But you know, there were those 40'weeks when I couldn't have wine. 40 WEEKS! So glad that is over.

From one wine drinker to another; fuck me man!

Don't count calories. Never been on a diet. I eat almost everything, Dairy, red meat, chicken, fish, bread, fruits, vegetables, rich sauce, gravy, butter, etc... I also drink coffee, wine and beer.

 

I do not eat (or drink): sodas, cookies, cakes, donuts, poptarts, candy bars, sugary cereals,  chips, hot dogs, fries (or very rarely) and a few more things of the same type. I see no use for them. The portions I eat are also proportionate to my height and size. I don't need a mountain of food on my plate.

Yet another reason you are my hero.

And yes, that song is now stuck in my head.  Da*n you !

Only way for me to be successful is to log everything I eat.  I've never had any friends on MFP but I can see where it might be motivating.  Maybe it will stop me from eating certain things because my online friends would say "you had WHAT for dinner?"

I lost over 40 pounds on WW last year and I did it on the new plan, but I had also lost weight on the old WW plan prior to that years before. I'd say I like the newer plan better because I could eat more and not feel as bad. Plus, this alst time, I really upped my activity (this was also when I started running) and realy felt freedom in my choices for food. Even so, I bought healthy foods in bulk and cooked on weekends so that I had healthy choices all week long. I even bought a chest freezer so I could prep in bulk and save it for when I was sick or unmotivated or busy.

Whether you use the old WW or the new, what was great about it was it changes my relationship with food. Food was no longer a comfort, it was a value. I was seeing it as a number and I could easily say no to foods I knew weren't good for me becasue they had higher points. If I didn't have WW to guide me, I would've said, "Oh, but it tastes so good!!"

I've been off the program for several months and have managed to keep the weight down still using that same mentality. I definitely could stand to lose some more weight (maybe 10 pounds or so) but I am well within the normal BMI range for my height and weight, so I'm not concerned at this moment.

My weakness is not in sweets. In fact, I opt out of desserts or baked goods 90% of the time. Its cheesy, crunchy, salty I can't live without. I WILL eat and entire bag of salt and vinegar chips if you let me. You have to pry that damn thing out of my greasy hands. But DAMN, theya are so good.

I eat nothing....and I'm still overweight. Damn metabolism is just so slow despite running many miles per week!

I really started thinking about sweets in terms of addiction, in a very literal sense.  Concentrated sweets provide such an intense pleasure response that your brain compensates, resets to a new level of what's "normal".  Now, in order to get any real pleasure response you have to eat concentrated sweets.

Not long after I quit pounding soda and shovelling cookies and candy on a daily basis, I noticed a big change in how other foods tasted.  Things like cooked carrots and beets started to taste sweet enough to have for dessert.

 

Also, what qualifies one as skinny-fat? 

Slender but flabby.  I've met people who attempt a marathon on no training, because since they are thin, they think they are automatically more fit than the chubbies they see running.

Crash and burn time shows them otherwise. 

I eat a variety of foods, 95% healthy.  Lean proteins and dairy, fruits, veggies, nuts, bread.  I drink water, coffee, beer, and wine.  I will have an occasional fast food burger, pizza, or dessert out.

+1 to beachrunner.  My big weakness is salt and vinegar (or jalapeno) chips too.  I can't stay away from them, so I try to just have a little and not sit down with the whole bag.  I've started using the my fitness pal site again to get these last few pesky pounds back off.  It's all about accountability for me.  If I track it, I'm much more likely to make better choices.

And Greg, I imagine you meant "over-race weight" and not "overweight".  Though you don't appear to be over race weight either....