I have started my workout regimen as of this week.

Monday I went swimming.
Tuesday I did ½ hour cardio and then finished it off with a whole lot of weight training.
Wednesday I did Pilates.
Today I will be hitting the cardio and weights again.

I am proud of myself for maintaining my desire to workout. But the issue I have is the eating part. I am going through some rocky times and turn to food for comfort. Emotionally I am not prepared to wean off and I love food which only adds to the problem.

What am I to do? I need some advice, inspiration, etc. I used to be very thin. I am tall and carry my weight well so I only need to loose around 30lbs. But for me the food limit is too small, I love my food and work in Food and Beverage which means I am around amazing foods all day long.

I need some guidance, recipes, food choices, etc. Please help!

Well, you could always do more exercise

I actually have the same problem! I can stick to workouts but I am the biggest munchie face on the planet!

I just read an article on MSN.com about women who turned to religion to help them stop using food to complete them. By turning to a higher being, whichever religion they chose, they learned to treat their bodies with respect and to pray/meditate/read the Bible when they felt lonely/scared/emotional.

I understand that this may not appeal to everyone, but through meditation and counseling (of any kind) we can learn to use food for fuel, not a security blanket.

Thanks. I am a spiritual person and sadly do not turn to my religion as much as I should/could due to the distance between myself and my temple. But I will give this a try!

Thanks so much, it is nice to know that there are others out there like me!

You can also look into online support groups if you can't get to your temple in your biggest times of need. I'm sure there are plenty out there. Or turn to the written word of your religion when you are sad or scared. It's amazing how reading can help.

Best of luck!

hi i love to eat too. i love food. the plan that worked for me is to eat 4-5 small meals a day. you should never let yourself get hungry. i constantly add calories in my head before ever putting them in my mouth so if it's too much for one meal then i can regroup. i've lost 38lbs. last i weighed. i try not to depend on scales i just listen to my body. i weigh about once a month. the only exercise i did for the first 4 months was basically cardio. i walked my butt off. i set my treadmill on a small incline and walk at about 3.8 to 4.0 mph. i had to work up to that. i walk 35-60 everyday. i tried to keep the exercise simple and focus more on controlling the urge to eat all the time. i felt when i walked that i got a extreme total sweat all over which is were i needed to loose weigh (all over). i hope that you can find your peace and keep strong. you can do this. i was always so small growing up. i remember being so excited when i could fit into a size zero now i'm on the other end of the spectrum with too much weight and it's a struggle. you can do this. do it for yourself. take care lori

AS this week past.. i did go through some stressful times.. My husband being supportive of this weight loss challenge..didnt mind when i left to go for a walk.. he knew i wasnt stressed about him or homelife.. just LIFE in general.. walking kept me out of the kitchen.. and i stayed in my food goal for the day... in the end.. i worked 3 lbs off this week.. I also go to CELEBRATE RECOVERY.. which is a program for anyone with any kind of addiction.. i get great support there... i collect my day 90 chip.. next monday.. for my food/emotional eating!... Learn how you react to stress.. then you will catch yourself before you eat... I am a true believer of that .... if you learn about yourself.. weight loss is easier.... not easy.. just easier....

I am totally in the same boat. I do great with my exercising but food is the killer for me. Like you I am looking to lose 30 lbs. The only thing I have found helpful is chewing gum. I have tried having fresh veggies available all the time but that only seemed to work for about 1 month then I became tired of eating them all the time (and I was still addicted to the snacking aspect). Good Luck....I hope we will get somemore tricks of the trade.....
Congrats on the outstanding workout routine!

i struggle wtih this alot. growing up, food covered everything. feel sad? have a brownie. skin your knee? have some ice cream. bored? let's make cookies. got an a? let's go get a sundae to celebrate. EVERY emotion was adressed with food - and not good food. didn't help that my grandmother could have put most pastry chefs to shame!

i have a bracelet that i ordered online - it says 'that won't taste as good as thin is going to feel' sometimes that helps me - sometimes i ignore it and eat anyways. but at least sometimes i do better!

i have also heard that meditation works well - that once you are used to meditating on a regular basis it's easier to slip into that calm mode. i really do need to start that this weekend.

There are a lot of low fat, sugar free foods out there, I love the turkey hill low fat no sugar moose track ice cream. It is so delishious and it feels like you are cheating, but with 130 cal. for 1/2 cup you might be able to fit it in and would give you something to look forward too? Also sugar free yello with fat free cool whip or low fat sugar free pudding will help me when I need something choclaty.
Another thing that helps me is to come here and read the posts, they make me smile, give me hope and insparation and there are some awesome recepies on here too. Only you can break that cycle of emotional eating, keep things handy to munch on ( lean protein, whole wheat, fruits and veggies) and take it one day at a time.
I wish you success

I've definitely slacked off in my praying more than anything. It has to be taken into consideration. Good luck with your battle.