Hello! just starting my weight loss journey

my husband and I are determined to finally lose the 40 lbs each of us has added in 12 years of marriage!I do the calorie counting, more regimented way - he just cuts down onmeals. I'm the one that needs support to keep going. I would love to join your group and be able to have support (and give some too) when needed. I look forward to "getting skinny" with all of you!

Hi, welcome! I've lost 28 pounds so far. I'm a retired advanced practice nurse and diabetic educator who didn't take my own advice and after my husband died I gained about 70 pounds and now I have diabetes, high blood pressure and am FAT! So----I have made some LIFE STYLE CHANGES. Don't call it a "diet"---diets are for short term, this has to be a LIFE STYLE CHANGE in order to be effective.

Also, I am following the American Heart Association's recommendation about the amount of SODIUM (salt) which is 1,500 mg for everyone, or less. Actually, they estimate most americans eat 3-5,000 and I was probably eating 10,000 as I loved jerky and corned beef (I made my own) and lots of CHEESE (which has lots of salt!) so it is a LEARNING PROCESS.

I am trying to keep my calories to about 1500 per day (anything less than 1200 puts your female body into "starvation mode" and your husband depending on his size can eat between 1800 and 2000 calories and probably still lose weight (yep, men have the advantage!)

But don't get discouraged! Take a good multivitamin, and start reading labels. More and more stores are putting out canned goods that have NO ADDED SALT. Breads are usually high in sodium so read labels and pick a lower sodium one. Prepared sauces and boxed dinners have HIGH SODIUM in them, so again, read labels. I'm having to THINK before I prepare a meal now instead of just putting something on the table without thinking, but now that I am into the swing of it, it is actually getting where it is about as quick to think about sodium content as calorie content. I also MEASURE everything I put on my plate. For meals where you cook up a big pot, like stew, I just write down the weights or measurements of items going into it add them all together and divide by the cups to get the calories per cup and/or the sodium per serving. You can even make a dish here and fat secret will calculate the calories and servings. Good luck!!!!

Good Luck, to you, as well! I have a question for you... Don't you find that this web-site would be a great deal more useful if the American Diabetic Associations's 'diet' plan or the American Heart Ass'n's 'diet' plan were one of the options?

After being invited to support someone on here, I joined to do that, but found it wasn't going to support my diet (using the word to mean, 'the way I eat', not to mean 'the way I lose weight' choice, so I abandoned it.

I ask, because I wonder - have you posted your ADA diet on here as your own diet? (I've been way too lazy to post my own diet... Lazy or Busy - whichever...) Was hoping you had?

Welcome aboard, both of you. Dropping 40 lbs will make a huge difference for you, and if you need help to do it, then you're in the right place.