View Full Version : Weight Loss Challenge?
fidgiegirl
2-24-13, 7:19pm
Would anyone be up for a group weight loss challenge, kind of like those ones where whole towns keep track of the total weight lost?
Kind of like the health thread, but up a notch.
Although the thought of it scares me a bit!! :D
rodeosweetheart
2-24-13, 8:17pm
Would anyone be up for a group weight loss challenge, kind of like those ones where whole towns keep track of the total weight lost?
Kind of like the health thread, but up a notch.
Although the thought of it scares me a bit!! :D
I'd be up for it! How often would we check in?
I will join. What do I have to do?
I'm in! I need to lose at least 10 lbs., would be happier with 15 and ecstatic if I lost 20.
fidgiegirl
2-24-13, 11:38pm
I'd be up for it! How often would we check in?
Well, I'm a big fan of people doing what works for them; for me, it would likely need to be a daily check in to keep good behaviors at top of mind. I envision it somewhat like the frugals thread where some people benefit just as much by reading as by posting, and some people post more than others and in more detail or less. Know what I mean?
Maybe we should weigh in once a week? Not necessarily our actual weight if that's too personal to report, but the change from week to week? Like the first week we could report that we have weighed and either share or not share the number. And then the next week we can share the difference for that week as well as total lost in the subsequent weeks. Sound good?
My goal weight is about 25 lb. less than what I currently weigh. That number has been hanging out there, unattained, for about the last four years. That would put me at a BMI of 24, the upper edge of the healthy range. However, I also know that I can start to feel better and stronger without even losing weight, but if I start to run about 3x/wk. I will slim down in the middle and my back pain will be reduced. That's why a crew of of co-losers would be so helpful for me - so that when I start to let the numbers get to my head, and thus make me give up what I am doing well - I don't throw in the towel. Silly! Self-defeating! I know those things, but that's happened in the past.
Some easy first steps: Focusing on adding in a salad has helped with portion control at dinner. We can take longer dog walks. And I have a phone coach I plan to call through my health insurance and I plan to work toward some weight loss items. We have to do a health activity anyway to get the lower copay next year, so I might as well actually derive benefit from it . . . However, I am nervous that this person will only have generic advice that has not worked for me in the past due to the gluten sensitivity. Am trying not to let my food anxieties get the better of me in approaching the coaching.
How about others? Where are you at?
I'm in! I'm about 10 days in to Atkins induction, and down 2kgs from where I was when I started, but I easily need to lose 5-10kgs more.
My main challenges at the moment are sticking to the very low carb Atkins approach, which means no refined grains, sweets or fruit. I cut up some apples for my kids this weekend and it was really a challenge not to eat a piece! I have told them if they want snacks/dessert, they need to ask their dad because MOMMY CAN'T TOUCH THE CHOCOLATE! I did do one bad cheat this weekend. There was about a tablespoon of maple syrup left in the dish I put it in after they had their pancakes yesterday. I ate it. It was SOOOOOO GOOOOD! But overpoweringly sweet and then I had a serious crash after lunch that I think was due to that, so good evidence that I can't indulge in that kind of stuff.
I'm loving my veggies, though! Made roasted eggplant on Saturday, which was delicious and a huge hit with DH/DS, as was the mashed cauliflower and leeks, and then had my tacos in lettuce leaves last night. DH liked it that way, too.
Next week is goign to be hard as I am going to be at a conference in Taiwan with lots of banquety type meals. I'll just have to focus on portion control and eat as much veggies and seafood as I can.
Interesting side effect of all of this is that I have not been gassy AT ALL since I started induction, even with eating lots of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. I think I may have a gluten intolerance. I had HORRIBLE gas and stomach pains a couple of times while I was visiting the inlaws, which seemed to come after eating dumplings (made with wheat flour). Hmmm. Will be interesting to see what happens if/when I try reintroducing wheat in small amounts.
This is a good time of year to get started on the healthy journey....again.
I want to get fit again. Have been very lazy since the accident. I'd like to start walking daily and get back into some weight training. My 15 year old may be my good motivation partner on this.
My lake kayak season is just around the corner!
I know I need to get off the diet coke again (talk about an addiction).
I also need to take time to pack a salad for lunch every day that I work. It's too easy to run out and grab something or worse not eat anything and then crash and overeat when I get home.
I am also focusing on health and being fit. I have a lot of weight to lose and sometimes, when I think about it, it's overwhelming. But I can work on taking a walk today, drinking that next glass of water and not eating ice cream for today. :)
I refuse to do anything unnatural or quick fix. I am really finding out what foods appeal to me and how to cook them in a healthy way. I am also trying to figure out how to be mroe active- increase a little each day/week/month, until it becomes natural.
rodeosweetheart
2-25-13, 4:32pm
I am so not up for an actual weight. But will share how much (or if) I have lost. Do you think a weekly weigh in the best, or twice a week, Fiji, since you are thinking you would be best motivated with daily? How about a twice a week weigh in compromise--like Thursday/Monday or something? Or Friday Tuesday? Or just once a week, if that is best for the group.
And I need to lose 53 pounds. There. I said it. Aghgghghgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Steroids for asthma have devastated my glucose levels and when I have to take prednisone, they are soaring off the chart. In order to avoid diabetes, I have to lose weight.
fidgiegirl
2-25-13, 8:36pm
Welcome aboard, everyone!!! I am excited to embark on this with people I "know" and trust versus some of the tracking sites like MyFitnessPal or SparkPeople.
Do you think a weekly weigh in the best, or twice a week, Fiji, since you are thinking you would be best motivated with daily? How about a twice a week weigh in compromise--like Thursday/Monday or something? Or Friday Tuesday? Or just once a week, if that is best for the group.
And I need to lose 53 pounds. There. I said it. Aghgghghgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go, rodeo! You said it! Awesome.
I think I was confusing with my first post. I would like us to weigh in weekly, but I know that I should post about habits and the little steps daily. Make more sense? Weekly is easy to remember for most people, and doesn't give too much time to veer off track if bad habits are starting to take hold. Shall we say every Monday, since today is Monday? Grab a baseline weight in the next few days here if that is going to be your thing . . . even if you are not weighing in you'd be welcome to participate in the way that benefits you most.
I have my base weight. Luckily, it is 3 lbs. less than what I thought I was at, so that puts me at needing to lose 22. If only it were that easy from here on out! :D
Today I had a yogurt and pineapple for breakfast, an almond milk chai for morning drink, a salad with hard boiled egg and walnuts/rice crackers/hummus/apple for lunch, an afternoon tea made with water, a few more of the crackers as an afternoon snack, and now we are going to have BBQ beef sandwich and some fries for dinner - not particularly the healthiest. I went on the elliptical for 30 min. at the gym. We'll walk the dogs later.
Today was all bets were off because it was the first day I have been off work, as in home and no job, in 20 years. Yes- I celebrate with a small white hot chocolate and a nice muffin. There..sue me. : ) Will get back on track tomorrow. :)
fidgiegirl
2-25-13, 10:45pm
No suing allowed, MamaM. ;)
My hope is that this can be a safe thread full of support and inspiration, like so many of our other threads are here on the boards.
Hope you enjoyed your day off!
Was on the fence yesterday, but decided this morning (after weighing myself!) that I will join all of you. I've got 9 pounds to lose.
I need to stop eating ice cream, gelato, or sorbet every day. Once or twice a week is okay. Every single day is *not* okay. :|(
Monday: lots of rain, busy day, no exercise.
Hope I do better today - goals: short walk, 5 minutes with the weights with my son, drink water and make some better food choices.
rodeosweetheart
2-26-13, 11:51am
Okay, I'm officially in. I weighed myself, and gulp, it is actually worse than I thought and I need to lose 66 pounds. I have no idea how I will do this--I have a very sedentary desk job and have been thinking of getting a desk treadmill. I did Jenny Craig a couple of years ago and it was ridiculously expensive, and the food seemed unheallthy. Of course, that was 21 pounds ago, and being this fat is a lot unhealthier than eating some bad food for a few months.
I know that the steroids and the steroid inhaler has something to do with this weight gain, but there is nothing I can do about that now.
Man, I am depressed.
Okay--official weigh in Week 1-- 66 pounds to go.:(
Ok. So I weighed myself and to be comfortable, I need to lose between 65-75 lbs. I am trying not to focus on a number but overall health.
rodeosweetheart
2-26-13, 3:08pm
Ok. So I weighed myself and to be comfortable, I need to lose between 65-75 lbs. I am trying not to focus on a number but overall health.
Me, too, MamaM--I want to be healthy, and I do not want to develop diabetes, and I need to do this now.
And thanks for posting a number that is near my number--I feel I am in good company. We can support each other.
Hi, All.
I actually started on Feb. 15th. Again. I have been off and on a primal type of diet for almost a year; off gluten and dairy for almost 2 years. On January 7th, I started three weeks of eating a particular way. I lost three pounds but then had three weeks of ridiculous eating and gained some back. This is the same five pounds that I've taken off and re-gained several times in the last year. Anyway, I am using my pre-January weight to say that I want to lose 17 pounds before a June wedding. I usually don't like to use dates like this but it seems okay for some reason right now.
So I have added yoga and pilates, and this week started back running (which means, to be brutally honest, one minute jog to two minute walk on the treadmill for 25-30 minutes, and I found THAT hard). I signed up for a 5K in May, which I do every year but every year getting back into running is HARD. I don't know why I stop.
So far I am down that blasted five pounds, almost. I need to stop obsessing about the weight though and focus on feeling better in my clothes and stronger as I continue to work out.
I am glad you guys are here. I have been hanging out with some folks in another forum and I think they might (through no fault of theirs) feed my obsessive side.
Leslie
rodeosweetheart
2-26-13, 3:26pm
Leslie, when I used to be gluten free I was much thinner. Did you find going gluten free made you lose weight?
Physiology is a formidable force. If your body wants to maintain a certain weight, it has all kinds of tricks--like an appetite for "ridiculous eating"*--to achieve its end. Learning to work with--instead of against--nature here is the key. I've spent all my adulthood figuring that out. Call me a slow learner.
*Insulin output
rodeosweetheart
2-26-13, 4:13pm
Jane, can you explain what you mean about insulin output and ridiculous eating? How can you reset your set point, if your body is seeking a certain set point? This sounds interesting!
This is a great thread and idea. I have been working for over 4 years to try to lose 5 pounds a year. After reaching a goal weight then regaining the lost weight plus 30 I decided that SLOW and steady is the way for me. 1st year i cut out after dinner eating. 2nd year reduced the white bread stuff. 3rd year...not sure or the 4th year, but I have lost 20 pounds and kept it off so now I want to try 10 for this year. I think I'll use my pedometer to up my walking, add weight training- again very slowly. My body seems to love holding on to weight, so if I can trick it with this slow loss, I'm happy. Main goal to get to the beginning ideal weight of 10 years ago- so 30 more pounds...6 years...maybe 3 if I push it. So by age 70 I'll be the same weight I was at 50 :-)
Jane, can you explain what you mean about insulin output and ridiculous eating? How can you reset your set point, if your body is seeking a certain set point? This sounds interesting!
Insulin is known as the "hunger hormone." Its levels vary according to what you eat (starchy carbohydrates are notorious for raising them) and other external influences, like stress. So there really is "emotional eating" but it's not exactly as usually described. There's a school of thought that says it's nearly impossible to reset your set point, if I remember a long-ago book correctly (Dieter's Dilemma?). I'd rather not believe that, but my stubborn, sturdy body makes me wonder.
This great little book summarizes a lot of the science on weightloss/hormonal effects on weight and has a good discussion of the set point concept.
http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/
The recommended diet (basically lean meat, non-starchy vegetables, high-fiber fruits, and low or no fat greek yogurt) is pretty doable and the recommended exercise program (which focuses on eccentric weight routines and, if desired, high-intensity interval training) is very simple. Might be a good place to start for those who are confused or struggling with what changes to implement.
lhamo
fidgiegirl
2-26-13, 7:20pm
There is a great video on that site that explains what to eat to lose weight. I am feeling clearer on what to focus on.
Today:
Breakfast: quinoa flakes with nuts and a dollop of jam
An herbal tea and a green tea
Lunch: Chicken wild rice soup (homemade)
Dinner: Salad and Beef chili
I have some sweet potatoes roasting in the oven for breakfasts. That's Rosemary's inspiration at work there. :)
Would like to do some more reading on SANE foods (discussed in the video at lhamo's link).
Thanks, Kelli. I've gone to eating savory, vegetable-based breakfasts almost every day. Usually I have 1/2 avocado on mine and DD has some cheese grated on hers. This week it's been steamed potatoes, kale, and mushrooms. Last week, black beans and sweet potato, and quinoa on other days (DD likes it with butter and salt; I mix it with veggies or stir a little into some leftover soup). In-between we'll eat random soup or dinner leftovers for breakfast, too. These breakfasts keep me feeling full and happy for a long time - and I also like knowing that I've had 1-2 servings of vegetables already.
I have a few pounds to lose but I am confident they'll come off in a couple of months when I am again working in the garden. In winter I just try not to gain more than 5# from my summer weight. When I get to that 5# mark I know I have to pay more attention. So I won't officially join the challenge but I'll be reading along!
I envy you guys being able to eat breakfasts like that. I still have to have breakfast-y food which right now is a smoothie and a scrambled egg. My smoothie does have 2 big handfuls of kale, but it is well-hidden all whirled up with almond milk and fruit.
My biggest challenges are going to be snacking and portion sizes. We have a place at work where people dump stuff off for everyone to snack on - candy, junk food, and leftover food from seminars (often pizza). It's WAY too much temptation! Also, I get hungry right before bed - just when I don't need to be eating. I eat too much at meals, too. I seem to think that since my meals are healthy, more is better and stuff myself. Well, things like nuts and roasted sweet potatoes may be healthy, but the calories add up if I eat too much. Also, I'll eat too much at lunch if I know I'm going to be really busy later so "I won't get hungry." I need to let myself get hungry and burn that fat!
I've been debating how to report my (hoped) weight loss. For it to work for me (not necessarily other people), I think I really need to see my weight posted here and "own" it so here goes:
Starting weight as of Monday: 150 lbs even.
I'm 5'5" and would like to get down to 135 at least. I've been at this weight, +/- 5 lbs, for at least 15 years. It does NOT want to come off, let me tell you! I've made a lot of positive changes to my diet over the last few months and feel so much better. My blood work numbers were great at my last checkup. Now I need to do some tweaks to lose the weight. I'm tired of being a frumpy, middle-aged woman. I can't do anything about my age, but I can work on the frump. :)
Ah Sparrow..the Frump part, I get it! Somehow my head thinks I'm am still not so chubby, but photos reveal a very round woman. It is great to be healthy, though. Just round.
re: changing a way of eating, whether for a meal (e.g. breakfast) or at a larger scale--- it always seems like it will be harder than it actually turns out to be, for me. Thinking about it (especially while eating whatever it is that I'm hung up on) makes it seem pretty close to impossible. But when I make up my mind to just do it, it turns out to be pretty easy. And eventually it becomes habit, like our savory breakfasts.
re: long-term weight "frumpiness" - I weighed pretty close to the same from the time I was about 12 years old until about 5 years ago, always about 15 pounds more than what I now consider my ideal weight (which is 125 lb at 5'6", and I'm in my early 40s, so that's a lot of years). I dropped it for a period of a couple of years in my 20s when I was jogging about 15 miles/week, but it came back with a vengeance when I stopped. It was a *lot* easier for me to lose those pounds by changing the way I eat - focusing on maximizing vegetables and fruits (low-calorie, high-nutrient) and reducing serving sizes of higher-calorie foods by eating more veggies alongside meals. I also never eat after dinner and now prefer the feeling of having an empty stomach at bedtime. I have a mug of chamomile tea a couple of hours after dinner.
The benefits that I personally notice from exercise are reduced appetite (immediately after) and stronger, more defined muscles - but not particularly weight loss.
My husband eats veggies for breakfast a lot.
I can do that if there is egg and cheese involved but rarely take time to make an early morning breakfast. When I do (5:30 a.m.) it seems I just want to continue eatting all day.
Tuesday was another fail of sorts. I did get some walking in but the family took me out for dinner to celebrate my birthday (actually today but yesterday was the day we were all together).
Wednesdays goal: another walk, better eatting and water, weights.
I'm also 5'5". Weighed 112 for most of the years that I was a runner and avid tennis player. I don't ever expect to see that weight again, not that I own a scale - I really would rather go by feeling like I'm at the right weight than to be hung up on a number.
I'm off to read the link posted, I need some inspiring info!
Today was interesting. I had a work event with lunch (pizza and salad). I was going to TRY to be virtuous and just eat salad. but I caved and ate two slices of pizza. And then a piece of the cake that came out because it was someone's birthday. It was GOOD! But I definitely felt wierd after. Thankfully we were busy with work tasks and I was concentrating on that and didn't get too spacey or cravey. I did fine at dinner with just veggies and protein. Even ate a smaller portion than I have been lately because I felt full -- surprising, because I was prepared to be on the blood sugar roller coaster after the pizza and cake. And then I didn't really feel that tempted to eat anything after dinner. Hmmm. Not sure how to read all this. Oh, no noticable gastro issues after the pizza, either, so maybe I don't have a gluten issue. Well. It is just one day of a blip in the overall plan, and I don't feel too out of whack. I'll see what the scale says tomorrow.
