Posts by marinehead

Original Post by loudflower:

So yesterday I was back on track... until after dinner... then I lost it completely.  I don't even want to know how many calories I ate from that point on. This morning I am at the same 4+ pounds weight that I was trying to repair.

Poo.

I think today I will be cleaning out and reorganizing the fridge to make a "Katy Only" section.  I will not touch the food in the other sections.  I will make delicious meals using my section.  I will pick myself up, dust myself off (leftover crumbs) and start all over again.

Admission of food sins did not work yesterday; hopefully it will help today.  I need to do this for my health and wellbeing!

Don't stress or obsess about it!!! Today is another day. At least you didn't gain from the +4!!! Now, you can work on this 4 and beyond.

If you get cravings, then do something you enjoy doing BESIDES eating that takes your mind off of eating: scrapbooking, reading, surfing the web (or talk about it here!), etc. Whatever it takes! You're doing great by nipping it as soon as possible and then getting right back up again.

Finally off the last plateau: I've lost 5 lbs for the month so far, all in the last week or so.

This is huge for me. I've been having the darndest time with losing weight in the past 30 days, and while I have identified the main cause, I re-identified two more: sleep and water.

I upped my sleep to 7.5 hours a night minimum and I started paying more attention to the amount of water that I drink. The result? 5 solid days of solid weight loss. It's times like this that I would kick myself in the head if I could.

I have identified a few keys that work for me in losing weight and getting healthy:

1. Eat often. 5-6 times a day. Normal portions, good good (whole foods, prepared at home; eat out as little as possible). Make sure to hit the target calories cc says or weight will not budge.
2. Drink water all day. Keep it coming. Sure, I visit the WC a lot, but there's bad stuff going out with it, and the cells need all the water they can get (obviously without going overboard).
3. Get good sleep. 7 hours minimum; 7.5 hours is better. It gives the body the rest it needs to burn calories more efficiently during the day. I used to say I didn't have time for sleep; I had to make time. It's important.
4. Eat before I get hungry. If I'm hungry, I'm behind the power-curve for burning calories. To keep burning at the most efficient rate, I have to keep myself from getting hungry.
5. When eating, STOP when I feel full. Don't clean the plate. This is one of the biggest for me. All my life, I was told to clean my plate. This one factor alone has been the most damaging to my health and to my weight. It is this one thing I struggle with the most.
6. It's okay to eat normal food with friends at a restaurant or their homes in a social setting; just keep the portions normal.

These are my keys. I'm sure that there are things I'm leaving off the list, but these are the keys for me that, if I stick to 'em, yields positive results in my efforts to lose weight.

If you're having problems losing weight or are on a plateau, don't get sad or upset! Remember that your body will give you feedback on your progress, and how well your plan is working. Your body will tell you when you're doing the right things to lose weight and it will tell you when you're not. Results from the scale may be deceiving; I lost no weight for two weeks but lost two inches off my waist. If you look at all the data (not just weight alone, but size, BFI, etc), you will find that your body doesn't lie. If you're on a plateau, you just need to change something(s) to get you back onto the road you want to be on.

I'm at almost 38 lbs lost since January 7th. I've been through three plateaus. Twice, I found that I was losing size without losing weight  while the other time, I was doing something wrong (or forgetting to do something right) that was keeping me from losing weight. Plateaus on the scale can be deceiving; don't always trust the scale! It's only one of many measures we have available to us to quantify our weight loss and healthier lifestyles.

Original Post by njakamarilyn:

I am so glad I didn't give up!  Overnight I dropped 4.8 pounds - checked it several times. yep!  I am glad today is a new day!

 WOOT!!!! CONGRATS!!! GREAT JOB!!!!

Original Post by pen_coed:

I gained 8lbs this week. I am really not in a good place. Haven't been for a while. The weight loss (or rather lack of it) is adding to my depression. I am taking a step back for a month or so.

Good luck every one.

It happens to all of us. ALL of us. I don't know anyone who hasn't either gone through a plateau or even a period of gain. There are many, many reasons for it, but you have to look past it and look ahead.

So what if you gained weight. So what if you fell off the wagon. You can't change what has happened. You can only change what happens from this moment forward.

If it's bothered you, don't let it get you down; turn it around starting right now. Even if you had two Egg McMuffins and a slab of bacon for breakfast. :) (I wish I could have)

Start again NOW. And if you have started again already, then just stick with it. You WILL see results.

