I have gained weight recently because I stopped cooking for myself regularly. It's hard when you are only cooking for one to make it economical but I am doing it again. I need to lose about 40 pounds.

I had a 6'5" 350 pound live in boyfriend before I joined Mingle. I got him down to 250 pounds in one year. When I met him, he ate eggs and canned chili and lots and lots of junk food. With the eggs, I started doctoring them. I added some sharp cheddar and veggies. He liked hot sauce so I added hot sauce which is zero calories. Without telling him, I increased the veggies and decreased the eggs. Then I started using fewer egg yolks. I made his omelets in the microwave. You scramble the eggs and cook them for a few minutes with the veggies and cheese mixed in and then stop it and stir and then cook it until it's done. You use NO GREASE OR OIL. NOT even non-stick spray. You do it in a cereal bowl or a small mixing bowl that is microwavable. I experimented with the veggies and introduced him to new ones in his eggs. got him to eat almost any veggie. This was a person who had never had broccoli before I met him and I had him eating all sorts of greens, etc. Later I was able to put these veggies in other food and get him to eat them like soups and such.

I replaced most beef with chicken. I roast chicken and basted it in olive oil instead of butter or margarine. I used parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme as the seasoning (no salt at all) and put fresh herbs in the body cavity instead of stuffing and the flavor permeated the bird as it cooked and made the meat more delicious.

I took all sorts of pieces of chicken. Whatever was on sale and removed the skin and baked it in all sorts of pre-made sauces like hot wing sauce and BBQ sauce and teriyaki sauce.

He ate tons and tons of junk food when I met him. Every day after work, he ate a large bag of Doritos dipped in a large tub of sour cream and four king size candies all in one sitting.

I had to keep him full to stop him from doing this. So I would go to the bakery outlet and buy tons of wheat, rye, whole grain, and fiber bread. I made him six slices of toast with breakfast and dinner. I switched him from regular mayo on his toast to Heart Smart spread on his toast. It kept him full and he stopped eating the junk.

I swapped his regular soda for diet.

He still snuck stuff as much as he could be soon he started looking noticeably better and getting tons of compliments. When that happened, he started feeling good about my efforts and saw it as a positive thing and stopped self sabotaging.

Anyway, I have told people this story in individual messages but I thought I would share what I did to give others ideas.

Love you all,

Terri

Slowly changing your eating habits is a great way to start being healthier . . . Make one positive change or good food choice each day, before long your reaching for water instead of soda out of habit.

Hey Penny, Just dropping in to say hi and tell you that you are making great progress!

I get key limes at the 99 Cent Only store and put them in ice water. YUM.

You can also use fresh lemon, mint, or cucumber to flavor your water.

Maybe I can help. I once weighed 250 pounds. Now I am 199, slightly under 200. I helped my best friend go from 400 pounds to 260 pounds in about a year. What we did was start easy with an exercise bike and some light lifting while using the bike (simultaneously). Then, we upgraded to the gym. We did around 1-2 hours of cardio about 5 days per week on the elliptical (because it burns the most calories out of the tread, elliptical, bike, and stairmaster).

We also did weight training and exercise in the summer in my pool. If you gain some muscle it boosts your metabolism and it's easier to burn fat. Ladies might want to focus on the lower body and abs.

Diet is a major component. Even if you work out all the time, if you continue to eat unhealthy foods, the damage can be costly. I do not have the essential diet, but I don't eat anything terrible. I eat about 4-5 times a day and my average calories per day is around 1500. I keep my fat and sugar ~ under 20g each or 40g total for each meal. Eating too often late at night or too many carbs late at night can slow progress.

You might already know a lot of this but it's important to put the information out there. The most important thing is that you believe in yourself. We tend to impose a lot of barriers on ourselves. Best of luck and train hard!

life is a ***** you should not care about your weight and just eat till your heart is content!

and if it becomes life limiting or life threatening?....

I totally agree with Leigh...she knows what good for her and what's not...She made great strides to make her life, Mind, body,and soul healthy!

@ Penny YOU GO GIRL!!! WORK IT!!!!

I love you so much right now (((Momo)))!!

MUCH LOVE sweetie

At 400+ My Weitbt And Eating Habits Interfeared With My Quality Of Life So I Decided To Change That A Year Later I Have Lost Judt Over 100 Pounds I Am Much Healthier And Happief And Have No Regrets About My Choice To Change.

You kik azz Penny !

Aw don't even acknowledge him Penny. You will be fit and healthy and he will be dead with that attitude. That is like my ex friend who drinks Natural Light, smokes menthols and the only calories she really gets is from Dr. Pepper and Dreyer's Ice Cream. Ya she is thin. But ya she looks like absolute carp. No muscle tone. Carpy malnourished skin. I used to work with AIDS patients and that's what she looks like to me. Someone who is dying. Boney with a bloated belly.

Wow. I've read all of the pages of this thread, and you've remained consistent throughout. Not once have you slacked/gave up. I understand that it's also important, because of bowel function. The more you eat, the more constipated you can get. It's not always easy, but gradual is a good way to wean yourself off the bad foods. You even took the brave step to have surgery. So I reckon you are taking it seriously. Good for you. At least you acknowledge it. You didn't complain. You just got on with it. Again, very admirable ;)

I had the same surgery and Penny is a trooper for sure. I had girls in my post op support group who totally pushed the limits. One was eating M&Ms. Another was drinking vodka. I had a very hard time of it. At first my stomach was only one ounce big and I would be dying of thirst and want to chug water but couldn't. I have gained back a lot of my weight (most eventually gain back approx. 50%). I don't think Penny will gain it back though. She is so determined. Constipation is not the problem. Diarrhea is. If you eat the slightest bit of sugar or too much carbs, you go into what is called "dumping" syndrome. It's awful

You're really taking it off penny, good for you! Keep up the good work you're doing. Oh, btw, I drink plain ice cold water myself, I don't like flavorings!

Went to see my surgon yesterday he was very pleased with my progress and via i have had no complecations he said i should have no problem reaching my weight loss goal with in a year. :)

Great penny! We're all rooting for you!