My approach when I want to lose weight is to cut out just one or two things that I consume daily or almost daily. Right now it is the second glass of wine. I pour 5 oz into a glass, put it on the table, seal up the bottle with a vac-u-vin and put it away. That's about 150 calories every day, and over a few weeks I've lost a few pounds. I've done it in the past with dessert, and that one stuck for good, I almost never want something sweet after dinner anymore. (Unless there is Halloween candy in the house but that's another story.) Could also be a junky afternoon snack, or a soda during the day. Whatever it is, making just one consistent change and staying with it is lots easier than being "on your guard" all day long. Good luck, OP.

I too love to eat and drink. I found tracking calories in (from food) and out (from exercise) key to losing 25 pounds. I considered myself fairly knowledgeable about food and nutrition, but when I started tracking using Lose It, I discovered I was consuming a lot more calories than I thought. Tracking them made me accountable and also allowed me to plan my calories. For example, I'd skip never skip my workout Friday morning but I would skip the doughnut that my office has on Friday, because I knew I wanted to drink a beer and eat pizza that night. I never felt like I was making a huge sacrifice when it came to good food and drink, just better informed choices about how to spend my calories. Once I started tracking calories, it was relatively easy to lose the weight, although consistent exercise also was a key part of the weight loss for me because I wanted a higher daily calorie allowance. I stopped counting calories after I lost the first 15 lbs because I felt like I had a better feel for it, but I'm considering tracking again because I'd like to lose another 5-10 lbs and I have stalled.

Why do you want to be thinner? You are at a great weight for your height.

put this kate moss quote on your fridge:

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"

You can actually lose 10 pounds fast but there are many things you need to do. Right diet plan and a lot of exercise. Not easy!

I think the bottom line is how bad do you want it? The 10 pounds and the day-to-day temptations.
I am mighty tempted by food and alcohol myself, but before indulging I try to ask myself if it's worth it (which for me is gaining back the 10 pounds I recently lost). Mom's homemade lime cake? - yes! Run-of-the mill cake from a 5 year-olds birthday party - no!

I feel your pain OP. I just reached 140 after a decade in the 130s. And I'm working out more than ever!

Anonymous wrote:I did a 5 day smoothie/juice fast to jump start my diet. Lost 7 pounds, as well as my cravings. and it motivated me to stay on track to lose the remaining 8 pounds. Smoothies/juice must be made with raw foods - mainly vegetables - no dairy. Google it and you will get ideas. No need for a fancy juicer. I just used our regular blender. I did steam carrots for two minutes to soften them a bit for the blender. So technically, they were not raw. I still drank a cup of coffee each morning even though they say not to.

I've done this as well, but I have the fancy vitamix. That is the very best investment I ever made and it awesome for raw juicing. The end product is so smooth. I put the WHOLE fruit/veggie in, including apples, core and all.

I still use my Vitamix smoothies as a meal replacement. If I replace dinner with a smoothie, I can easily drop 3lbs in a week after some time eating poorly.

I'm like the OP, I LOVE food and drink. However, i hate being overweight more than I love food and drink. I'f rather eat my calories, so I have basically given up all drinks except skim milk and water.

Just echoing what others have said: cut out white foods (bread, sugar, potatoes, pasta), add intervals to your runs (sprint for a minute then recover for 90 seconds). One other very "d'uh" thing to try is this: Eat only when you're hungry. And stop eating as soon as you're full. You'll be amazed -- if you are really mindful of this -- how much less you'll want to eat. I bought that book "I Can Make You Thin" last year and those are two of the tenets in the book. They sound very basic, but when you take away the emotion, you will naturally want to eat less.

weight watchers
limit alcohol to the weekends
can you add jogging to your treadmill routin or up the incline, or better yet, weights!

I also want to lose close to 10 lbs. And I love good food and enjoy wine and other adult beverages.

What I know I should be doing:

* more exercise (you already have this one)
* reduce carbs as much as possible (your body's reaction to glucose changes over time, so what you used to be able to eat now chunks you up)
* more veggies
* real food (I'm pro real dairy and against diet and non-fat food "substitutes")
* smaller portions (smaller plates help with this)
* think of fruit as a dessert or treat
* no fruit juice
* eat slowly and mindfully; really savor the good stuff
* cut back on the alcohol, especially Sun-Thurs

I did a 5 day smoothie/juice fast to jump start my diet. Lost 7 pounds, as well as my cravings. and it motivated me to stay on track to lose the remaining 8 pounds. Smoothies/juice must be made with raw foods - mainly vegetables - no dairy. Google it and you will get ideas. No need for a fancy juicer. I just used our regular blender. I did steam carrots for two minutes to soften them a bit for the blender. So technically, they were not raw. I still drank a cup of coffee each morning even though they say not to.

Anonymous wrote:Here are some different tips than the basic "eat and drink less" - something I am sure you know already.
- Drink a TON (target a gallon) a water a day
- Take multivitamins, including iron-
Don't eat after 8pm
- Stop eating red meat (at least for a while)
- Cut out all sodas

The one in bold is very bad advice:

Multivitamins, folic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron in particular appeared to increase mortality risk....In the study, iron tablets were strongly linked with a small (2.4%) increased death risk, as were many other supplements. The link with iron was dose-dependent, meaning the more of it the individual took, the higher their risk was.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15238610

PP. Just wanted to add that I gave up alcohol b/c it seems to interfere with my sleep. I still love a glass of wine every now and then.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I know it is not rocket science. I guess I just wonder what those of you who REALLY enjoy food/drink do. I mean, if my first thought of a "reward" for losing the ten lbs is a fancy dinner out . . . well, I suppose that is a bit counterproductive! (Before anyone says "clothes" . . . once you get the clothes you need a fancy place to wear 'em!) I like the skipping meals idea . . . might need to give that one a shot. As it is, I'm pretty good during the week (I'd guess somewhere between 1500-2000 calories a day, which I tend to drop weight at b/c of all the exercise I get). But then the weekend rolls around . . . and it is blowout Friday and Sat nights (my husband is a glutton too! Easier, though, for a 6.2 guy to maintain/stay slim).

I guess I need to find a replacement highlight-of-the-day for meals (in particular dinner).

I do love food, and I'm doing pretty well at maintaining a healthy weight (5'5", 125-127 lbs). I eat one small treat every day. Might be one of those salted caramel squares from Starbucks or a really good chocolate truffle. The rest of the day I eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, yogurt, and usually no alcohol. this seems to be working okay for me. When I go out, which is less than once a week, I usually clean my plate. Otherwise, I keep my portion size small, like half of what I would serve DH.