Posts by tsjej

Hey Kathryn....sorry about the stress. I have been going through some stress/drama of my own. It stinks, but just don't let it have a negative effect on what you are trying to do. I was up till like 2am last night and then got up at 5:30a for work...needless to say it is a LONG day about now.

I don't drink much regular water...I suppose a few glasses a day, but I almost live on low-cal vitamin waters. I usually drink 3-4 of them a day.

Cynthia...Congrats on dropping...There is nothing wrong with slow and steady...as long as you are going in the right direction..

Welcome to the group Lam.

Mavmom - Glad to have you back. I think it is great that you are back and still doing battle. I certainly understand your feelings about your family and all, but be sure that you are doing this for you. Others will benefit from your hardwork, but just focus on you and getting where you want to be. I am done with my losing phase and I am 100% happy with where I am right now. I cannot begin to tell you how I feel. It is like climbing this MASSIVE mountain and standing at the top. My confidence level has never been higher...not so much because I am happy with myself physically, but more because I did it. So many people fail to reach their goals and yo-yo up and down....I figure if I can beat 100lbs, then there isn't much in this world that I can't handle...

Thanks for the kind words. I still can't get over my before pic...and the strange thing is that I really didn't think I was all that overweight.

Things are really going well, although for the last week, I have wanted to eat everything in sight. Strange how several months into having this thing beat, I am struggling again. I guess something never change.

I added a new pic in my gallery. My wife and I were in my studio shooting a pic for the Christmas card and thought I would stick it in my gallery

I actually went up a couple of pounds earlier in the week...not sure what that was all about, but I am back to "normal".....Oh well...hope everyone is having a great week!

Terry - 185 (same old, same old)

Fantastic and congrats Sandy...146 is getting down there. I bet you are feeling good.

Nothing new on my side. I dropped a pound earlier in the week and then put it back, which is fine. The weight training is going great. Having a blast with it.

Last time I was in to see my Doctor for a physical, she also ordered a bunch of tests to make sure things were good. They did a complete blood count, Thyroid test, and a couple others...can't remember them all! Anyway, I got the results back and everything is in great shape. Seeing all the good results has actually proved to be good motivation and comforting.

Sandy - 146.4 (-1.6)

Terry - 185 (same)

Hey guys…Sorry, but I was in Canada on Friday and then had a busy weekend. I did drop another pound this week, so I am down to 185lbs…which is the lowest since I started.

Simone…This whole process is really tough. I mean the journey is full of gains, losses, plateaus, etc. It is all part of it. In my opinion, the secret is to stick with it. As long as the scales are moving in the right direction every month, then it is working. I had months where I lost 20lbs and months where I lost 8lbs….just stay with it and you WILL get there. Just remember that every day you are getting healthier and you are dropping weight. I didn’t always take the healthiest approach. In fact, there were times when I was eating less than 900 cals a day for weeks at a time. It wasn’t the best decision in retrospect, but at the time I was really desperate I guess. Don’t get too frustrated and don't risk your health....hang in there.

Kathryn ~ 198.5 - Up 1

Simone - 77,5kg or 170,85lbs - down 2,5kg or 5.51lbs

Sandy - 148 - down 2

Terry - 185

Anyone try the Fruit and Walnut salads at McDonalds? I had one last night after my mountain bike ride. It was a weird day…I got up late, so I didn’t eat breakfast until like 10:15, which meant that I ate lunch at like 3p. We went to my favorite Mexican place and of course, I ate too much….so then I wasn’t really hungry for dinner, so the salad was perfect after my ride.

Thanks for the replies…At the moment, I am not intentionally running a calorie deficit, although I have lost about 12lbs since I started “maintaining” 6 months ago. I am having trouble finding the right balance of exercise and diet. I intentionally started my intake a little low as I felt it would be better to increase the cals as needed. I started at 2500 and have gone to almost 3000. I am 5’11” and 43yo. I have found that at 2800-3000, I have lost about 2lbs in the last 2 months. In that same time, I have dropped a pants size from 34 waist down to 32. Strange that I am smaller, but my weight isn’t really dropping anymore. I am guessing this is due to mountain biking and exercise all the time.

Yeah, I guess I am preoccupied with the scales. In fact, I weigh myself every day. I know it isn’t the best thing, but I have been doing it for SO long and the numbers were incredibly important over the past couple of years. Seeing the scale drop was motivation. That said, today I have a “magic number” and as long as I am below that number, I eat what I feel is a regular intake, but if I go over that number, then I will slightly cut back for a day or two.

No worries…I am not offended at all. I guess I didn’t understand the cultural meaning behind what you were saying…I can certainly see your point.

Hey Simone...welcome to the group. It is great that you have lost so much already.

Tell us more about you...where are you from, what is your goal weight, etc?

Terry

star….Not sure what I could possible say about your results other than you look amazing…but you knew that!

