[color=darkblue:58d7c3f40f][/color:58d7c3f40f] I am so desperate, I don't mind the diet at all but I have sucha long road ahead of me it is difficult to the end. I do not have any skinny pics of me for inspiration, there never was a skinny me, I ahve no idea what that would look like. NOw after I had my son all my abdominal fat has headed south...aggghh! I workout a lot but I feel so depserate I just wanna cry.

Hi Lealu, I too am 49-50% bodyfat and it is depressing as hell. You have my sympathies AND support. The only thing I thought to do was to write down the starting weight and bodyfat percentage and my measurements (uggh), and then break it down into the first big goal...to lose 25 pounds. period. that's it. If I can lose 25 pounds I feel like I have a good start to losing the rest of the 75+ pounds I need to lose. So at 1.5 pounds a week we could lose 25 pounds by the end of April or probably sooner! That's not bad, is it? And I swear the older I get (just turned 50), the absolute faster the months roll by. I also try to keep in mind that I could [b:5561593cdd]safely[/b:5561593cdd] lose 50 pounds by this time next year....that will be a huge accomplishment! But the best part is, I will and you will be more HEALTHY. If we don't do anything, we'll be on some other forum somewhere still at 50% body fat and wondering how we're going to lose it. (been there, done that) Does this help at all? Please feel free to email me in private if you want to talk. I absolutely know how discouraged you feel. Best wishes, Kathy

[quote:a687e8b76d="lealu3"][color=darkblue:a687e8b76d][/color:a687e8b76d] I am so desperate, I don't mind the diet at all but I have sucha long road ahead of me it is difficult to the end. I do not have any skinny pics of me for inspiration, there never was a skinny me, I ahve no idea what that would look like. NOw after I had my son all my abdominal fat has headed south...aggghh! I workout a lot but I feel so depserate I just wanna cry.[/quote:a687e8b76d] [color=darkred:a687e8b76d]Hi leaul3, I lost a lost a lot of weight and have successfully kept it off eating this way, about 100 lb, from size 22-24 to 6-8. When I began, I didn't have a goal weight in mind, nor did I give a lot of thought to the huge amount of weight I needed to lose. I was mostly focused on staying healthy. I approached it from the standpoint that I wanted to be healthier. When I lost the weight almost 10 yrs ago, my dad had just died (of Alzheimer's) and I think subconsciously I was facing my own mortality. I focused on the insulin lowering and heart healthy aspects of this type of eating/lifestyle plan and the pounds began to drop easily. I lost about 50 the first year and 50 the second year. Take your weight loss one little step at a time. Focus on insulin lowering. If you choose your Zone meals with insulin lowering tactics in mind, you'll lose the weight. As you begin the Zone think of thechanges you make as permanent changes.[/color:a687e8b76d] [color=green:a687e8b76d] [b:a687e8b76d]Make the plan fit you rather than making you fit into the plan.[/b:a687e8b76d] [/color:a687e8b76d] [color=darkred:a687e8b76d]The Zone has the flexibility to do this. When I say focus on insulin lowering, I mean read and reread the Zone books and info to understand exactly how diet and lifestyle effects insulin levels. This will give you insight into how your habits are influencing your insulin levels. Find ways to incorporate insulin lowering tactics into your diet and lifestlye to make the most of what the Zone has to offer. Here are some exapmles. Keep fruits to a minimum (2 or 3 blocks a day or less). Make sure to always have enough fat (best to err on the side of a little too much rather than too little). Drink a lot of water. Don't skip or skimp on meals/snacks. Do some type of exercise daily (even a simple brisk walk will suffice). The book "TheTop 100 Zone Foods" has lots of interesting info. It also includes info about the insulin lowering properties of specific foods. Did you know that sprinkling cinnamon on your applesause or oatmeal will actually give better insulin control? Most importantly, you don't have to eat a particular food just because "it's good for you". Choose to eat only the Zone favorable foods you really like. Make meals fun and enjoyable. Get creative. Being creative doesn't mean you have to cook if you're not into cooking. Two nights ago dinner at our house was very creative, and delicious (to us anyway!)...no cooking involved. We simply looked through the fridge to use up leftovers and came up with a delicious meal sized salad of mixed baby greens, sardines, chick peas, pine nuts, fresh grated parmesan, and Asian pear. The dressing was oilve oil, fig infused balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard mixed together with a fork. I advise to seriously consider making family meals zoned, rather than you eating differrently from the rest of the family. It makes things a lot easier and you won't feel singled out and deprived. That's the way I did it at my house. Besides, once you experience the benefits of eating this way, you'll probably have a lot of second thoughts about serving meals of pasta, bread, and potatoes to your son, while you sit next to him at the dinner table eating healthy Zoned meals. I don't mean you have to become the "Zone police" for the rest for the family, but as you drop unfavorable foods and add insulin lowering selections to your meals, why not simplify your life by doing the same for the rest of the family! I didn't have any skinny pics of me either, but maybe it was better that way. You'll be so surprised when you see the "you" that's been hiding under all that stored fat! From experience, I can tell you how different it feels to be at 140 lb (BTW, I'm 5/71/2 ") as compared to 240 lb. I'd describe it as feeling light and strong. You're always comfortable, not feeling constricted by your clothing. Your body's just there, but not always getting in your way. It's great! I wish you all the best. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help. [/color:a687e8b76d]

Hello Lealu3 I know you can do this. If I can do this I know you can. When I started about 7 weeks ago I weighed in at 276 pounds and Now I am at 247 and still counting. I know what you are thinking I have thought that too and I had to prove to myself I can do this. I look at it like this since I have lost almost 30 pounds now My next goal is getting to at least 1/2 way to 200 I havnt seen that since I was 18 and pregnate with my son. Believe me that was along time ago. My son now is 15. I jest tell my self over and over that I can do this for me. The complements that you get from other people really make a big difference too. My two daughters come to me and put their arms around me and tell me that Iam skinny now because they can wrap their arms around me and hold their hands to geather. Then comes the bigger responses that when you dont see some one too often how they make such a big deal on how well you are looking. That jest makes the inspiration for me too keep going. Then I actually went in and had to get some smaller pants. That is a BIG plus too. I know what you are saying cause I started it said I had a 76 % body fat and I took the test again and it says I have a 66 % now. I hope you can see your self moving up the ladder. If you want some one to talk to let me know? A Friend Bonnie

AWESOME! I love all the great info and encouragement I read on the posts. You CAN succeed, Lealu3. Print some of these positive experiences and stick them on your fridge. I read within the past couple of days a post (BonBon, was it you?) about having to buy some new clothes already and not wanting "to spend a lot of money for such a short time" ~ What a great positive focus. I'm not real good at Zoning yet, so you won't hear a lot of how to figure out what to do from me, but I'll be there to encourage! :D Check in daily and read and re-read posts if you need to.

Hey KC yeah I had to go out and find me some smaller shirts cause my cousin told me the ones I was wearing made me look like I was pregnate and I didnt want that. All of the positive feed back is good and It does help the focus on the plan. I dont know about any one else But I love it.