I've decided that I am finally gonna lose the extra weight from giving birth to children, and to raising them.

I've started walking every day and I'm watching what I eat.

Anybody got any good tips?

Don't eat anything after 4 p.m.

Make a food diary.

Write down every mouthful of everything you eat, every day, and make it brutally honest, right down to the last cookie crumb.

If you keep an honest record and don't leave out sips of chocolate milk from the fridge or bites of ice cream or cookies or cake nibbles or sweet cereal snacklets or candy between meals, you'll be mortally shocked at all the extra "surprise" calories you've been taking in.

When you look at your hinest food diary, you can decide what to cut back on, and what to substitute healthy, low-cal snacks for.

You can begin by not purchasing ANY fattening snacks at the grocery store -- buy fruit instead. That way when a snack attack strikes, you'll have no choice but to pick something that's good for you, low in fat, that won't pack on the pounds.

Add five lb. ankle weights and try power walking (almost a trot with elbows close to your sides, arms held at a 90 degree angle and pumping.) Drink lots of water and eat more high fiber grains, fruits and vegies. Losing weight is a goal, eating properly is a life-style.

Hit, Ain't Marine Work Out! (seen on his weight loss thread)

Does this assume you should also get up before noon? I'm just wondering how fast I have to eat to make this work.

Just be aware that exercising and therefore forming muscle can make you gain weight....so dont be disappointed with little weight loss...try measuring yourself on the 1st of each month and keeping a note of how you are doing...its amazing how losing an inch a month boosts your self esteem.

I am also cutting my portion size...smaller plates help and eat slower - your stomach takes about 20 minutes to tell your brain you are full. Also trying having a glass of water about 30 minutes before eating, this can help you to eat less.

I have loads of ideas as I am on a major weight loss regieme i.e. I have to lose one third of my body weight to get onto the list for surgery.

Hi LilMeep... One of the most beneficial decisions that you made, aside from that to lose the weight, was to get active via walking. This activity doesn't take any special equipment, except for perhaps a good pair of walking shoes. Ask your doctor for a recommendation as far as brand names.

Start out with a short distance and periodically lengthen it. Gradually increase your frequency. My father had multiple bypass surgery at the age of 65, and after the initial recovery period, started walking. He built up to walking a mile twice a day, and he still does this. He will be 79 in December.

He does watch what he eats, and he does not smoke. I suspect that this is not difficult for him to do, because once you get active it becomes second nature and you honestly prefer the way you feel when you walk. I weighed 260 lbs right after my husband passed away. After about a month of utter despair, I did not like the mindframe I was in or how my body felt, so I started walking and lifting light weights. In four months' time, I lost 30 lbs. I gained back a little bit over the winter, but after I started working at an assisted living facility, I really kicked it into gear and within 6 months, lost down to 215. I've managed to stay active and have maintained that for a year and a half.

I don't think too much about food journals or counting calories. I eat what I want, BUT I want what I eat. It just seems that as long as I keep moving, the appetite takes care of itself. If this makes any sense, I usually eat when my stomach tells me to, instead of when my mind does. What I feel happens when I stay physically active is that I naturally make sensible choices regarding what to eat, how much and when.

One other thing that may help... breathe with your mouth closed. This helps you to lower blood pressure if that's a problem; it helps to oxygenate your muscles more efficiently which will help the walking; and it prevents you from hyperventilating (which can feel like a panic attack). This may take some practice if mouth breathing is a habit, but it is well worth the effort.

Good luck with your program, Meep. Give us occasional updates, okay?

{{{Hugs}}}

Oh! Really. I usually get up at 6 a.m. I just forget that many of other people don't have such habit.

yeah i work second and third shift the 4 o clock thing wouldnt work for me i usually dont get up till 1 or 2 in the afternoonbut i assume i could reverse that and say something like 3 am or something...lol

all great ideas thanks...i actually have a treadmill and have been walking about 2 miles per day, not in the last couple days though. allergies have been acting up and im not feeling so hot. but yeah.

lost 3 lbs this week... pretty excited about that.