I think what a lot of folks are getting at is that we all have our trigger foods (bread for me), so be super careful. If you can eat just a potato every now and then, more power to you. But beware!

I don't eat fish, but my wife swears by tilapia -- expressly because it is less 'fishy'. She's found that a lot of fish though is less 'fishy' if it is really fresh. Of course, depending on where you live, it may be next to impossible to get anything really fresh. Just out of curiosity, why are you hellbent on making yourself eat something you don't like? That's what turned my first weightloss success into a failure ultimately. I actually have a habit of doing things like that to myself. My best friend refers to this as my 'self-flagellation ritual': reading books that I dislike to 'expand my mind', and feeding myself foods I can't stand because they're 'healthy'. Definitely try new things, but there are plenty of options out there; you should be able to find foods to both enjoy and sustain you.

Only rely on a liquid diet when your doctor tells you to. Otherwise -- as Sojourner said -- they are a great way to supplement vitamins, minerals, and protein. It is always important to make sure you get everything your body needs, but it is even more tricky -- and at the same time critical -- that you do so when limiting calories. After all, we want to lose the fat, keep the muscle, and be healthy so we can feel great and keep the weight off!

Don't be nervous. There really is a great community here to support you!

Soup it where it's at! I miss soup. The downside of living in a warmer climate now is that soup is off the table most of the time. This is brilliant! I'd wager that most of your friends would be thrilled if you brought something to the party. And this way, you can make sure that there is something there that will work for you. Just make sure you bring enough! This is me. I let myself have these snacky things on occasion, but I know how hard it is for me to stop myself at one (or two, or ten...) so for the most part I don't give myself the option -- even if someone else does. "Know thyself".

It looks like the forum saw 'vomit' mentioned and decided to get in on the action.

I usually use vanilla Protein drink mix and add frozen berries (straw, rasp, and blue). I am not a fan of bananas. That usually tides me over til lunch, but I tend to need a snack before dinner. Soy nuts, anyone?

Judy, I think you'll find that you'll see a lot of variation in your metabolism over time as you progress. This is only natural, as your body tries to adjust to the New You. Just keep it up. Don't get discouraged and stay patient. I think you'll be surprised by how resilient your body is in the end -- Atkins or no.