Posts by the_vitamin_dominatrix

Thanks, Sara for the reminder.

Well, my maintenance 12-week goal is going very well.  I drink more than enough water every day.  I'm not doing so well on recording my calories though, and that's something I need to get on.  I think my problem is that lately I haven't been cooking as much so I've been ordering fast food more often than not, but because I make complicated special orders to make the food healthier it makes it hard to add the calories.  No excuse.  I definitely need to make the food more often, then it's not a problem to know exactly what I'm eating.

Do you have a family doctor who she sees that you can speak with?  Maybe a close friend of hers?  I'd try to find someone she will talk to or listen to. 

I'm really sorry you're going through this.  I wish I had better advice to give.

Well, 6 weeks in and I'm sorry to say I'm not on track at all right now.  I think it's because I was using the wedding as my motivating force for so long that, now that I'm married, I need to find an equally strong goal to work towards.  I can certainly still get on track, but in order to do so I'll need to keep the goals in the front of my mind.

Augh!  Here it is, less than an hour left in Saturday and I finally post.  I'm really disorganized right now.  My new husband and I are moving again and it's thrown everything into disarray.

Here's my recipe:http://caloriecount.about.com/potato-cabbage- soup-recipe-r277710

Hokay, here's my goal!

By December 12th I will be:
Recording all my calories consistently and exercising 2 to 3 times each week. 

Maintenance goal:
Continue drinking 2+ liters of water each day.

I will not be posting next week, though I may pop in late the following week.  Wish me luck, ladies!  I'm finally getting married!  Thanks to this thread and everyone's support I've lost 30 pounds since June last year, and even though I fell away from the group during my move earlier this year, I firmly believe that the accountability and encouragement that you all provided has been invaluable to me as I struggled towards my goals. Thank you all so much!

*whew* Sorry I've been a little flaky these past few weeks.  With my wedding only 17 days away, I have SO much on my plate right now.  Between tracking down delinquent RSVP's, nailing down the last minute details of the ceremony and the reception, and looking for a place to live, I'm surprised I even have a minute to think. 

As for this week's exercise:

Outermost layer -
To feel more attractive
To look better in clothes
To look better without clothes ;)

Middle layer -
To make healthier choices a habit
To live a more holistic lifestyle

Center -
To never have diabetes like my dad
To be a good example to my kids (when I have them)

I didn't participate in the goal-setting for this go-round, but I'm doing alright.  I've been in a funk this week (stupid water weight), but I haven't fallen off the wagon, I'm jus teetering a little.

I really need to get back into my regular exercise routine.  I'm really enjoying the EA Active game for the Wii.  It's challenging and fun.

Sara:  Congratulations on you move!  And a BIG congratulations to you for keeping it all together while your life and living space are in the state of upheaval I came to know very well. 

This Week:  I'm just now picking up steam again.  I tried on my wedding dress and now I have pictures on my phone to remind me what I'm aiming for. The wedding is exactly 2 months away today, and I'll need to get that dress in for alterations within a month.

My fiance and I have decided that instead of signing up for a gym, we're making a one-time investment in our Wii console.  We added Wii Fit and Wii Active to our lives.  So far, it's a blast.  The Wii Fit has some wonderful activities like yoga and balancing games.  It also keeps a record of my weight so I know where I stand at any given time.  The Wii Active is much higher intensity and lets you set goals, track your progress, and earn trophies.  They have a 30-day challenge that I find very motivating.

Eating healthily is still a challenge for me, and getting around to recording the calories even more so, but I think I know what the problem is (besides poor self-discipline, of course).  My sleep habits lately have been terrible, and due to that I've been slacking off on cooking/packing meals and exercising, and it's made me more dependent on caffeine which BOTH add to my stress level.  I want to start spending a few minutes every morning meditating and relaxing and then get it moving! 

*makes a grand entrance*  Here I am!
I am so sorry I was MIA for so long.  Between the move, and my new job, and needing to reinstall my OS on my laptop, I've been hard pressed to log on, let alone post for the last few weeks.