You WILL lose weight. Calories in < calories burned = losing weight or size. Sometimes it's one or the other, while sometimes the body seems to "hang on" to both until it can't, and then it drops it all quickly.

We all go through ups and downs. When you recognize that you're in a down, you need to look forward to the ups: losing more weight.

You WILL do it. You WILL lose weight. You WILL feel better.

We have all been there, and we will all be there at some point in the future. Then it will be your time to talk us through it. :)

Kindal, I just read your reply and something struck me: my wife has lost the exact same amount of weight as you have in the same time. She's had to exercise HARD for it, doing cardio and jogging every day of the week. She has had a plateau for three of the weeks in the middle where her weight actually went up a little and stayed there before starting back down.

There's no ryhme or reason sometimes as to why we lose weight one day and not for another 20 days, but know that in the end, it WILL come off. If you keep eating well and eating all day like you do, watching your calories, it WILL come off.

Just stick with it. I know it's hard, and that you want to lose more quickly, but women do have a harder time of it than us men do. Comparing my weight loss to yours is like comparing apples to oranges. Compared to most heavy guys who started at my weight, I've lost half of what they have in the first two months.

Keep your chin up, and realized that you've lost 14 lbs already!!! That's a GREAT thing!!! That's 14 lbs closer to your goal than if you'd never lost it.

:)

Kindal, my wife and I are both former ravenous large-portion eaters, and just today at lunch we were discussing how for the past two months, we really haven't felt that we're starving or not getting enough food. To the contrary, we eat all day, and it keeps us full.

For us, the key has been eating every 3-4 hours. We do this religiously. This helps keep not only the metabolism working at a higher rate all day, but it helps keep the hunger away. When it comes time to eat a regular meal, we don't tend to over-eat because we aren't starving.

Foods we have found to help us a lot: Stouffer's Lean Cuisines, Subway lean subs, Hunt's sugar-free snack packs, cheese sticks, spinach leaf salad with strawberry balsamic vinegar with strawberries and almond slivers on top, 90 calorie granola bars, reduced sugar maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal, turkey sausage, ground turkey, turkey polish sausage (kielbasa), Hunt's sugar-free jello, apples, oranges, lite yogurt, and dd I mention the Lean Cuisines? lol

The hardest thing for us to get used to initially was the small portion sizes, but literally within a day, that fear went away as we kept feeling full after each snack. The smaller portions are more tenable when you eat slower. Concentrate on chewing your food well. Count at least 20 chews (or more) after every bite. This not only aids your digestion, but also slows your intake. It takes me a full 30 minutes to eat a regular Lean Cuisine, snack pack, and a pickle pack. In the past, I could have devoured that in less than 5 minutes.

Another thing to consider is the amount of good sleep you get. Get at least 7 to 7.5 hours a night. If you aren't now, really consider changing your schedule or bedtime to make sure you get this. I have seen that I lose more weight when I sleep more, and I lose less (or none) if I don't get enough sleep. It seems to be the biggest factor outside of calorie intake and exercise in my weight loss so far.

I hope these things help. Like you, I lost a lot of weight fast but then slowed down. For the month, I've lost 10 lbs, but most of that was in the first and last weeks of this month. I've lost a total of 24.2 lbs since Janyuary 7th, and while I'm ecstatic about that, I would have liked to have lost another 10 lbs by now. lol. I know that it is unhealthy to keep losing weight too fast, but we can all have dreams about it.

Finally, I have to mention that sticking with what cc says is your minimum really should be your goal and not the cieling. My biggest obstacle outside of getting normal sleep is the fact that I very rarely make it near my recommended calorie intake. I typically, almost daily, undershoot by at least 1000 calories. The strange part is that I don't feel hungry, tired, or weak, but I have to force myself to eat more to get the calories I need. The weird part is that if I eat more to get to that high number, I lose much more weight faster than if I am very far below it. I am starting to plan my diet today based on calories to ensure that I can make that limit every day. I am tired of not losing weight because my body is starving (yet I don't feel it). I actually almost considered making myself vomit after a day of eating with friends on Sunday because I ate literally all day. The following day, my weight was up three lbs (due to the sodium I had that day), but the following day, I was down six lbs (and it stuck). So, I was reminded oncce again that sticking with the plan, eating more to get to my recommended level, and not doing something dangerous like purging after a big day is better for me.

