right now i am currently at 170 pounds. i find it very depressing seeing as how i used to be at 147 pounds. i have taken other weight loss pills in the past but ofcourse knowing all the terrible side effects and what it does to your body, i eventually stopped taking them. and then i found myself at the weight i am now. i haven't started taking alli yet. i am really anxious to start taking it but i get nervous about taking new pills even if they are fda approved. i am going on vacation september 17th to las vegas and i am so excited!!! BUT! there is no way i will be caught in a bathing suit with the weight i am right now. it makes me super sad. i have joined a gym but i just don't go! i work 7-3 monday through friday and then i go to school full time. i am exhausted to do anything else i just want to sleep! and ofcourse, during my busy hectic schedule i use my good ol' right foot to drive to the closest fast food restaurant.

i don't know how i got this way but im willing to work hard and change my ways! any encouragement will help me out! my goal is to be down to 155 by september 17th. so that is about 3 pounds a week.

what type of meals do you eat? i skip breakfast every morning and i could bring stuff to work im just not sure what to eat in the morning that isnt cooked or anything that contains 15 grams of fat that i could use to take my alli. i do alot of walking around at work as well. i also tend to drink one to many jack and cokes and ofcourse, booze and soda are so bad for you, i just need to change my ways!

how much weight have you lost when you were at 170 or over 170 and how long did it take you?

i'm just trying to get an idea of how this all really works.

im ready for it! please respond and i've read alot of your stories and you are all inspiring people.

thank you!!

cw- 170

gw-155

eventual weight- 130

cheers!

Hello,

I am in the same boat. I started at 180 and lost 9 pounds just eating better and doing some walking/jogging. I started Alli at 171. My goal weight is 130. I know how you feel about it being depressed knowing where you were at one point. When I was in high school I never went over 125 eating everything in sight. It is very hard working and going to school. There seems like no time for anything. It is overwhelming walking into the gym and seeing all the things you can do and all the fit people there asking yourself, “Why are they here?” The thing about it is there is no need to go to the gym and use every piece of equipment there. If possible just go and walk the treadmill for 30 minutes or ride the bike. You don't need to spend hours there. Anything you do at the gym will be good for your body. And I know when I leave I just have a great feeling about myself. It is also a FABULOUS stress reliever.

When it comes to fast food…. That is the easy way to go and there are options for you. Getting salads seem great but you need to be sure you know what you are getting. Check the sites for nutritional information, you would be surprised how bad most fast food salads are for you, mainly because of the dressings. Just like sandwich shops, turkey sandwiches are great for you, but the cheese can hurt, stay away from adding extra but if you don’t mind eliminate it (I wish I could but cheese is my weakness). Also stay away from the mayo and other dressings on the menu, they are sneaky and you never know what is in them. If you are craving a taco or something just make sure you only get one and no side dishes. I just purchased these fat free chips at the grocery store and they actually taste good and have no fat. They are a perfect snack next to a sandwich.

Skipping breakfast actually is not good. Try eating fruit or breakfast bar, just be sure to check the nutrition label because some energy bars car be deceiving. I like having my drinks as well. Just changing to diet pop will make a huge difference!

I have only lost 2 pounds, but I have a weekend problem. I do great during the week, but during the weekend we eat out probably 4 meals. I have the issue of saying well it’s the weekend I can have a bad day. When it comes to Alli you can’t have those days.

I really hope that you can stick to your goal and would like to keep in contact if you are interested.

Good Luck!

 Hey SJ!

I started in mid June at 169.  Today, I'm 155.  Hoo Ray Alli!

I've tried every diet under the sun and just put it all back on.  Not this time, my friend.

Alli isn't a "diet", it is a way to learn to eat for life!  If you're willing to learn new ways, you'll be oh so successful.  Before you know it, high fat food just isn't going to taste good anymore.  I grabbed my hubby's full fat PB one day and it tasted sticky, fatty and rather gross.

I used to skip breakfast too.  Bad idea.  If you haven't got much time, simply have PB and J on a piece of WW toast or a WW English Muffin.  That's great protien to start your day so you won't feel famished by 9.

Eat your snacks!  Those are so important.  Your body needs to keep working all day long.  Have you looked at the meal plans yet?  You don't have to eat exactly what is on the Alli meal plan as long as you stay within calorie and fat gram recommendations.  The snacks menus are great and give you easy ideas.  Things like single serve fruit salad or manderin oranges or fresh fruit with a little PB on it, or pretzels.  Lots and lots of choices.

Drink lots of water.  64 oz or more daily.  As to the Jack n' Coke, you might want to lay off those for awhile.  Not to say you can never have another drink.  But if you do, remember they are high calorie things and you have to make room in your meal plan for those extra calories.

Drive around those fast food restaurants.  Unless you're very careful, you'll eat more in one meal than you need when it comes to fat and sodium.  If you need to eat out, try Subway.  And try to drink something other than carbonated beverages.  Water or iced tea are better choices.

Exercise.  You don't have to do a thousand crunches a day.  Start by just brisk walking for 20-30 minutes a day.  Just keep bumping up your activity level.  More activity means more calories burned means more you can eat and still lose weight.

All of us out here are just like you.  That's why we're here!  You'll find some wonderful, helpful, supportive people out here to exchange ideas with and have some fun too.

Wishing you Every success.  Questions?  Post, post, post!

