I've been trying every which way that way and it doesn't seem to work. I've been researching gluten free diets and it seems to be far more effective than that horrible lap band surgery.

but I have a friend who is a scientist and he does research on fats, and he posted several articles on FB that show the amount of chemicals that one has in one's body can affect the way the body metabolizes fat. Very interesting stuff.

I had a shipmate that had the lap band. As for me Eat less and Exercise always works. GL. Swimming works the best.

No fried, No Sugar, No Bread. I do that when I want to lose fast. Then a little exercise. Takes about 6 weeks.

A few tips that helped me:

1) Before starting a diet, log your calories that you're currently consuming normally and your regular amount of exercise, and if you gained or maintained during that time. A two week window was a good idea for me to figure out where my metabolism was. If you believe part of the problem for you is compulsive overeating, log your mood and level of hunger when you ate as well -- were you happy? Sad? Bored? (That came from my therapist.) Yo-yo dieting and low calorie diets really screw up your metabolism, so the standard guidelines for calories for your height may not be right for you... they weren't for me.

2) I then went over that food log and tried to see places where I could cut calories without feeling like I was stinting myself. Honestly, just writing down everything I put in my mouth helped me to start cutting them subconsciously -- I noticed the calories I consumed during the 2nd week were lower than the first, but as I said, I have an issue with compulsive overeating, and the act of keeping the log helped me see when I was eating for emotional reasons or eating because my body needed food. The very first thing I did was cut out sodas and replace them with Crystal Light Energy, but you'll see patterns in your own eating.

3) Don't make all the changes all at once. It's harder to stick with a dramatic change. I found other little things I could do, but implemented them one new change a month, giving each enough time to become a habit.

4) Don't go too low-calorie. If you're only eating 1600 calories and maintaining, a 500 calorie a day cut is going to be too much (that's a pound a week by the math). I lost faster at 1350 calories a day than I did at 1200 or 1000, even though the math would say otherwise. (The 1350 came from adding an extra Greek yogurt in when I hit a plateau when I was eating 1200). Our bodies aren't meant to starve, and actively fight against it.

5) Look for small ways to increase your daily activity level, but start slow and be mindful of your body. If you hurt yourself -- it's HARD on the body to exercise when you're carrying around an extra 100 lbs like I was when I started -- you'll just set yourself back. Look for things you can make into habits. When I'd finally lost enough to handle walking a distance on concrete without giving my bum knee too much pain, I found a buddy and walked the path around my office on my breaks. It helped a lot, even if it was just 10 minutes three times a day.

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I could go on, but I don't want this to be a novel or seem like I'm preaching. But I qualified for gastric bypass surgery three years ago, and I'm 110 lbs lighter today. If it's to the point you've researched surgery... I don't want anyone to have it that doesn't absolutely have to. My mom had it, and while she doesn't regret it, complications from it nearly killed her twice.

If you want, PM me.

We each put $ 100 in a pot.

At the end of a month whoever loses the greatest percentage of their weight gets the cash.

It's really inspired me. I've gone to a 2,000 calorie a day diet and lost 14 pounds the first two weeks without a lot of pain.

I don't care about the 100 bucks. Losing 20 pounds would be well worth the $ 100.

Too many years of screwing up my metabolism, I suppose. Yes, I'm jealous, but also very happy for you!

I am maintaining right now on 1400 and light exercise. I'm trying to work now on building muscle rather than cardio now that I'm at the weight I am happy with -- went from a size 20 to a size 4, and that's the smallest Wally World's misses section carries, so I really don't want to get lower (I'm at a 23 BMI, highest was a 44.6.).

Don't be too jealous.

The fact that I can lose a lot of weight on 2,000 calories a day doesn't paint a good picture of where I'm starting from.

In my defense, at least a little, I'm a 6'3'' male.

It's actually saying something really good about you, if you think about it -- you haven't trashed your metabolism. Nutrisystem has guys eat 1500 to lose 1-2 lbs a week after the initial faster loss. And too low of calories is a baaaaad thing.... the body says "WTF are you doing to me!" and tries to act like it's caveman winter. Another friend who admittedly is shorter than you lost on 1600 but any lower and he started getting into diminishing returns.

If things slow down and you're not able to lose a pound a week, exercise will likely be really helpful, especially if you're already losing at this calorie level. I wouldn't go lower than you are now calorie-wise, and be really careful about injury. It took me 40 lbs gone before I could walk 10 minutes on concrete three times a day without making my bum knee scream at me. If exercise doesn't seem to help break a plateau, it may sound counter-intuitive, but try *increasing* calories (in 100-150 calorie increments, give each increase two to four weeks to see if it's enough, and make the additional calories protein-heavy and carb-light). You're likely pretty muscular, 2000 may not be enough calories in the long-term to keep you out of starvation mode.

1. Oklahoma; 2. Alabama; 3. Tennessee; 4. Kansas; 5. Mississippi; 6. (tie) Georgia; and Kentucky; 8. (tie) Louisiana; and West Virginia; 10. South Carolina

My state, NJ, was 35.

I changed my diet--now it's mostly vegetarian. Lost weight without even intending to. Got rid of the salt--now I don't use any, and I flavor foods with herbs, which is way more interesting than just salt.


Cher

on what not to do.... congrats on your change of diet, I do three walks a day even if my arthritis hurts. I never had a weight problem but exercise will help almost any health problem including depression..

If you can walk and not drive somewhere do it even if it takes longer.

it is a list of the states where the growth of obesity rate was highest between 1995 and 2008.

Part of that must have happened when I moved to Kansas in 2002.

