I do this with an empty stomach, in order for my workout to attack the fat. After my workout I eat yogurt, which is known to increase metabolism.

I drink only water, diet green tea (for the herbs), and things with 0 calories.

Fruit juice isn’t nearly as nutritious as regular fruit and pop is just empty calories.

Approximately three hours after eating yogurt, I have lunch. This is my biggest meal of the day, yet it’s still pretty lean.

A piece of white meat (chicken or turkey) and a pasta or vegetable.

I wait about 2 hours and start my mid day workout. This could be exchanged with after super for those who work during the day.

Before I start my workout, I have some whey protein. I do:

140 sit ups (7 sets of 20)

140 leg ups (7 sets of 20)

100 pushups (5 sets of 20)

I switch this with lifting light weights and high reps every other day. I increase my reps about once every month by 5. I follow either of the two with doing at least twenty minutes of cardio.

Wednesday is my day off. After the workout I have another protein shake with whey protein.

I have the protein even on my day off to ensure muscle repair. I follow this by a snack with carbs (i.e. granola bar, oatmeal, ect…).

Three hours later I eat dinner and three hours after that I have a small snack (chips and salsa usually).

Right before bed, I have another protein shake (excluded on my day off).

Most of my adult life I have tried to lose weight. I learned a great deal about nutrition and exercise but with a very active family I had problems ever sticking to achieving my goals.

I have not gone on fad diets and really did not eat poorly. What I did was to eat too much. Funny, even if the food is “good for you” if you eat too much, you still gain weight!!

Finally, I became bed-ridden due to excruciating pain from hip bursitis and a bad back the summer of 2004.

I could only eat what was brought to me as I could not go up and down the stairs. All the weight I had lost up till then was regained. Afterwards I knew I had to lose the weight to get mobile and stay that way.

I joined Ediets and found a specialized community of people in a section of the group who also had similar health struggles and who were losing weight. I have gradually lost weight. I have also gotten a good pain specialist so that I am now able to walk 1-2 miles without being totally energy depleted for several days.

My “diet” consists of eating a well balanced meal that includes few processed foods. I eat 4-5 times a day. I drink lots of water with a bit of cranberry juice added to it (7 parts water to 1 part unsweetened juice).

I force my self to do daily stretching exercises and walking several times a week. I use hand weights of 1-5 pounds and do random exercises with them. I hope that this was helpful.

I am a female who is approximately thirty seven years old. I wish to lose about 35 pounds, or seven five pound bags of sugar. When I say it that way, I feel even worse about myself!!!

I have tried Weight Watchers, but I have not been consistent. It is difficult trying to juggle a full time job, a family, a household to run, and a diet to manage. I realize I need to change my entire way of life.

Instead of reaching for that bowl of ice cream or that glass of wine when I am stressed out, I need to get up and exercise. It is difficult!!!

Exercise has never been something that comes easily to me…it has always been something I have had to work at. I was never the girl in high school who enthusiastically ran two miles around the track.

On the other hand, I did like the end result of burning calories and looking mighty fine, if I do say so myself.

A diet is difficult to follow for me for many reasons. For starters, I do not like to be restricted. I like to eat what I want, when I want, how much I want. I also find it challenging to prepare one meal for my husband and children and another for me.

My husband is a meat and potato kind of guy, actually just meat. He could eat meat all day every day and be quite content. I, on the other hand, hate meat. I mean, I really like chicken, but that is about it.