Yeah, I am at the point that I really don’t care what people say/think. I mean I am sure it is a big shock to people who haven’t seen me in a while…and compared to before, I probably do look “sick” or unhealthy. People mean well…at least for the most part. I used to think it could be a jealousy thing, but I don’t think so. It is just such a drastic change. I think people’s outlook on the whole diet thing is pretty simple. Nothing works and if it does, it is temporary…When you think about it, most people fail at diets (I hate that word) or if they are successful, the gain it all back and then some. I wonder what the percentage is of people who started a new lifestyle, met their goals and maintained that lifestyle for at least two years? My guess would be less than 5%.

I think with getting in shape, comes a confidence that people really couldn’t rattle you if they wanted. I know I love how I feel and I love living life. I can’t begin to tell you how cool it is to be flying through the woods on a mountain bike or out on a country road on my road bike. It is amazing what I was missing before….and confidence? I am oozing with it!

Terry

I know where you are coming from. I am 43yo male, 5’11” and 185. I wear a 32 pants and a M shirt. Now granted my loss has been a bit drastic as I have dropped 97lbs in under 2 years. I have had my friends, co-workers, boss, wife, etc all tell me that I am “scaring” them and that I am “skinny”. Folks, I am 185lbs. I AM NOT SKINNY! In fact, I am 100% happy with my weight.

Let’s see…just this week…My mother accused me of having weight loss surgery! She even asked my teenage daughter if I had surgery. According to her, it isn’t possible to lose this much weight on my own. My wife gave me a hard time about not eating enough at dinner (I had 900cals for dinner that night). One of my friends said that she was really worried about me. I had another friend pull me aside and ask me if I was “alright” and wanted to know if I was sick with some terrible disease. I give up and just smile and thank people for their concern. I mean I guess we are lucky to have people who care about us even if they drive us crazy at times.

Is our society so whacked that we don’t even know what “healthy” is anymore?

Hey guys…good Friday to everyone. Things have been okay on my side. I haven’t been in a real good mood lately. Not sure what it is….nothing serious, just letting the everyday things play on me I suppose. Been busy and haven’t had much time to be outside. Also it has been raining all week, so no mountain biking. I am still in a lot of pain in my wrist and am seeing a hand specialist next week for an MRI.

On a brighter note, I can wear a size 32 pants now. I wore a 32 in 10th grade in high school. Still can’t believe that I went from a 42 to a 32. I am planning some current pics next week if I can ever find the time.

Sandy - 152 same....well at least I am not gaining

Cynthia - 181 - down 0.4

Terry – 186 – down 1

Kathryn ~ 198.5 (Down 3)

Hey guys…been doing a bit of traveling and haven’t felt much like checking in at night. I have to say that I am so depressed that winter is coming! While at the hotel, I did my riding on the exercise bike in the workout facility. I cannot possibly think of anything more boring that putting in 20 miles on an exercise bike. I even had my iPod AND a TV. I think I am going to move to a warmer climate where I can play outside all day.

So I started my maintenance back in May and since that time I had lost about 7-8lbs as I have been adjusting my workouts and diet. Over the last 4-6 weeks my weight has been pretty much a constant 190-191. I thought it was odd that I was working my butt off and eating a pretty moderate diet and my weight was maintaining. I felt I should be at a decent sized calorie deficit and should be losing (even though that wasn’t the goal if that makes sense). Anyway, about a week and a half ago, the scales dropped a couple of pounds overnight. I realize things fluctuate, so no big deal…but it has kept going. I have dropped like 6 pounds in the past 10 days or so. Really strange that I am pretty much doing the same thing that saw me maintaining for weeks at a time. If anything I may have backed off a slight bit on the riding as I have been a little busy, but on the days I don’t ride, I have added in 150 crunches before bed. I guess the bright side is that if this keeps up for another week or so, I might hit the 100lbs lost mark even though it wasn’t my goal.

Hey guys...good Friday to everyone. I am still having trouble learning to maintain. I have such a phobia of gaining weight now that I am maintaining, that I guess I am not eating enough. I went through a phase where I was exercising like crazy and the scales were not moving, but the last couple of weeks, they have dropped. I am down two more this week to 187. The scale teetered between 186 and 187 before staying at 187. My 34 pants are getting a bit too loose, which is pretty crazy since I wore a size 32/34 in high school.

Terry - 187 (down 2)

John...Beer? Man, I haven't had a beer since last October. Been scoping out the new 55 cal Bud...Just thinking that since I have successfully cut it out, there isn't much reason to start again.

Joss...It was supposed to be a nice relaxing ride through the woods, but we decided at the last minute we decided to hit the expert trail which has a lot of climbing. We had a bonfire afterwards. I didn't get home until late and was up at 5a getting ready for the race. It was an hour drive. Needless to say I am tired. I am watching football and doing some light work around the house tomorrow...

Chrissy...I had teriyaki broccoli at a restaurant in Madison, Wi. a while back. I thought it was a little odd, but tastes pretty good.