Posts by tracyaudette

I'm not sure what I think about Lose It! although I am pretty loyal to Calorie Count - having lost 30 pounds here pretty easily a couple years ago.  When I got my iPhone, I added this app to substitute for having to log on to my computer (something I rarely do anymore) but I'm skeptical.  My calorie intake on CC is 1,610 but on Lose It! is 1,947.  That's a 2,359 a week difference!  I want to lose 10 pounds so I am sticking around 1,200-1,400 daily anyway but that is 2/3s of a pound difference for maintaining!! 

If I had the time, I'd do side by side calorie tracking.  Calorie Count, to me, seems more reliable only because you can find the exact name brand food - even crazy stuff- you eat, or add in recipes of things you've made at home etc.

It would make my day if they could come out with an app - pretty please?!?!  You'd think it would be good revenue.  I'd gladly pay a small fee for a CC app to keep all my data in one place. 

It still is good discipline for tracking though.  Couldn't lose without it!

SW 138.6

1/12   134.8

1/19   133.2

1/26   132.4

2/1    134.2   NOT!!!

PL    .6  (not really)

GOAL   125-128

I know I am massively retaining water from my Sodium Fest over the weekend.  And, it is my time to shine as a woman if you know what I mean so these are my stats this weigh-in but I don't claim them :)!  

SW 138.6

1/12   134.8

1/19   133.2

1/26   132.4

PL    6.2

GOAL   125-128

HORRIBLE WEEK but I still lost.  Phew.  

It is so cliche but when people say, "this too shall pass", it is true.  I can assume that I am a lot older than you but still remember how difficult it was trying to become the woman that I am today while balancing all the other pressures from dating, school, family - and, for you and many others, health problems.  One day, you will be able to look back and be proud of yourself for getting healthy first.  A wonderful man will fall in love with the confident, healthy you and it will be perfect.  You are right to put your self first at this time and he should support that.  I hope you can talk to your mother about this because I have a daughter who is almost 18 and I would hate for her to hurt this much without being able to come to me.  I wish you the best of luck.  Take a breath, give yourself a hug and grab on to that strength inside you that will get you through this.  

My ratio is 50% carbs, and then split Protein/Fat 25% each.  Of course, that is the target - it ebbs and flows a percentage here and there. 

I eat healthy carbs like you do but avoid bread as much as possible.  I don't miss it and would rather use those calories for other things.  

Couple things to double check:  

What is your sodium intake?  It should be below 2,400 (some say 2,000) mg.  

Check your fiber too.  I have to work on this.  It should be over 20 grams.

Are you drinking enough water?

Are you REALLY pushing yourself in your workouts?  I'm notorious for this!  Your body may be asking for more intensity.  

As far as the eating every two hours goes, maybe that is how you have to structure your calorie intake.  Otherwise, I would recommend really looking at when you eat because maybe you just eat lunch at noon because that's "lunchtime" but maybe your body needs lunch at 2pm (for example).  I spent a lot of time listening to what my body wanted when I started losing weight and some of what I learned about myself went against conventional weight loss advice.  Like, you hear many small meals are better but I eat a later breakfast and lunch to get me through my horrible snacking time (3:00-5:00) and then I eat dinner with my family, which is important to me.  

You have to figure out what works for you.  Good luck and stick with it.  I am a Biggest Loser fan, as well, but don't use their experience as a model. 

SW 138.6

1/12   134.8

PL  3.8

GOAL   125-128

I'll take it!  My body always responds quickly like that but now I will have to work for it.

I started again after several months of not tracking and regaining some of the 30 pounds I had lost.  I went from 151 to 121 over 5 months between 9/07 and 2/08.

I decided I was too low and couldn't maintain long term so I started to attempt to come up a little in a healthy way - boy is that hard!!!  As I was trying to figure out maintenance, I went back to work after 8 years at home with my children.  That transitions was difficult because it completely threw my routine/schedule/discipline AND added stress.  

