What are Your Goals?

Hi!  My name is Lori.

My beginning weight on Sept. 28, 2009 was  205.

My last weigh in was on Mon., Oct., 26, 2009 and was 199 lbs.

My target weight is 140 lbs.  I have some LARGE GOALS and SMALL GOALS that I believe will help me along the way.

My goal was to lose 30 lbs in 4 months so that my Dr. could repair a very large hernia in my abdomen (LARGE GOAL).  I set a time frame of  Jan. 20, 2010.  My Dr. said to shoot for 15 weeks.  I really hope to make it.  This hernia is painful at times so I have to watch what I do.  No lifting heavy things, no weight training, no crunches or sit up.  That leaves walking, elliptical torture and swimming.  I must watch my diet!  Portion control is hard for me so drinking water helps.  I started using this website because it has an easy calorie counter to help me keep track of how much I eat.  The activity log is very helpful.  I hope I'm using it right!  I only log exercise that I do (like walking), not all the silly stuff they have listed (like sitting quietly and reading).

My overall goal is to get down to 140 lbs.  However long that takes (LARGE GOAL). That's a total of 65 lbs.  I know this will be a long journey for me and I am okay with that.  I don't expect miracles and I don't believe in short cuts or miracle pills. 

I can't get into things like Jenny Craig or packaged diets.  I really enjoy cooking and seeing my family eat healthy foods.  There is absolutely no reason why I can't make even my favorite things in a healthy way (SMALL GOAL). Some recipes are just more challenging than others!

When I started exercising, I could use the elliptical machine at the gym for twenty minutes on the lowest resistance and level.  That was in mid Sept., 2009.  I did work up to 25 minutes in 3 weeks.  Then we bought our own machine!  No excuses now!  Not too far to drive, not too late at night and not too hot in the room!  We even got a small T.V. so I won't get bored.  So now I use the Elliptical Torture Devise!  I am up to 30 minutes and using any one of several programs.  I will increase my time by 5 minutes per week until I can do 60 minutes (SMALL GOAL). Along the way I will try to increase the resistance and make myself sweat! (SMALL GOAL)  I also enjoy walking.  I can get outside and take the dog.  I can walk with friends or by myself.  I can join in on group walks thru the parks dept.  If the weather is horrid, I can just walk a circuit around the house.  I will try to get my speed up to a consistent 3.0 mph (SMALL GOAL).  I can do almost that now!  I started getting about 2.0 mph.  I got a pedometer and that helps a lot!  I am trying to take 10,000 steps a day but I am counting my steps on the E.T.D.  Some day I will make 10,000 steps without mechanical assistance! (SMALL GOAL)

My age (52) and menopause are working against me.  I hope my thyroid is okay!  I have limited my calories to under 1000 per day and try to burn about 500.  Every pound is a struggle!

 Any suggestions on meeting goals?  What are your goals?

Hi... 

I just started last week. My goal was to get down to 155, I'm 117 (as of this morning... lost a pound, yippeee) but then I realized that was too big a goal. Now my goal is to lose 35 pounds, get down to 185.  

I exercise a lot but need to do muscle building exercise and haven't figured that out yet. 

Good for you for starting...

Nicky

I said 117. I wish.  Weight is 217. Duh.

N.

Good luck getting your weight down for your operation.  Hernias are no fun.  Once you get over 50 things aren't as easy.  Good for you working on your eliptical.  I run 3 days a week, and if the weather is bad, there goes my running

Original Post by susanmy:

 I run 3 days a week, and if the weather is bad, there goes my running

 

 Hi

I have always used weather as my excuse, until one day I was reading an article in an outdoor magazine.  The first line was: "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear".  That sure blew my excuses out the window.  I bought myself some good running gear, I can run quite comfortably in the rain, the wind and the snow.  (some mornings I CURSE that article).

I started with CC as I was approaching my 50th birthday, I was so distraught everytime I looked in the mirror and saw the extra 40+ pounds that had accummlated around my stomach and butt.   I keep saying it was menopause and felt very defeated.  But, I had a friend who had proved that wrong, she is a number of years older then me and I remember how she focused on what she ate and excercise and ended up being slimmer and trimmer then she had been in all the years I had know her (and she was in the middle of meno pause).  That was my gift, I remembered that and all of a sudden I looked at turning 50 and the challeges different (and sometimes CURSED her when I wanted more food or less excersize).  I have been maintaining within 5 lbs of my goal weight since my 50th birthday.  I finally feel a sense of control for the first time in years.

