Posts by crysonna

Original Post by mama_fawn:

Really? mine has always been dark as hell, but i used to drink 4 liters of drpepper a day. I have since then cut down alot, to like 20 oz a day. I know that soda dehydrates you. i been drinking the vitamin water xxx. do you think that is okay to put in place of water? I could drink a **** load of it

 Um, vitamin water is a boatload of unnecessary calories. You would be doing a ton better with a multivitamin and a big glass of just water. Give your body time to refind its love of water, but considering it makes up what 75% of our bodies, its natural for us. You could have a sugar habit you need to tackle cold turkey and if at all possible, kick the soda habit. If not completely, then at least knock it down to maybe two cans a day? With the rest of your intake being just water.

Original Post by mrgcat:

This is quite confusing. If we were going to pay attention to carbs, would we not be doing the atkins diet. I thought this site was more about calories. I do about 65-75% carbs and most days end up with an A on nutrition. I have also lost 25 pounds in two months. I'm working on bringing my protein up but mostly everything I eat is carbs. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but counting carbs is NOT what this site is all about when losing weight?

Thanks!

Please don't confuse a diet gimmick with the concept in being balanced in your nutritional needs. Protein helps you maintain muscle while you lose, fats are essential in keeping tendons loose while carbs serve as the first source of energy your body craves. Atkins would call for ungodly drops in carb intake in your overall diet and forcing you to consume almost nearly all protein and fat. No one is dicussing carb counting, but figuring out what is a reasonable range in which to be, not an absolute figure as approved by some methodology.

I would like to think this site about more than just counting calories. I suppose if all you use if the food log it would be, but I also like to think of it as a source of support, good information and all facets of the nutritional spectrum, which includes anything from what a good range for carbs, why soy is an especially good nutritional source for women, or heck even how many reps would be good goal for a beginner with a 20lb dumbbell. Weight is only one facet to my real goal, good health, mentally and physically. Sure, the numbers decreasing are a wonderful feeling, but if well over half of my diet consisted of carbs I would be tired, sloggy, weak and constantly hungry. I dearly want to meet my goals, but I would like to be able to lift a can of soup when I get there.

No more than 55% of your daily intake should be from cabrs, ideally whole wheat and whole grain even then. My personal best usually occurs with a 30/30/40 spread with carbs being the highest, but it is a difficult balance for me to maintain. Here's a link I think might help too:

http://blog.ediets.com/2008/08/8-steps-to-mor e-effective-fat-loss.html

Original Post by m_c_85:

Mmmm deep fried. I've heard that whole wheat pita bread is not much better than regular ole' bread. Have I been misled?

La Tortilla Factory seems to be especially kind in this area, 50-60 per pita and sometimes even throwing in a few extras for those us who hate to suck down horse pills for what our diet lacks.

For pitas specifically *digs in fridge*.... we have *drumroll*... Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread which touts Not Trans Fat, Reduced Carb, No Cholesterol and High Protein. Doesn't that sound just scrumptious? 60 calories per pita and I generally stuff the crap out of them.

The one problem I have had is finding them. I thought it would be logical to have them where all the other bread products and pitas and tortillas were... but NOOOO, I finally found them by the deli section.

I suppose the only time that thing makes me happy is when I already have all my food planned out for the day, log it all, then gradually watch the calories burned race past the calories eaten (even though I haven't eaten them yet).  I don't see it so much as a motivational tool, I think of it as more of my reality check.

Original Post by purpleorchid89:

Original Post by helpless:

why would you be so offended by coworkers who didn't want any cake? couldn't you share it with family, boyfriends, close friends instead?  i don't think you should have let that get to you that caused the binged.

I wasn't offended or mad at them. I was embarassed and annoyed at myself for trying so hard to give people things they obviously didn't want or care for. I felt like it was so incredibly awkward. I don't know how to explain. You had to have been there. Sigh.

