Posts by bigdad

That's what I did.  I use honey to sweeten stuff.  I eat fruit to satisfy my sweet cravings.  Everyone is a little different.  I believe the less chemical sweeteners used and the more natural less processed or not processed at all the better.  But that is my take.  Good luck!

Are you loosing weight too quickly or not fast enough?  By your calorie deficit, you should hit your goal in 3 to 4 months tops!

By my calculations from your stats, your BMR should be 1650 calories.  So dropping to 1200 calories in your diet is OK providing you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.  Couple the 500 calorie drop from exercise should equate to a 2 pound a week drop.  Don't count on this being a predictable number on a weekly basis.  On a month to month basis it will average out very close that that number.

Now if you are only using the scale as your form of measurement - in the immortal words of Gomer Pyle USMC "Shame! Shame! Shame!"  You females have it tough enough with hormone cycles and mood changes that go with it, now throw in a little water retention, a bad day, hop on the scale and ta-da instant depression!  Compare month over month results with the scale but also consider measuring body fat percentage and tape measure results as well.

With your exercise, if you are trading muscle for fat, the scale won't budge but you will look like a goddess in the mirror and you will be the envy of your friends on how your clothes fit you!  Measuring body fat percentage helps make sense of this and your tape measure will also show the results.

All in all, I think your program is a sound one, just give it some time and measure the results a couple of other ways. - Best wishes!

By my calculations you are at a BMI of 20.  You are already at the low end of a healthy range.  Your stats indicate that a 1700 calorie a day diet would maintain your current weight if you didn't exercise.

Your plan is very similar to my own.  I try to create a 500 calorie a day drop through what I eat.  I also try to burn an additional 500 calories through exercise.  At the end of the week on average, I have burned 7000 calories which means I should loose 2 pounds per week.  Does this happen week to week? NOOOOOO!!!  On a month to month basis yes, it averages out.  With you being a female and subject to hormonal changes throughout the month, weight fluctuations come with the territory.  You may wish to start monitoring your body fat and body measurements as well.  That will help with whatever information the scale is telling you.  The mirror on the wall and how your clothes fit are also helpful tools.

Having exercise as part of you plan is great.  Make sure you do resistance exercises (weight lifting, swimming, calinestenics, etc.) for muscle development.  This keeps the pounds/kilos off.  Also cardio is important as well, this helps take them off.  Just remember when you replace fat with muscle, the scale won't budge!  However, your body fat percentage will.  That is why I say it is important to monitor body fat.  As a female, you don't want to go below a 17% body fat percentage.  Fat is a tool for your body and your body values fat over muscle because it uses fat for hormone production.  If you body fat goes to low, your hormone levels get screwed up and this will tend to mess up brain and other functions as well.

The bottom line as I see it is by the picture you posted, you are quite a cutie and any gentleman should be very happy to be seen with you!  Don't loose any more weight, you will loose all those beautiful curves the good Lord gave you.  Focus your diet on getting sound nutrition to make sure your body gets all the nutrients and vitamins it needs for optimum health and function, keep up the exercises and it will all fall into place!

Sorry for being so long winded - Best Wishes!

Since the weather has been getting colder, I have been craving more fat as well.  I have been eating a ton of nuts too.  You'd swear I was going to hibernate next!

Jolanda,

There is a group that you may be interested in on CC, it called Kicking The Sugar Habit.  http://caloriecount.about.com/kicking-sugar-h abit-g611

The hot link you provided on "this list" was very interesting.  I have noticed that I don't get wound up as much and I forgot to mention that my cholesterol went into the normal zone after giving up sugar.

My guess (since it is finals) is you are burning the candle on both ends and are not getting enough sleep.  The stress isn't helping either.  Sometimes my work throws me into stressful situations which bumps my appetite, and when I am getting only 6 hours of sleep, coupled with the stress - WOW! will my appetite go through the roof!

Also there may be a temptation to snack on sugary treats especially if your energy level is going down and you need to study more.  The rise and fall in blood sugar levels also will trigger your appetite.

My suggestion is to get at least 8 hours of sleep for the next couple of days and lay low on any sugar or high carb foods that convert to sugar in your blood.  If this is not possible due to the demands of your studies and deadlines, try not to eat past full and when exams are over and you can get some sleep see if everything doesn't go back to normal.

My back acts up from time to time and it is no fun working out when it out of alignment.  I recently had it go out slightly while I was doing some dead lifts.  I cinched my weight belt down as tight as it would go and finished out the set.  Yeah not so bright but it worked and I went to my chiropractor that afternoon.

Perhaps swimming may be a better exercise to get the weight off of the joints.  You can do it for a couple of weeks and then transition into the bike and other machines until you know your back will take the strain.

Your back injury may be a result of over training if you are a workoutaholic.  There are some good articles out on the web on this topic.  I have a shoulder that is starting to act up with the weather and I suspect that it is from this very thing.  Just a thought

Take care!

First of all, get back on the horse and ride cowgirl!  This week has been horrible for me as far as my calorie intake goes because of the holiday.  Tomorrow I kick my butt back in gear and get back on track.

I usually eat about 1800 calories and I track my nutrition using Fit Day software.  At 1800 calories, it is tough to get all the nutrients that my body needs.  When I am hitting on all eight cylinders, my hunger is non existent.  Also look at your calories over a week's time and don't worry about the day to day.

