Welcome to Gaia! ::

Woooo! biggrin Kickass! And mad props to you for dropping not only soda, but chocolate. I don't even especially love chocolate, but I have a terrible time avoiding it. (Maybe because I associate it with "special treat" from a long way back...)

How many pounds do you plan to lose altogether?

My problem is less about plateauing and more with getting to a plateau in the first place. sweatdrop I am working on being more consistent in my efforts. I think the closest I've come to that problem is when I had 10 pound weights and needed to increase to 15, but didn't have the money for it. One free weight is about a dollar per pound; that's a lot when you need two 15-pounders ^^*

When I need to move up a weight again, I should probably just join a gym and make use of their equipment.

As far as weight loss goes... I'm really fortunate. I naturally vacillate between 120 and 130. There was a point in time, several years ago now, when I was around 145/150 -- but I stopped drinking soda and dropped to 130 pretty rapidly.

It helps that I typically stick to smaller meals. What helps in figuring out an appropriate meal size: your stomach -- the organ itself -- is about the size of your fist when it's empty. It's built to stretch, but that doesn't mean you should shovel food into your mouth. A good amount of food will probably look approximately equal to two of your own fists. If you can make one meal out of your day look equal to one fist, that's probably even better. (One bowl of cereal, for example, using the serving suggestion listed on the label.)

Well giving up soda was very difficult. I had like 2-3 cans a day! The first month, I was literally counting the hours I had given it up for. I think the bigger number helped me feel better. I counted til about mid march, and now I just mark 25 day anniversaries in my phone to remind me how long its been. I usually reach for water first. If I find I need something to satisfy a coke craving [which isn't often anymore], I grab a glass of kool-aid and dilute it down with water. Or some sweet tea that has also been diluted.

The chocolate however, wasnt so bad. The only thing I regret about it is chocolate milk. I have a hard time drinking milk without flavoring in it. So because of giving chocolate up, I know my milk consumption has gone down. I'm trying to force myself to like strawberry powder, but I still cant stomach it. Soymilk blends dont do it for me either. I heart calcium fortified OJ but I cant really find the 1/2 sugar blend I drink when I'm away at school. Also, I did make an exception for chocolate. I'm allowed chocolate for my wedding. White cakes are a let down, chocolate is boss cool

Well my highest weight was 183. I looked soooo bloated, and I was super lethargic. I'm now sitting at 166-167. For my height a good range to be at is 140-160 [which I know is a huge range, but I'm glad it is, lol]. I dont really want to touch the bottom of that range to be honest. I kind of want to hang around 155. I love my curves, and I know that getting to 140 will be too difficult. I've got bulky [muscular] legs and I like them. I dont want to give them up. Muscles burn more calories anyway.

My plateau was super frustrating. I noticed the shape of my body was changing, but I wasnt losing weight. I was glad I was tightening up, but I still wanted to see the numbers go down on the scale, since I'm most concerned with getting out of the 'overweight' class on the BMI scale. I know my muscular legs have something to do with this though, haha.

As for meals, I started to wait every 4 hours before I thought about opening the fridge for food. I used to eat a lot when I was bored. This is a habit I've been working on. Now I'm just waiting for my stomach to tell me that I'm hungry, which I know is better. I dont agree with people programming themselves to eat every set amount of hours. I think this leads to our obesity epidemic in a way, so I'm glad I'm out of that habit. [Even though I kept my meals light and under 350 calories].

I calorie counted for a good two months. It SUCKED. I generally measure by eye now, and I keep a mental note of what I'm eating. Its easier and I have more calories for FOOD instead of BEVERAGES now that I've given up cokes. I figure I'm good give or take a couple hundred calories a day. I dont want to be super strict with myself because I know I wont stick with it.

Also with weights, try household items, or try buying one of the 15 pound weights and doing one arm at a time! Maybe try push ups instead! I hate them, but my arms are in WAY better shape now that I've been doing them for a good month.

If there's one thing I learned, there are a lot of people who buy exercise equipment and cant stick with it, so try garage sales. I go garage sale shopping almost every weekend, and at about 60% of the sales, there is workout equipment there. : )

Also with what corn said, discount stores are good too, dollar stores may have them. I know Ross stores have them as well. : )

This is a lot of text, sorry.

@ Corn, I dont find myself craving them anymore. Maybe once a month. I thought about drinking one again to see if I could stand the sweetness, but neh. I dont want to.