Looking for scale

Hi my name is Sunni and I only recently found calorie count. I was actually just looking for a site that could provice me with serving sizes and the calories for fresh foods that don't come with nutritional labels. I found a whole bunch more.

A little about my struggle with weight. I have always been heavy - my best adult weight has been 170lbs while I was in college. (I am 5'7" on a very large frame) I looked and felt really good at this weight, but I got pregnant with my first child about then and it has been all down hill since then. I really ballooned up after my last divorce and now weigh somewhere around 320lbs. This is an estimate based on the last time I was actually on a scale (I don't own one).

My oldest graduated from high school last June and it hit me like a ton of bricks that in a few years (I hope!) that he could start supplying me with grandchildren and damn it I want to be able to enjoy them (which means getting off some of this weight) when they do arrive.

At the moment, I have two obstacles - 1. convincing my teenagers that it is not asking too much of them to not have a house full of junk food (chips and Oreos derail my good intentions every time.) 2. I don't own a scale and I am dead broke (I mean the kind of broke that has you wondering where the rent and electricity is coming from) Does anyone know where I might get one that will actually weigh a person over 300lbs for free? It doesn't have to be fancy - just accurate.

I have read a bunch of the other posts in this group and I just want to say thank you to all that have posted and responded. It is all very inspirational. I hope that as time goes on, I will be able to provide some support to others as well.

Sunni,

There is a free excellent scale somewhere near you. 

1.  Your doctor's office.  Ask to use the scale once a week.  They should be happy to let you use the scale, supporting your weight loss efforts.

2.  Your local hospital.  Just go by the nurse's station and let them know you want to use the scale.  They'll be happy to help.

3.  I know this one would be harder, but we used to do it when my hubbie was over 400 pounds, we used the scale at our local feed/seed store.  They weigh very heavy weights.  The store workers showed us how to use it and gave us privacy while he weighed. (can't guarantee how others will act, though)

And here is a compromise for your teens and you.  This is what my hubbie and I do.  He has a cooler by his chair that holds his snacks.  It is out of my sight, but not out of the house.  It just isn't fair to ask him to follow my restrictive diet.  Also, I have to face those snack eventually and conquer that.

You'll have to work out the logistics of the whole thing for yourself, but the main thing is in you MIND.  You have to make their snacks off limits.  I tell myself it is stealing, for one thing, to take his snacks.  They are HIS.  He has some ice cream bars in the freezer.  I have my low cal ice cream bars and I NEVER eat his.  He has his snacks and I have mine.  Just ask your kids to store their snacks, perhaps in a drawer in their room, or in a plastic box in their closet.

Now, if they are need to lose weight...fine they can come along with you.  I can tell you forcing a diet on a teen will backfire when they are grown.  My big ole butt is proof of that.  I know you said you will ask for their help and that is good, but don't pressure them into it.

Thanks texmom

I know that I have to face down those snacks eventually - like every other Friday night at the D&D game I play - I am just trying to make the day to day easier. I can resist - I just don't want to do it all the time. As for whether they need a diet or not - my oldest is slender (and he eats a ton - it is disgusting!) the other is stocky (could lose 20lbs and not miss them) but is otherwise healthy (heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc all within normal ranges for his age) There is a history of diabetes on both sides of his family though (his dad is the most recent diagnosis) and therefore it concerns me. I am hoping that the whole leading by example thing will work for him as well.

As for the scale - I knew about the one at the doctor's office and the hospital - I was hoping that I might find one that I can use at home. I can honestly say that I would have never thought of the feed store though. It is possible that the scale the food bank in my church uses to weigh donations might work though. I am there a couple of times a week anyway, so I wouldn't be using extra gas.

Thanks again,

Sunni

There you go.  I was trying to think of a solution that wouldn't cost anything extra. 

Yeah, I understand not wanting to face those snack right now.  I think my will power is stronger now than it was at first.  when I first started is when I got the cooler and put his snacks on the other side of his chair and told him to keep them in there where I wouldn't see them.