Mary

 Wow, we have a lot in common. I too am 170lbs but my goal weight is 135. I have never taken diet pills and bought Alli about 4 months ago and still havent psyched myself into taking them. I am also scared of the side effects but have decided that I will start taking them on Monday.

I have never had a weight problem until the last 2 years. I feel rushed all the time so I eat alot of fast food and I joined a gym in Decemeber and havent been since January.

I think we can do especially with the support this board will give us both!

Good luck to you!

Beth

Starting weight: 170

Goal: 135 and to feel healthy!

 Don't be scared of side effects.  You won't have TE's if you follow your fat gram allowance.

Alli works!

Mary

 I started the program at 175. I also lost weight the first 5 days just by sticking to the calorie/fat guidelines that Alli set out for me. The next week I lost even more doing both the dieting and Alli. I have only been on the program for 2 weeks now and was down to 166.8 as of last Saturday.

I completely relate to the hectic schedule of work and school. That's what I have been doing for the past several years and it is part of the reason that I have allowed myself to get so far off track.

I have found that I have to be a better planner than I naturally am or I will eat out (and it's not just fast food places that cause problems, any eating out is challenging if you do not pay very, very close attention to what you are eating and how it is being prepared). I now use the online tracking to plan out most of my meals and snacks the night before. Then I pack everything up the night before for the next day. I weigh, measure, and make sure I know exactly what I will be putting into my body. I also stick to a regular eating schedule. All of this planning/scheduling keeps me feeling satisfied (as opposed to starved) so that I don't have the need or urge to eat out. I also make sure to bring plenty of water with me so that I resist the temptation of places like Starbucks.

On the weekends I take a similar approach. I still plan out what I will eat the night before I just don't pack it up. I also make sure that when I go out (shopping, running errands, whatever, on the weekends) that I bring several bottles of water and at least one or two snacks (granola bar or mandarin oranges usually). Again, planning ahead for my weaknesses helps me stay on track.

As far as excercise, I do not fit in much because the work/school week is so exhausting so I use little tricks to fit in excercise. I park about a mile or a mile and a half away from work every morning and walk the rest of the way to work and then back at the end of the night. It gives me time to wake up in the morning and wind down in the evening plus it adds up to 40 minutes of walking at a pretty good pace. On weekends I carve out at least 40 minutes for each day and do something active that I enjoy (which means not the gym :). Last weekend I went for a long walk along one of our park's trails. The next day I took a walk along the beach and made sure to get in at least 40 minutes.

Good luck everyone.

Hi,

I began Alli about 5 weeks ago at 173 lbs. I've only lost 2 lbs so far, but I'm learning a lot about my eating habits. I have a major problem with portion size. I do drink water, and munch on healthy snacks throughout the day, but I still am hungry. However, it is getting better with each week that goes by. One tip that really helps me (I think it came from someone on these boards) is whenever I get a craving to brush my teeth! Of course, you need to be somewhere where you are able to do that . . . but, it really does help! Once I've brushed and rinsed, I don't want to eat right away, but I can still drink water.

 Good luck to you -- you have found a very nice place to "live." The company is great!

P.S. My goal is 145 lbs.

Hi, sjlatek.

I read your past two posts and from those it seems like you've been wanting to lose the weight for forever, like pretty much all of us here. I guess my advice would be to start now. 40 lbs isn't going to come off in a month or two months, but I guarantee you if you start right now, you'll be at a happier place 2 months from now than if you hadn't. Busy schedules and responsibilities suck, but if you really want to lose the weight, you need to start right now. You know what you need to do: eat the right foods, work out, and be determined. I'm sure you know that eating right and exercising is the core of it all. But determination too because the excuses have to go out the window or else the weight loss is never going to happen. No one can do this but you. You put the weight on you. So it's you that's going to have to get the weight off you. Think about it and once you've decided that you really, truly want the weight off, want to change yourself, start instantly, or else you'll be in the same place next year like when you made your first post a year ago, five lbs heavier. 

I went through the same thing. I wanted the weight off and I tried this and that, put it off, got discouraged, gained and gained and hated myself the whole way all the way up to 178lbs in May. And enough was enough. I dropped back to 165 and on July 13th, I decided there were no excuses and no one to blame but me and all the hoping I had started the diet months before so that I could already be thin by now didn't turn back the clock, so I eat right and I workout. I don't even take Alli anymore. I haven't taken it for months. And 8 weeks later, I'm down 20lbs.

You know what you need to do. So either decide that you're going to love yourself the way you are or do something toget to where you want to be. It's all up to you.

I'm sorry if all that seemed a little harsh, but it's something I had to yell at myself until it finally got through to me. I'm rooting for you. I really am.

 I started at 170 and have lost about 6 so far. I want to lose 30 total give or take, we'll see as that goal grows nearer.

Whenever I get impatient I just tell myself there's no choice. I MUST be patient. If I'm not losing it, then I'm maintaining or gaining it and time goes by either way. I may as well lose it as time passes. I have to live my life along the way. I find distracting myself works wonders. I tell myself "just this meal" or "just today" and keep doing that. We are always in the NOW. There is no other place to be. So don't worry about how much you used to weigh (whether it was more or less) and don't worry about how quickly you will get to where you want to be. Accept what is NOW and keep doing the next right thing to get where you want to go without obsessing over it.

E