Advice I offered a friend who is struggling. I tailored it originally for her but have tried to tweak it here to fit everyone. I hope it helps.
FOOD:
1. You have to get rid of all unnecessary simple carbs (bread, pasta, goodies) from your house. Talk to your significant other about this. If he/she needs them in the house perhaps he/she can hide them or somehow put them where they can't be seen or found by you. He/She needs to help you with this and be a good partner. As you start losing weight and get your mental strength, having some of that around won't bother you as much. But keep the amount of temptations around you down to a minimum.
2. You have to get into a routine of eating the same foods every day. I know some like to argue with me about this but if you do that you will get into the mind set of "food is fuel" rather than always eating for pleasure and taste which leads you to lean towards food for comfort when you're bored, stressed, lonely or just need to unwind. It is important to realize that if you aren't going to hit the gym 5 times a week, you are going to need to compensate by how you think about and use food. It's good to do this even if you are working out. But we can talk about that later.
3. You HAVE to keep a food journal. And you HAVE to write everything down in it. What you eat, what you drink, what you weigh. EVERY DAY.
4. You need to time your meals. Space them out at least 4 hours but ideally 5 hours apart. Never sooner. If you get to where you're starving, drink water. Water helps curb the appetite.
5. Plan your meals (especially the caloric intake). Make sure they are as close to 1:1 (Protein:Carb) as possible -- even more on the protein side if possible. Plan on no more than 300 calories for 3 meals a day and if you need one snack no more than 150 calories for that. Eat just enough to satiate your hunger never until you are completely filled up. And never eat more than 4-6 ounces. Give yourself 30-45 minutes to eat. Don't eat more than your portion. When the time is up or you've eaten your portion, you're done.
6. Get your sleep in EVERY night. That's important. The best weight loss comes from when you're getting proper rest.
7. Drink your water (and nothing BUT water). But not only that, space it out. Between breakfast and lunch you need to drink at least 22 ounces. Between lunch and dinner you need to drink at least 22 ounces. Between dinner and bed you need to drink at least 22 ounces. Get water bottles that show the ounces on the side so you can track. Write what you drink down in your food journal. Remember not to drink more than 8 ounces at any one time. For example if you drink at 10am, no more than 8 ounces. You can drink more a few minutes later.
8. Make sure you move for an hour every day. That can be three times where you're walking around a store for 20 minutes or 30 minutes around a store and 30 minutes on a treadmill or an hour around the park. Just move every day. It doesn't have to be formal exercise but you have to get out and move. Walk to the store. Ride your bike to the store. Whatever. Just move and get out of the house to do it as much as possible.
Your new MOTTO: Whenever you need to do something but your brain says "I don't want to right now I'll do it later" that is a red flag and you need to immediately get up and do it.
If you mess up by say, eating a sweet, don't despair. Write it down in your journal and do something to compensate like go out for a little walk. Then promise yourself you will do better tomorrow.
WEIGHING
Weigh yourself every single day. I don't normally say this and still don't think it's a good idea for anyone at the beginning or middle of the journey but you are so close to your goal weight that you should really be doing this. Every day. Same time, ideally naked so you're wearing the exact same thing every time.
Write down what you weigh in your food journal every day along with the time you weighed (just in case you deviate).
Don't get discouraged if you don't lose fast or as consistently as you want. It NEVER happens that way. If you have 40 lbs you want to lose, you will lose the weight. But plan on it taking you 6 months to lose it all. Let's say by Thanksgiving. It will probably happen faster but plan on it taking at least that amount of time. Remember: The last will be a lot slower than the first bit. And don't worry about how much time it takes because you are in this for LIFE. Remember that as well.
SNACKS
Try cottage cheese, Kroger's Carb Master yogurt, mozarrella cheese sticks or something like that where there is a lot of protein and the calories are low (under 150). There will be days at first (especially the first week) where you'll be craving sweets and carbs like nothing else. Each time you successfully beat the cravings, the next craving won't be as bad.
Don't be afraid to add another low calorie snack if you absolutely have to but the second one needs to be as under 100 calories. And no, low fat cookies are not good snacks even if the calories are low -- you need to have protein in your snacks.
EXERCISE
If you are working out at the gym or anything that is more than just walking around a store, remember that within 30 minutes of your workout, you need to eat protein. The more protein the better. Stay within your portion size. EAS protein shakes (the small size) are great for this. So are the Premier Nutrition protein bars (both you can buy at Sam's Club or Costco). Both of these count as meals so plan accordingly.
SUGGESTION
I know we had a discussion about protein shakes in the past. And for someone just out from WLS, I would never suggest this. But to help with your cravings, EAS shakes (Sam's Club, Costco) are good to use for a meal here and there (they are only 170 calories for the small ones -- don't get the big ones). Use them as a meal, not a snack. They are high in protein, low in carbs, and the chocolate flavor will totally help with your cravings. Just don't use them too often (no more than say 1 time a day and no more than 3-4 times a week).
