Posts by m4mitchell

Original Post by pamm915:

Having said the obvious try a few food substitutes.  I have seriously curb my chocolate craving by adding baking coca to everything, almost everyday. 1 table spoon in yogurt, oatmeal, coffee, milk etc..... at 15 cals per servings its better then godiva...yummy..chocolate...........

I second the suggestion of adding cocoa powder to food!  I like to make low-calorie hot chocolate by taking a cup of skim or soy milk, a tablespoon or so cocoa powder, and stevia.  You can use other sugar substitutes such as splenda instead of the stevia if you like.  It's only 110 calories, is healthier than buying packaged hot chocolate mix, and helps cure my chocolate cravings!

Original Post by tealparadise:

One thing I did for a while was wear jelly bracelets that each *equaled* 100 calories, and I'd take them off as I ate to remind me.

I love this idea!  So much faster, easier, and discreet than jotting things down on paper.

I love feeling thin and pretty.

I love being able to go shopping and find lots of clothing that fit well and look flattering on me.

I love having my friend tell me "that guy (or woman) just checked you out".

I love going dancing and feeling that I'm thin and pretty and that people are attracted to me.

I love feeling confident in my body and feeling good about myself.

I love working out and feeling energized and having post-workout endorphins.

Good luck!  I was vegan for two years (I went back to vegetarianism very recently, because I missed cheese too much - yes I suck, I know.)  I've been my heaviest weight while vegan and eating too much unhealthy and processed food, and I've been my lowest weight while eating vegan and minimally procesed, low-fat food. 

When I ate vegan and focused on only eating things like eating beans, grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and fortified soy-milk, I felt *fantastic*.  I would totally recommend a minimally processed plant-based vegan diet - as long as you make sure you're eating a variety of foods (and possibly take a multivitamin), it's a really healthy way to eat.  If you decide to add more high fat foods, avocados are great to add to salads.  I'd also suggest adding flaxseed to your meals - it is high in fat, but it's a good vegan source of omega-3 fatty acids, and you only need 1 or 2 tbl per day. I like to add it to oatmeal in the morning.

I bought a GoWear Fit recently and have been using it for the last four days, and so far I'm very pleased.  Since I already count calories, I now know exactly what my deficit for the day is.  I've been more active than usual the last couple evenings, and I've also snacked less in the evenings, because I wanted to get as close as I could to a 1000 calorie deficit. 

I've created an Excel spreadsheet (yes, I'm slightly obsessive) with my daily calorie intake and calories burned, so that I can track my daily deficits.  The GWF will calculate your daily deficit based on an estimate of how many calories you eat each day, but as I eat somewhere between 1200 to 1500 a day, I like doing the calculations manually so that I know my exact deficit each day.

Also, just walking around burns a surprising number of calories.  I've realized that I don't need to do a hardcore workout to burn more calories - just going for an extra walk in the evening helps a lot.  I'm finding the GWF to be an excellent motivator to get off the couch and move.

If you have any other questions, please ask!

I'd love to join!  I'm 22, female, 5'4, and about 135 or so.

Would your mother be offended if you asked her to set some salad aside for you before she adds dressing to it?  That way you could add dressing to your salad yourself and choose exactly how much dressing you want.

Congratulations!  That's awesome.

(I know what you mean about wanting to call everyone you know.  My mom's been very nice about me calling her all the time to say "I've lost xxx pounds so far!", but my sister is officially Fed. Up.  At least on calorie count, you know that people are going to be happy for you.)

I started on January 9 at 168 pounds (or so - that's what the scale claimed, but i was wearing bulky clothing and I'm not sure I trust it), and now I'm 136!  My original goal was 135, but now I think I want to go down to 120 (I'm 5'4).

Why don't you eat one, and then adjust your calories for the rest of the day to compensate?  Mind you, this only works if you know you can stick to just eating one, otherwise it might end in disaster. 

What I've found helpful is to make a pitcher of sugar-free koolaid each day, and then just drink a glass of that when I want something to nibble on, but I'm not actually hungry.  I buy the little unsweetened packets of koolaid and sweeten them with stevia (calorie-free, and natural unlike splenda), but you can use whatever you want for a sweetener.

I know some people don't recommend drinking diet drinks or diet soda in order to lose weight, but so far I've found it useful - it helps me stay hydrated, keeps me from snacking, and tastes more flavorful than water.  Plus, I personally think stevia is much healthier than all the chemical sugar-free sweeteners.

I was having dinner with my best friend at a nice vegetarian restaurant, and I was dressed up in a skirt and low-cut shirt and heels, and she was wearing baggy clothing and looked very butch.  We were talking afterward, and she said that she assumed people read us as lesbians (I did too), and that she was pleased cause everyone would think that she had a hot girlfriend!  :D  (We're both bisexual - or some complicated permutation there of - but we're just platonic friends.)  So basically, even though I want to lose some more weight, I'm feeling attractive and desirable again and I love it!

Plus, she kept getting distracted by my cleavage at dinner.  Hee heee heeee.

Height: 5'4

Age:22

Current Weight: 140 or so.  I started at 168 in January, and have slowly been losing weight.  I miraculously managed to get down to 138 a few weeks ago, and then I went on vacation, ate out a lot, and have since been hovering around 140-142.

Goal Weight:120 - 125

Occupation: er....unemployed and sporadically looking for work?  :P

Calories aiming to eat per day: 1200 to 1300 on days I don't exercise, 1400 to 1500 on days that I do exercise.

Exercises: Curves 5 times a week.  I also just bought a game called "My Fitness Coach" for the Wii, which looks like it can provide a good workout, but I don't think it's going to replace Curves.

My doctor told me that alcohol essentially negates the antidepressants, so you may end up feeling worse emotionally when you drink.  That said, I don't think mixing alcohol and SSRI's is going to do more physical harm to your body than alcohol would do alone, but it's best to try to use good judgement, and start slowly (don't binge drink the first time you drink while on meds, for example) until you know how the meds affect you.

The Curves that I go to has some adult sized hula hoops to use after ones workout, and I have heard - although I don't know how true this is - that hula-hooping can help firm up your midsection.  At the very least it's a good way to get more cardio into your day, and it's fun!