160 Club
As of today (Sunday Jan 7, 2007) I am at 167.
I'm looking forward to meeting anyone else in this range and motivating each other onto the 150 club. Let the journey begin! WE CAN DO IT!!
I may not be able to explain in clear terms, therefore I have simply copied the explanation someone on this forum posted earlier and pasted below. I hope it helps.
zig--zagging is simply going high calorie one day and low the next (or two and two, etc). Basically the total number of calories for the week equals the same as if you had eaten a stable number of calories.
The theory behind it is that the body gets used to a specific number of calories and eventually stops burning efficiently -- by zig-zagging you are (theoretically) fooling your body -- on the high days the metabolism is supposed to really kick in.
There are several versions available on the web--not all are very healthy versions. If you are to try it, remember that going under 1200 calories per day is not recommended.
Adrileigh, I had this same problem -- and it can be very dangerous. A couple years ago, I lost a lot of weight and got really thin. At first it was great - I was exercising, feeling great, enjoying myself. Then I started to get paranoid about food..... everything I saw seemed like it was bad and I shouldn't eat it. Eventually, my metabolism slowed so much I started GAINING weight even though I was barely eating and exercising all the time! Luckily, I was able to readjust and start eating better. I maintained a healthy weight for several years (until I quit smoking and gained more -- but that's a different story!)
You should be eating AT LEAST 1200-1300 calories per day. Otherwise, you are going to slow down your metabolism and mess up your body. Think of your body as a fireplace ....... if you don't put enough fuel in there, its harder to get the fire burning. Your body needs calories to burn calories. If you don't eat enough, your body will start SAVING calories instead of burning them.
To get rid of your fear, try adding healthy lowfat foods, like a lowfat whole grain cracker with some lowfat peanut butter or cheese. Or a half cup of pasta with marinara sauce, a boiled egg at breakfast...... just small steps so you don't feel freaked out.
Good luck! Be good to your body!
Merkee, Thanks so much. I knew it couldn't be good for me, but by the time I'd enter all of my foods for the day it would be 10:00pm. And I know eating late isn't good for me either!
I'll take your advice and start adding some of those higher calorie, healthy foods into my diet. Thanks again.
This is my first post, and I just wanted to say that I was 160lbs in October (2 months ago). I've been going to the gym 5 times a week (mon - fri) and doing 30 minutes of cardio, and not going less than 1200 calories every day, and I lost 10 lbs and am now 150lbs. :-))) My goal is 134lbs.
Calorie counting really does work, because I started going to the gym from November 2006 for 5 days a week, and never lost any weight at all because I was still not eating correctly, and all of a sudden when I start counting calories, I started losing. I watch the calories of everything I eat, and I still eat everything, but in moderation. Now that I know how to measure how much is enough, its so much easier to ensure I do not over eat.
Good luck everyone, and don't lose hope!!
Nita, its so good to hear about your weight loss!!! I agree, counting calories is very eye-opening and gives you the freedom to eat what you want as long as you stay within certain limits. It also helps me make up for days when I slip... :)
Good luck with your continued weight loss! You are an inspiration!
I wish the best to everyone!
Apologies no ideas on how to get down below 160. I'm at 163 at the moment and plan to join the 150s club if it still exists (been away too since last summer).
I'm watching calories, whilst eating healthily, drinking lots of water, and making myself exercise - did skipping (rope jumping) today and going for a brisk walk in 30 mins.
The main advice I can give is just trust yourself. If you take the actions (e.g exercise) and record calories - it will come off.
In the summer it seemed impossible for me to get below 160 but it happened. It was a result (I think) of exercise and watching calories. It did seem to take a long time though!
I've been away from this site for a bit - house moves, and just other projects which kept me away from the computer, so now back and moved in to the home, weight and fitness are my main priority this year.
I'm at 163 so you are a way ahead of me!!! You may even have moved on since then. I really hope so.
All the best
Pod
Apologies no ideas on how to get down below 160. I'm at 163 at the moment and plan to join the 150s club if it still exists (been away too since last summer).
I'm watching calories, whilst eating healthily, drinking lots of water, and making myself exercise - did skipping (rope jumping) today and going for a brisk walk in 30 mins.
The main advice I can give is just trust yourself. If you take the actions (e.g exercise) and record calories - it will come off.
In the summer it seemed impossible for me to get below 160 but it happened. It was a result (I think) of exercise and watching calories. It did seem to take a long time though!
I've been away from this site for a bit - house moves, and just other projects which kept me away from the computer, so now back and moved in to the home, weight and fitness are my main priority this year.
I'm at 163 so you are a way ahead of me!!! You may even have moved on since then. I really hope so.
All the best
Pod
Is it too late to join this club??
I've read a lot of your stories. Wow. I started this at 169 (lost 7 lbs on my own before I came to CC), and four days after joining, am down to 167! Here's my weight gain story:
I was a size 6 MAX throughout high school and 2 years afterwards, which is about what I want to be down to on my 5'4 frame. I went through Air Force boot camp, and love love loved my body when I came home. And when I came home, I got to eat whatever i wanted, whenever I wanted, and drank almost every night and went out. This also led to eating Krystal's when me & the girls were tanked. I put on about 35 lbs in TWO MONTHS.
When I got pregnant with my son, I was at about 165. During the pregnancy, I was determined to eat healthy, and eat often, and actually weighed 153 when I left the hospital with him. And I went even lower with breast feeding, and walking with him twice a day.
Then I went back to work. I am in real estate, and that means go-go-go-go all day. Combine that with not eating breakfast, and being a single parent, and you end up at the nearest drive-thru at 3pm eating an entire meal (as in biggie sized), and chowing down on whatever else you can find until you fall asleep at night.
And that leads to.... 176 pounds, 2 1/2 years later. I want that boot camp body back! My whole family has health issues. My mom's side is racked with diabetes, certain cancers, you name it. My dad's side is heart disease, COPD, and anything else you can think of that will kill you. Not good, especially for an overweight smoker!
In January, my resoluton was to run a 15K in my town. I stared running, and thinking food as more of fuel than anything else. Feb 7, I joined CC. I dropped 7 pounds in the month of Jan, and am down 2 more in the 4 days I started this site. I know a lot of it's water weight, and I don't want to lose more than 2 lbs a week, but I am STOKED! My goal is to get down to the 130 range, though it may not happen, I was "blessed" (aka cursed) with a huge bust that doesn't skrink with the rest of my body.
Good to see so many people on this board, I hope we can all get to the 150's by the middle of Mar!
I initially started off at 160lbs - Oct 2007. My last post was on the 12 Dec 2007, and I was 150lbs back then.
A further 3 months down the line - I am now 142lbs :-))) My goal is 134lbs, so I am almost there. I know I do not belong to this club anymore, but the purpose of this post was to give people some inspiration. I do 1/2 an hour cardio - 5 times a week and count calories religiously.
To those that are not losing weight - I may sound like one of those success stories, and you probably thinking that it'll never be you, but trust me, I've been trying to fight the fat for years, and I still can't believe I lost all this weight. So you can do it. If I can, you can too.
Keep counting calories, it works!!
Good luck. Don't lose hope.
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