Been hard to exercise this week because of work and family stuff, and won't make it to the gym tomorrow, either. I'll try to do some walking between getting off work and going to the meeting we have in the evening.
lhamo
fidgiegirl
2-27-13, 9:33am
I too would like to get to the gym today but there won't be a chance. I'll do some ab exercises tonight on the mat in the living room. Even 10 minutes makes a difference. I doubt I've lost any weight in 2 days, but am feeling tighter through the middle, most likely a residual effect from the elliptical time the other night, and I'll take it! It's encouraging and keeps me going! :)
No worries about the "fails," - I put them in quotes because I don't think they are - just get back on the horse. I say it as much for me as for you, so when it's my turn, hopefully I'm starting to internalize. It's pretty amazing how much health work I've been willing to throw out the window in the past with a poorly timed bad choice and the resulting emotional turmoil around it.
Yesterday's challenge: sea salt caramel gelato.
Yes.
Three portions worth.
The first two portions were definitely worth the calories. :D
Working towards a "clean" eating day today!!!
Yesterday's challenge: sea salt caramel gelato.
Yes.
Three portions worth.
The first two portions were definitely worth the calories. :D
Working towards a "clean" eating day today!!!
Oooohhhh....
Your gelato tops my pizza in the irresistable category!
Hope you find, as I did, that it doesn't affect the scale. Yay! Still at 69. Which is a good place to start March, so I'm happy.
lhamo
fidgiegirl
2-27-13, 10:33pm
Breakfast: sweet potato with cinnamon. Didn't hold me; was hungry within an hour. Need to add something else. It was good though.
Two herbal teas.
Lunch: chicken wild rice soup, banana.
Dinner: big salad with chicken, hard boiled egg, and other goodness. I led a 3 hour workshop from 4:00-7:00 and the coordinator of it is also GF and got us these beautiful salads for the dinner portion. Skipped the chips - which I love - "Dirty Chips" brand. Also did not have a pop and instead worked on my tea. Helped that I had about two minutes to scarf enough salad to just hold me over, and finished the rest at home just now.
I am pretty pleased with myself and my willpower for at least 2 days over sweets and junk.
Off for our dog walk! Hoping all had a healthy day!
Kelli, I like a sprinkling of chopped walnuts on my sweet potato. Or I have 1/2 avocado with it. DD sometimes has a piece of cheese with hers.
fidgiegirl
2-28-13, 11:43pm
Day 4 for me. I'm pretty pleased with all the stuff I've passed up eating, but I'm focusing on eating SANE foods (haven't been perfect, but the video made an impact on me - plus I need to learn more about it) so I can still feel full. DH made enchiladas for dinner and I think they had sour cream, but other than that, weren't too awful calorie-wise though they were admittedly far from SANE.
Breakfast: two egg omelet with mushrooms, olives, a bit of cheese. Bought spinach for my omelet for tomorrow. I do eat the yolks.
Lunch: chili, apple
Snack: almonds
Dinner: salad with feta & walnuts, enchiladas
Misc: 2 small squares of dark chocolate and 2 white teas. I have been putting sugar in but will start trying to wean off. They taste fine without - it's a habit I have only with this tea or with chai tea.
30 min on elliptical with more resistance this time. Broke a sweat. Good times!
Strangely, since this challenge has started - a whole four days ago, and even though I bet I haven't lost an ounce - two people have complimented me on losing weight. Funny. I'll take the encouragement . . .
Okay, I'm in, too. I was in denial as I don't believe in hopping on the scale all the time. Why is my stomach sticking out? - I'm just getting old. Maybe my abs are too weak. Um, no, it's cause I'm FAT. Okay, not really fat, but 15 lbs higher than I was at my ideal weight. So I need to lose minimum 10, ideally 15. I need to fix the problem before it becomes worse.
My problems are sugar, using gluten-free as an excuse, and not taking the time to cook proper food.
My downfall started when I switched to gluten free eating. I used to have rolled oats every day for breakfast and the gluten free oats were more time consuming to cook, so I started having a lot of cereal. Cereal is easy. And I used to make my own low fat low sugar cookies, but started just buying the gluten free ones, cause I didn't have time to cook from scratch. And I've been treating myself with dark chocolate, cause I can't have most chocolate bars anymore.
Anyhow, that's a lot of sugar that I don't need and than I used to eat. Of course I need to exercise as well, but for me it's the food that really needs to be changed, as it's not healthy either.
My plan is to reduce the amount of sugar snacks and cereal I eat and replace them with more protein snacks. I also need to eat more real food at breakfast. I like ethnic breakfast foods - corn tortillas and beans, noodle soup, rice and lentils. I need to actually make the time to pre-cook the beans and lentils so they are more available. Or at least buy more canned, which is better than sugar.
For this morning, instead of going for the cereal which is so easy, I'm cooking a pot of oats and will have oats with blueberries, a little bit of soy milk, probably flax, and probably eggs as well. I also like to split my meal over the day, as I do better with eating "real food" as my snacks.
Happy birthday Float On.
Ok.Just found this thread,I'm in.
We have an exercise challenge on one of the other boards.I actually started the day after Christmas.I'm 46.5yrs. old and 72.5" tall.The day after Christmas I weighted 285 lbs.That's a very shameful thing to have to admit,especially for this former special ops. soldier. I've been battling depression for 10 yrs.I eat a lot when I'm depressed.It's getting better as time passes.
Weighed in just now at 273 lbs.I only weigh once a week.Goal is somewhere between 200 and 220,depending on how much muscle I put on.Been mostly vegetarian since Christmas.Weights,walk,and eliptical 6 days a week.I juice and drink smoothies made with almond milk plus added soy powder.
rodeosweetheart
3-1-13, 12:26pm
Kestra, thanks for the gluten free update, that you actually gained weight going gluten free. Fidgie, have you gained or lost since going gf?
Here is a link to article one of my students selected for her article of the week to analyze:
http://www.mendeley.com/catalog/small-changes-nutrition-physical-activity-promote-weight-loss-maintenance-3-month-evidence-aspire-ra/
That study showed that the small changes group did better than the intensive life change group and the control group.
As you can see, I am still trying to decide on my method of weight loss--don't have a plan yet!
If you eat gluten-free and still eat baked goods, most of the substitute flours have a higher glycemic index and are lower in protein than wheat flour. Rice flour, tapioca, cornstarch is a common blend used to sub for wheat flour. And just as much butter and sugar can be packed into those as in regular baked goods.
Kestra and cx3, welcome aboard!
rodeo, I have held steady, but I think I was gaining a bit right before I posted this challenge. I was surprised by that - had expected to lose. Much like Kestra, a focus on protein, water content, and fiber, as well as trying to cut back on sugar, seems to be making a difference - we shall see after Monday's weigh-in. Luckily I already have the GF thing down and am pretty good at avoiding dairy, at least as milk and ice cream. So for my personal body, that's a good thing.
Going to try kale chips for the first time tonight! Off to make them!
rodeosweetheart
3-1-13, 8:46pm
Kestra and cx3, welcome aboard!
rodeo, I have held steady, but I think I was gaining a bit right before I posted this challenge. I was surprised by that - had expected to lose. Much like Kestra, a focus on protein, water content, and fiber, as well as trying to cut back on sugar, seems to be making a difference - we shall see after Monday's weigh-in. Luckily I already have the GF thing down and am pretty good at avoiding dairy, at least as milk and ice cream. So for my personal body, that's a good thing.
Going to try kale chips for the first time tonight! Off to make them!
That makes sense about holding steady, if you were to substitute other things, as Kestra said.
I read one diet book that said all you had to do was cut out all flour--ie.anything made with flour, including all the GF flours.
It made sense, and it would be easy to remember. . .
That makes sense about holding steady, if you were to substitute other things, as Kestra said.
I read one diet book that said all you had to do was cut out all flour--ie.anything made with flour, including all the GF flours.
It made sense, and it would be easy to remember. . .
I should clarify - I have only started paying this close attention since starting the challenge. I was indulging in all kinds of GF substitute products before. I had expected to lose bundles of weight when I first went off gluten 15 months ago, but it hasn't happened, and I believe all the substitute products are the reason why.
A lot of people do no grains. I have found I have fewer cravings for them after a few days of trying to cut them all out, though I have had some rice and some corn.
fidgiegirl
3-1-13, 11:41pm
Breakfast: two egg omelet with spinach and cheese
Morning tea: almond milk chai
Lunch: chili, rice crackers & hummus
Afternoon herbal tea
Dinner: Pork chop & kale chips. Yum! Oversalted & overgarlicked them, though. Will watch out next time. Small serving of frozen yogurt.
First day. Did quite well. No cookies, no chocolate. No boredom eating.
For lunch I did my new favorite pasta topping - fried chard and garlic with just sauce from a jar. But I made sure to use extra lentils. I always go light on the noodles.
For supper, taco salad - more beans and lots of veggies. Light on the chips. I decided to mix the processed refried beans with some plain black beans to dilute the sodium and such - that worked well. I don't always use the refried beans but I had an open can to use.
Two things I also thought about changing how I eat - reminded myself to eat slower, and I almost always have a piece of fruit with each meal. It's just habit. But there's no reason to eat the fruit right after supper. So I waited and had the fruit for my before bed snack.
Also went for a walk. Any day it's sunny and above -10C is good at this time of the year. I'm bad about not leaving my apartment so I did good by going outside.
Hi everyone! Happy Sunday to you!
Yesterday:
Breakfast: Two eggs omelet with spinach and cheese.
Lunch: Whole fat Greek yogurt with canteloupe. Salad with avocado and feta and a mustard dressing. Cherry juice/lemonade drink. I am trying not to have fruit juice (I type this as a glass of orange juice sits in front of me) but we had to get that lemonade used up.
Dinner: Out at Good Earth. Could be worse . . . tortilla chips with hummus (in lieu of bread basket), bean burger with cheese (no bread), and instead of chips subbed a serving of their gingered yams (heavenly). DH and I split the GF turtle bar for dessert. That did feel like a bad move, but I had been so disciplined all week, and it was a small amount. It was awesome.
We did water aerobics. Harder than it looks! DH came with. We had a good time and I hope we will both go again. I know I will.
I am already noticing a difference in the size of my waist. I should probably take measurements, because I wouldn't be surprised if the scaled hasn't moved at all tomorrow. That's ok, I already feel more confident just knowing I am taking steps to be healthier.
All of this is informing our garden planning for this summer!! I can't believe I went so long without eating any leafy greens!
I am quite interested in how each of you is deciding what to do to lose the weight. For me it must involve portion control then adding more vegetables. How am I doing with it? Ah, well, I still balk at vegetables mid day and should work on getting over that. It would add another layer and perhaps would be better than popcorn as a snack. Weight is stable...
Holding steady at 69kgs. But that isn't bad considering I stuffed myself at lunch yesterday -- spicy roasted fish, yummmmm....
I had two good workouts over the weekend and also did a lot of extra walking yesterday.
Off to a week of conference activities in a few minutes. Expecting it to be a bit challenging to limit the carbs, but I'll just do my best and try to work in a run or two (though I know that will be hard given the LOOOONG days we have at these events).
lhamo
Stay strong, lhamo . . . I find it hard at those events where someone else is in charge of my food. At one they had an option to designate food needs, but then it turned out that was only going to be available for lunch! So at this huge hotel complex I found myself driving to Subway and having them make me scrambled eggs in the microwave and missing the first part of the keynote because I had mistakenly assumed that if the organizers were going to ask about then, ahem, they would actually have food for those people. I ate delicious lunches, though . . .
nswef, I'd like to know that as well. I personally have been focusing on upping my veggies but not on eating less food overall - just different foods. I have been trying not to have grains or sweets, though I fell down a bit on the sweets point this weekend and did have some tortilla chips. We have been eating big fat salads every day. This is good because DH was expressing some desire to lose a bit of weight as well, but would never participate in anything like this thread.
Today:
Breakfast: Two fried eggs. Whole fat yogurt with fresh blackberries.
Lunch/snackies: Pistachios. Canteloupe. Bowl of Corn Chex with almond milk. Our meal timing got kind of off and we did a bit more snacking than I would have liked, rather than sitting down to a satisfying meal. For example I was ravenous and pulled out the Chex in an attempt to get my hunger squelched long enough to focus on making dinner. But if we'd made a satisfying lunch I wouldn't have had to have it. Oh well.
Dinner: Gluten Free Goddess's White Chicken Chili, (http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2012/01/gluten-free-chicken-chili-with-white.html) one of my faves. Big fat salad with olives and feta. Small amount of chocolate frozen yogurt.
I bought whole milk to make more yogurt and forgot I don't have any starter left! Grrr! Goes to show how important thorough planning is to keep up with an eating change. It's so easy to fall back on the old convenience meals and snacks . . .
Tomorrow we weigh . . . are people still in? Well, I guess we'll see tomorrow!! :)
Goes to show how important thorough planning is to keep up with an eating change. It's so easy to fall back on the old convenience meals and snacks . . .
This is a big one for me. I usually don't cook dried beans when DH is home as the apartment gets so beany-steamy. And he was away this weekend so I made sure to make a big pot of chickpeas and of red lentil dahl. I'm seriously going to take dahl for one of my work snacks, instead of the cookie snack. I had some today mid afternoon instead of a sugary snack.
I should have made one more legume. I tried to make split peas but I keep having trouble with them being too old and not mushing at all. You also just reminded me to buy more canned beans, so when I'm busy at least I have those available. Healthy back-up food is so important.
rodeosweetheart
3-4-13, 9:26am
Okay, Monday is here. I did not take any actions last week to start weight loss. Getting on scale traumatic enough. I got on scale again and still have 66 pounds to go.
I HATE getting on the scale. I am going to start doing that every day so it does not freak me out so much.
This week I am going to journal everything I eat and not eat anything made out of flour of any kind. I guess I will try the no-flour diet, whatever that one is called. I am going to do it this week, but I have some major allergy issues so I am also trying to write down what I react to. I did get my list out yesterday from my food intolerance test and I am going to try to eat around that, so I may shift strategies. It contains some foods I adore, like spinach, walnuts, watermelon--anyway, it is an extensive list, but not wheat. Still, I felt better when I was eating GF.
My plan for this week, which is really my first week, is to
not eat anything made out of any flour
write down everything I eat
plan my meals at the beginning of the day, and not eat anything not on my plan
So for today, here is plan:
breakfast--Swiss cheese omelette
lunch--greek yogurt
snack-piece of fruit
dinner-fish, salad, and rice
Way to go, rodeo . . . keep us updated . . .
I forgot to weigh this morning! I always weigh in the morning before eating for consistency. So on to tomorrow!
Breakfast: meatloaf :)
Morning: almond milk chai
Lunch: chicken/sweet potato chili & banana
Afternoon snack: almonds/white tea
Dinner: Salad and TBD - perhaps more meatloaf.
I've been doing this for about nine weeks now.That is the longest I've ever been able to stay on a diet.
What has really helped me is watching some of the health documentaries on Netflix.I started with Forks over Knives and Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead.I've known for a long time that eating the wrong foods would clog my arteries.But to see video of a medical procedure where they are removing the cholestorol from someones heart freaked me out( can't remember which doc. this was on).This is not even a diet plan for me,I was just so repulsed by what these documentaries showed is happening inside my body when I eat garbage.I just don't crave garbage foods like I use to.
This past Sunday was only the second time I've ate out since Christmas.Use to eat out atleast 5 times a week.We went to an Italian place.DW and I ordered a veggie pizza.It was good.Same restuarant before Christmas and it would have been a meat lovers pizza.I don't at all feel like I deprived myself.
I have been walking and even gave jogging a try yesterday for a few minutes and was pleased to find out it didn't hurt the ankle or tendon! Progress!
Getting enough water and eatting better are still what I need to work on.
I'm trying to improve on eatting breakfast but not munching the rest of the morning - I'm not sure why I get so hungry if I eat early.
...
I'm trying to improve on eatting breakfast but not munching the rest of the morning - I'm not sure why I get so hungry if I eat early.
I used to wonder about that, too. Depending on what you eat for breakfast, it can kick off the dreaded insulin roller coaster.
I've been doing this for about nine weeks now.That is the longest I've ever been able to stay on a diet.
What has really helped me is watching some of the health documentaries on Netflix.I started with Forks over Knives and Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead.I've known for a long time that eating the wrong foods would clog my arteries.But to see video of a medical procedure where they are removing the cholestorol from someones heart freaked me out( can't remember which doc. this was on).This is not even a diet plan for me,I was just so repulsed by what these documentaries showed is happening inside my body when I eat garbage.I just don't crave garbage foods like I use to.
This past Sunday was only the second time I've ate out since Christmas.Use to eat out atleast 5 times a week.We went to an Italian place.DW and I ordered a veggie pizza.It was good.Same restuarant before Christmas and it would have been a meat lovers pizza.I don't at all feel like I deprived myself.