So far I have not made any progress on my goal at all.  I am not exercising at all right now beyond my activity level having gone up due to my new job.  I'm not even recording my calories consistently right now.

It's very frustrating.  I NEED to lose this weight, my wedding is only 4 1/2 months away.  So I really need to make time for counting my calories and for wagon jumpers to help me stay on track.

(PS)  Thanks very much to Supersized, msmeg, defrog3, carryonandon, constanza, and germaica for your concerns and friendly reminders to come back to the group. 

8 Months Check-in:
Wow!  This is the longest I've ever stuck with a weight loss program!  I've been taking my time going between active weight loss and maintainance, and so far I'm down 21 lbs!  It's incredible!  The motivation and accountability from this thread has proved absolutely invaluable!  I've managed to develop so many good habits and abandon so many harmful ones.  Here's to even more and to losing those last 46 lbs!

Weekly Check-in:
Last week I think I did pretty well.  I worked myself out hard twice and kept a close eye on my diet.  If I keep moving in this positive direction I may even have to get my wedding dress taken in!  That would be the best unplanned wedding expense ever!

Weekly Topic:
To be honest, I'm not very good at motivating myself day to day.  I have a tendency to let the week roll by and then look back and say, "Damn.  I was supposed to work out 3x this week."  I usually allow myself one cheat meal each week, but I think I'll set a condition to it; unless I work out at least 3x and record my calories 6 out of 7 days, I don't get my cheat meal.

I'm so proud of myself!  I've been to the gym the past two days and I kicked my own arse both times.  Of course I'm taking arnica like there's no tomorrow because the DOMS is already appearing, but it feels so good to know that I'm actually doing something.  It's been way too long since I pushed myself that hard.

I only wish I could take credit for it, but I'm no good at going to the gym on my own.  My fiance went along with me and, heaven save me, I need that companionship and that element of friendly competition.  It's a fair trade though; he won't go alone either, and he's no happier with his physique than I am with mine.

I'm hoping to get at least one more workout in this week to meet my goal of 3x/week. 

Tiegurl -  What's the matter?  Is everything okay?

Weekly Check-In:

I had a pretty good week last week.  I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went walking, made it to the gym, tracked my calories... right up until the weekend.  I overindulged pretty heavily in alcohol Friday night, which I haven't done in a good 7 or 8 months.  Now I'm stuck waiting for the water weight to go away.  It really threw off my sugars for the rest of the weekend, but I was able to keep my snacking in check for the most part.

This week's topic:

I'm going to post a main dish as well as a dessert, since I've mostly posted desserts in recipe threads before.

Asparagus and lemon both remind me of spring and summer, and I really like this dish.
http://caloriecount.about.com/lemon-asparagus -pasta-grilled-chicken-recipe-r195846

Strawberries are an unmistakable spring fruit, and here's a wonderful low fat banana bread recipe where strawberry co-stars.
http://caloriecount.about.com/low-fat-strawbe rry-banana-bread-recipe-r195839

Happy Spring, everyone!

Original Post by supersized:

The Vitamin Dominatrix Well that may put a snag in things, in the cooler weather you can run in a jacket, not sure what to do when it's warmer.

Sara.

Maybe I could run on the beach after dusk?  The beach is less crowded then anyway.

Original Post by gi-jane:

My suggestion... go with the higher number (1400)  1250 calories is precious little food and weight-loss doesn't work so well when it's miserable.  People tend to give up quicker.

I wholeheartedly agree with gi-jane!

Another thing to remember is that all the online calculators are making educated guesses.  Everyone's body works differently and processes nutrients differently.  If they didn't, the same diet and exercise plan would work for everyone.
I'd advise you not to worry too much about the fluctuation between the calculators and get started on finding an amount that works best for your individual needs.

Weekly Topic:

I've always wanted to try jogging on the beach; I've heard very good things about it.  I also want to try and go for a nature walk once a week once the weather warms up (we're expecting 6-8 inches of snow tonight). 

I've found that no matter how well you do in the gym or on an elliptical, even moderate effort on natural terrain can really kick your arse, and it's good to throw your body a curve ball every so often.