It really can be done!  It really can be done!  It really can be done!  Good Luck!

cuzimthemom,

You should never eat less than 1200 calories a day(1500) for men. If you use the burn rate provided on CC, stick to a good healthy diet of close to 1200 cals/day and walk for 20 minutes 4-5 days a week you should be able to hit your weight goals. Dailly calories of less than 1200 calories will send your body into starvation mode and you won't burn any calories.    Good Luck

Original Post by daddon55:

cuzimthemom,

You should never eat less than 1200 calories a day(1500) for men. If you use the burn rate provided on CC, stick to a good healthy diet of close to 1200 cals/day and walk for 20 minutes 4-5 days a week you should be able to hit your weight goals. Dailly calories of less than 1200 calories will send your body into starvation mode and you won't burn any calories.    Good Luck

 Great idea!  I tried what you (and a friend of mine) said and I have gained 1.3 pounds.  Thanks bunches.  I am female, menopausal and have a very slow metabolism.  1200 calories a day is too much.  Even my Dr. agrees that I will do better between 800 - 900 per day.  Please don't critize or give medical advice.  Other people could make the same mistake I made, listening to someone who is not their own Dr. and having a set back like this.  I take full responsability for my stupidity in listening to helpful people who don't know me.

I was given the same advice. I am also female, menopausal and have a very slow metabolisml. I was eating just under 1200 calories and I was not losing weight, I seemed to have reached a plateau and was stuck there.  I was running and keeping active but nothing seemed to help.  I finally upped my calories by 300 to 500 per day and started losing weight and feeling even more energentic. 

Original Post by cuzimthemom:

Great idea!  I tried what you (and a friend of mine) said and I have gained 1.3 pounds.  Thanks bunches.  I am female, menopausal and have a very slow metabolism.  1200 calories a day is too much.  Even my Dr. agrees that I will do better between 800 - 900 per day.  Please don't critize or give medical advice.  Other people could make the same mistake I made, listening to someone who is not their own Dr. and having a set back like this.  I take full responsability for my stupidity in listening to helpful people who don't know me.

 You ask for suggestions and then responsed with this?

I'll stop typing now before I say something not in keeping with the morals of this group.

Original Post by cuzimthemom:

Original Post by daddon55:

cuzimthemom,

You should never eat less than 1200 calories a day(1500) for men. If you use the burn rate provided on CC, stick to a good healthy diet of close to 1200 cals/day and walk for 20 minutes 4-5 days a week you should be able to hit your weight goals. Dailly calories of less than 1200 calories will send your body into starvation mode and you won't burn any calories.    Good Luck

 Great idea!  I tried what you (and a friend of mine) said and I have gained 1.3 pounds.  Thanks bunches.  I am female, menopausal and have a very slow metabolism.  1200 calories a day is too much.  Even my Dr. agrees that I will do better between 800 - 900 per day.  Please don't critize or give medical advice.  Other people could make the same mistake I made, listening to someone who is not their own Dr. and having a set back like this.  I take full responsability for my stupidity in listening to helpful people who don't know me.

 

 cuzimthemom, daddon55 is right. Less than 1200 calories will not help you. If you use the tools here, you'll find out why that's the case. With all due respect to your physician, less than 1200 will only cause your already slow metabolism to slow down further, and you won't meet your goals. I also think your original goal of losing 30 pounds in 4 months (17-19 weeks?) was much more realistic than your physician's goal of 30 pounds in 15 weeks. 2 pounds a week is not impossible to do, but it is not advised, as it usually goes right back on. All your hard work will be for naught, and if you are planning on having surgery, you want that weight to stay off so that you don't have complications, and so that your surgery works.

When you increased calories, how fast did you gain 1.3 pounds? Do you think it could have been fluid retention?

This is a very helpful forum, but even more importnatly, there are several tools and several articles (and links to articles on other sites) that are very helpful in planning safe and healthy weight loss. You have a great plan set up for yourself - no one here wants to see you steered wrong. Physicians receive very elementary/rudimentary nutrition education, if that. Some receive none.