I feel the same way! I have not been hungry all week - focused on fruits, veggies and protein.
I have been walking and even gave jogging a try yesterday for a few minutes and was pleased to find out it didn't hurt the ankle or tendon! Progress!
Getting enough water and eatting better are still what I need to work on.
I'm trying to improve on eatting breakfast but not munching the rest of the morning - I'm not sure why I get so hungry if I eat early.
Congrats on the jog!!
Much along the lines of what Jane said, I have had less of the morning hunger since going GF. Because of my thyroid meds I'm also not allowed calcium until about mid morning so there went the milk, even the substitute milks, so no more cereal for breakfast. I usually have eggs though sometimes I will have quinoa flakes or just leftovers. And I'm not nearly as hungry by lunch. I also have been drinking tea, usually a mild caffeinated tea like white or just plain herbal, pretty much all day long. That helps, too.
Weighed myself this morning - lost 2.5 lbs! Yeah! Hoping to get out for a ski today. We have a snow day! In March! A miracle!
I used to wonder about that, too. Depending on what you eat for breakfast, it can kick off the dreaded insulin roller coaster.
I try to eat an egg or protein. Can't do breads or cereals at breakfast time.
Here is my second try at posting. I have dropped the dreaded five pounds and gained one back. I have to STOP weighing daily because it makes too much of my normal daily fluctuations and feeds my obsessing.
Anyway, I am eating well on this plan: low carb and high fat, with moderate protein. It is sort of like the old Atkins but with some limits on protein. Spinach sauteed in clarified butter with scrambled eggs for breakfast; lunch is usually dinner leftovers, and dinner is chicken stir fry (last night) and modified moussaka (tonight). So some veggies, plenty of meat and fish and eggs, water, tea and decaf coffee. I dropped the regular coffee last week and found that I am calmer. I have been drinking my coffee with cocoanut milk but have switched back to black for a couple of days. That works, too. I have been feeling like I am overeating because the fat in the diet is super-satiating. I have been playing with "fat bombs" too, but they are not foods that are safe for me...I tend to want to binge even on those fatty little nuggets. I can't use sweeteners (don't need them once I have dropped off sugar for a few days), am avoiding grains and dairy, and I feel pretty well -fed (Oh, I forgot to mention the life-giving 85% dark chocolate) but I haven't lost weight. So I will keep up with the tracking (I am on MFP as Pamola2010 if anyone cares to connect) and the exercise (still mild but at least there is more of it) and positive thinking. This is a lifestyle, not a diet so I have to remember that.
I hate the feeling of being obsessed with food, weight, fat, nutrition, and body shape and size, yet this has been a defining feature of my inner landscape for my entire adult life. When I was 21 and weighed 118 I was sure I was grossly fat. At 150 pounds, I also felt grossly fat. The feelings were the same; the body was different. I am always looking for a space where I can feel OKAY the way I am, and even though I know intellectually that it has nothing whatsoever to do with how much I weigh, I still obsess and diet.
Oh, well....thanks for listening......I am guessing that I am not the only one but a weight loss support thread might not be the place to discuss it!!!
I think that cereal is like eating a bowlful of air. Definitely not a power breakfast for me! I find that some fruit or veggies and 1/2 avocado keep me full til lunch.
Here is my second try at posting. I have dropped the dreaded five pounds and gained one back. I have to STOP weighing daily because it makes too much of my normal daily fluctuations and feeds my obsessing.
I have only started my obsessing in the last few years, but I hear ya. I was reluctant to even suggest scales as a part of this challenge because the numbers can send me into a self-sabotaging tailspin. I cannot weigh daily. Weekly, at the most frequent. If I'm not actively trying to lose, I don't weigh at all. But then things get out of hand without noticing. For example, if I'm only relying on the fit of my clothes, I might not notice until they are actually tight. What would happen if you gave up the scale altogether?
Unlike leslieann, I clearly *need* to weigh myself every day. I didn't this week -- thought I'd try the once a week thing while doing this challenge -- and I'm up 5 pounds. I kid you not. Now, I'll be honest, I expected to be up a pound or two considering my ice cream consumption this week, but five?!? Yeah, somethings gotta change. So I'm back on the serious weight loss bandwagon now. No more ice cream for awhile. Helps that I finished it all off yesterday. :~)
I weigh every day. It goes up or down a bit, and I feel I can nip the gains better if I am paying attention.
fidgiegirl
3-5-13, 11:51pm
Today:
Breakfast: pancakes
Lunch: salad with avocado & parmesan. Meatloaf.
Dinner: bunless burger with cheese. Gingered mashed sweet potatoes. Banana-peanut butter-almond milk-greek yogurt smoothie
Snack: Angie's popcorn
Ate more heavily because of the snow day, I think. Tomorrow I am back on the wagon and going to the gym after work. I have my podcasts ready to go. :)
rodeosweetheart
3-6-13, 7:46am
Fidgie, how wonderful that you lost 2.5 lbs! Yay!
I am going to start weighing every day because I read that thin people do that. I also seem to have absolutely no ability to look at my body and see what is really there. I went scaleless for a while and thought I weighed the same and I weighed 35 lbs more. (Medication and sedentary job)
But I really resonate with this:
"I hate the feeling of being obsessed with food, weight, fat, nutrition, and body shape and size, yet this has been a defining feature of my inner landscape for my entire adult life. When I was 21 and weighed 118 I was sure I was grossly fat. At 150 pounds, I also felt grossly fat. The feelings were the same; the body was different. I am always looking for a space where I can feel OKAY the way I am, and even though I know intellectually that it has nothing whatsoever to do with how much I weigh, I still obsess and diet."
I felt very okay with where I was for about 15 years, when I was a stay at home mom and weighed 65 lbs less than I do now. I was active all day with the kids and I ate two meals a day. I guess I'd like to get back to feeling the way I did--light and energetic. Some of it may not be attainable because of my COPD. But damn, I am tired of feeling horrible all the time-- since menopause, basically, I have felt like sh%$t.
And I don;t know how to do it without dieting and a scale, although I am totally sick of that, too. I HATE seeing a number that ruins my day, that's the thing.
Okay, happy to report that yesterday was a good day when it came to eating. Gluten free, dairy free, and a trip to the gym. Definitely getting back on track. To help with this, I'm going to start posting my numbers. I'll use this format:
Starting/Today/Goal
131/135/122
As you can see, I'm up four pounds from where I started so that means I've got 13 total to lose. I'm going to set a goal to lose this in 10 weeks -- so by May 12 I will be 13 pounds lighter.
Last night I had the brilliant idea to take DSD to a movie; she is on March break though we are not. It was 6 pm and I decided that I WOULD eat popcorn at the movies. Yes, even knowing how yucky it is. And I did eat it. I wonder if my increased number on the scale yesterday morning was related to my "oh, hang it" attitude? Anyway, I have already suffered some and will likely suffer more from that dietary indiscretion. That stuff makes me feel bad! Too bad I don't always remember it. I was able to say a clear NO thank you to offers of candy (I can't always do that).
So this morning I am back to what passes for normal but I am going to avoid weighing until Friday. Yesterday should have been a "run" day but it wasn't and today probably won't either because of my schedule at work, but I might manage to go to yoga flow this evening, which is actually more strenuous than my current run program. That will feel good. I did do some body weight exercises yesterday (push ups and squats only) which is better than absolutely nothing.
THanks for the supportive place to talk! Y'all keep up the good work...2.5 pounds, Kelli! Yay!!
I mentioned a couple of times that I love my recently discovered eliptical machine from the basement. My DW had purchased it several yrs. ago from CL.My 273 lbs. must have been to much for it.It broke a weld.So, until I can get it welded it's currently KIA.Sad.I really have been enjoying the workouts I received from it.
DW and I have been taking pictures of our progress on the 5th of every month.I've lost about 3 inches from around my waist.Still have oh so far to go.
rodeosweetheart
3-6-13, 8:39pm
Today's food was
B: monterey jack cheese omelette
L: lean cuisine chicken
D: fish, salad, cauliflower, and 1/2 greek yoghurt for dessert
had to take emergency prednisone last night and today because of inflammation and breathing difficulties, heaven only knows how many pounds or havoc playing with blood sugar--after I take it it jumps above 200. Sigh.
we walked dogs again, because the dogs need it!
Another clean day of eating yesterday and today's numbers are:
Starting/Today/Goal
131/134.5/122
Down another half pound -- woot!!!
I won't be able to weigh daily for the next 6 days as I'll be away on a business trip. But I plan to come back and post new numbers next Wednesday with the goal of being down another 1.5 pounds. Wish me luck!
leslieann, I think places like the movies are especially hard because one associates them with a certain food. For me for a while it was a strong desire to have a morning fru fru coffee just because it was morning. My coworker and I had gotten in the habit and I really had to fight it before I was able to not even *think* about the coffee drink simply because it was approximately 9:00 a.m. and I was at work. I never thought about it at home! I have never successfully passed on popcorn, either. :( Keep on keepin' on, though . . . progress, not perfection (like I've said, I say it to others often just so I can hear it myself :) ).
cx3, what awesome progress on your inch loss. Do you think you have someone that can repair your machine? Sounds like you enjoyed it so much.
rodeo, I don't envy you with the breathing stuff . . . I think it's hard to lose and I am not even battling that. :( ((((rodeo))))
cdttmm, great work!
Yesterday:
Breakfast: two eggs omelet with spinach.
Morning drink: almond milk chai
Lunch: chicken/sweet potato chili. Crackers and hummus.
Afternoon snack/drink: a single miniature Reese's PB cup. Chamomile tea.
Dinner: enchiladas (one serving). Big salad. Banana/PB/almond milk/yogurt smoothie.
I was all planned to go work out - had my stuff with me and everything. Then something I agreed to help a coworker with went an hour longer than planned, and I was so hungry I came home instead. Oh well, I am going to dust off the Nordic Track tonight. Hubby will be at conferences so can't go to the gym. I also get to do both dog walks today. Did a few crunches on the floor this morning. Feeling a workout in my ab muscles, even if it's just a few little crunches, does more to keep me going than just about anything else, because it makes me FEEL skinnier.
Make it a great Thursday, everyone!
The daily weighing stuff is so obsessive for me. Yesterday I was up 1.8 pounds (no wonder after the popcorn; just the salt would cause all kinds of fluid retention and I did notice that my cheekbones had disappeared). Today, back down .8 of that but I know it is all smoke and mirrors. I want to lose fat and these ounces are not really telling me much about that. I can't seem to stop getting on the thing though. I have avoided it in the past and will get there again.
Thanks for the support around the movie popcorn, fidgie..the odd thing is that I don't even like movie popcorn. It was just part of the event. I usually don't have any but I think I had deprivation thinking going on.
I am doing better with the eating but cannot seem to get exercise to fit into my work week. For seven weeks I scheduled around a noon Pilates class once a week but can't do that this session. I think I "should" be able to get out for a walk after I finish work but my finishing work is pretty ambiguous, as I work at home and there is always leftover paperwork when clients leave. And I am TIRED, really tired from this work so instead of going out which would make me feel better, I don't. I putter around the house, which also makes me feel better but it doesn't do much for my fitness program!
Ahh, this is just a vent, a way to help me process what I am thinking about all of this.
Food has been fine: Eggs and spinach or broccoli in the morning, yesterday a big salad (out) for lunch, and homemade chicken soup for supper. All okay.
Yesterday - a snacky day :( Must remain strong!!
Breakfast: two egg omelet with spinach and salsa
Morning: tea
Lunch: Chili and canteloupe
Afternoon: tea, Greek yogurt with blackberries
Dinner: Pork chop, oven potatoes, water
Evening: Angie's popcorn, chamomile tea
I hadn't realized what a positive difference the evening salad has been making on my evening snacking. I haven't had a craving until last night that I skipped the salad since DH was out and my sister was over and she didn't want one.
Hoping for a ski tomorrow!
So much for that ski! The snow is wrecked. Oh well.
Yesterday (Friday):
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs. Greek yogurt with blackberries.
Morning: Tea
Lunch: Jimmy John's tuna and lettuce wrap
Afternoon: Pistachios
Dinner: Homemade pizza on Udi's crust, 8.4 oz. apple Izzy drink. 2 squares of dark chocolate.
Ooh. I am letting my old eating habits creep back in. For two days, no big salad with dinner, and starting up with sweetened drinks/juice as well as letting more grains back in. We are going out of town for the week so it might be a challenge, though we are staying with a health-conscious friend so that will help. I hope I get to go for a run with her in San Diego!
fidgiegirl
3-10-13, 12:36am
Today we went up to my parents'. That's always hard eating-wise.
Breakfast: pancakes and scrambled eggs with peppers/olives/cheese. Oy.
Lunch: Chipotle bowl. Chips & guac. We split the bowl, so portion wasn't out of control.
Snack: Half a peanut butter egg (yep, half, there was only one so DH got a bite and I got a bite.) Two turtle-style candies. The oy continues.
Dinner: Big salad (yeah! Back on big salads!). Half a pork chop. Gingered mashed sweet potato. One square dark chocolate.
Don't beat yourself up too much, kellie -- my whole week was one big OY after another! It is really hard to stick to a diet when you are working a stressful week away from home with copious buffet food (much of it carb-laden...).
So, I am back up to 70kgs. Ugh. At least it is better than the 73 I would have been if I hadn't lost the 2kgs in the 2 weeks prior. Need to get back into ketosis. Good excuse for beef/mutton hotpot with the inlaws tonight!
Oh, and I've done something wierd to my leg so that it is really achy and uncomfortable -- makes exercising difficult. I did manage to run yesterday, and just finished a 10 lap swim today. Should do a weight routine but I want to wait until the leg is not so painful.
lhamo
Speaking of OY....apparently right after I finished posting here on Friday, I opted for a binge...ate my fat bombs (yes, more than one) some dark chocolate (the 85% is really DARK and not sweet)....so then I wanted something sweet, and ate more chocolate (not mine), chocolate chips and THEN, like it wasn't already enough, I poured myself a bowl of potato chips. It was a binge in every sense. I tracked almost every bite but I noticed that I kept remembering things I had left out and had to go back to update my tracking. I think that's all about trying to allow myself to forget something that I experience as shameful. ANyway,, predictably, I was up again in weight and ketones had disappeared. So yesterday I decided to really focus and it was pretty easy. Also it was Saturday and I was able to go out to walk twice plus take my yoga class.
Oddly, I am a lot calmer and happier than I was. Usually I am happy and focused in ketosis but maybe I need a bit higher carb count than what I am working with? Or maybe that's just an excuse to try to make my diet more, umm, fun.
Today will be good: eggs and bacon and spinach for breakfast, leftover steak and squash for lunch, grilled chicken and a big salad for dinner. Plenty of fat and water. I will also get out for a run/walk today or at least a walk/walk.
Happy Daylight Savings day to everyone. I usually find this to be a hard transition but want to stay aware!
I, too, am getting back on the trail after wandering far, far away. I've got 4# to go still.
I was experimenting with going vegetarian/nearly vegan for a couple of weeks. It did not go well as I have too many other food restrictions.
So now I know that, and will stick with the usual limited-meat style of cooking that I do. Searched out more local sources of humanely-raised meats. Found that Whole Foods has a great new labeling system, and some of the coops label better than others. Also took a look at average meat consumption/person in the U.S. and realized that our family of 3 consumes less than the average person on an annual basis. I use it more as a seasoning, and used in that way it does make food more satisfying and flavorful without adding a lot of salt. And I will appreciate those animals even more now that I realize how important they are in keeping my diet on track.
Up and downs this week. Will see what the scale says tomorrow.
DH wanted popcorn on Wednesday, though we do very light margarine.
Then on Thursday went for drinks with co-workers so one sugary drink and yam fries. Luckily for my calories their portion of fries was super small but unluckily for my wallet it was the most overpriced drink and food I've ever had. And then I had to eat more at home as their fries weren't a full meal and ended up having cereal before bed so I could sleep. Cereal twice this week, but that was better than I had been doing.
Then yesterday, I was very sick in the morning and thought I was getting the GI bug that all my co-workers had so didn't eat much, but what I do eat when I'm sick is more sugar laden than usual - juice, fruit, rice pudding. Minimal protein and no veggies yesterday. But I feel okay today so may try some real food again.
What I have been doing ok at, until yesterday when it didn't matter is at least being conscious of slightly lowering my calorie consumption. If I'm just more aware and eat more intentionally again I should slowly lose the weight.
leslieann
3-10-13, 11:52am
Rosemary, I realized the other day that I use you as a measuring stick of sorts. "Would Rosemary eat this?" for example. It is probably from following your elimination diet which coincided with mine....almost two years ago, now. Anyway, I made roasted butternut squash cubes the other night and I was thinking about you; you posted someone about them some time ago and apparently I have been thinking of them!
I also wonder if I can tolerate sweet potato for breakfast. There's a lot of carbohydrate in sweet potato but also a heck of a lot of good nutrition. Anyway, your experimenting always gives me food for thought, so thank you.
fidgiegirl
3-10-13, 12:17pm
Hi everybody, you've all been busy posting since last night!
