Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

Thanks so much for your story!! I'm in 100% agreement with you - its diet pop, alcohol and the overly prepped/manufactured foods that put the weight on. Eat simple, track it, exercise.

A while back I decided enough was enough - my 5"10 curvy frame was packing 180+ pounds ... to be truthful, I jumped off the scale before I saw which '18_' it landed on. Freaked, I instantly remembered what has worked for me years before: bring my diet back to basics and add frequent/daily exercise. So I started. Simple foods, nothing processed, no alcohol ... I measured quantities of everything, kept a food journal and kept my diet under 1600 calories a day.

In the first two weeks, the weight >FELL< off. I mean every other day was another pound. After two weeks, I'd dropped 10lbs. I was laughing. Doing so well, I decided I could add alcohol back in ... glass of wine while prepping dinner, glass of wine eating dinner. And of course, another glass on those nights I was stressed. BIG MISTAKE. My weight plateaud. It even went UP TWO POUNDS. I wanted to eat a donut to console myself (ok, maybe a box) but refrained. It took my body another two weeks to recover. Then to fill that gap, I went back to my beloved diet root-beer. Fizzy, sweet, frothy, cold ... this was my second mistake. After a week of drinking it, the scale kept going up and up. Upon cutting it out, the weight loss resumed within 48 hours.

If you think of dieting/proper eating like 'dumbing your diet down' OR that "keep it simple stupid" concept - you'll succeed! ... Munch on sliced tomatoes with salt on them, sauteed prawns with lemon and green onion and garlic over basmati rice. Cabbage rolls with EXTRA EXTRA lean ground beef, baked salmon (30 mins on 400, not covered) ... turkey breast instead of salami in your sandwich, pickles for a snack in stead of chips! Pass on that complicated greasy spoon diner down the street and eat sushi - just keep it simple. Your stomach will reduce in size and your pallette will become more aware & sensative to flavors. Food is truly a beautiful thing. The pleasure I get from a good meal, from a plate of, a bowl full of, something tossed with ... YUM! Just rememeber to keep it simple.

PS ... yes, 41 lbs lost to date!