I'm back up to 138 and am looking to lose maybe 10-12 of that.  I've learned to be kinder to myself as I've gotten older and, instead of beating myself up for it, I'm trying to focus on being proud of myself for taking control when I did and not getting any worse.  

I've had a good week with eating healthy and hitting my goals but I haven't been taking time to exercise so I need to get better at that!

Yes - it is compulsive overeating, not a technical binge (there are specific parameters to what is considered an actual binge although, when you are in the middle of it, you don't really care).

There is absolutely nothing wrong with excluding something from your diet completely if you can't eat it without going overboard.  Some people are such nazis about not restricting any foods but if it has to be, it has to be.  I also don't eat bread and boy oh boy can people get worked up about that.  With the variety and availability of alternatives in our society, it doesn't matter if you give up one thing or another because you can replace it with so many other things. 

My family is kind enough - and they like enough different cereals that I don't like- that it is my only hope at this time.  Maybe in the future I will be able to resist better but I know my weaknesses!!! 

Not that I am happy that the rest of you overeat cereal but it did make me feel better to see this post this morning :).

I agree manta515 - I can't keep up!!!  So, I just apologize if I haven't responded to something posted to me -- SORRY!

As I said, I am 38 and have reached my weight loss goal.  I am 5' 7" and, in maintenance, range from 122-125 lbs.  My highest weight was 151 which brought me to CC.  The weight was more of a symptom of other things going with me.  Food had become things to me that it isn't intended to be - like comfort and companionship- so when I rejected those ideas and found a better source (for me personally, because I am a Christian, it was my relationship with God) the scale moved.  I am fortunate to have a husband who lost 40 pounds 11 years ago and has maintained it.  He helped me with food choices and planning ahead and got me moving.   

I still work through a lot of the negative messages about food - and I suspect I may always.  The first one that shows up is "I deserve this (ice cream, pizza, whatever).  Food, for me, can not be a reward or prize.  I know some people "reward" themselves with a cheat day which works for them.  I have days when I go over my calories but I try to think of it as an intentional choice I've made rather than setting it up as this special experience.  Make sense? 

Anyone else's mind like to play tricks on them this way?   

I didn't have much to lose (30 pounds but that seemed like a mountain to me when I started too) but one thing that helped me this time after so many failed attempts was that I was finally ready.  How did I know that?  Because I was ready to list all my excuses for why I was stuck where I was and replace them with healthy choices.  I also was able to look at my failed attempts and take what worked from each to come up with my own successful lifestyle.

I say with the utmost respect and with the intent to support you but you have a lot of excuses, girl!  Maybe you are just in information gathering mode, trying on different strategies before you move into serious weight loss attempts.  Give yourself permission to experiment with different strategies and hey, if something is working that you can stick with - go with it but otherwise, try something else.   

Losing weight is elementary: consume fewer calories than you burn.  HOWEVER, how you accomplish (and over an extended period of time) this is different for everyone. 

Take an inventory:  Do the calculators here to determine how many calories you should be eating and how many you are burning in your current lifestyle.  Where in your day do you get stuck (eating on the go?  Letting yourself get too hungry?)?  Ask yourself the hard questions... why am I eating this right now?  Start small.  You need to be a student of your personal habits and for every unhealthy habit or excuse why you can't do this, you need to replace it one by one with a healthy one.  Do you need to make an investment in fitness equipment, health club membership, cooking classes (whatever) - and, if so, how can you prioritize your finances to find room in your budget?  Do you need organized support like a Weight Watchers or something? 

These things entail getting your mind right strong before you move on to the body.  This was my biggest accomplishment. How can I not use food to meet needs, how can I not get defeated by being disorganized etc. 

Then, this is what I did:  Tracked calories religiously (and honestly).  Weighed myself once a week at the same time and tracked it.  Ate limited variety at breakfast and lunch but not at dinner.  I had a few breakfasts and a few lunches that I would alternate but it made shopping and meal prep easier.  Ate one protein, one fruit and one dairy for breakfast.  Ate one protein, two veggies and one dairy for lunch.  Ate one more fruit throughout the day.  Ate one protein, one veggie and one dairy for dinner.  I, personally, cut bread, potatoes, rice, pasta out completely and ended up not missing them.  This helped my mood and energy level more than anything.  Drank a TON of water.  I did belong to a health club where I walked on the treadmill and did circuit weights for a while but then I moved it all to home.      &nbs p;       

You are making the first step but don't get discouraged if it is a longer process than just getting set up on a specific diet or something.  It IS do-able.  I wish you the best of health!!! 