Take care, and keep coming back for more help/motivation/guidance/smiles!!! It helps me all the time, and I credit cc and all the great people here for helping me get to where I am now, and I am sure they will help me get to 147 lbs and to keep it that way!!!

I really have to say that you guys have touched me.

Seriously. I anticipate reading the posts here and seeing how everyone else is doing. Reading what you are all going through, all the while giving me and others encouragement... it drives me to hold steady and stick with it. I've been luckier than most in that I haven't been led astray (as I always say, "yet") and that I haven't really had too many serious motivation problems, but I attribute that to two things: my wife and this forum (and especially, this group). Also, reading about how some folks are having a tougher time of it helps me really appreciate my successes right now, and they are preparing me for the times when I won't be realizing such great losses in the future. I know that it's all part of the game, and that it's normal and that I should just view it as feedback when it does happen to me.

Thank you to Loudflower, Topeze, Sun123, Graciek82, and Norma Jean for your comments (and to anyone else who has commented to me). You guys are my movie stars, and I look up to all of you as people who have been leading the way for others like me to follow in your footsteps and lose weight and stick to a more healthy lifestyle. I can't wait for the day when all of us are remade into our skinnier, healthier selves and when we can look back on this group as a alumni, having succeeded in something few people in this life will ever accomplish: remaking their entire lives and living healthy.

As of today, I've lost 19.3 lbs. That number is amazing to me. Another .7 lbs and I'm into the 20's lost. That's crazy to me. I'm also 12.7 lbs from one of my first goals of hitting 275 lbs. That's crazy. I just can't believe it's actually happening to me; it's like having hit the lottery!

I actually had a co-worker ask me if I've been losing weight. He was officially the first person to notice. Even my mom, who I don't see every day, didn't notice the last time I saw her. I wonder if she'd notice now if she were to see me.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone, and thanks for putting up with an old Jarhead who has hung his hat here on my journey to 147 lbs and living healthy.

Original Post by snapshot8d:

If you have to ask someone why they don't like you, then you deserve the answer you get.  That question combined with his response makes him an idiot.

After you lose the the weight - and you will - he'll still be an idiot.

You can't fix stupid.

Congrats on your weight loss... keep it up!

That's a great point; in an argument with a former co-worker once, in frustration (since he was losing), he said, "Well you're fat anways; who cares what you have to say." I told him something to the effect of "I can lose the weight; you can't lose the stupid." Made everyone laugh and made him go away.

Very sad, indeed for that 750 lbs young man.

I've been continuing my trend of losing weight, having lost another couple of lbs this weekend. I'm now down to 288.4. The weird part is that I'm dropping lbs through diet alone. I have been only marginally more active since starting my new lifestyle on January 7th, but one thing I overlooked in my new lifestyle was the fact that I now get a lot more sleep than I used to. Then I read this this morning and it all made sense: More Sleep Helps Weight Loss. I know that the article is geared towards women, but it's got to be something that has worked for me as well.

I now get around 7-8 hours of sleep a night compared to the 4-5 I used to get. I also don't drink any caffeine hardly at all. This was one of the biggest changes for me and made me quite cranky for the first few weeks. I now drink a lot of water with the crystal light tea with peach flavored packets. 10 cal per 17 oz bottle, but I can handle that. It tastes like tea and keeps my hydrated, and that too is helping me shed the lbs.

The more I learn about losing weight and staying healthy, the more fascinating it gets.

As I look back on my young bachelor days, I am glad to say I've never done anything as horrible as that guy did you to. However, I remember guys I know doing stuff like that, and I called them on it. They told me why they did it which translated into something like "She hurt my feelings" or "She rejected me." They felt that gave them some kind of permission to "hurt them back."

It's ridiculous, sad, and petty.

Let me say this before I go any further; if I were a bachelor and you were at a party I were at, I'd most definitely be hitting on you. No question about it. You are phenominally good looking, and I'm sure funny and interesting. Based on your writing, I can see you're smart, so you have all the "awesome" bases covered!

Don't let that tool get to you. He's lashing out in much the same way a stray dog would lash out after being hit by a 2x4. Perhaps he really did like you (ironic, eh?) and you "shooting him down" hurt him. I'm not trying to excuse is or to condone what he did (because it's reprehensible), but the irony in all this is that the very reason he messaged you is because he DID find you attractive and/or worthy of being someone he wanted to get to know better. Your rejection (for very good reasons, may I add) made him feel bad and he felt the need to spread that misery.