I can't share it with anyone else really, because my family is thousands of miles away right now. Friends are all gone too, because it's summer vacation. It's just me, staying on campus working and cooking for myself. I suppose that it all makes sense why I am lonely. And my phone just broke, so I can't call anyone. I didn't mean to spill out all my woes, but yeah...

But I agree. None of it means that i should have binged. It was totally avoidable, and I want to remember all this so that next time I won't!

 You have a lot of challenges with no car and no phone. Though when I remember the ol' college days, that colleges were like little towns unto themselves. Is it completely dead there during the summer? Perhaps some things are ongoing for summer school? As for the phone, use the net to connect while you can with those you know in the meantime. You might shocked at the gems you might find at a local good will. Maybe on those walks of yours you can find some places you might like visiting along way. Again, good luck to you in all aspects!

I'm a bit of anti-social loner myself, so I know I do it to myself. But a good place to start getting rid of that lonely feeling might to make a list of your biggest interests (I'm a list lover, can you tell?) and find things in your area you can join in that would get you around some like-minded people. Ever wanted to learn kick boxing? Take a class. Want some face-to-face time with others trying to get healthy, a gym is a great way to go. There are local books clubs, support groups, cooking classes (organic vegan?) and seeing as you love to cook, maybe helping out in a soup kitchen might give you some of that 'doing for others' that you seem to crave. In my area we have a free local semi-underground paper that talks a lot about things available in this area, but there can be a wealth of information in the events section of the local TV or newspaper website. If you have been this dedicated to your physical health, its time to integrate some lovin' for your emotional health as well. I wish you luck!

Honestly? I've lost 40 now and am working to 78 more... (yeah, THAT big)

Anyway, buying clothes to show off the new shape is a surprising confidence booster. I swear I think I drop a pound the day after donning a new (smaller) shirt. Now being the cheapskate I am, I find the neighborhood with the fanciest houses and the nearest GoodWill to them. They tend to have some fantastic stuff. Make a donation of your own, claim it on your taxes... Hey, you may break even ;)

Congratulations on your success!

Bear with me, I'm playing a bit of Devil's Advocate here. Keep in mind: you have made heck of a journey and you should be proud of yourself. With that in mind....

Now think back at 224.... ever have the person who was always in shape around who seemed to always make you self-concious of what you were eating? Maybe they made a suggestion for something lower cal? Maybe they just commented about how jealous they were that you "could" eat "that"? Maybe they just sat in front of you, ate a tenth of what you did and declared how "stuffed" they were?

I find the smaller I get, the more I want to talk about nutrition. The more I feel compelled to make recommendations to others because I have convinced myself they don't eat better because they just don't know...

but then I have to catch myself....people will do only what they are willing and ready to do. The last thing any of them want to hear is subtle judgement in the form of unrequested "advice." Sure, be proud, be confident, be healthy... but the next time you open your mouth to speak to your family, ask yourself first, "Am I about to say anything relating to THEIR weight, THEIR food, or THEIR decisions?" If the answer is yes... close the mouth and move on.

One of the biggest and most discouraging times is the beginning of the weight loss journey. We're trying to process all the information we have been reading and when we first jump into it feet first, our bodies do not give us the results we are expecting. Be patient, your body is having a shock to the system with the changes and it needs some time to adjust. Give it a few weeks really knowing how your body is responding.

Another thing you can do... when logging food look over highest calorie items and see if there isn't an alternative that gives you essentially the same volume of food for less calories. I dropped 200 calories a day just by switching my creamer, another 200 by switching brands of butter, 70 calories per slice by switching bread. I know a ton go by the philosophy that being hungry is some badge of honor of doing dieting right, but I simply do not agree. If I had to be hungry for the entire process, I would have given up 20 lbs of loss ago. CC tells me I need to eat about 1350... I feel better when I have had about 1400-1500 throughout the day and considering I just hit my first real big plateau after 33 lbs gone, I'm ok with that. Cycle some calories (eating high, then low), find some reason to get out of the house for a few days and walk REALLY FAST and I should be back on track. Tossing a monkey wrench in my body's ability to get acclimated with habit usually gets me back on track.