We are going out of town today, so won't likely be posting much this week. I might bring my iPad though; we'll see. The daily postings help me to keep this goal at top of mind. I am going to do my best on the food, but it's always hard outside of one's own home.
I am going to try to eat up some of our veggies here before we fly tonight.
Weighed in a day early since we'll be traveling. I weight exactly the same as last week. :) Good that I'm not up, but given the number of diversions from the plan of VEGGIES!, no grains, no sweets, and the lack of exercise, well, it's not surprising. Onward!
Hang in there, everyone . . . .
leslieann
3-10-13, 12:21pm
Have a good trip, Fidgie....and happy eating. You know...the good stuff.
Leslieann, my eating has changed so much in the past couple of years. The elimination diet really opened my eyes. I thought I ate a healthy diet before, but after I started eating much more produce, I felt a lot better and really dropped the pounds... effortlessly, for the first time in my life. It's so easy to reach for the "ready to go" foods in our society - so I keep fruits and veggies ready to go all the time.
I find that sweet potato does not bother me at all as long as I eat less than I think I need. It has a lot of fiber in it, which not only slows down the carb hit, but also makes it very filling... but sometimes it takes 20 minutes or so after my meal for me to really feel that fullness. If I eat too much of it, well, that's bad for my reflux.
Kelli, have a wonderful time on your trip! Hope that your travel environment provides you with lots of fresh foods that make you feel treated as well as healthy. :)
What a fun thread. I want to do 10 pounds at about a pound a month to get back to regular weight.
Ugh, horrible week for me. I usually spend several hours on Sundays cooking up my healthy meals for the week but last Sunday I was busy and didn't. So, I ended up eating out way too much this week which was not only expensive in calories but also $$. Plus, for my son's birthday, we took him to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner (his favorite). Bad, bad bad. I am dreading my weigh-in tomorrow morning! On the bright side, I spent part of the afternoon today cooking and I'm prepared this week. The grocery store had some nice looking eggplants this past week and I've been craving Indian food so I made:
Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Spread (to be eaten on toasted Ezekiel bread)
Eggplant and Chickpea Curry
Black-eyed Pea Masala
Hopefully it will be a more healthy and frugal week.
Also - The Cheesecake Factory is such a ripoff. Dinner for four people was $75, almost half of our weekly grocery budget. And three of us only had water to drink. Insanity!
Stayed exactly the same this week at 273lbs.Kept up with the weights and walking.Eliptical machine will probably be down for another week.
Watched another great health documentary on Netflix called the Gerson Miracle,which helped me stay on track.
One pound lighter than last Monday, which isn't surprising considering how I ate last week. Hopefully will do a little better this week. Though if I can consistently lose a pound a week that'd be ok. Just with one week, it could easily be normal variation.
Hi everyone. I know I'm a bit late to the game but would like to join you all if I could. My blood pressure is getting too high and heart disease runs in the family so its time to get serious about getting healthy. I weighed myself this morning and stocked up on lots of high fiber vegan foods last night so now the only thing I need is will power. I lost 10 lbs last year by simply eating a vegan diet but didn't stick with it. This time its going to be about a slow and steady PERMANENT change. I don't care so much about being thin as I do about being healthier.
leslieann
3-13-13, 10:54am
HI, Everyone,
I am feeling a little more "normal." Whatever that is....a bit more energy, anyway. I weighed on Monday (up two pounds for no good reason, except those couple of bingey evenings....not enough calories to be two actual pounds so likely fluid) and will NOT weight until next Monday. I think that helps me keep more even emotionally. I do have such an obsessive tendency.
Had an interesting talk with DH last night. He thinks I overestimate my size and fatness and he's probably right. But this was the kicker: he said that body shape and size are not a problem but my self-shaming, self-hating attitude is off-putting. Unattractive, I think he said. Which was a really good piece of information. Here I am beating myself up with a stick (a scale, a tracking program, and painful joints due to exercise) so that I WILL be attractive (perhaps only to myself) and that attitude is creating an energy that is unattractive. Yep, that was an eye-opener.
So this morning I decided that I would work on loving myself a little bit more. Appreciating the new muscles without automatically despising the fat. Enjoying my new flexiblity without bemoaning the discomfort in my joints (as I work them gently, not harshly). Feeding myself good and delicious food because that is a pleasure for me, not because there is something wrong with me that I have to change to be lovable.
How's that for an AHA? Anyway, that's my current mental challenge and I do feel quite a lot more centered and easy with this whole "diet" thing. I can do it in a way that works FOR ME, not by other rules (which I love about this thread) and I can be okay with myself while I do it.
Rosemary, thank you for the response. I remember you said also that you minimize oils in your diet, as well ad emphasizing produce. I liked what you said about eating a little LESS than you think you need and waiting a bit. I remember in the old Atkins diet book, he said in one place, "Do not overeat. Do not overeat. Do not overeat." I remember thinking that that little phrase was the linchpin to the whole program. Low carb, no carb, vegan, paleo....no matter what, do not overeat.
Pouring, pouring rain here...has been pouring for hours. I am just grateful it is not snow......Happy Wednesday to all of you! Thanks for being out there.
Back from my trip so weighed in this morning.
Starting/Current/Goal:
131/132/122
Lost a bit while traveling -- woo-hoo -- but still not back to where I started. Got to keep plugging away!
One pound loss this week.I consider that a blessing since there was birthday cake,ice cream and lasagna in the house this week. Still working out religiously.That must have been what saved me from a weight gain.
I've done really well the last two days. Last night I slipped and ate a package of chocolates that weren't vegan but that has been the only time. I'm eating lots of oatmeal and high fiber cereal for breakfast. Dinner the last two nights has been seitan, spinach, and cauliflower in a General Tso's sauce served over rice. Snacks have been Lara bars and hummus with low sodium Triscuits.
No gain and maybe a tiny loss. I don't have a scale, only going by my jeans.
Increasing water (good)
less diet coke (good - but not off it yet)
And reaching that point where I say "oh, too sweet, don't want it" (good)
still need to increase the walking and the fruits/veggies.
It always takes me a while to wrap my head around the idea that I want to make changes.
fidgiegirl
3-15-13, 2:32pm
Hi everybody,
Glad to see the thread has kept going strong this week. We had a great vacation with a few delicious items every day and a few instances of overeating! I will weigh Monday as planned but I don't think it's gonna be pretty. ;) Oh well! Onward!!!!
We have to go to the store today as we just got back and the fridge is bare. We managed to scrape together a lunch of eggs and toast, but I'd like some greens for supper tonight.
Keep on keepin' on, all!
cdttmm, this is funny - I've been salivating over your home cooked meals on another thread, especially some amazing noodle rice things you do and the pasta with real cream and cheese sauce. I've been wanting to try some of these, they sound amazing.
And I figured "Hm, this person must be naturally thin...I'm afraid these fab meals would go straight to my hips..." But it turns out you ARE losing. So maybe I'll try them after all!
Looking at your stats - wow, in my world, you're not overweight. Not even a little. (sigh) Envious! ;)
Back from my trip so weighed in this morning.
Starting/Current/Goal:
131/132/122
Lost a bit while traveling -- woo-hoo -- but still not back to where I started. Got to keep plugging away!
Along the lines of what kitten said, I was startled last summer to hear a friend's college-aged daughter, who is thinner than I've ever been in my life, make a comment. She was talking about how some of her friends complained that she was so thin and they could never seem to lose weight. She said, "I watch what I eat all the time!" It made me realize that there are probably very few accidentally thin people. Smaller portions, healthy foods.
Along the lines of what kitten said, I was startled last summer to hear a friend's college-aged daughter, who is thinner than I've ever been in my life, make a comment. She was talking about how some of her friends complained that she was so thin and they could never seem to lose weight. She said, "I watch what I eat all the time!" It made me realize that there are probably very few accidentally thin people. Smaller portions, healthy foods.
Hahaha! I had a lovely thin relative--who took after her tall, lanky father--and the rest of us used to watch with amazement as she ate a big bowl or two of ice cream at a time--she had the appetite of a lumberjack--and gained nary a pound while the rest of us struggled to lose. I've seen it repeatedly: stout person marries lean person, children ensue. Two thirds or three quarters of them take after the stout parent (suggesting to me that the ability to store energy for later is 1)dominant and 2)a desirable survival gene set). So I disagree; I think weight range is as heritable as height. Sure, you can be anorexic or bulimic, but you have a genetically-determined range.
And to riff off what Kitten said, when I ate a starch-based diet I was constantly hungry and I gained steadily. What the media tells us is "healthy eating" did nothing good for me.
Oh, but I'm not implying in any way that the media knows what "healthy foods" are!
I also had a pencil-thin friend who once complained that apples were too big for a single serving.
A very slender friend of mine is not shy about admitting to her large bowls of ice cream -- but she watches what she eats every meal, runs for an hour/day, and those bowls of ice cream only happen once/week.
Okay, I'll confess, I don't lose weight because I'm super careful about what I eat. I only lose weight because I can work out intensely. But the winter is always tough as I find it harder to get in long, hard workouts at the gym so I take to watching what I eat in the hopes that I can minimize the damage. This winter has not been as bad, I weigh about the same as I did in October and I'm hoping that this is the year I will finally get down to my goal weight before the summer is in full swing. :)
I just found this thread and am interested in posting here and there. I was badly injured in an accident last year and was unable to do my sports, plus took on a consulting contract that nearly doubled my work hours, and over the year, ate my way to an extra 15 pounds. This is that dreaded "aged a decade in a year" that you hear people speak about!
I've recently read Robert Ferguson's book, "Diet Free for Life." He's a certified nutritionist and athlete. He espouses eating meals that are designed to burn fat and teaches you which types of foods should be paired with others to increase your metabolism. His plan works for most types of eating, such as vegan, Paleo, Asian, Italian, etc.
Once I read this, I realized that most of my eating was designed to add fat to my body, not burn fat! I was eating too many carbohydrates in one sitting and spiking my blood sugar. And this, while I thought that I was eating healthily.
Ferguson suggests eating three squares a day, plus two or three snacks, spread out every 2-3 hours to keep your body in fat burning mode.
As for weight, he suggests that you purchase and use a bathroom scale that also measures body fat and he walks you through figuring out your lean body mass and how much you should weigh for a healthy weight.
I always thought that I should try to get down to 130-135 pounds again from my early 30s, but found to my surprise, that given my lean body mass, I'll be at an almost athletic body fat percentage when I weigh 150 pounds! I'm a former power lifter, so have retained a fair amount of heavy bone and muscle for a woman my age. Ferguson writes that most heavy people have heavier lean body mass from carrying around the extra weight, so it's unreasonable for them to get back to their high school or college weight and setting an unrealistic goal hurts the ability to be successful.
Anyway, I'm eating from within 20-30 minutes of waking up until an hour before I go to bed. I eat slightly smaller meals three times a day and am getting used to the smaller amounts. It's not bad eating slightly smaller "three squares" because I know that I have a nice snack to eat in a couple of hours (you can eat unlimited amounts of certain veggies, so having volume in your eating is easy to do). I enjoy knowing that I can eat frequently and I'm not experiencing the typical blood sugar crash/ravenous hunger that normally derails my eating.
One of my strategies was to purchase some protein bars that contain the suggested amounts of protein, carbs, and calories and keep them available should I get hungry. I have some bars in my purse, briefcase, desk at work, auto, ski jacket pocket, etc. With this strategy, I know that I can eat one of my snacks whenever I'm hungry and stay on plan. Ferguson's plan lets you eat anything you want for snacks (this includes potato chips, cake, cookies, ice cream, etc.) as long as you don't exceed a certain calorie limit. I haven't visited the vending machine yet, but I could if I wanted to and stay on plan. I tend to eat fruits, veggies, or other healthier snacks when I have packed a lunch bag.
After two weeks, I'm down four pounds and 2% body fat. I've lost two inches in my waist. I think that body fat measurement is the most important measurement to get a real gauge on your metabolism and ability to continue to burn fat.
I'm also gearing up my exercise program. I'm still hobbling around a bit from the accident, but am making improvements each week. I'm seeing a Rolfer who specializes in body alignment to help me progress in this area.
ashleenshannon
3-16-13, 7:55am
i 'm here, just let me know what are the best tips for weight loss, i want loss my weight, is there any simple method for weight loss. please
fidgiegirl
3-17-13, 9:12pm
Spoony, thank you for sharing, and welcome aboard.
As for the "you're already skinny!" thought, I'll admit, I have it too (sorry cdttmm!) but have also been told it! My mom just told me yesterday, and I weigh 161. Well, my mom weighs a lot more than me, so in her eyes, I am skinny. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't be trying to lose any weight. When I am tempted to allow myself to succumb to these thoughts I remind myself that the reason to focus on this issue NOW is that it will be a lot easier to lose my 20 pound goal than to lose 50 or 100 pounds later because I listened to everyone who told me I was already skinny. I know that I have too much extra around the middle; wanting to lose weight is not unhealthy like others would like to make it sound. I have some coworkers who like to declare that whenever anyone has lost a bit of weight they have lost "too much!" Allowing that this is a real problem for some individuals, the bulk of America is truly not at risk of losing too much weight. :)
Ok. I did weigh today. Perhaps Sunday is a better day for me to weigh than Monday. Anyway, I am up one pound from the vacation. Net loss since starting this thread: one pound.
Today:
Breakfast/lunch: pancakes with apple compote, maple syrup, OJ
Afternoon: Herbal tea, strawberries and walnuts in full fat yogurt (homemade)
Dinner: brown rice noodles with tomato sauce. Dark chocolate. DH has cookies in the oven. *Sigh*
I was planning to run this afternoon after our crocheting group but did not. Not sure why that was. I even had my clothes with me. I wanted to come home, I guess. We did a longer dog walk than we have been doing lately, so that was a plus. But mostly today was a bust. :(
Reminders to self:
* Salads with every dinner. Helps to eat less of the main portion and provides good nutrition. Can eat as much of it as you want and don't have to feel hungry.
* Sweets - one small bite, but WAIT UNTIL EVENING! You don't have the willpower to pass in the evening like you do earlier in the day, so save the treat for evening time.
* You like to run. You really do. Do it.
I definitely think it's easier to drop a few pounds than many, which is why I have a 5# limit above what I consider my ideal weight, which gives me a BMI of 20. I've weighed up to 30# more than that and I know it's more comfortable for me to be lower. I feel more like moving and more energetic.
I've been doing well with whole foods and getting some exercise every day even though the weather has been miserable. Mostly it's been the treadmill, Zumba class, or dancing inside our house with DD.
Man, I am struggling. I need to increase my activity, I think, because I am not losing weight even on very very low carb...and now I am binging again. Binge-ing? Not sure how to spell it. Anyway, not enough for lunch and I just swept through the kitchen eating everything in sight but ending with five (5) small handsful of chocolate chips. Regular ones, not the super-dark practically no-sugar chocolate that I allow myself.
Grrrrr... Well, at least I can say that I am NOT hungry (chai made with coconut milk, a couple strips of bacon, and the leftover roasted squash have all landed inside me) and I am not over my calorie limit for the day but I certainly lost it with the sugar and thus the carbs.
The frustration comes at least in part because I am NOT LOSING NO MATTER WHAT so my inner undermining voice says things like, so what difference does it make?
Ahh, I just need to stick with the program and increase my activity. I did up the activity quite a lot, so stay with that and keep the carbs low and this WILL work. I have to remember, too that this is like the last 15 pounds, not the first 15, so it is harder to lose.
I am happy that this thread is here....what is working for YOU?
This is always a tough time of year for me to lose weight. The ongoing winter weather is not helping at all. Cloudy, blizzardy, windy, and cold... what is there to do besides make food and eat food? :)
So although I am trying to lose a few pounds, if I can just stay within my 5# window for another month or two I know it will come off more easily then. I suspect there is some relationship between vit D and weight loss because once I'm outside more I seem to take off those pounds really easily... and it's not just the exercise.
fidgiegirl
3-18-13, 6:12pm
Aw, leslieann, I just want to reach through and give you a big hug!!! You are so hard on yourself. :(
I have lost one pound, so not sure I'm an authority on what works. But during the week I did lose, I was super focused on foods that kept me full, and on veggies.
Well, only down 0.5 lb since last week. I think my scale is humoring me as I didn't even know it read half pounds. I've been reasonably careful about eating but haven't been exercising. At least I'm not gaining. And I feel thinner, so that is good, regardless of what the scale says.
I have lost 30 pounds since Feb. 22, 2012. I am still doing Weight Watchers and have 10 more pounds to go. Even if I never lose another pound, I am eating healthier than I have ever eaten in my life and I am doing it in a way that I can continue for the rest of my life.
fidgiegirl
3-18-13, 7:52pm
Florence, what would you say that "eating healthier" looks like for you?
Congratulations, BTW!
I eat the Weight Watchers point system - 26 points per day plus 49 points per week if I chose to use them. Since most fresh fruits and vegetables are 0 points, I eat a lot of those. Meat is essentially 1 point per ounce cooked weight.
Foods high in carbohydrates - bread, pasta, potatoes, corn - are higher in points.