Don't let him get to you. You have the power within you to make yourself feel better and to not let tools like him bother you. You're a catch, and to him, you're one he can never get. Take solace in that. Trust me; it's bugging him, and will continue to bother him for a long time.

The good guys are few and far in between, and are worth the time to wait for. They will come to you when you least expect it, and often times when you least want them to. My wife and I met when we were both at a point in our lives when we both wanted nothing to do with the opposite sex and had practically given up. That's happened to most everyone I know; the good ones happen to you every once in a while. The rest... they fall in your lap all the time in a loud and obnoxious manner.

Take care, and be good to yourself. You're doing great. And don't come to Spring, Texas unless you want some 40 year old guys hitting on you.

Very cool! Congrats to all who've lost so much! I'm at 18.1 lbs lost since January 7th myself and I'm looking forward to meeting my next goal of 275 lbs!

Original Post by glennzol:

Thanks for the support!  Today I'm up two pounds.  I am going to see a cardiologist next week.  My doctor says I have heart disease so that could explain the water retention.  I have been on hypertension and high cholesterol medicine for several years and now all of this.  So going through the whole medical thing. 

I am still walking, dieting and exercising, I just have no stamina, tired all the time.  This losing weight is a real SOB, (excuse my language) at times.  A real struggle and overwhelming at times.   Being overweight I am sure a catalyst for some of the medical problems. I am glad everyone else is here as support for one another. 

Everyone have a good weekend.

Glenn, I hope all goes well with the docs. I know it's aggravating to be doing something about your health and then have your body not be on the "same sheet of music." I had a similar problem a few years ago and I had to wait until the problem was resolved before I was able to exercise again. Of course, once I was able to, I didn't, and a few years later, here I am. :)

Do take it easy, though. If you're having problems with water retention, just don't do too much in the way of exercise until after you see your, especially being on cholesterol and hypertension medicine. It's better to be on the safe side. If you're feeling tired, listen to your body and let the doctors interpret what's going on inside and get you better so you can continue to exercise and to attack the weight loss!

Original Post by bibsey:

Original Post by nightowlssong:

I love it when I am not dieting and some person feels the need to come up and tell me how they lost weight and suggest I try their plan! I just love that one.

 I think you are wrong.........they do think about what they are saying.  I am not as much overweight as you describe yourself but am in need of losing at least 15 pounds and I am convinced that the prejudice against overweight people is there and increases as you get heavier.  Have you ever heard anyone walk up to a person with anorexia and saying "Have you ever tried eating more, you are morbidly thin!".We know that both are physical conditions that are harmful, unfortunately one is met with sympathy, one with derision.

Sorry for the obvious pain these clueless people have given you.

 I've actually called the parent of a friend of my daughter's who was too thin and I learned she was purging at school and chewing gum for lunch. The weird parts were (A) the daughter was doing this because her mother always commented about her "gaining weight" and (B) she had no idea her daughter had an eating problem; she just thought she had an incredible metabolism. Since telling this girl's mother, the girl has gained weight to a healthy level and looks GREAT now. She is much healthier and happier, and fortunately, the girl doesn't resent me or my daughter. To the contrary, things have gotten better for her at home as well. She and her mom communicate better now, and they are both involved in ensuring their nutrition is healthy and that they stay at a healthy weight.

As for the original topic, I run into this all the time. Co-workers and friends can see that I've lost weight, and they know I'm always watching the foods I eat. They offer most foods to me, and fortunately, they don't ask why I don't partake when I decline (which I don't always do). Strangers or co-workers I don't know have been known to ask why I don't want something, and I just say, "No offense meant, I'm just not hungry." I don't think it can get any more basic than that.

"Why do you want to know?" is another awesome suggestion I saw. The one about the allergy is brilliant... I can't wait to tell that one to my wife!

Hello Elle!

First of all, welcome back, and congratulations on deciding to do something about your weight! I used to think that there was this chasm between deciding to lose weight and actually losing weight, but that was before I looked into all the healthy foods that we can eat to substitute less healthy foods we've become accustomed to.

My wife and I love to eat. A lot. Our biggest fear was the loss of a lifestyle we truly enjoyed; eating tasty food. What we were shocked to find was that we were able to find healthy alternatives to ingredients that allowed us to eat the same foods, only with healthier ingredients and in smaller portions while keeping that "full" feeling we enjoy so much after a satisfying and delicious meal.

