Posts by pschristmas

Original Post by bigfatarmsbegone:

 I'm tired of people asking me what the secret to weight loss is. There is no secret! Sometimes I just want to yell at them"THE SECRET IS... DON'T EAT SO MUCH! and it not a secret it's just plain common sense." Whenever they hear about my keeping a food diary or this site they stick their noses up in the air and claim it's too hard. Well sorry folks life is hard. Losing weight is not any different. I am so sick of it.... sorry just needed a rant.

Oh, yeah! LOL! It's almost comical to watch how disappointed people get when I tell them what I'm doing. One woman said, "Oh. You're doing it the right way." She sounded so let down. I think she was hoping to hear that I'd used magic pixie dust or something.

Good luck with the family.  There's a proverb: No man is a prophet in his own home town.

Stephanie, the problem you're going to run into --  have already run into -- is that there are no "hot new tips" on weight loss, just the same ol' same ol' that no one wants to hear. You should see people's faces fall when I tell them that I lost my first 50 pounds and maintained the loss for eleven months by measuring everything that went into my mouth, logging it in a journal and getting up off my rear and exercising. They don't want to hear it until they're ready. You won't get any amazing new tips from this group, just hard work and perseverance.

Regards,

Patricia

I'm always between sizes, which is annoying to say the least.

I'm 5'3" and 170 pounds. My measurements are:

42-36-42

Tops:

L at JCPenney's

Dresses:

XL at Kohl's -- it's actually a little big and I'm having to safety pin the straps to keep them in place, but I couldn't zip up the L because of my bust (38DD.) I'll have to do a little sewing to get it to fit.

14 at JCPenney's -- again, the bust.

Jeans:

10 at Walmart

10 at Lee's Outlet

Pants other than jeans:

12 at JCPenney's -- this is a guestimate; my 14's are a bit too large on me now. I'll need to replace them soon.

10 at the Gap

Skirts:

10/12 at JCPenney's depending on cut

I have to be really careful about finding blouses with darts in the bodice. I've noticed that fewer and fewer designers are putting them in and it's becoming difficult for those of us with larger bust sizes to find clothing that fits properly. I end up with things that are way too large and shoulder seams hanging down my arms.

I had very long hair for most of my adult life. My hair is fine textured, but very thick so I didn't have any trouble pulling it off when I was younger. Once I hit my late thirties and early forties, though, I noticed that the long line of my hair combined with the standard aging lines started pulling my features down. It started to age me. I cut it off fairly short and find that I like it very well. If interested, you can check my gallery photos for the transition.

In general, I don't think there's a specific age when women in general need to cut their hair. I've seen many older women who were absolutely gorgeous with their long hair and many younger women who were cute as bugs with their tiny short cuts. It really depends on the person and their lifestyle and features.

On men, it depends on the guy, but I generally like longer hair if it suits the person's face shape and is kept neat and tidy. Unkempt hair isn't attractive on anyone. I can say that I absolutely hate the return of the buzz cut that we've been seeing lately -- it may have a bit more styling being done, but it's still a buzz cut as far as I'm concerned. It looks good on no one.

Fat storage changes as we age. As women mature into middle age, one of the places we begin to store fat is on the back across the shoulders. You're very young to be seeing this, however, so it's likely that yours will resolve itself as you continue to loose weight.

Regards,

Patricia

I often use the recipe analyser, too. The only problem I've run into is that some items are only shown in specific measurements, not as a basic item. For instance, if the recipe calls for one medium shallot, the analyser has problems because it only measures them in teaspoons. It's not much of a problem once I know which items are measured that way, but sometimes it catches me by surprise when I've already cooked the meal and didn't take time to measure the exact amount.

Regards,

Patricia

I know where you're coming from, wherethylacine, but from the opposite direction. I have a horrible time finding bras to fit my 38DD measurements, not to mention blouses. If something fits in the shoulders and waist it pulls across the chest and if it fits my chest, it hangs like a feed sack everywhere else.