Today's menu:
Breakfast
1 egg + 1 white, scrambled
1 homemade bran muffin
1 orange
Lunch
6 inch turkey on wheat Subway
Carrot & celery sticks
Diet Coke
Dinner
Baked fish
Oven roasted carrots/thyme
Oven roasted corn on the cob
Snacks
Yogurt
Apple & 12 almonds
This works for me. Other people doing Weight Watchers eat differently.
fidgiegirl
3-18-13, 10:49pm
Thanks for sharing!
Wow, Florence, awe-inspiring results!
Kelli, thanks for the hug!
I bought a scale that reads out TENTHS of a pound. so I can obsess over two tenths...when I realized that I was feeling good or bad about something that would not even have registered on my previous scale, I was able to detach a little bit!
When I think about the past ten years, I realize I have been down, up, down and up but never as up as I was in 2000. I was at my highest ever non-pregnant weight and even though I have pointed in that direction at times, I have not gone there even with the menopause monster at the door. So that was a helpful way to consider things.
I do need to focus more on health and less on weight. Maybe that's my key.
And Rosemary, I am sure that spring will be a big help. We are looking at yet another snowstorm and possibly day off from school tomorrow.....equinoxes and all that notwithstanding.
Aaaaaaah, the secret ;)
Okay, I'll confess, I don't lose weight because I'm super careful about what I eat. I only lose weight because I can work out intensely. But the winter is always tough as I find it harder to get in long, hard workouts at the gym so I take to watching what I eat in the hopes that I can minimize the damage. This winter has not been as bad, I weigh about the same as I did in October and I'm hoping that this is the year I will finally get down to my goal weight before the summer is in full swing. :)
After four weeks, I'm down 5.4 pounds, 2.9% bodyfat and have lost three inches on my waist. Slow and steady results.
I have another 15-18 pounds to go to get to 18% bodyfat. This is an aggressive goal as the lowest bodyfat I've ever been at was 17% when I was a gym manager and worked out all of the time -- twenty years ago!
Daily I recite, "I am grateful to live a diet-free life!" several times as I am following a sensible eating plan that I really enjoy. I'm eating anyting I want, but in certain combinations and portions. Eating like this is not habit yet, but I'm encouraged that I will adapt to this over the long haul. Some days, I find it difficult to eat as much as I'm supposed to, which I find really interesting. I suppose I could try to eat less, but fear that I'll become ravenously hungry and go into some kind of binge mode, so I dutifully eat all of my meals and snacks, even when I don't want to. What a change from a regular "diet"!
At the rate I am losing pounds and bodyfat, I'll be in a healthy, almost athletic range (22% bodyfat) in three-four months and three to four months after that to get to the 18% range. I realize that the closer I get to an athletic weight, the slower the weight/bodyfat will come off.
I weigh weekly and measure weekly. Not down a size yet, so still in my cheapo "fat" pants that I had to buy at Wally World last year when I gained the weight. I'm hoping that in two or three weeks, I can donate the fat pants and go back to my regular wardrobe. Just in time for spring weather!
I did pretty well this week-about 95% vegan. I had a bit of chocolate and didn't worry about what was coating my veggies when I went out to dinner but other than that ate really well. I found a coconut based butter substitute that I really like as well as a recipe for vegan banana nut muffins that are just as good as any I've ever had. My weight loss for the week was 3 lbs-I know at least part of that was water but I'll take it!
fidgiegirl
3-23-13, 6:56pm
Amazing, Spoony!
bke, keep it up!
Here I haven't been posting my daily eating and it is slacking. I was embarrassed at what I ate so wasn't posting. But that doesn't help make it happen. Top of mind, top of mind!! That's why I love this thread. Even when I go on a bender in the Self-Employment Support thread, this one is still here to remind me that I have this as a goal as well.
Went for a run this morning on the indoor track with my friend - 3 mi.
Pre-run snack: bowl of corn Chex with almond milk
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, 2 chicken sausage links
Lunch: bowl of veggie soup
Afternoon: one peanut butter cup
Dinner: will be taco bowls with beef, corn chips, lettuce, olives, cheese, sour cream
evening: aiming for an almond milk chai if hungry later
Pesky grains!
Zumba twice this week, and used the treadmill periodically.
DD's birthday this weekend, and her spring break. Lots of opportunities for usually-off-the-plan-foods.
But spring is in the air - I think. Soon I will be outside more, and the pounds will go away. Holding pretty steady here.
fidgiegirl
3-24-13, 11:02pm
Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled + black beans, 2 sausage, OJ
Lunch: nuts from Menards (we were out over lunch, grr, poor planning) - salad with feta/walnuts and a strawberry chai smoothy at home
Dinner: split pea soup with ham
Snacks: kettle corn, peanut butter cup, 3 squares dark chocolate (with cherries! To die for!)
*Sigh*
So. ready. for. spring.
Biking! Gardening! Running outside! Longer dog walks! Oh, spring! Please come!
Meals this week included tofu scrambles and spaghetti. I'm having the hardest time on the days I cook at work and while watching television. Pizza, cheesy pasta dishes, and BACON have been calling me all week. Dh is being very supportive and that helps a lot. I'm down another 2 lbs this week. I bought bananas to make some more vegan muffins this week since the last batch was so yummy.
Well, I fell off the earth there for awhile. I last posted on the 18th with no loss to report. Had three full days of training last week and ate the lovely homemade muffins that some of the participants brought. Yes, muffins with WHEAT. And SUGAR. So then of course I ate cookies (lovely ginger cookies, Mrs. Dunsters') and then it was a free for all...to the point that on Friday I ate a BLT at the canteen. Yes, one made with bread.
By mid-day on thursday things were creaking and by Saturday morning every joint in my body was yelling at me, plus I had a headache and generally fuzzy feeling. That slowed and abated so that by Monday I was better and finally Tuesday morning I felt pretty good. So I was fortunate to have such a time-limited reaction but it was miserable enough for me to easily get back on the no-wheat, no-dairy bandwagon.
So I have been kind to myself since Saturday, eating a pretty clean primal diet but ignoring my very low carb plan (so adding awful things like apples, pears, squash, potatoes, and almond butter). Actually I have been eating well enough and I feel a lot better, much more energy and sleeping better, than I was doing on very low carb. And the big deal was that I wasn't losing any weight on the VLC. I can't get the calories low enough at my sluggish activity level.
So...I still really WANT to lose some of this fat around my middle (menopause planted it there but I want it OFF). So I will continue to tweak, and I have gone back to tracking because I think I can track without obsessing (yeah, we'll see) and I have pulled in my horns a bit with work so I hope to have more time for physical activity.
I am happy to see the successes being posted here because it means that it CAN work. I just have to find out what will work for me. I had such success with Atkins some years ago but my body is different now. So I'll keep at it... thanks for reading.
Oooh boy -- has march been tough! Started with a week-long conference in Taiwan, aka home of absolutely marvelous stuff that you know you shouldn't eat but want to anyway. Followed rapidly by a house full of inlaws for nearly 3 weeks while my FIL got cataract surgery and recovered/waited for follow-up appointments. Plus very busy work schedule = diet gone totally to pot, along with exercise routine. I DID go to the gym and had good workouts on Sat and Sun. Previous weekend was a bust due to stress and air pollution.
Weight holding steady at 70 kgs in spite of breaking all kinds of rules. Will attempt to get back to low carbing next week. I do think 70 is my new set point. I had it down to 65 last year for several months, so am hopeful I can at least reach that target again. Maybe if I can manage to level off there for awhile I can still get down to the 60-62 range in another year or so. I'm happy to go slow and steady as long as the movement is consistently in the downward direction :)
lhamo, do you do a "normal" low carb diet, getting your carbs from vegetables and nuts, that sort of thing? I was trying to stay under 20 grams a day which is brutal, and also keep my calories low so limiting protein. This means a lot of fat in the diet, so much that it wasn't even appealing and that strikes me as just weird. Fat is what makes food appealing, generally speaking.
I also know you have been running a lot. I am seeking wisdom! I am back to running, sort of, but when I run I get injured so I need to modify. I think I am just struggling with being a lot older than I used to be.
Low carb living works for me but that very low carb, high fat system didn't cause me to drop weight. I suspect I need to get more muscle going to increase overall metabolic rate but somehow I'd rather think about it than actually get busy building muscle.
This thread helps, though.
I was trying an "inspired by Atkins" approach in that I cut out all flours, rice, starchy veg and sugar, but didn't bother to weigh my other vegetables -- just ate what I wanted. I figured an extra cup of broccoli rabe was not going to make too much of a difference. I also switched to decaf coffee, which was easier than I thought it would be. Oh, and I would eat some higher glycemic index veg (carrots, sweet peppers, etc) sometimes. No fruit though. THAT was hard. Depending on how much veg I had (some days I would not have any until dinner) I was probably in the 25-30g carb range. I lost 2kgs in the first 10 days, so it seems to work pretty well for me. I think the main thing is cutting out the flours and rice. And sugar. I have a chocolate thing. Fruit is probably a trigger food for my cravings, too.
The meal that I found seemed to "sit" longest with me in terms of keeping cravings away was ham, cheese and a hard boiled egg. Every time I ate that, it seemed like I didn't get hungry or even think about food for hours. But I didn't want to eat that all the time.
Things are getting back to a more normal state stresswise so I'll probably start up my "Atkins light" again this weekend. I'll have some time/energy to cook lunches ahead, which is a big issue. ANd the weather is warming up, so salads for lunch are appealing again, too.
fidgiegirl
3-29-13, 11:56pm
Well, you may or may not have noticed my daily check-ins tapering off . . . that's not a good sign. It's because I'm too embarrassed to post what I've been eating. Don't get me wrong, it's not craaaaazy or anything, it's just that it's missing the goal. Every. Day. Resulting in: nothing. I have been the same weight for about 15 years. That's a blessing considering I have low thyroid, but to budge that scale usually doesn't happen. My body likes being this weight, I guess. ;)
Nah, I know what I have to do, just haven't done it. Mindfulness helps more than anything. It is still mind boggling to me how much it takes to create a new habit. Reach for a snack of nuts or fruit rather than chips or crackers? Takes mindfulness. To schedule in a workout? Mindfulness of the fact that it's been a day or two since the last one, so it doesn't turn into two weeks. Eating salad every night? Awareness of the fact that you only have enough lettuce in the fridge for one salad, not one for you and DH, so someone had better pick some up (or in a few months, pick some! :) )
Planning on a run tomorrow. Keep at it, everyone . . .
I hear you. I'm stuck in the same place too and I really don't like it. Mentally, I know that once the real spring weather hits, it will be easier to stick to my plan. But as you know, that could be mid-June in Minnesota... so I need to be more mindful now.
For me, it really helps to just not have those 'danger' foods around. I made a small GF cake last week for DD's birthday. You know what happened? We ate a LOT less fruit for the few days it was around. Normally an apple is the snack I reach for... but when there's cake, it's a magnet for me. Is it easier to reach for that cake than an apple? No. Does it reward my brain more? Yes. Does it tell my brain to ask for more immediately, even though I'm full? Yes, it does. (Read more about the brain response to hyper-palatable foods at wholehealthsource.blogspot.com)
My body's 'setpoint,' where I was for years of 'normal,' not-really-SAD-eating, but-not-nutrient-dense-eating*, was about 10# heavier than I am now, 15# heavier than where I'd like to be. Based on the experience of winters here in MN, I know that if I don't pay attention to diet, and diet does matter more for this than exercise for me, I easily get back to that point in the months of winter/early spring. (*I never ate fast food or drank soda, wasn't a huge meat eater... but growing up, and until I made a huge change 2 years ago, I ate too many flour-based foods... very nutrient-poor compared to a basis of veggies & fruit)
So what happens when I eat that cake instead of the apple? Well, in addition to the fact that the apple is only about 80 calories and I am certain that I have never had an only-80-calorie serving of cake, it takes more calories to digest the apple; the apple has a lot more water in it, so it feels very filling; the apple has things my body needs, whereas the cake has none; and just about all of the cake turns to sugar for an insulin rush.
I've been thinking more about the water content of foods; I have difficulty drinking enough water (to stay hydrated and avoid kidney stones). So eating a big salad, or soup, or fruits/veggies during the day ends up being a good source of water for me. Many fruits/veggies are 80-90% water, while things made of flour are around 30% water, according to what I've seen.
Hang in there!
Also this weekend is likely the last big winter-like meal event for a while. I'm relieved about that. It's easier for me to stick to my plan if I'm not surrounded by all those foods that are loaded with sugar, fat, and salt.
The scale looks as if I've lost 2 or 3 pounds and even when it goes up a bit, it drops the next day, so I think my base is now down a bit, if that makes sense. I have been using my pedometer to encourage more movement. Feb. goal was 2500 steps a day and I made it 20 days. This month was 3000 and so far I've made it 19 days and what impresses me more is that I've only had 2 days with less than 2500...so overall increased movement. Next month 3500 and I know that will require more effort. Food wise I have not added in the extra vegetables and fruit...I keep promising myself that and don't. I have stopped a bread for breakfast and I thnk my body likes just cheese and fruit. Yesterday hard boiled eggs with fruit. I enjoy reading how every one is progressing.
fidgiegirl
3-30-13, 12:17pm
nswef, that's awesome about your overall changes. How very healthy! Going in the right direction!
Rosemary, thanks for the sympathy - you are right on! Cake is my magnet food, too!
fidgiegirl
3-30-13, 2:47pm
I stocked up on fruits and veg while I was out today. That should help things a bit.
fidgiegirl
3-30-13, 7:00pm
Went for that run. It's amazing how even though I only really did a hard workout a handful of times throughout the winter, I can still run harder now (first outdoor run of the spring) than I could at this time last year. Whether it's mental or physical, I'll take it. I need NSV (non-scale victories) as much as I can get them. :)
I like NSV too; especially since there have been NO scale victories. I have been seriously off the wagon with some hidden dairy (I think) causing quite a lot of, um, discomfort. Eating my DSD's peanut butter balls which have peanut butter (which I usually avoid), butter (the whole thing) and lots and lots of sugar. They seem to be addictive, even to my DSD and my DH who are not food addicts like I apparently am.
But for NSV, I had a good run on Friday morning plus a long hike with the family and the dog. On Saturday, I had a long dog walk and then walked another five miles plus did a pretty strenuous yoga class (yay for me, I could actually DO all of that). And on Sunday we went on the river for a few hours so a bit of upper body workout, lifting the canoe (yikes) and paddling.
All of this doesn't make up for the wine and the chocolate of the last several days (four day weekend) but at least I wasn't eating like that and also couch surfing. And the really good news is that I feel pretty good; I suspect that humans are really built for a lot more activity than I get in a typical day, even one with a long walk in it. I am so HAPPY that spring is (almost) here. And thank goodness, tomorrow is another day.
I have lightened up on the rigid low carb stuff; had lots of colourful veggies and some fruit over the last week. I'll be back in the saddle tomorrow for sure, especially if we can figure out how to get the rest of these peanut butter balls OUT OF THE HOUSE!!!
Hope you are all doing well. Nswef, great results! And spring is nearly here....nearly here...nearly here.....
It can't come fast enough!!
Breakfast: Smoothie with yogurt, blueberries, frozen banana, kale, cherry juice, orange juice. I didn't like it that much, believe it or not. I am all egged out and need a breakfast that will stick, but I am not supposed to have calcium until a few hours after my thyroid pills. I think that I will pick up some silken tofu tomorrow and also some canellini beans. Anyone ever tried beans as a smoothie thickener? I read about it and thought it sounded worth a try.
Morning: coffee with cream and sugar. All bad for my particular body. *Sigh*
Lunch: split pea soup with ham, apple
Afternoon: herbal tea *Yeah!*
Dinner: Bowl chicken noodle soup, 2% Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries, brownie and ice cream, and oh yea, did I mention the brownie when I came home?
I hear you about the food laying around the house, leslieann. DMiL sent me home with GF brownies and like Rosemary, I find them impossible to resist!!!!!!
DMiL sent me home with GF brownies and like Rosemary, I find them impossible to resist!!!!!!
You, too, huh? With my MIL it was GF lemon poppyseed cake. The big grocery store has GF baking now, which I never buy because it's a dozen cookies or a whole loaf cake. I only will buy 1 cookie at a time, so none now as single items aren't GF. But she bought it for me. No matter how many times I tell her not to give me sweets, she always makes me something and now it's GF so she's going to extra trouble. DH doesn't eat desserts usually and I'm too food hoarding to throw it out or give it away, so I just eat too much cake or whatever until it's gone.
Oddly, this was the first time my weight was down - 2.5 lbs since I started tracking again. Probably just minor fluctuations.
Sadly getting peanut butter balls out of the house, cheese doodles, jelly beans generally means getting them into my mouth. Congratulations on the fruits and vegetables and the Non Scale Victories. Fidgie, isn't is great how you notice you can do more? It's such a good feeling.
I'm down one pound. I'll take it. I'm back on track and have not been craving sugar the past few days. Is it a coincidence that it has been sunny and there is occasionally a hint of spring in the air?
