Q&A

What are your weight-control goals?

My goals are to improve my health, reduce my pain level and need for medications, and regain my mobility.

What is your motivation for losing weight?

I want to really live the rest of my life, not just exist. I want to feel good and feel good about myself. I don't want to end up confined to a scooter for the rest of my life!

What is your weight-loss method?

I concentrate on lean protein and vegetables, plus low-fat dairy and high fiber complex carbs in moderate amounts. I also enjoy beans and lentils. I avoid fruits unless I team them with protein, as they can make me hungrier! (I find I am very sensitive to sugars.) I eat low fat, high fiber. I do not take in liquids with calories. I drink a lot of water.

What obstacles have you encountered while losing weight?

Slow weight loss and plateaus have been my challenges. Exercising is difficult also, as I am not very strong and have arthritis. I am going to focus on finding ways to be more active in 2009. :-)

What tips do you have for others who are trying to lose weight?

I have changed my thoughts about the role of food in my life and how I relate to it. Eating is no longer a form of recreation for me. I still love food and enjoy the heck out of eating, but I choose my foods with an eye to taking the best care of my body that I can. I take tiny bites, chew thoroughly, savor the flavor, and pay attention to how I feel inside. I don't eat just because something tastes good, it has to be good for me. I do this because I love myself. I don't eat to feel full, I eat to feel satisfied.

My mottos:

• It's not how much you can eat, it's how little you can get by on.
• Just because you can eat it, doesn't mean you should. Practice conscious eating, in a slow and controlled manner. (Still working on this one!)
• ABC: All Bites Count! Am I trading what I really want (weight loss) for what I want right now (some food treat)?
• Plus a tip from a great dietitian that really helped me: She said, "Look for easy ways to cut 100 calories." For me, this involved things like switching to fat-free mayo. For you, it might involve cutting out the sweetened drinks. Those little 100 calorie increments add up to pounds!

How do you feel now that you're achieving success?

Adding in all of those vegetables has made me feel incredibly good. I am much more comfortable in my body, have less pain, and I have been able to reduce my blood pressure meds. I'm proud of what I have accomplished and utterly determined to keep it up. I have a long,long way to go, but I intend to keep at it as long as it takes. I guess I'll be learning patience, too! LOL

How have the products or services offered by CalorieKing assisted you in your weigh-loss journey?

The Food & Exercise Diary was a true revelation for me! I had been eating in a similar way to what I described above for nearly a year before joining CK. I lost 28 pounds and regained 17lbs the previous year. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing! Then I started using the CK food diary. I weighed and measured. I looked up some of the things I was used to eating, and I was shocked! Some of them were far worse than I guessed, and even some of the more benign foods (like rice) packed more calories than I dreamed! My favorite Panera sandwich was over 1000 calories, not including the chips and lemonade I usually consumed with it.

The first couple of weeks with CK were punctuated with my screams of horror as new revelations occurred. I kept exclaiming, "No wonder I'm fat!" CK helped me make wiser food choices, told me when I was low on calcium or fiber, etc., so I was eating better and feeling better than I ever had before. CK gave me the tools and information I needed to finally be successful. It's one of the best investments I have ever made.