Lack of education seems to be a predictor, as well as poverty rate, and culture.

There's a big cultural emphasis on "real food" here in Kentucky; real food being meat, fat, and really bad carbs.

My state is top 10 in just about all things bad AND basketball. Tied with Georgia on this one, hmm, that would be fine in SEC football, LOL (not likely).

Everything is spread out, so one has to drive everywhere, even in the more urban areas. There are fewer sidewalks and bike trails. No shoulders on the road, so riding a bike can be really risky. My old Schwinn and mt. bike are both literally rotting in my garage, because I have no safe place to ride either, without having drive 30 miles or more. I used to ride on the roads here when I first came down, but I had one close call too many. That was more than 20 years ago, and the traffic is far worse now. A couple of weeks ago, a couple on a tandem bike got creamed right about where I had my last close call. The husband didn't survive.

I have also seen people start up the car in the post office parking lot, and drive across a not-busy street to the grocery store. We're talking a 40 ft. walk at the most. I used to live 2 blocks from that post office. One Saturday, I went to check my PO box, so walked over there. On my way, some guy commented, "Must be a 'poor day', huh?" I guess only people who are too poor to drive walk around here.

I am very fortunate to live in a city in a neighborhood with sidewalks so I walk our dog at least an hour every morning (herding dog exercise program, get out of the house or get barked at). But I grew up in an area where if you lived very far out into the country, forget about riding a bike, walking, or anything. Too dangerous.

And having a car is considered a necessity while public transportation is looked down on where I live. The righties around here would just love the chance to kill the bus system, which is really just hating on anyone who doesn't have the means to have a car. If it weren't for the large University population they might get there way.

It's looked down upon as something only poor people use. That being said, this isn't necessarily a Southern phenomenon. Just spend some time on Chicago's expressways during "rush hour", if one doesn't believe me. Yes, lots of people there use the excellent public transportation, which I miss dearly. However, tens of thousands more won't use it, and would rather sit in traffic for hours. Most of them are suburbanites who commute into the city. And, then there's southern California...

I've lived in cities over the past couple decades (San Fran., Wash. DC and Portland) and there is relatively little obesity within city limits. As you start to go out to the suburbs, it increases, and then rural areas seem to have the highest rate of obese people. There are different expectations/habits related to eating in the city vs. the rural areas.

Rural areas used to be populated with farmers, who were isolated from the rest of the world but worked their asses off physically during the day.

This isn't as true anymore, and farming isn't as physically intensive as it used to be. So, someone who is out enjoying quiet rural life still has to drive everywhere to get groceries, clothes, work, etc., and probably isn't doing much to exercise when s/he is home.

you should have...what could be healthier?

And my own eyes, considering I live in one of the states with a large percentage of obese folks.

The truth doesn't become a lie just because someone doesn't like it.

Most people are lazy, and quick, cheap food is usually very unhealthy. This is why so many people go to fast food, because it's quick and cheap.

You will see just as many obese people in the inner city of New York as you would in Atlanta. While it can be just as inexpensive to eat healthy, that usually requires preparing the food on your own. For many people, thatis just too much work when KFC can feed their entire family for less than $10 and the only effort required is walking to the car.

doesn't fit the amount of exercise.

The South - AFTER slavery (let's not get into that debate) - had fertile ground and farms. Not so much anymore, but people here still eat like they're tilling the back 40 after lunch.

Instead, they're tilling the last 40 on the intelligent quotient whilst watching TV.

would account for a few pounds.

Once at a football game my husband went to get something to eat and when he came back I looked at this enormous sausage on bun thing he had and said OH MY GOD! That was before we went inside the stadium. And the tailgate culture is huge, even here in Lexington at a "basketball school".

Older towns are more walkable, which means people get more exercise.

The real correlation is between poverty and obesity.

Obesity correlates most strongly with 1) poverty and 2) church attendance.

The less educated tend to go to church more.

Ha ha ha.

The food industry is laughing it's supersized ass off all the way to the bank.

And am definitely not obese.

it's not healthy to eat a lot of sugar. if you eat a lot of carbs, it WILL catch up to you.

She started eating better and she hits the gym regularly. She gave up soda and switched to a mostly-vegan diet -- but I think the latter was just a ploy to convince me to make dinner more often. Calories in vs. calories out worked despite all the howls from the usual suspects about that sort of thing not being effective.

It's a shell game.

When I was at 205 I as considered obese. I am 6'2". So I dropped 25 pounds.

I'm at 180 now, and still on the high end of the acceptable level.

that's even more alarming.

once upon a time the BMI for obesity for someone my height was no where near 205. I think 215 was the "obese" level.

The lowered the BMI range.

So what was considered normal years ago, is now considered obese.

correlate not entirely but pretty remarkably.

... are increasing in our food.

Sugar should be a controlled substance, HFCS should be banned, and the estrogen-like substances like Bisphenol A and soy products need to be strictly controlled.

Sugar and HFCS are everywhere.... look at yoghurt... 25-35 grams of sugar per serving, and many times it's from HFCS.

Not making excuses for people not exercising or eating properly, but that bad shit is everywhere in our food chain.

And you know what? It's been working for me.

when I cut out HFCS products I lost weight. I didn't necessarily cut out all sugars, though, only the HFCS. That really proved to me what the stuff was capable of doing.

to the Krispy Kreme store location maps?

I am not kidding about this, when KK opened a few stores in NY, I personally knew of a few people who went off the rails in their dietary choices.

It jumped dramatically in a single year--1998.

I'm alerting the mods on you.

Instead of smoking they now eat and eat and eat. Pick your vice.....food...or...smokes...which is better or worse???