It is still hard to go thru the store with him and watch him buying Hershey's kisses.  One day I told him if I didn't have a piece of chocolate right then, I'd bust open that bag of Kisses and start wolfing them all down.  He said, oh no you don't.  He bought me some gum and that helped me fight off the chocolate craziness.   But I tell you it was a close thing.  those Kisses are right now in his cooler, sitting over there smirking at me.  But I am in control.  They are HIS.  I have some snacks in there I can eat without giving up calories I don't want to spend that way.

He gets these snacks and they last him forever.  I'd eat them all in one sitting.  It's just sad.  I have to do what I can to stay on my program and let him have the freedom to eat what he wants.

I didn't intend to go on and on, but talking on the forum is kind of like therapy for me.

texmom -

The full calorie ice cream in my freezer is what is calling my name at the moment. The good news is that they are out of sight, and the distance means that I can't hear them as loudly. At least the chocolate sauce and whip cream from the kid's sundaes the other day are finally gone - that was one of the strongest temptations yet. (I managed - but barely)

What's really disgusting is that my 18 year old can eat the whole bag in one sitting several times a week and doesn't ever gain weight. In fact here recently he has lost almost 10 pounds and was still eating everything that wasn't bolted down tight. My father can still lose weight by simply cutting out one soda and one potato a day at 66 years of age. Sometimes, I just want to strangle the both of them.

I am glad that your husband is so supportive of your weight loss. Have you considered sending him to the store by himself to buy those snacks?

Sunni

No.  I have to be able to go to the store like a normal person.

Put some low cal ice cream in there with the regular and don't listen to the regular.  It's poison.  There are four cupcakes sitting on the couch with me (left over from my hubbies birthday party, they were going to work with me today for the students to finish off, but I did something to my foot and I can hardly walk).  They have pumpkins in them that are smiling at me, but I'm not going to let them tempt me. 

Hmm.  Maybe I'd better put them in the dining room.  Your teens may tend toward overweight when they are older.  My son was slim as a teen, but now is about 30 pounds overweight, never changed his teen eating habits when he became an adult who doesn't run every day.

Yeah that happened to my oh so skinny sister. She was 5'9" tall and 130lbs and looked good in the jeans she had to practically paint on to get in to. Now she is over 200lbs - she did have a thyroid problem for a few years that didn't help either.

Something tells me that my oldest won't ever quit "running" as you put it. He just instictively gravitates towards hard physical pursuits. For example he fully intends to go and harvest Christmas trees for extra money this fall. That should burn somewhere around 6,000 - 8,000 calories a day if not more. He thinks it sounds like fun - I think he is absolutely crazy!

When I go grocery shopping I fully intend to purchase so low cal versions of things. I am hopeful that I can find at least some that the boys like as well. I switched to a low-cal/low fat mayo a few years ago and now neither one of them like the regular stuff - they both say that the regular stuff just tastes oily. Fortunately, they both like lots of fruits and vegetables and will eat salads regularily without complaining.

Got to run,

Sunni

I like almost all the low cal ice cream.  Blue bunny is the best to me.  Weight watchers ice cream tastes better, but isn't as low cal.

I don't like low cal mayo.  I just changed to mustard, or use less real mayo in stuff like tunasalad.

I'm not a mustard fan - a little goes a very long way & I use it only sparingly in cooking but never on a sandwich, etc.

The mayo I'm refering to is put out by Smart Beat and at only 10 calories per serving with absolutely no cholesterol or fat it was one of those little things I could do right away. I have put it in regular mayo squeeze bottles and taken it on picnics and even my oh so choosy dad couldn't tell the difference. I have tried others, but this is the only one I like.

We all have our preferences - do you have a particular lite or fat free salad dressing that you like? I am still hunting for some that actually taste good (I find that many of them just taste like vinegar).

Thanks for all you advice - both in response to this and to others.

My favorites are from Waldenfarms.  The taste isn't as good as the real thing (of course) but it is good for zero calories.  I especially like the Dijon mustard and Bacon Ranch.

What they have that is REALLY good is a caramel dip for apples or whatever...zero calories.  I can find it in two stores here cheaper than their website which is  waldenfarms.com (where you can see the products).