Yesterday's meals and snacks -
breakfast, leftover roasted cauliflower, sauteed mushrooms, mixed with 1/2 avocado; apple.
snack, greek yogurt and frozen blueberries. I usually have just fruit here but I had breakfast earlier than usual.
lunch, steamed kale, roasted asparagus, and tuscan-seasoned white beans with 1oz TJ's light smoked gouda (which has great flavor, unlike most light cheeses).
afternoon snack, almonds, banana
dinner, stir-fried salmon and veggies in teriyaki-like sauce over short-grain brown rice
Yay for Rosemary! And I agree, "out of the house" too often means into my mouth.
Today will be a better day. I have been eating those yummy yellow veggies (squash and sweet potato) with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled on. Delicious...and guess what? I could BINGE on that.....a little sweet and I am over the top.
Okay, back to basics for me. I have to hit the grocery store some time today so that will help me.
I did weigh in on Monday knowing what I'd find. The same blessed four-five pounds that I have have been playing with for over a year has returned. I have been reliably between 129-135, usually on the higher end, for a long time whether I am dieting or not. Grr.
Focus on activity...that's my current key. Eat low carb, higher fat and move a lot. And quit obsessing......
<sneaks in quietly, hanging head in shame>
Yes, yes, I'm another infrequent poster on this thread. But it's time to 'fess up.
Starting/Today/Goal
131/135.5/122
A trip to a NYC entirely gluten-free bakery was *not* a good move. A half dozen cinnamon sugar donuts and a half dozen cupcakes later...
Time to get back on the wagon.
This spring has been so hard to kick start. We have good weather one week and I'm eatting well and exercising and then the next week it's back to cold and rain and I'm in and eatting. :(
I haven't posted in two weeks. Wednesday is my weigh-in day and here are this morning's stats. Since I started the "Diet Free for Life" eating plan on February 28th, I've lost 7.4 pounds, 3.6% of my body fat, and I've lost nearly four inches off of my waist. It's not a spectacular loss in five weeks, but I think slow and steady is working. I'm now about 25% of the way toward my ideal stats.
Last week, I gained back a pound and a half, but lost inches. The book recommends that you measure weight, body fat, and inches each week to keep motivated because there might not be weight loss one week, but a loss in inches. The advice is right on! On paper, I can see myself slowly becoming smaller. If I was not measuring myself (neck, chest, upper arms, lower arms, wrists, waist, hips, thighs, and calves each week, I would not have seen this as I look pretty much the same in the mirror.
Also, only just yesterday, after five weeks, did I notice that my work pants are fitting a tad more loosely. Yippee!
A typical day of eating for me is a breakfast smoothie or omelet and toast or a bowl of Kashi cereal, a morning snack of Greek yogurt with protein powder or a protein bar or a piece of fruit or a 1/2 bagel with cream cheese or potato chips, a lunch of grilled chicken, salad, and rice, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner might be chili or lazagna or grilled steak with baked potato and green beans or a steak with salad and a glass of wine, then another snack an hour before bed.
As you can see, I'm eating a fair amount and frequently. Sometimes, I can't even fit all of the food into the day if I'm busy, but I at least scarf down a protein bar so that I don't go too long between eating to keep my metabolism up.
Also, every day, I recite my positive affirmation, "I am grateful to live a diet-free life," sometimes several times. And I am! I feel that now I can eat normally and I certainly have not felt deprived at all nor have I had any "I have to eat NOW binges." I'm not a "sweets" fan, but if I was, I would find some calorie-controlled sweets, such as Healthy Choice and eat those for my snacks so that I can have what I want each day.
The Diet Free for Life book by Robert Ferguson cost me about $6 on Amazon. He's the guy who created the "Food Lover's Diet" that is one of those infomercials. He has broken away from that business and has fine-tuned his diet-free plan.
I haven't posted in a while either.I'm afraid to even look at the scales.One child on springbreak last week,one on springbreak this week.Haven't been able to get to the gym because of this,plus a head cold for past week.My head feels twice as heavy as normal.
I haven't completely fallen off the wagon on my eating but it seems like I want to grab something to eat everytime I pass through the kitchen.I have passed through the kitchen frequently the past two weeks.
Both kids back in school next week and I should be feeling better by then.Looking forward to getting back into a fitness routine.
cx3, It sounds as if you need to rest a bit! Carrying your heavy head around can easily use up extra calories, but shouldn't listen to me as that is why I am round.
My April movement has been over 3500 steps every day so far! So I am progressing. The scale is stable in that it is not moving upward. Both plusses for me. As soon as this cold wind stops- really it is APRIL in MARYLAND- I expect more outdoor activity. I've found that walking in Lowes and the grocery store adds lots of steps, but can be costly. Better to walk outside. Happy April everyone.
Starting/Today/Goal
131/134/122
On a downward trend this week. Perhaps something about my limiting my food intake in the evening is making this difference! :D
I am glad to see people back posting here...even if we've some of us been scarfing down stuff on every pass through the kitchen.
I have resorted to potato chips, a terrible option I discovered when I had to stop eating wheat a couple of years ago. Now I attempt to avoid polyunsaturatated oils so any chips should be OUT.
The chocolate has taken a toll on the joints. I just wonder why it is so hard to learn these associations? Other things I seem to learn quickly.
So the goal for today is to stay away from the carbs that are not vegetables. Yesterday I almost did it until getting home late I had my hand in the chip bag. But it was a day without chocolate and hopefully today will be another one. I bought more lovely vegetables and some fruit that I think could MAYBE be okay for me (pears, just pears....).
And I 'll get to walk and run, maybe, and maybe even get a bike out this weekend. And monday I'll weigh in again, without a lot of negative self talk, and remember that this is about feeling GOOD and getting out to play.
And it is FRIDAY and even here the sun is shining. It is about forty degrees but there is sun and I'll take it.
Down another pound, in the lower middle of my 5# comfort zone now.
Exercise this week - walks most days, Zumba once. DD and I hit tennis balls around for a while today, which involved a lot of running after balls on the court (which thankfully was otherwise empty).
Still doing well diet-wise. What are the "treats" that you consider safe for you? When I want something that I don't often have that's a little sweet, a few of the things I go for are plain yogurt with thawed, warmed blueberries or cherries; a rice cake with neufchatel cheese and homemade jam; dried fruit with neufchatel cheese or nut butter; or just some plain dried fruit, sometimes with nuts. Soon it will be smoothie season again.
Kids are back in school today and I have already hit the gym for some aerobics this morning.Lifting weights in my basement now.Things are finally back to normal around here.
I weighted myself last night and I was pleasantly suprised. it appears that my gluttony filled two weeks hasn't hurt my waistline.I still weight about the same at 271 pounds. I attribute that to an increased matabolism from my workouts prior to my two week lapse.
Anyway,it's good to be back and glad people are still posting to this thread.
Start: 135, goal 118, current 132.
Better than I predicted, which was 136.
Still not doing well at all. Attitude is better but I didn't get much exercise over the weekend and for no good reason. Weekdays are hard but there is no reason on the weekend. And I LIKE exercise, so I really don't get it.
Chocolate is still calling to me and I am still answering but I am also varying the veggies more than I was when I was doing the "eat more fat" protocol.
I am working toward not sweating about food and just moving for fun but I think I am unconvinced that I can do this without working at it REALLY HARD. And then I ask myself what is the downside of being a little overweight? Geeze.....crazy thinking.
Happy monday to everyone, though, and I am rejoicing in temperatures slightly above freezing, and at least momentary sunshine. And the good news is that I got a plot in the community garden so I'll have lovely produce plus the fun of growing it if summer ever gets here.....(stop, stop, no whining!!!)
Best wishes to all Hooray for cx3!!! And Rosemary, too.
I haven't read this entire thread so forgive me if this has been discussed, but has anyone tried, or know someone who has tried, the alternate day fasting diet? http://www.alternatedayfasting.org/
It's basically eat one day/fast the next day/eat the next day/fast the next day -
I'm thinking of trying a modified version, something like eat regularly one day/eat only one meal/eat regularly the next day/eat only one meal -
Seems like it would be fairly easy because you can basically do anything for just one day?
I haven't tried that form of fasting but I do fast for about 13 hours of every day, from about 6:30PM-7:30AM. I get rip-roaring headaches if I don't eat enough on any single day.
I am working toward not sweating about food and just moving for fun but I think I am unconvinced that I can do this without working at it REALLY HARD. And then I ask myself what is the downside of being a little overweight? Geeze.....crazy thinking.
--- Leslieann, I could have written that...
When I don't watch my weight I end up around BMI 22.5, which is "healthy" according to the charts. But I don't feel like moving as much with the extra weight, my cholesterol and resting pulse are higher, and I simply don't like the feeling of the extra weight on my body.
Making any dietary change is always difficult, but I find that the absolute hardest part is deciding to begin. After even 1-2 days, it quickly becomes the way I eat and I like not having the decisions anymore. When I realized that I had a mild allergy to wheat it put lots of tempting foods off the table for me and now I don't have to think about them anymore, for example.
ApatheticNoMore
4-9-13, 3:05am
I haven't read this entire thread so forgive me if this has been discussed, but has anyone tried, or know someone who has tried, the alternate day fasting diet? http://www.alternatedayfasting.org/
No, I've tried mostly 24 hour fasting - a 24 hour period of not eating anything. If done about once a month it's just a "cleansing" type thing I do when I start to feel ugh at a physical level, even then I sometimes lose some weight, but it mostly makes my body feel renewed again. If done once a week it does lead to weight loss for me (the program there is "Eat Stop Eat"). I was doing it the last 3 weeks at least until last week and losing a little weight. Last week though I was insatably hungry, gobbling everything in creation, feeling slightly off both mentally (not depressed just off ...) and physically, could have been hormonal but it didnt' seem so, so I think much more likely it was because I was battling some yeast issues (due to prior antibiotics of course). So I knew being half crazed mentally and physically my body was in no position to do a fast and it would be wrong to make it, and in fact I'm sure I've gained back weight from all the crazed and near insatable gobbling (was genuinely that physically hungry, it wasn't even an emotional thing). Oh well, I was 124 pounds before fasting or gorging, and still probably down several so it is what it is. Fasting is actually the ONLY type of food restriction I'm actually capable of for the most part anyway. I do eat pretty healthy though.
Alternate day fasting sounded really rough because I imagined every other day you'd eat nothing, and I thought: that's crazy! Not once or twice a week but every other day?!? But I see it's not that and you do eat on "fasting" days. :) All I've read convinces me it's plenty easy for females to throw their hormones completely off by pushing too close to anorexia (doing chronic fasting, and low carb, and intense exercise etc.), but now that I see it's not every other day starvation I am relieved.
And no actually going without food for a full 24 hours every other day does not sound easy to me, but only consuming 500kcal throughout the day every other day might be doable. I actually kinda look forward to fasts but if I did 24 hour fasts every other day I would hate them with all my being! Really I'd be "oh no, it's a fasting day again ... why does it seem to roll around all the time ... ugh" (and then I'd cheat). I've also done long term calorie restriction at 1200 a day max at very low weights, i'ts not immediately intolerable but it starts to trip up the body a bit too, sleep gets troubled (probably because it amps up cortisol) etc.. Even now I've learned to do fasts from dinner to dinner, because it's fine, even desirable, to stop eating a few hours before dinner, but going to bed actually *hungry* means distrubed sleep - it's physical not mental.
Starting/Today/Goal
131/133.5/122
Inching downward again after bouncing back up due to eating too much for a few days...
Got in a nice run outdoors yesterday when the weather was beautiful!
I would like to stop the late eating but with the long days, we often don't get to dinner until eight especially on the weekends. I eat in the morning pretty consistently at seven thirty so my fasting window isn't all that long. I will think on that.
In the meantime, today looks better....asparagus and mushrooms with my morning eggs, already made my lunch salad...and too busy for much later tonight.
L.
I would like to stop the late eating but with the long days, we often don't get to dinner until eight especially on the weekends. I eat in the morning pretty consistently at seven thirty so my fasting window isn't all that long. I will think on that.
In the meantime, today looks better....asparagus and mushrooms with my morning eggs, already made my lunch salad...and too busy for much later tonight.
L.
I haven't read this entire thread so forgive me if this has been discussed, but has anyone tried, or know someone who has tried, the alternate day fasting diet? http://www.alternatedayfasting.org/
It's basically eat one day/fast the next day/eat the next day/fast the next day -
I'm thinking of trying a modified version, something like eat regularly one day/eat only one meal/eat regularly the next day/eat only one meal -
Seems like it would be fairly easy because you can basically do anything for just one day?
I would think that would be teaching your body to go into fat-storing mode because its thinking that you are starving. Then your metabolism would slow down and you would gain weight when you went back to eating a regular diet.
I would think that would be teaching your body to go into fat-storing mode because its thinking that you are starving. Then your metabolism would slow down and you would gain weight when you went back to eating a regular diet.
I've heard there is some science that's showing this may not be the case, at least not with just a 24-hour fast, and certainly not if you stay active during all days, not just the eating days.
I'm having really good luck lately with just containing my eating in one half of the day, usually 9a to 6p. In the early morning, after a little caffeine but before consuming any calories, I do something like this (I'm not selling this and am not sold on it, but it's basically easy interval work): http://lifespa.com/2010/05/be-fit-thin-calm-in-12-minutes-a-day/ This revs up my metabolism, makes me feel great, and I'm losing weight more efficiently than I ever have in decades of trying.
Sometimes, if I have insomnia, I'll have a small low-protein snack at bedtime. A banana or PB on Ezekiel toast feels perfect.
If I fasted a full 24 hours I'd probably do the same thing, even more gently maybe, just to keep my body aware that, yes, I'm asking it to burn some fat but also stay alert and active :) I may throw a full fasting day in here and there, as they say that might have benefits, and I know it makes me feel good.
I started making a couple of the recipes on this page daily. Makes it ridiculously easy to get your fruits & veggies, always a problem for me:
http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/822030/green-smoothies-green-drink-recipes
My start/now/goal:
158/151/146
Both the exercise and smoothies links look great, Pug. Thank you.
I had a great/bad week.Great because I stuck to my workout schedule perfectly and my eating,overall,was acceptable.
Bad week because with all this effort I actually gained 2 pounds.I'm at 273 now.
I have to assume that my weight gain was from increased muscle mass.On this note, I read this week that each additional pound of muscle equals 50 calories extra burned per day just to maintain that pound of muscle.That's great,but I still don't want to weigh this much.I'm doing 15-20 reps when I lift weights.I'll try to go with less resistance and increase my reps to 20-25 to see if this stops my unwanted weight gain.
I also had a physical this week. Blood pressure 110/80.Pulse 64. BMI 36.12 kg/m2(ouch!).
I've heard there is some science that's showing this may not be the case, at least not with just a 24-hour fast, and certainly not if you stay active during all days, not just the eating days.
I'm having really good luck lately with just containing my eating in one half of the day, usually 9a to 6p. In the early morning, after a little caffeine but before consuming any calories, I do something like this (I'm not selling this and am not sold on it, but it's basically easy interval work): http://lifespa.com/2010/05/be-fit-thin-calm-in-12-minutes-a-day/ This revs up my metabolism, makes me feel great, and I'm losing weight more efficiently than I ever have in decades of trying.
Sometimes, if I have insomnia, I'll have a small low-protein snack at bedtime. A banana or PB on Ezekiel toast feels perfect.
If I fasted a full 24 hours I'd probably do the same thing, even more gently maybe, just to keep my body aware that, yes, I'm asking it to burn some fat but also stay alert and active :) I may throw a full fasting day in here and there, as they say that might have benefits, and I know it makes me feel good.
I started making a couple of the recipes on this page daily. Makes it ridiculously easy to get your fruits & veggies, always a problem for me:
http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/822030/green-smoothies-green-drink-recipes
My start/now/goal:
158/151/146
Thanks for the great recipes!
I've tried IF (intermittant fasting) and it was difficult for me. First, I sometimes do pretty tough morning workouts and the IF camps says that if this is the case, it's best to eat something beforehand. This extended my eating window to earlier in the morning and I work until 10 at night, so was distracted, hungry, and sluggish during the last half of my shift. I felt this way even when I didn't work out in the morning and started eating later. I also tried not to eat until lunchtime to extend the eating window to later at night, but I'm up at 6-7 a.m. and felt sluggish without breaking my fast.
It also wasn't flexible enough for my social life, which includes dinner and breakfast social events, so I was always trying to adjust the eating window one way or another. If you have a really static schedule, IF may work better.
Generally what would happen is that I would get hungry enough, that I would start making poor eating choices and "blow" my diet. I guess that I'm not disciplined enough or something else was going on, perhaps a blood sugar issue?
I think that IF is worth trying and if it works, it does sound very effective.
After a year+ of working out 2-4 hours a day, and changing my diet to something a bit more sensible, this weekend at ~50 years old, I managed to survive the final hell week exam of three days at the state Fire Academy at North Bend:
http://www.wsp.wa.gov/fire/ftatrain.htm
It was brutal. Massive fun, you can't buy a ticket to a ride like this at Disneyland. And terrifying. Especially at my age and still-large size - this is all designed for 20 year olds.