General flaw to the human mind... we underestimate the volume of bad stuff we put in our mouths and we overestimate the good, i.e. "Oh I only had a half a cup of white rice with white sauce on it" when we really had about a cup and a half. There is also a tendency to think we eat a ton of veggies, yet we aren't calcing that right either. Sure, its tough to face our demons when we feel like we're being graded (like logging food here)... but we're only lying to ourself if we don't.

It takes a couple weeks and the body WILL adjust to any routine. It will stall when it knows what you are doing, i.e. if you go to the gym on the same days and do the same routines, your body has learned this and tried to stabilize the weight. Eat a little high one day, then low the next and completely alter the routine and days when you work out and what you are doing. I saw that you meant cardio, but I didn't anything about weight and strength training. Maybe spend a few weeks just doing that, then return to the cardio, combine them, then do one or the other again.

Just in my experiences in the weight loss game:

- nothing seems to cause people to run to your aid with cake in hand like telling them you want to lose weight. I don't know why there is an internal need to sabotage others. Perhaps, they do not wish to face their ill health and weight... maybe they just don't to lose a member of the large club. Realize the less you react with these types with anything other than a firm but polite "no," the more successful you will be in getting them to stop. You'll also be empowering yourself for the challenges that you face alone. If maybe losing touch with them for awhile will help you regain some sense of control over things, then by all means do it. Family and tons of food tend to go together quite often and they can be so tempting in thwarting your efforts if you let them.

-There is also the other aspect to it. This is your family. You don't honestly expect them to agree with you that you need to lose weight right? That would hurt most people's feelings, especially from family. It's a double-edged sword. No wants to hurt the delicate egos of family, but how to you support the effort while still keeping their self-confidence up? Perhaps, they just don't know how.

Maybe they also fear that they might lose your company on occasions when there is a lot of food present? Maybe they fear being forced into low-fat and calorie items to appease your new pallette. There is a lot of speculation. You are on the right track, and tell yourself that anytime you get down. For whatever reason, you are doing what you feel you must and like your mom, they will come around in their own time.

Speaking as one of those people who lack tact for the most part.... you boss may have been trying to pay a compliment. May not seem like it when you're self-conscious, but there is the other message to that sentence ..."soandso wished they looked like you."

Sweetie, I cannot congratulate you enough for surpassing the hurdle of anorexia. I have someone in my own life who has not been able to make that journey yet and from the outside, its frustrating.

No, you should not beat yourself up over some junk food. I've read that some chocolate cravings are a craving for magnesium... but more often than not, we're looking for comfort. Your husband is not there to do it, but if you have any others in your life who can fill that role in his absence, now is the time to reach out. Find something you can enjoy doing that will help alleviate that emotional response you are having that is triggering your reach for food. I like puzzles, books, heck I even come here, sometimes reaching out and trying to be a voice of support for others is therapeutic for me as well. Perhaps there is an eating disorder support group in your area, one for which you can step and tell someone you can get over the not eating... and they can, in turn, help you with the binging. The minute you give responsibility to your body as being the culprit, you're fooling yourself. You choose how you react to your emotions, and creating a new reaction, a more functional one, is going to be the only thing to eliminate the guilt.

I've had days when I lived the rest of the day on air-popped popcorn the rest of the day because of the damage I've done in the morning. I don't recommend it.

This is one meal, shake it off and prepare better for the next, and the next. If popcorn chicken and cookies are a temptation you just cannot say no to... don't leave them in the frig... ever. Anything that drains your willpower should never come in the house. Maybe eating a better balanced meal in the evening might help the ravenous behavior in the morning. It's all about balance, developing a new habit... until you get used to not eating that which is awful for you, you're not prepared to say "no" to it should creep its way back in your life. When you reach for that cookie or other no-no food, ask yourself if its hunger you're responding to or an emotion.

Wish you luck!