What's the secret? SNACKS.

My wife and I both eat about 6 times a day (I typically go for 7 since I have to consume an extra 1000 calories over her intake level). We have found through our personal experience that eating the snacks between meals not only keeps the metabolism going, but makes us feel less hungry at meal time which translates into feeling full faster. Also, the old-fashioned tricks like eating slowly and chewing food better helps. We also try to make our meals a social event, so talking also slows down our intake. By the time we're through with our portions, we're full and not feeling as if we've lost out.

As for the foods themselves, we have found many extra-lean alternatives for meat, and we always ate lots of chicken and fish, so it was just a matter of trimming down on serving sizes, eating more snacks, and using better ingredients. In 30 days, I've lost 16.6 lbs, and my wife has lost over 9 lbs (but she's got a visit from her Aunt Flo, and from what I understand, women retain water when she visits) so she hasn't realized any loss this week. 

Here's the kicker to my weight loss: I don't exercise. I have no time for it. Literally. I know most people (including me!) would say that there is always time for exercise if you make the time, but since I work about 14 hours a day and my desire to spend time with my family for at least 3-4 hours a day is greater than my desire to exercise, I have foregone it for now until my schedule changes. Fortunately, I'm still losing weight just through the basic math of calories in < calories burned.

YOU CAN DO IT!!! It's not hard. I haven't felt hungry, cheated out of great foods, or unhappy. Crazier yet is the fact that since my wife and I aren't on any fad diets or we haven't reduced any single food group from our diets, we've been losing weight at a healthy rate, and we've been healthier overall. All three of our kids have been home sick over the past three weeks at one time or another, yet my wife and I have remained healthy. I have two co-workers out of the office today (both sick), yet I haven't caught what they caught. I attribute that to the vitamins and the good eating.

As for foods... let's just say I had polish sausage for dinner last night, yet it was under 150 calories! Was it yummy? Oh yes it was! Tomorrow night I'm making stuffed peppers (which my family loves), and tonight, I'll have dinner at Fuddruckers. How? I'll eat all day, but keep the calorie count just a little lower so that I can absorb the extra calorie count tonight. Since I'll be on my feet from about 7 p.m. until 1 a.m., I'll also be burning a few more calories than I normally would, so that'll help offset the higher calories from the burger (without fries, btw).

I highly recommend taking a look at Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (known as BFFM) by Tom Venuto. It's a great resource for learning how to re-think diet plans, exercise, nutrition, and getting healthy. It's helped my wife and I, and it's a no-nonsense approach to a healthier lifestyle.

Feel free to contact me at any time for any information or answers. I have recipes that are amazing, and there are lots of friendly folks here who are great help!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Original Post by mwiowa:

Just reporting in.  Stayed the same for January...again.

I need to quit making excuses of why I can't start watching it again... i.e. - "I'll get back on it after New Years, after my grandma's birthday, after the Super Bowl, after Valentines...I need to get back on it now!  The understanding is there but not the will.  I always get motivated after watching the biggest loser on tv and think, ok...this is it... but then end up eating pasta or chocolate while watching it and feel terribly guilty!  I don't know what is wrong with me as I did really good last year and should feel completely proud of myself for losing the 50 pounds and even if I said, "50 pounds a year" would be great but I know I have the potential to do a lot more and that is what eats at me...(I wish literally!) :)  To those that are motivated - good for you and keep it up!  To those that are not, I understand ya and here's to a good February with a lot of will power!

First off, congratulations on the first 50 lbs you lost last year! I can't wait to hit that milestone!

Motivation is a tricky thing. Some people inherently have it, while the rest of us have to work at it. Motivation comes in many forms; for some, it's fear while for others, it's sheer determination to reach a goal. I can't explain what ignited the flame inside me ot stick with it and watch myself at every single meal, whether it's a snack or a dinner. It just snapped inside me one day, and once I set my mind to it, it's stuck.

The fact that you've lost the amount of weight you already have is proof that you have motivation somewhere inside of you. You just need to reach down and find it again at your own pace. Nobody can make you do it; it has to come from within. 

Of course, you probably know a lot of this stuff, but sometimes, reading it (sometimes even reading it aloud) helps your brain see it in a new light. I know people who use affirmations and others who despise them and instead have some sort of natural motivation within them. Hopefully you will find what works for you soon and then you can start dropping those lbs again!!!