The high point for me was living through "The Maze", a 3-story obstacle/confidence course, which you had to navigate through while accomplishing certain tasks. Each floor was quite large, and "floor" is a misnomer, because sections of it simulated a collapsed building, so up was down, narrowing dead-end paths existed, and so on. It was totally dark, and you had no lights to work with. You had to discover air caches along the way, and do partner bottle swaps, in the dark, without removing any of your gear (gloves, for instance). And the instructors were reconfiguring the maze as you were moving through it, and shaking sections, and making distracting noises.
It felt like it took days to go through, the actual time was ~60 minutes. Much of which was at maximum physical output, or mental stress. (I'm, um, claustrophobic, and huge, and some of the tight spaces required me to remove my air pack and feed it through in front of me while I wriggled, without losing my air connection...). So much work output that our "45 minute" air tanks were lasting 15-20 minutes.
You couldn't make it through alone, it was only possible with teamwork. And it was all too easy to lose contact with team members, especially with the "help" of the instructors... And then you had to reestablish contact.
And at the end, when you got out, you had to draw a map...
More to come later perhaps , when I finish recovering. This stuff was so painful they took our full vitals before and after each exercise, and then 10 minutes after we'd rested, to make sure we weren't dead or dying. My knees look like sausage, and that's *through* the kneepads.
The live fire portions of the weekend were Totally Extreme. Being in a closed room with a huge fire developing, while you study it and learn to manipulate it, when a mistake can kill you and your buddies and the instructor, is a bit...mindful.
The guys who do the full-time residential program at that Academy are totally insane, IMHO. 3 hard days there, and I'm totalled.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YXH8rnSoPwA/UWwtCuG4tAI/AAAAAAAAHko/7EJE8wDpYAI/s720/Awesomized.jpg
Wow, Bae....just. wow. Sounds excruciating. I'm impressed!
Wow Bae! I am beyond impressed, I am in awe!
Congrats Bae on the accomplishment. Wow. I hope to be in as good of shape as you later this year.
I weighed and measured this morning. I'm down 9 pounds since March 1 and have lost over 4% body fat. I've lost 5 inches in my waist in the last six weeks. Just goes to show you how bloated I was! I'm now about one-third of the way to my goal, which roughly means 12 more weeks to go. I'm losing just over one pound per week.
With my eating plan, I can participate in some of my favorite eating "rituals." For example, this past Saturday afternoon, I popped a smallish bowl of popcorn to eat while watching the Masters Golf tournament (the Superbowl of Golf).
Instead of popping in oil and than adding melted butter on top, this time, I popped a slightly smaller amount of popcorn in half oil/half butter. I still have the butter flavor, but used a lot less fat. This counted as one of my snacks. Yum!
I suppose I could have used my air popper, but I really prefer oil-popped popcorn with butter and this new method tasted nearly the same.
On Sunday, after skiing, I met one of my friends for a beer in the lodge. I ordered a Coors Light and thoroughly enjoyed it. It counted as one of my snacks (I have to keep my snacks under 200 calories, men keep their snacks under 300 calories.). Then, later, I went to a Masters Golf Tournament party (yes, these are my golfing friends) and I ate a hamburger (half bun), some salad, and some potato chips for my lunch. Then, a couple of hours later, toward the end of the tournament, I ate some crackers and tortilla chips for my second snack of the day.
Granted, I had to plan a little bit to figure out how to build the popcorn, beer, and chips into my eating (as snacks as it turned out). However, as long as I can keep my snacks mostly under the 200 calorie mark, I'm able to "participate" in social activities that involve food. This is good because I have two more social events this coming weekend, a potluck and a BBQ.
I use calorieking.com to do a quick check of calories for a certain food and this helps me decide which type and how much I can eat.
Congrats Bae on the accomplishment. Wow. I hope to be in as good of shape as you later this year.
It was pretty daunting leading into it, our medical director ordered us to drink an extra gallon of water a day for the 4-5 days before the Hell, then *more* than that during it. Turns out you can put on a lot of weight drinking that much water :-) Amazing how fast *that* weight came off :-)
bae,that's an amazing accomplishment,especially at 50. Great job.
Friday is weigh in day for me.I had gained 3 lbs.last week.This week I had managed to lose those 3 back plus 3 more. I'm at 267 lbs now.
I had mentioned last week that I had taken a physical. I got my lab results back on Monday.
Triglycerides were 180 No Standard Range given
Cholesterol 274 140-200
HDL 43 35-55
LDL 195 0-99
Dr. says losing weight could bring this numbers down.He wants me back in 6 months. If these numbers haven't improved I'm going to need to go on medication.
These numbers did suprise me.I've been meatless since Christmas.
Well I'm determined to bring these numbers down. I've been vegan this week and I've lost 6 pounds in the process.
fidgiegirl
4-25-13, 10:38pm
Hi all,
Doing so abysmally on this. Well, maybe not, I haven't weighed myself. But I feel fat in the middle. :(
On good news, yesterday and today FINALLY felt like spring. We'll be out in the community garden today. I can take runs outside . . .
Onward . . . how is everyone else doing?
I am overjoyed to have sunshine and spring temperatures in the forecast. I will probably be moving compost to the garden today, being mindful of all those gardening muscles that haven't had much use since the fall.
cx3, I find that my cholesterol numbers are very highly linked to my weight - even a relatively small change like 5% in weight has an impact for me.
Not a great week. I did lose another pound,266 now. I've got a pinched nerve in my neck and a sore elbow from pushing myself to hard with the weight training. This 46 year old should have known better.Neck and elbow are feeling better but as a precaution going to rest the muscles for another week before lifting weights again.Still riding the stationary bike for 45 minutes at the gym 5 days a week.
Trying to be cholestrol conscious with my food choices.
I have been doing both the 12-minute interval thing I mention above, every morning before I break my fast, and I've been trying to follow Mark Bittman's recommendations about "vegan before six" - some days more successful than others. But lots of fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts. I've dropped 2 more pounds since I last posted, and I feel very energized during the day. A friend told me about Tabata (http://www.shape.com/fitness/cardio/tabata-4-minute-fat-burning-miracle-workout), too, which helps in those times when I try to talk myself out of exercise because I "don't have time."
Sadly, it is looking more and more like exercise has more impact than diet on my weight. If I'm active, I lose, almost despite how many calories I eat (within reason). And I was hoping it would be as simple as cutting out sweets.....sigh.
My start/now/new goal:
158/149/144
I am doing well with diet and my activity took a massive leap the past couple of days with gardening finally being a possibility.
Massive fail in April. Both work and home continue to be very stressful, which brought on some minor health issues that made working out impossible in the first part of the month. then I was just lazy/unmotivated. I did run a few times. toes continue to be an issue -- painful after a 5k run, so much so that I don't want to run for several days after. Need to go back to using more padded shoes, I think -- I like how the minimalist Nikes I got feel on my feet, but they are worse for my toes than the more padded adidas I used to get.
Some of the stress-causing issues have now resolved, so I'm going to try to do better for May. Also plan to get back on the atkins/low carb wagon, which kind of got away from me the last few weeks.
onward and upward for May
The pants I bought last month are now 2 inches too large. Darn.
HappyHiker
4-29-13, 9:34am
It's taken me years to finally "get" that the more vegetables I eat and the less fatty, carby, meaty and sugary things, the less I weigh and have to worry about weighing.
Banish, you evil snacky foods filled with fat, salt, sugar and partially hydrogenated fats..be gone!!
I am stable- not losing but not gaining. I have upped my movement and having decent weather to work in the yard is a HUGE benefit- mentally and physically. I'm pleased with my steps as this month I have had 23 days of over 3500 steps and my lowest step day was 2543...and 18 days of over 4000 which is May's goal. So I am feeling virtuous even though I am not losing. I am increasing steps. I love having something positive to measure. Don't beat yourselves up when it's slow going. I am also trying to be sure to get at least 8 hours of time in bed resting- even if I'm not sleeping. I think that might help.
fidgiegirl
4-29-13, 6:09pm
Well, I decided to face the scale this morning, not happy about the results but definitely not surprised, either.
Starting weight (at start of this thread)/current/goal:
162/163/145
DH and I are going to do 10 minutes a day movement goal and log for our health insurance.
I boldly ordered a new set of kilts, to be delivered in October. And ordered them several inches smaller than my current waist size. It's good to have a goal.
Brave move Bae. fidgiegirl, 10 minutes seems a reasonable good start back.
It's taken me years to finally "get" that the more vegetables I eat and the less fatty, carby, meaty and sugary things, the less I weigh and have to worry about weighing.
Banish, you evil snacky foods filled with fat, salt, sugar and partially hydrogenated fats..be gone!!
It was a revelation for me too, but it makes total sense:
- vegetables have almost no calories compared to everything else. If you were going to make a sandwich, the bread alone is about 200 calories. So put the filling on a base of veggies instead.
- vegetables and fruits are extremely filling - lots of water and fiber.
- whole foods take more energy to digest - things made with flour are already ground up and so have a greater impact relative to the overall calorie count. For instance, digesting a piece of bread (100 calories) takes less energy than a large apple (100 calories).
- the bonus is that once I began eating this way I found that I craved green vegetables. My plate does not look complete if it lacks something green, and that includes breakfast.
HappyHiker
4-29-13, 10:30pm
It was a revelation for me too, but it makes total sense:
- vegetables have almost no calories compared to everything else. If you were going to make a sandwich, the bread alone is about 200 calories. So put the filling on a base of veggies instead.
- vegetables and fruits are extremely filling - lots of water and fiber.
- whole foods take more energy to digest - things made with flour are already ground up and so have a greater impact relative to the overall calorie count. For instance, digesting a piece of bread (100 calories) takes less energy than a large apple (100 calories).
- the bonus is that once I began eating this way I found that I craved green vegetables. My plate does not look complete if it lacks something green, and that includes breakfast.
Exactly so! Vegetable lovers unite!! Another benefit of hearty, ample vegetable, lower fat, little red meat diet (but yes to eggs, chicken, fish) became apparent after my recent blood work results--triglycerides were 78, HDL 70...I was thinking of having those numbers put onto a tee shirt, so proud am I.
Am I too late to join in? I was with you on the Weight Watchers thread. We have been away travelling for 10 weeks and now we are back home. I gained just about 5 pounds in that time but had lots more exercise, walking, climbing stairs etc that my smallest sized trousers, UK size 12, still fit!
I need motivation and support to work towards my WW goal weight. At the moment it means about 10 pounds to go.
This is my two-week check-in. I haven't lost any weight this past week, but I did lose more body fat. I can now fit in my skinny yard work jeans. I put them on by mistake one morning, thinking that I had somehow shrunk my regular jeans. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that these jeans were the ones I could not even get over my rump just a few months ago.
My knee is healing and now it's time to get going on the exercise side of health and fitness. I start working with a personal trainer in just over two weeks. I'm motivated to take off another couple of pounds in the meantime. Back to lifting weights! Woohoo!
I'm also going to join some bicycle rides this weekend. I can probably ride 3-5 miles before my knee hurts. I would normally be riding 25-30 miles per ride by now. At least I'll get back to seeing my cycling friends, so I'll be happy with however long I can ride.
Am I too late to join in? I was with you on the Weight Watchers thread. We have been away travelling for 10 weeks and now we are back home. I gained just about 5 pounds in that time but had lots more exercise, walking, climbing stairs etc that my smallest sized trousers, UK size 12, still fit!
I need motivation and support to work towards my WW goal weight. At the moment it means about 10 pounds to go.
Please join us, and welcome back from your travels. I hope you will be able to start a thread about them if you'd be willing to share.
I can now fit in my skinny yard work jeans.
Woohoo!!
Fridays are check-in day for me here.Lost 4 pounds this week,now at 262.I started on the day after Christmas because my 42 inch jeans were so tight that I really needed to go purchase bigger ones..I tried on a pair of my 38 inch jeans last night.A little snug but very wearable.
My DW ran across an article about how one day a week of liquid fasting w/protein smoothes was a great metabolism booster.We did that yesterday.Going to incorporate that into our weekly eating schedule.
Second week with no weight training.My elbow should be healed already.Get this,I was showering 2 days ago,had my fingertips on my scalp washing my sparsely remaining hair when I slipped. I caught my fall with my elbow and shoulder.Now my elbow and right shoulder are very sore and keeping me up at night.No weights for atleast 2 more weeks.I feel fortunate,that fall could have been much more serious.I now understand how people can be killed by their bathtub.
Edited: A positive observation that DW and I have experienced recently since we have been dieting together, the intimacy in our marriage has improved dramaticaly in recent weeks.As Forrest Gump would say,"that's all I got to say about that."
.Get this,I was showering 2 days ago,had my fingertips on my scalp washing my sparsely remaining hair when I slipped. I caught my fall with my elbow and shoulder.Now my elbow and right shoulder are very sore and keeping me up at night.No weights for atleast 2 more weeks.I feel fortunate,that fall could have been much more serious.I now understand how people can be killed by their bathtub.
A good reminder that I really should get a non-slip bath mat again. I still feel a bit unstable in the shower with the ankle being week.
Congrats on your loss (and gain ;) )
Went out on the kayak on Tuesday - felt so good to be back on the water (first time out since the morning of the broken ankle).
I'm down a tiny bit but not sure how much. At least it wasn't an increase this last month.
Ok, I had been putting off posting until after WW weigh-in last night. I was anticipating a very good loss because I absolutely tracked every. single. day. I did go over points one day, but felt I walked it out the next day (3 mi. briskly).
BUT NO! I stayed just the same.
I could not even stay in the meeting because I kept having to dab my eyes. I am so disappointed.
I am trying very hard, and today am getting right back on that horse.
I could not even stay in the meeting because I kept having to dab my eyes. I am so disappointed.
Don't beat yourself up - stay on track.
I've been losing a lot of weight over the past 1.5 years. But, if I fixated on weight only, there would be periods of apparent stagnation, or even backsliding. But, I'm not just losing weight, I'm gaining muscle, and changing the sort of muscle I have. Sometimes I'm actually *gaining* weight, even as my waist size shrinks, because muscle is heavier than fat.
Pick a wider range of metrics, and look at the bigger picture.
You're right, Bae. Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately, at WW they only weigh, not measure. So I guess I have focused too much on that. I do know my legs feel more toned.
Finally joining late in as I have 10 lbs to lose starting May 1. Cutting starches works best for me as I do the 60 minute daily walks with the dog for exercise.
Duh! I just realized today is Thurs. not check-in Friday. Lots of people around here off work and out of school tomorrow because its Kentucky Oaks day,hence the confusion on my part.
Float On it's funny you mentioned kayaking. I promised myself I'd buy a kayak if I get down to 230 lbs.I keep a photo of a couple of kayakers on a gentle river as a reminder of what I'm in store for if I meet my weight goal.
KayLRZ don't get discouraged. We are pulling for you.
Hang in there, everyone.
I always find it easier to drop a few pounds in the summer. It's more fun to get activity when the weather is cooperative, and I get a lot more unintentional exercise, just doing things outside. I think there may also be a vitamin D effect.
From the beginning to the end of the 'holiday season' - Halloween through Easter - I try to just minimize the 'damage!'
Thank you for the welcome back. I was unable to go to WW this week as I needed to be at another meeting at the same time. Also they have changed the venue for WW whilst I have been away and so now I will not be able to walk, the 1.5 mile to the meeting. But I will be there next week. Weigh-in Friday morning for us here at home and I have lost half a pound since last Friday but gained 4.5 in total since Febraury.
Our travels were very interesting and made us think a great deal about what we want from our travel experiences. We were horrified at how much folk purchased to bring home! We like to bring home photographs, postcards and memories.
How are we all doing? I went back to WW this week and found that on their scales I have gained a total of 4.5 pounds in the 12 weeks that I have been away. Same as my assessment. Not bad going. I have about 10 pounds to go to goal weight. Wish me luck!!!!
fidgiegirl
5-10-13, 7:55am
Awesome!
Hi all. I'd like to join in to lose 5-10 lbs. My blood pressure is high and I'm fighting to stay off meds. I joined Curves in December just for the excercise. I figure if I can get strong, I can then lose a little weight. My problem is maintaining it. As a kid I would go to bed hungry so if I get a hungry feeling my psyche becomes terrified that "we" will starve. I'm occasionally drinking green kale & spinach smoothies with a base of low sodium tomato veg juice. I am also keeping a food diary which remarkably keeps me honest. I'm annoyingly between two clothing sizes so I want to fit comfortably in the smaller one.
Here is another up-side to the weight loss. I decided to get rid of some of my larger sized clothes. I have never done that before always hung them in the wardrobe - "just in case". Well I put 3 items on e-bay, one is selling and the others have watchers. Also there is a deal here in the UK that if you take Marks & Spencer clothes items to an Oxfam charity shop at certain times of the year they will give you a £5 voucher towards new M&S items. I did that today.
Hope I have not spoken too soon and will end up with more weight on when I weigh in tomorrow!
It's been a couple of weeks so I thought I'd check in. Have only lost three pounds over past two weeks. I'm at 259 now.
Challenges:
With two teenage boys in the house there is always a lot of junk food around.I ate half a bag of potato chips the other day before I realized how much I had just eaten.
Elbow is much better but still too sore to lift weights,maybe in another week.