I hope that you are successful in your journey, and best of luck with your surgery!

Good response Annie. There were only seven days between daddon55's suggestion and cuzimthemom's reply.

I also agree that doctors, who I respect greatly as a group, are only human and have a very narrow focus. If she feels so strongly that her situation is unique, I would suggest she get her basal metabolic rate check by a specialist in the field of nutrition (a couple of hundred for the test I hear) and set her calorie goal to 500 below that.

A 1.3 lb gain (about the weight of a 16 oz glass of water) could easily be water, or her body's natural response to having a healthy amount of food after starving for so long. It takes more than seven days for the body to toggle back into a high metabolic mode, so some weight gain should have been expected the first week or two.

Sorry to all for my sharp response. No excuse. My ex (of 20 years now) used that passive-aggressive nonsense and it would appear that I still respond negatively to it.

David

  Thanks guys for sticking up for me. I stand by my original suggestion as do many professionals in the field. Once you have done this dieting SERIOUSLY, and educate yourself with sites like CC you will understand. Till then, good luck with that "Doctor"

I know that what you suggested is exactly what I had read many times and while I was slow to listen, when I did it made a world of difference.  I am so grateful to all the suggestions, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on this website.

Original Post by cuzimthemom:

Original Post by daddon55:

cuzimthemom,

You should never eat less than 1200 calories a day(1500) for men. If you use the burn rate provided on CC, stick to a good healthy diet of close to 1200 cals/day and walk for 20 minutes 4-5 days a week you should be able to hit your weight goals. Dailly calories of less than 1200 calories will send your body into starvation mode and you won't burn any calories.    Good Luck

 Great idea!  I tried what you (and a friend of mine) said and I have gained 1.3 pounds.  Thanks bunches.  I am female, menopausal and have a very slow metabolism.  1200 calories a day is too much.  Even my Dr. agrees that I will do better between 800 - 900 per day.  Please don't critize or give medical advice.  Other people could make the same mistake I made, listening to someone who is not their own Dr. and having a set back like this.  I take full responsability for my stupidity in listening to helpful people who don't know me.

 

 MY MOST SINCERE APOLOGIES!  I really mean that.  Please give me a minute to tell you all what happened.

My husband and I went out of town for Thanksgiving week to be with family.  The daughter (adult) of my oldest friend stayed at our home.  She was to take care of the dog and just be there in case something happened. I gave her access to the computer on a limited basis.  She was able to access games and newsletters but nothing financial or too personal.  Unfortunately CC is on my favorites with blogs and newsletters.  I did tell her about my weight loss and even showed her how to use CC.  We got back home late Sat. nite.  I checked in with CC on Sun. morning to find this!  I was shocked and embarrased.  I can only apologize again and again.  I have known this girl since the day she was born!  My best friend is so angry with her daughter.  The girl also managed to tick off my brother who came over (at her request) to fix a leaky faucet in the kitchen.  She told him he was taking too long to do the job and complained about water on the floor.  My brother is not a plumber! He was just being nice.  Another blog that I read was also invaded by her.  This one is by a personal friend stationed in Germany.  He thought it was me.  I called him to explain and Jeff  said he know how the girl is & thought I did too. (I do now)

Please forgive me for letting this happen.  I know that this site if filled with good people who only have the best of all intentions and want to help others.  I very much apperciate any and all advice.  I did go to my Dr. (the surgeon) and talked about my weight.  She referred me to the Nutritionist on post.  That was a week before we left. The nutritionist said the same as you, 1200 calories!!  I increased my calories and my weight stayed the same for the first week and then I lost 3 pounds - even with T-day dinner!!!  I do feel better.  I will continue to walk every day with my dog (who was ignored while I was gone! another angry moment!) because we both love outdoors!

CC is a wonderful site and you are all wonderful people.  Again, my deepest apologies.  I hope you will all forgive me and continue to be supportive.

Thanks for listening,       ;       &n bsp;        ;       &n bsp;        ;       &n bsp;        ;       &n bsp;        ;       &n bsp;        ;       &n bsp;    Lori

Hi Lori,

KIDS!  And they says its a crime to choke 'em.

No hard feelings and congrat's on the break-through!

David