Posts by babwa

Forum	Topic	Date	Replies

Weight Loss	Does anyone else feel like counting calories is hurting not helping?	Feb 20 2008 00:10 (UTC)	2
thanks guys for the great ideas, i am going to give it a try with these sort-of alternatives to counting that will still help me keep my intake under control. I feel much better knowing that I'm not the only one who this doesn't work for... ideally this plan is foolproof if you can follow it but for me it's as tmck99 said... even if I meticulously log all my indescretions, it doesn't seem to be preventing me from overeating the next day, and the next day. These past three days I've been keeping sort of a mental tally in my head from breakfast until dinner, and then eating a healthy balanced meal at dinner--stopping when I'm satisfied. So far, I've not binged once, and I have not logged a thing!! (In recent weeks, I had been logging everything, and somehow still bingeing wayy too frequently... it was making me feel so awful and discouraged!) It has felt really freeing not thinking about calories so much. I intend to keep trying this for awhile, and we'll see what the scale says over the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Weight Loss	Does anyone else feel like counting calories is hurting not helping?	Feb 18 2008 04:53 (UTC)	13
hey, thanks for the replies... I do agree that I should not be obsessing but rather trying to select healthy lower calorie foods that are nutrient dense so that I can eat more. In fact I do this now. But something has changed in my psychology since I started calorie counting, and somehow my current system is backfiring. I appreciate all of your advice, and seekifonix, I think I will try adopting your outlook... calorie counting helped me to lost the first 15 pounds, and I couldn't have done that without tracking my intake. But what was working for me then clearly isn't working for me now. Along the way I've learned a lot about nutrition and portion control and I now have a pretty good idea of how much I burn with and without exercise, so I think it's time to give that a go without counting... this is supposed to be a lifestyle change, after all. I will try it for 1 month and then reevaluate. Even if I'm not losing as much as I would like, that will still be 10 weeks before my goal date, so then I can try something else... and you're right, if I'm not staying on track, I can always start again before the month is up! I'm gong to try not to freak out about not logging! Thanks guys!
Weight Loss	My bingeing is getting out of control. Please help.	Feb 12 2008 22:37 (UTC)	5
I don't mind getting personal, haha... It seems a bit early, but it's entirely possible-- I just had my period about two weeks ago.
Weight Loss	What size would I be @ 140 5'2"?	Dec 25 2007 03:33 (UTC)	11
i'm 5'2" and hovering around 145; right now i'm about a 10. last I remember, at 140, I was size 8-10.
Weight Loss	5'2"-- in your 20's?	Nov 08 2007 00:29 (UTC)	35
Age - 20 Weight - 145 (current); 164 (highest); 154 (starting on CC) Daily Intake - wish I could say 1300-1500; more realistically 1400-1800 on non-workout days; 1800-2200 on workout days Exercise - Dance: 1hr 20min, 4 days/week Running or Elliptical: between 30min and 1hr, 1-2 days/week Lifting Weights: 20 min, 1-2 days/week (the 4 days of dance stays constant; the rest is on a good week) Goal - around 115; if I feel comfortable at 120 I would stop there and maintain; on the flip side, I would go as low as 110 but not lower.
Weight Loss	Derailed in 3 days...support?	Nov 01 2007 00:29 (UTC)	12
jazzislove, I am absolutely in the same boat. The same thing you are describing has happened to me multiple times, and each time it gets more and more discouraging. The first time was last spring... I was down to 145 from 164, and then went on vacation to Mexico. I didn't want calorie counting to ruin my trip, so I just let myself have a good time, and knew that I would see the consequences, but I told myself it would be alright so long as I got right back on track after the trip. Well... that didn't happen. At the end of the school year in May, I was back up to 150. As you said, it doesn't sound like much, but for us shorties (I'm 5'2") you can certainly see a difference. So... I started over. Was doing well at first because I was still at school and making my own choices about food and exercise without any outside pressure to eat. Then I got home for the summer and it was difficult to make healthy choices when surrounded by my family (home for me is the Midwest, my school is on the East Coast -- I find it much easier to be healthy at school, where attitudes about food are much different). Anyway, by the end of the summer, I was up to 154. Back at school I was doing great again... slow but steady loss, down to 145. Then my family came to visit for a weekend, and now I am struggling to get back on track. Last time I weighed I was back at 150, but I'm not sure how much of that is weight from fat or from water because I am now stuck in a cycle of good days, followed by days of major over-eating. It seems like every week I find another excuse to overeat and "start over tomorrow"... like today, for instance, I justified it because it is Halloween. Overall, I guess I still weigh less today than I did when I first began at 164; but it has been two steps forward, one step back for me. Anyway... what I'm trying to say, is I know where you are coming from. As I was writing this, I realized that I seem to be making a lot of excuses, when it is really me making the same mistakes over and over again. I should really begin to hold myself more accountable. I wish I could offer some better advice, but I am struggling with the same thing myself. You're not alone.