I also know what wendolinelad means, however. I'm down to 170 and still have the sausage rolls, as I call them, across my back along the top of my bra strap.  One really annoying thing is that I'm at an age where women naturally start storing fat on their backs across the shoulders, so if it's not gone soon it'll be absolute h*ll to get rid of before much longer. All I can suggest is a good foundation garment that will come up higher in the back and control that area. I've had good luck with Hanes and Bali. As a matter of fact, Bali style 7432 is a pretty lace shaper that works really well on that problem area.

You are not nuts, my dear. I am absolutely freezing this winter. My workplace is kept around 63 degrees F for the sake of some of the machinery and I think my fingers are going to fall off!   Last year, and fifty pounds ago, I actually preferred the cooler area.

Best of luck,

Patricia

I really do agree in theory, but remember, we nearly all come from a larger culture that heavily emphasizes the value of objective measurements. If something can't be measured and/or doesn't show clear evidence of movement toward a defined goal, it's just assumed that something is wrong and needs to be changed or adjusted. Without this evidence we tend to become frustrated. Subjective evidence tends to be devalued. This is neither intrinsicly right nor wrong, just a fact of where and when we live. 

It's good to remind ourselves from time to time, though, that it really isn't about who gets there first or how soon.

Regards,

Patricia

Just about any store that will allow you to try on bras will have someone on staff to do fittings.  I had my last one done at Lane Bryant.  It was the last thing I bought at Lane Bryant, as a matter of fact. 

Patricia

Great job, Kajikat!  That's wonderful!

Caverlady: I'm ready to try upping my calories again, too.  I've been plateaued (again!) at 170 pounds for a while now. I tried lowering them from 1450 to almost 1200, but it hasn't budged, so maybe I need more.

Patricia

I was 17 (almost 18) before I went out on my first date.  We went to  the Alabama Bookstop (I'd never been to before; I still love bookstores) and then had a late picnic lunch in Hermann Park - this was in Houston.  Then he took me back to my parents' house.

It was fun and sweet, and I did end up marrying the guy til death did us part twelve years later, so I guess you could say it was a success.

Patricia

It depends on the fruit involved.  Apple seeds and peach, cherry and apricot pits all contain small traces of cyanide.  So do bitter almonds.  Plum pits contain strychnine in quantities that can be harmful to pets -- don't let your dogs crunch them!  It might be rather difficult to eat enough of these seeds to cause problems, although I seem to remember a news story a number of years ago about a man who poisoned himself mildly by eating an entire cup of apple seeds in order to prove they weren't dangerous to eat;  that one sort of stuck in my head. 

However, as you point out, not all seeds are dangerous to eat and some are quite beneficial.  If it's not customary to eat the seeds of something, I would suggest you look it up and find out if there's some specific reason.  If not, munch away, I suppose.

Patricia

I went through a similar period not long ago.  I used leg lifts (no bending of the knees) and pool walking for a while until my knees were stronger.  I've also been practising a series of yoga positions that are supposedly good for the knees;  they did start to feel better afterwards, so maybe they are, or maybe my knees just healed on their own. Either way, it's not doing any harm.  If you've been told to stay off your knee entirely, though, this might not be best for you.  You will want to talk to your doctor about it. 

Patricia

I went to maintenance for finals week last semester.  It helped a lot.  I also ended up going to maintenance for the conference for which I volunteered (I tried, but, sheesh, those guys can eat) and actually ended up loosing that week regardless.   

As for exercise, it helps that my university was built on the most godforsaken useless piece of land in the city.  There are several stairs between just about every building and set into the sidewalks at various intervals as well.  I need to hit up the geography department to find out just what elevations I'm climbing every day during semesters.  

One thing I've started doing are simple leg lifts or other exercises while studying or watching movies.  I keep a couple of three pound weights around for just this reason. It's not enough to really add muscle, but it will keep you moving, which is important when you don't have time for anything else.

Patricia