Other things that have noticed that make me want to eat like a horse are sugary foods or foods that will raise my blood sugar level, lack of sleep, and lack of nutrition.  If you are missing in any of those three areas, your battle will start going up hill.

Why did you stop exercising?  You're a hottie!  Get back and start exercising again!  Good quality exercise for a half an hour 4 days a week does wonders for self esteem as well as health and so on!

Blessing and best to you!

I totally understand.  It's hard to ask someone to pray for you if you don't know who or what they believe in.

I have about 25 pounds to go myself.  Add me to your friends list if you wish.  You have my prayers.

Everyone brings up good insight.  I think my best tact is to keep my big mouth shut!  Being loving and reassuring is a sure help.  I think one way that I have inspired her to expand her horizons was by what was not said rather that what was said.  Although this was with a computer, she would always ask for help and never learn because she could always ask me.  The unspoken word was she was capable.  With that extra confidence, she learned and has gone so far as to put together a website for her home school cooperative!

I don't think she will "unhinge her jaw and bite my head off" but she may get somewhat depressed.  I would never say anything insulting or derogatory but I sure could see myself making a suggestion that would be totally taken the wrong way.  I will be very careful of those statements.  I do like the suggestions of exercising together.  It will take some schedule rearranging but I think it is doable!

There are several different ways:

One way is to use a calculation.  This may get you in the ball park.  http://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/bod yfat.htm

One easy way is to buy a scale with that feature built in ("Thinner" by Con-Air) is the one I have.  These scales pass a small electrical current through the body and measure the impedance to calculate body fat percentage.  http://www.conair.com/thinner-digital-body-bo dy-water-scale-p-555.html

Another way is to buy a set of body fat calipers and measure skin folds.  These run about $20+ dollars.  The draw back is in the hands of a novice, they are prone to error.  http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/bodyfatc alipers.html

The last one I know of is to go to a sports medicine place that has a dunk tank where your weight is measured under water and the amount of water you displace is also measured.

Hope this helps.

I've been tracking my body fat percentage.  I have a scale (Thinner by Con-Air) that measures body fat percentages.  I have been at a plateau for almost 2 weeks and I have not lost a pound!  I am exercising 45 minutes to an hour and a half a day so you may see my frustration setting in.

I checked my body fat percentage and I was down .2%.  It may not seem like a bunch but from last week to this week that means I traded a half pound of fat for muscle!  Over the last month, I lost 4 pounds and all but 1/2 pound was pure fat.

I am looking forward to the end of the month when I get out the tape measure and remeasure myself.  The scale is only one of several tool I use.  My plans are to buy a set of body fat calipers since they are only $20.  The trick to those from what I read is you have to develop a "feel" for them

As for the food, check out Jack LaLanne.  He has some pretty decent Ideas about eating healthy.

Kudos to you for taking steps to get healthy!

My mom was a runway model in New York during the early 60's around the height of the Kennedy administration and Jacki - O fashion craze.  She carried a BMI of 22.  for a woman of your height, that would put you at 140 to 145.

A healthy weight range falls within a BMI of 18.5 to just under 25.  That would put you between a 120 and 159 pound range.  However, this is for the average person.  If you exercise and and have a low body fat percentage, these numbers may become meaningless.

If I could encourage you, ignore your scale and measure your body fat.  Some high tech scales have this function, or this can be done with a cheap $20 set of body calipers.  A healthy body fat percentage for females should be between 20% and 30% but not lower than 15%.  Believe it or not, your body actually needs fat to make hormones and when it doesn't have that's when things get messed up.

Blessings, I hope this helps and gives nutrition for thought!

Yes, calories are calories, but the difference lies in the nutrients within the foods.  Your body runs on glucose which is a very simple sugar (molecularly speaking).  If you eat fruit, you will ingest fructose.  This is a more complex sugar.  The body will convert it to glucose but to break it down, it needs certain vitamins and minerals to do its job.  Thankfully in fruit and natural foods, it tends to come more with the vitamins and minerals to make this happen.

If you drink regular soda, it also contains a variety of fructose from corn syrup.  Same sugar in the body but minus all the nutrients to help break it down.  Your body still needs to break it down to get rid of it so now it starts pulling nutrients out of it's stores.  This is where people get into trouble with obesity and other illnesses related to vitamin deficiencies.

As to why you have more energy and are losing weight while you are eating healthy foods goes back to the nutrient stores in your body.  At one point in my life I did a series of fasts.  Once I got past the 4 day mark, my energy level shot way up.  The reason being was my body was pulling energy from fat stores and lean muscle.  The same is true when you have proper nutrition, the body is able to take it from fat stores and convert what it needs readily.

A certain percentage of fat on your body is very healthy.  The body uses fat for hormone production, vitamin storage, energy, and a source of hydration.  With proper vitamin and mineral stores, your body will know what to do with the food it get.  Follow Jack LaLanne's advise - "If man made it, don't eat it!" and "If it tastes good, spit it out!"

No I am not an expert but I have done a fair amount of reading on this topic and I slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Dude - ROCK ON!!!

You are an inspiration!  Your starting weight and goal and mine are very similar.  I started back in May around 240 and after stepping on the scale this morning, I am at 211.  I hope to be where you are in another 6 to 9 months.

Keep it up!