Weight Loss	Officially, in CC-speak, what is a "BINGE"?	Oct 24 2007 03:57 (UTC)	9
when I'm calorie counting i treat myself often, usually once a day, to a small bowl of ice cream, a cookie after dinner, or to a few drinks on the weekend. As long as I count it into my daily calories I don't feel bad about it whatsoever and don't think twice. I only call overeating a binge when I feel that I have completely lost control over what I am putting in my mouth, for whatever reason that may be. It might be a small binge if it's only a couple cookies or whatever, or it might be a huge binge where I eat anything i can get my hands on... it doesn't matter to me if it's 500 calories or 3,000 calories... even if it is small, I still consider it a binge because it has the same underlying emotional trigger that my larger binges do (and the same emotional crash afterward). So I definitely don't consider a simple indulgence the same as a binge, even though I am guilty of both.
Weight Loss	Who wants to lose 10 lbs by Christmas?	Oct 22 2007 20:31 (UTC)	272
I just started doing a Friday weigh-in, hoping to be down at least 10 pounds by the time I go home for Christmas break (college student), and looking for something to hold me accountable... so this is the perfect challenge for me! Height 5'2" I started CC at 164 last January and got down to 143. I had some setbacks over the summer and put some of that weight back on, but now I'm back at school with a fresh start and getting rid of these Freshman 15 once and for all (more like High School 30). This time around: Start--152 (Sept. 1) Current--146 (as of last Friday, Oct. 19) Goal--135 by Dec. 20 (when I go home for break) 115-120 overall, but I'm taking it slowly Good luck everyone!
Weight Loss	5' 0" to 5' 2" Club	Jul 16 2007 21:49 (UTC)	179
I'm in! 19 years old, 5'2"... Started at 164 lbs. in January, was down to 140-142 in April... hit a slump (combination of finals/sleep deprivation/lack of motivation/summer slacking) and am now back up to 152, but I'm feeling positive and motivated again. I'm ready to get back to losing!! My overall goal is to reach 115-120 lbs., and maintain, hopefully by January 2008. Right now, I'm working toward a smaller goal, and that is to be back to 140 by September 6th... my 20th birthday/the beginning of Fall semester :D Best of luck to everyone!
Weight Loss	I will never be thin, because I have no self-control	Jul 15 2007 19:33 (UTC)	3
oh my gosh, thank you SO much for the overwhelming number of support and responses! I feel a little more motivated just reading some of these and seeing how positive you all are about changing your health around. This might sound weird, but you all SOUND healthier just from the way you speak and think positively in these posts... and it has nothing to do with weight, just the way you look at yourself. I see that I am making it so difficult for myself by continually beating myself down. Really, I am a pretty outgoing, happy and confident person... it is only this one area in my life that I seem to have trouble remaining positive. Thanks for the reality check! I'm going to take a lot of these suggests to heart.
Weight Loss	self-sabotage	Jul 07 2007 22:39 (UTC)	1
oh, i forgot to add... i think my self-sabotage is partly (wish i could blame it solely on this) that when i was losing the weight, i was away at college... i was becoming more adjusted to college life, was intent upon losing the freshman 15, i was choosing my own meals, was learning how to be healthy and creative with my meal plan, had free access to a gym, etc. Now I am back at home for the summer... can't afford to join a gym, i'm less busy--therefore more lazy and have less motivation, there are fully stocked cupboards at my house whereas at school i kept only a few low-cal snacks at hand in my room, i no longer walk everywhere, and my summer job is very active and hands-on (good, right?...) except that it is very tiring and i come home feeling ravenous! Also, at school I have access to a scale which was encouraging because I could actually see progress in the numbers. At home we don't own a scale because my mother believes that in a household of 3 daughters there should not be a scale... and I wholly agreed with that when I was 15... now that I am nearly 20, I have asked her if we can get a scale to help me hold myself accountable, and she refuses. I know that things will get easier again when I am back at school, but I also don't think that summer should be an excuse for me to sabotage my efforts. I need a major kick in the butt... or something?

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