Didn't get to the gym as often as I would have liked.Fortunately,it wasn't a lazy issue just been busy.
With food, my biggest challenge has been my phobia over wasted food.I can't stand to see food go to waste.So I often eat things I shouldn't just so they don't have to be thrown out.
On a more positive note, the one day a week of liquid fasting has shown positive results.I just drink smoothies and veg. juice on those days.Think I'm going to try two days a week on this.
You're doing great, KayLRZ!
You're right, Bae. Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately, at WW they only weigh, not measure. So I guess I have focused too much on that. I do know my legs feel more toned.
Well I weighed the same at the WW Meeting this week. At least I did not put any on.
Merski I don't think I could face those veggie smoothies................ I don't do green! Well I do really but just beans, peas, cauliflower.
Need to move a bit more but it has been so wet and windy this week that I have not been in the garden so much.
Well, I haven't responded because I haven't made any progress weight wise. Still hovering around 150 when I'd rather hover around the low 140s. But I need to focus on how I feel physically rather than the numbers on the scale. Now that it's summer I'm getting more exercise. Not exercising enough is my downfall. But in the last week I tried out archery and DH and I played tennis a couple times and a few walks.
Today I walked to the store for groceries. We share a car so I could have driven but I try to walk to the stories as much as possible. I brought my backpack and it was quite heavy walking back so out of curiosity I weighed what I was carrying when I got home - 23 lbs. It's not the longest walk - probably about 3 blocks the long way. But still, something. Also got a new video game that involves some physical activity. For me, anything that's not sitting is a step in the right direction.
Well lost one whole pound this week! I checked my weekly pedometer reading this morning and I had walked over 20 miles this last week. Actually it was probably more as the silly thing switches itself off now and then and I know that one day I changed clothes and forgot to put it back on my belt before going out.
Oh and those larger sized clothes sold on e-bay! Yeh!
I'm down 3 pounds so far this month.
More importantly, though, I can now jog around my trail loop by my house (which is 2/3 of a mile, with 500 feet of elevation change over the trail), I managed this week to close the Gripper #2 (195 pounds) (*) with both hands after 18 months of working on it, and I managed to pick up our rescue dummy "Rescue Randy", who weighs 175 pounds naked and is wearing 40 pounds of firefighting gear, up with one hand off the ground, over my shoulder and carry him.
So, do not go gently into that good night.
(*) http://www.captainsofcrushgrippers.com/
I had a really good May on the exercise front -- 19 sessions total, and I'm bringing my 5k time down slowly (as I need to avoid messing things up with injuries) but surely. I kind of got off track with my weight routine the past couple of months though -- basically didn't do any! Yeah, that's kind of off track :) I started back up last week, though.
I'm down 1 kilo -- back to 70. Goal for June is to get down 2 to 68. It may be a challenge as I have a two-week business trip at the end of the month, but if I am disciplined about my eating and exercising hopefully I will do ok. The hotel I will be staying at for one week of my trip has a decent gym, so no excuses.
Lost a pound. Started adding a little jogging in to my exercise regimen to boost calorie burn. Went to the DR. who seemed genuinely happy that I was exercising, checking my BP (his concern) and eating "right".....I guess he suggests it a lot to people but not many actually follow his advice. Off to curves!
I seem to be stuck. I think the posh word is plateau. Well I hope that there is some movement (downward!) on the scales at the WW weigh-in tomorrow evening. At least I had not put any weight on in the last 3 weeks.
Yipee! another pound down! Our leader at our meetings told us this week that she is leaving the area. She was so helpful that I would have dearly loved to have hit my target during her time with us. Doubt if I can or if it is wise to try and lose the required amount in 2 weeks.
fidgiegirl
6-14-13, 7:35am
yeah, iforonwy! Thanks for continuing to post . . . I really need to refocus on this and this thread keeps popping up enough to remind me, but in a good way.
We haven't heard from leslieann in a while, anywhere on the boards it seems. Are you out there?
I am fairly new to this forum and stumbled upon this weight loss challenge thread. I would definitely be interested in doing a challenge. I was looking into the Beachbody Challenge- https://www.teambeachbody.com/beachbody-challenge to do with my friend. It looks like it would be fun and you could have the chance to win a bunch of different prizes. My friend and I both love exercising so I think this would be something we would both enjoy.
I am in it too :)
I really need to lose some weight too, maybe this little article can help us: http://e-njoy.us/how-to-diet/
I think that is the real problem, that after the diet the weight comes back....
We had a Fire/Rescue BBQ and softball game last night.
I've not played baseball since I was 13, and I've never played softball. I was a lacrosse player/wrestler/swimmer after that.
So, I was dubious. A year or so ago, I wouldn't have even tried to play, figuring I'd be too slow and out of shape.
Good news: Not any more. I can even sprint at a respectable clip between bases. And my New Improved strength allows really fierce batting.
Bad news: Softball is *not* like 35+ year old remembered baseball skills. Throwing these things is a pain, they don't weigh anything, and have too much drag compared to a baseball. Catching them is a pain too with a borrowed "mitt" that is so small only 2 fingers fit inside. Plus the mitt is on your hand, not at the end of a long lacrosse stick. Boo.
Good news/bad news: My slide-into-home is still picture perfect, it subconsciously came back to me when needed. Problem is: when I did that as a kid, apparently I was wearing "pants". Ooops.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z-4C-aMWBtA/UeBPsw7XheI/AAAAAAAAIE8/_tzywpYYwQA/s640/Awesomized.jpg
Better news: Best place to rip your leg off is in the middle of a bunch of EMTs and paramedics :-)
Wow,its been 2 months since my last post.
I had completely fallen off the wagon.I have gained 10 pounds in 2 months.No,excuses.I actually feel fortunate I didn't gain more.Five of those 10 pounds came from 1 week of vacation.I'm back up to 269 lbs.,still 16 pounds less than I was over Christmas.
My mind seems to be right once again.I'm reading daily from a couple of books. Mindless Eating and also reading Eat to Live.I just read a little from each book daily,it helps.
cx3, you bring up a very good point and I started thinking about it. The only times in my life that I've lost any weight was when I immersed myself in reading healthy living books.
I've stayed the same. Haven't gained but haven't lost but I did take a hard look at my shell and realized I've got some 46 year old issues - losing that tight structure in my skin, noticed more jiggly bits, lower energy.
All I've been doing is kayaking which is great for my shoulders and back, and a little on the abs if I think about it. Went for an early morning walk (still have to wrap the ankle when I walk or it bothers me for a few days). Just before the truck accident last September I had started back jogging a bit - the broken ankle put an end to that but here almost a year later...maybe I can start a bit.
So, re-booting my goals. Walking and working up to jogging, add some weight training with my son, drop the diet coke habit. Hoping that in September - the year mark I can see some differences.
Can I chime in even though I am ignoring the weight part? I have been struggling with getting exercise and dealing with asthma and the 46 yo issues like some others.
Yesterday I went to the gym and did just over 2 miles on the treadmill in 25 minutes! That means a 12 1/2 minute mile. I have been as slow as a 15 minute mile (even 5 years ago I could get to a 10 minute mile in under a month of running and close to an 8 minute mile with 2 months of work). I am glad for the treadmill because I can pinpoint the heart rate where I start to struggle with breathing. I may focus more on being able to speed up and withstand the heart rate (I am comfortable up to 130).
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z-4C-aMWBtA/UeBPsw7XheI/AAAAAAAAIE8/_tzywpYYwQA/s640/Awesomized.jpg
Better news: Best place to rip your leg off is in the middle of a bunch of EMTs and paramedics :-)
That looks like the last time I went into a pit at a concert about 3 years ago at Warped Tour!
rodeosweetheart
7-17-13, 12:07pm
Totally fell off wagon and lots of stress eating, up 15 pounds.
Said to hell with it and made appointment with a weight loss doctor, saw him on MOnday. It is a hardcore program and not sure I like it, 2 days in. But he did an EKG which revealed an incomplete right branch bundle (????) and is referring ekg to a cardiologist for review.
Was horrified at what I weighed, but hey, maybe it's a blessing, maybe there are other factors at work here, so maybe this was just what I needed.
I am going to look at the two books mentioned as I need more witht he mental thing of stress-eating. I realize now that I can't just grab food when anxious that I need a replacement for this behavior.
Good for you for facing your demons, rodeosweetheart.
Tonight is weigh-in for me---I have really amped up my exercise. What I've done is bring my bike in to my workplace on Sunday evening (I have security access) and ride during my lunch hour during the week, then take it home Friday night. I can already, after just one week, tell the difference in how my pants are fitting. The extra exercise seems to have a direct influence on my eating control especially in terms of cravings and off-limit snacking.
All this to say---I'd better see a difference at the scale. Seriously, I will be really upset if there's no loss.
I am going to look at the two books mentioned as I need more witht he mental thing of stress-eating. I realize now that I can't just grab food when anxious that I need a replacement for this behavior.
I can't give a review of Mindless Eating because I haven't read enough of it yet.
However,Eat to Live is an excellent read. You can find motivating testimonies at the author's website.
I'm not affiliated in any way.
drfuhrman.com (as in Dr. Fuhrman)
I don't think I have posted on this topic before so here goes:
Started Weight Watchers 8 weeks ago and have a total of 10.2 lost. Steady progress without feeling hungry. I am eating loads of greek yoghurt with fruit and veggies. Mixed in are some homemade granola and lean proteins. I have removed almost all heavily processed grains from my diet although I still have some rice. (hubby has lot over 15 pounds just be eating what I am serving him.)
We waited awhile and this weeks started at a college fitness program were I can go 5 times a week for a variety of classes and use the huge amount of equipment. Did not know that yoga was so hard.
Goals are weight loss, blood pressure down, BMI down, and more endurance.
It is a commitment to health for both of us.
Ha, just ordered a new set of pants and cargo shorts, 2 inches smaller in the waist than current size. Moo hwa ha ha.
Well things seem to be moving in the right direction again. Last week I lost 1 pound and this week - wait for it - wait for it - 2 and a half pounds!!! Yipee. This means just 6 pounds to go to my goal weight.
I wasn't having any success until my husband decided he was going to lose weight, too. Now that we're doing it together I've lost 5 lbs. I don't know if I will lose any more, but I'm eating a lot healthier and feel better about how I look now.
Down 2.6# at weigh-in last night....hope this gives me the encouragement I need to keep it up. This has been a long plateau. I think (even though they are 0 points at WW) I have been eating too much fruit.
KayLRZ: Try my hubby's smoothie.
1 cup ice
1 cup fat free vanilla yoghurt
1 cup of any kind of fruit. Like strawberry banana or pineapple.
Cut amounts in half for one serving. Blend very well. Best tasting milk shake ever. We use it as dessert.
Good protein and fresh fruit sweet.
And yes it is possible to even gain weight eating too much fruit. Best to also check # of servings a day and the size of servings.
I bought my first set of exercise fitted shorts (bicycle pants) this week and am up to 11.6 pounds lost. Very sore knee but the body pump class is safe for knees so we can keep going.
KayLRZ: Try my hubby's smoothie.
1 cup ice
1 cup fat free vanilla yoghurt
1 cup of any kind of fruit. Like strawberry banana or pineapple.
Cut amounts in half for one serving. Blend very well. Best tasting milk shake ever. We use it as dessert.
Good protein and fresh fruit sweet.
And yes it is possible to even gain weight eating too much fruit. Best to also check # of servings a day and the size of servings.
Thanks, Sweetana, but I really do not like shakes or smoothies...they hurt my teeth. But I am cutting back on my fruit intake. We'll see.
rodeosweetheart
7-29-13, 3:18pm
Fidgie, would you consider doing a new one of these each month, so that I can try to feel some momentum to try again--a fresh start sort of thing, lol. I am finding all the weight losses while I gain, even though I know why I am gaining, a combo of prednisone, illness that makes it hard to exercise, etc. makes me feel like I have been so far left behind I need a startover? Just a psychological thing? What do you think--would it help anyone else to restart each month?
I went to diet doctor and he put me on phentermine and that has totally backfired--up all night, eating. So pitched the rest of them and am going to try Weight Watchers IRL meetings when we move, lol.
And I have to set up the treadmill desk thing, I am completely sedentary with the heat and my COPD.
fidgiegirl
7-31-13, 10:26pm
I think a monthly one is a good idea, I also need a do-over - not sure if anyone's noticed, but I haven't been posting in a while on here. :( The good thing is that even though I haven't been posting, I've been more active than in winter. So: :)
However, I think anyone could be the one to start the monthly thread, much like with frugals or decluttering or gratitude or any of the other monthlies we have. I'd prefer it that way, because I tend to focus on one big goal at a time, and if weight loss/fitness/health isn't at the forefront of my consciousness in that particular month, I'd forget. Plus, it fits well with the way we already operate. That said, who's gonna start us up for August?!
rodeo, hope you are feeling better soon. It must be so hard with the COPD.
Keep up the good work, everyone! Every small success is better than no success!
I've spent the last couple of days trying to cut out most of the carbs. Not low carb exactly, but just limiting what I eat. So far, what I've found is that I am hungry a lot. I'll eat something high protein, like eggs and eat vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower and soon I'm hungry again. It's only been two days, but it's interesting to see what it's like. My other problem is that I actually don't really like meat. That makes it kind of tough. I can only handle so much tofu, you know? I see that the paleo diet is mostly fruits/veg and meat. Well, I don't like fruit, and don't like meat! Uh oh! But I'm giving it a try.
Not low carb exactly, but just limiting what I eat. So far, what I've found is that I am hungry a lot.
This is what happens to me, too, if I cut out all grains and potatoes. I don't eat much meat, either (a small quantity once/day is my limit, and sometimes that is replaced by an egg or two), and although I like tofu, I don't want to eat it every day. So I eat grains in whole form (mostly rice, corn, or quinoa) and I eat potatoes and sweet potatoes, but not in huge quantities, and that does the trick for me. I also eat 1-2 servings of nuts/day, and usually 1/2 avocado with breakfast.
In low carb eating, carbohydrates are replaced by fat. If you're doing it right, Your appetite is noticeably diminished. Whole grains and potatoes will cause insulin release/hunger.
In low carb eating, carbohydrates are replaced by fat. If you're doing it right, Your appetite is noticeably diminished. Whole grains and potatoes will cause insulin release/hunger.
Well, I'm not doing it right!
Tiam, doing it 'right' depends on your goal. My goal is not to follow 'low-carb' rules, but to eat an unprocessed diet that is low on the food chain.
Tiam, doing it 'right' depends on your goal. My goal is not to follow 'low-carb' rules, but to eat an unprocessed diet that is low on the food chain.
Well, what I meant was that I must not be doing it "right" because I am starving when I don't eat carbs as opposed to feeling my appetite diminish as Jane pointed out.
HappyHiker
8-10-13, 1:19pm
Last night I was browsing through an old Natural Health book by Dr. Andrew Weil. What popped out at me was a passage that said (paraphrasing) that there is no ONE diet that is right for everyone. Each of us has our own unique biochemistry that responds best to a different diet. And our nutritional/diet needs can change with age, immune system, allergies, hormones, etc.
Me, I find a lower carb (white carbs) but high vegetable carb and a higher fat consumption keeps my energy, lipid profile and hunger within reasonable bounds. I'm hyper-sensitive to additives and mostly cook everything from scratch and eat whole foods, limited meat.
For others...you may have a different food profile and sensitivities.
Some of us process carbs very efficiently--others not. Some have gluten sensitivities, others not. My husband can drink a cup of coffee right before bedtime and sleep jut fine. Me? I'm up all night. Sugar makes me nervous.
Our diets are extremely personal...find one that works best for YOU...and stick to it. It's such a puzzle and trial and error, but well worth it when the right way of eating clicks.
Last night I was browsing through an old Natural Health book by Dr. Andrew Weil. What popped out at me was a passage that said (paraphrasing) that there is no ONE diet that is right for everyone. Each of us has our own unique biochemistry that responds best to a different diet. And our nutritional/diet needs can change with age, immune system, allergies, hormones, etc.
Me, I find a lower carb (white carbs) but high vegetable carb and a higher fat consumption keeps my energy, lipid profile and hunger within reasonable bounds. I'm hyper-sensitive to additives and mostly cook everything from scratch and eat whole foods, limited meat.
For others...you may have a different food profile and sensitivities.
Some of us process carbs very efficiently--others not. Some have gluten sensitivities, others not. My husband can drink a cup of coffee right before bedtime and sleep jut fine. Me? I'm up all night. Sugar makes me nervous.
Our diets are extremely personal...find one that works best for YOU...and stick to it. It's such a puzzle and trial and error, but well worth it when the right way of eating clicks.
I appreciate this input. I'm still just giving it a try. Not being overly hyper vigilant, but for the last 3 days I've avoided all grains either in grain form, pasta or bread. Just vegetables, some meat, cheese and vegetables. Since I'm not being exact I don't know how good it is. But sticking to steamed broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, mushrooms, cucumbers, peppers. I have no idea if this will make a difference or not. I'm not trying to really "diet" as much as make a change and observe the results. The smoke cleared today, so I was able to ride my bike and look for urban geocaches, so I got some exercise in also.
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