Hi!

[korsfarer]

I guess I should have introduced myself before I jumped in with my problems thread.
Anyways, I'm 20, and finishing up a degree in America (I'm from Europe originally) and I found that coming here, the changes in diet have been terrible on my body! When I came here I was around 115 pounds. While I don't consider myself overweight now, I've put on 35 pounds total since I've been here.
I'm going back home soon, and decided to get back into shape, so I stopped eating at the college cafeteria (I have my own flat now, so I can cook when I want and what I want). I'm a vegetarian so my diet isn't terrible...I don't eat chips or do soda or anything. I do have a thing for sweets though especially chocolates! I definitely need help kicking the sweets!

But, no matter what, I can't drop this weight! I know it can't be instant, but I'd like it a little sooner! I came across this site, and decided to give DDR (well, stepmania) a go. I love it, (Neighbors downstiars don't, but, oh well), but I'm still not losing weight. I see all of these people posting that they've lost weight! I guess I can't know for sure because I don't have a scales in my flat (I only weigh myself when I visit friends houses that have scales! So I don't know for sure how much weight I've put on)

Here's what I think is going on. I don't sleep at night....I mean, I do, but not as much as I'm told I should. I usually get between 2 and 5 hours a night, and that seems to be enough for my body. I wake up automatically after that. Can this be the truth? I know sleep is good for you.

The only other question I have is: is juice really that good for you? I read some places that juice is good for you, others that water is best. I'm confused!

[StarDrifter]

I'll try a couple, but this is coming from someone who has only lost 10 about pounds on a sort of makeshift diet.

Sweets. Jello makes gelatins and puddings that are pretty light and easy to make. I miss the chocolate, too. Sugar-free jello has become one of my daily foods (10 calories/serving).

Juice is something people seem mindful of because of sugars. I still have about 6 ounces of light juice (half calorie/half fat) with lunch every day. I'd have a hard time calling it good or bad. It would seem more like looking at the pros and cons to decide if or how it should be part of your diet.

[korsfarer]

We don't do Jello in my flat (roommate eats Kosher, so appernatly it's not on the plan and I just never liked it) but pudding is definitely a go! I didn't even think about it!

[abrannan]

Just because you are eating vegetarian doesn't mean you're eating healthy. Sugar is not a meat, butter is not a meat, etc. You still have to watch the amounts of fats and sugars you're putting into your body. Take a couple of days and log everything you're eating, and find the proper calorie counts for those foods, so you can get a real picture of what and how you're eating.

2-5 hours of sleep a night is not enough. Your body needs more time than that to fully recover from the day's activities. You might check in with a doctor about this, as there may be something going on that is upsetting your normal sleep patterns.

[korsfarer]

These are my normal sleep patterns and have been since I was a very young child. Same as my mothers.

[Jsn]

Jello isn't a vegetarian product, it contains gelatin.

Some juice is pretty bad... While it'll have vitamins that soda doesn't, it can often have as much and in some cases even more sugar. I drink Diet V8 Splash, which for 2 quarts you get only 80 calories and 16 grams of sugar, which is pretty good. So don't assume ALL juice is good for you... Look at the labels.

Sleep still is a pretty big mystery to science, actually. Its true purpose and complete function still isn't really understood, but it is a rejuvenating phase and it is possible you're not getting enough. Perhaps you should try sleeping for eight hours a day for a week and see how you feel at the end of it. Keep a journal on it so you keep yourself on task.