Tracy

Are you recording calories on this site?  Could showing them that you ARE eating enough calories in a healthy balance help?  Are you working with a nutritionist who could include your parents in discussions on how to gain weight with healthy foods?

If you have had an ED in the past or even bordered on it, your parents must be scared out of their minds - which makes parents do some pretty unreasonable things (I know because I am one :).  Also, sometimes our children do things that put the spotlight on our bad behavior and that really makes parents uncomfortable because we really WANT to be the good role model instead of the other way around.  They may be feeling judged and just need some grace.  Lead by example but don't judge them for their eating choices.  Parents aren't perfect. 

This is an important excersize for you to go through because, hopefully, you will lead a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life and, unfortunately, you will have to defend it graciously for that whole time.  I'm 38 - no ED now or ever- but people still give me grief when I make healthy choices because if you are thin they say, "You can eat whatever you want"...unless, of course those things are healthy foods (according to them)!!

But here's the catch... your best defense will be living well.  So, make sure you are beyond reproach by TRULY eating enough calories.  Make your choices with integrity because, when you lie your head on the pillow, you and God are the only ones you answer to ultimately.   

I just posted this same topic on the support forum earlier today -- and even on this board I was told my weight was too low for my height which is untrue.  I'm not a huge fan of BMI as an absolute measure of health but mine is within the healthy range.  

So, from someone who feels that pain, let me congratulate you on your health (which includes weight loss but is not exclusive to it)! 

My biggest thing is that when you tell people you lost the weight through diet and exercise, they can't believe it as possible.  You must be doing something. 

I guess the part that makes me the most sad is that they were implying that I did it in an unhealthy way.  

I am not concerned with this "number" because my primary care physician who I've been with since pre-children, is fine with it.  I hate having to justify it (even on this board, it seems).

I know I can maintain this without having to be on a diet or being chained to the treadmill.  This is the lifestyle that I want to have for the rest of my life. 

The saddness is about people wanting you to stay the same - for whatever reason- even if THAT is unhealthy.

You sound like you are going at this in a really smart way.  A bite here and there is a good way to not deprive yourself which can lead to burn out. 

On days I want to do this, I may try to boost my burn meter up so that I can get another serving of something healthy in (usually protein).  This puts me over my calorie budget but the extra calories burned keeps me in my targeted deficit.  I do this so I can still retain my percentages of fat/carbs/protein. 

Calorie budget is one thing but having the calories come from the right balance of fat/carbs/protein (this is simplifying but works for me).  I aim for balance and deficit.

ENJOY your canoli!

e thing you could do whenever this happens, even if you are inside your calorie budget, you may find your percentages off (protein/fat/carbs) so maybe get a workout in and then go a little over by adding some protein.  Thus you preserve your calorie makeup AND retain a deficit. 

My husband and I have been doing this for quite some time now.  We started because we were going to Europe for 2+weeks and didn't want our sitter to have to worry about making dinners that our kids would eat.  We've been doing it ever since.  And, since he enjoys it, we do it together - can't beat that!

This may be "cheating" but I use www.savingdinner.com for my weekly and monthly menus.  They have already done all the shopping lists and everything.  Saves even MORE time.  There are some free menus on there but most cost a small fee.  They have menus for heart health, budget helpers, kosher, gluten free etc., etc.  too. 

We may alter recipes to make them more kid friendly or healthier but, for the most part, they are great.  I printed them out and put them in a binder in sheet protectors. 

I never thought I'd ever be so organized.  It does help with calorie counting from the standpoint of being prepared.  No reason to "just go out" because you don't have anything prepared. 

I would recommend the website to people who need a little extra boost to get started with this.