Olympic Losers (sorry group closed for now)

Welcome everyone to the first week of our Olympics!

The first round will last until 22 December. (start of my x-mas break) The second round will start 4 Jan. 2010.

The rules are simple.

1. Contribute 3 times or more per week.

2. Be supportive of the group members.

3. Be honest about how you are doing and feeling.

I thought it would be fun to give a prize each week. If you are comfortable you can give me your real address and I will send the  weeks winner something small. If you don't want to give your address you can give me an email address and I will send you a virtual prize. I will not compete for prizes.

I will start a new thread each monday and post the link in the old thread. I suggest bookmarking or tagging the thread so it is easy to find.

So ready, set, go....

Week 1

Physical challenge: Get at least 4 hours of exercise this week.

Social: Introduce yourself to the group.

Emotional: What is the most difficult thing for you about losing weight and how do you deal with it.

This weeks prize will go to the best answer for the emotional question.

Hello group,

I am a 32 year old single woman living in switzerland. I moved here about three months ago. I am Dutch but haven't lived in the Netherlands for some years. I am a live-in nanny for a nice family with 10 month old twins. I work 6 days a week 24 hours a day but luckily there is a small gym at the house that I can use when the babies are sleeping. Last year I lost  25 kilos (60 pounds) but some of that weight is back so now I have to lose it again and more. In total I hope to lose another 20 kilos or about 45 pounds. 

My main hobby is traveling ,My profile picture was taken in Vietnam last June, but I also enjoy reading (mostly) romance novels and I watch way too much TV but can't seem to decide which show to give up.

PS English is not my first language so please ignore any and all grammar/spelling mistakes.

hi, my name is mariana, i'm 14 and i'm from brazil. i had never worried about my weight until i reached where i am right now, so i wanna lose 25lbs. in my house there's me, my mother, and my brother. my mother have been trying some dietings but she's the worst at it, and my brother is the skinniest guy i have ever seen. i am really not related to them. i have a pretty sedentary life, the only "exercise" i do is that i have drum classes every wednesday. this week i joined calorie count, it says i have to eat 1800kcal a day, so im eating something around 1000kcal a day. ive read it doesnt work, but i dont know where to start so i'll keep it til the sunday, then i'll see what im gonna do. the problem is that i don't really feel like losing weight. yesterday i was trying to see if i could lose all the 1000kcal i ate doing stuff like dancing, jumping, cleaning the kitchen table... but i got really tired. and also every time i decide to eat something, and im eating it, i feel like not hungry at all. so i keep 'uff, im eating, thank god. well, i'm not hungry... so why am i eating?' and i really dont know what it is. ok, this is getting annoying, im boring... hope we can lose it together :)

I have asked newhunave to leave the group as I think she is too young and is being very unhealthy in her attempt to lose weight. I have directed her to the teen section of this site and advised her to eat the recommended amount of calories.

Hi, I think your group sounds very interasting.... Sadly, it says its closed... Please, let me know if you have room for one more :) Btw, I come from Serbia, so I'm sure there is no one presenting my country :)

Just in case, I'll answer right away:

My name is Yvonne (written in English, in Serbia it's Ivona). My weight is a result of emotional eating plus my doctor doubts I have a mild hypothireosis (well it's probably not spelled like that but you know what I mean). But considering how much I ate, I think that's the reason I got fat.

Anyways, I'm 17 years old and I need to lose about 20kgs (now 17 left) and I'm  hoping to lose till spring break , cause that's when I'am going on a graduation school trip. I'm intereasted in eating healthy and fitness, but I still have relapses and binge episodes :(((

What is the most difficult thing for you about losing weight and how do you deal with it?

Well...like i said I'm emotional eater (big time!) and I'm still learning how to deal with it, but when I get myself busy, I don't think about food. I binge when I'm feeling unhappy with myself- that is, when I'm lonely or when I let myself downsomehow...

Hey Marls...

We are already acquainted   but I will introduce myself to the rest of the group! Well, I joined the 19th of October...or sometime around there and I was very low. You have heard the term hitting ROCK BOTTOM...I was there. I am 285 pounds and I am 5'2.5 (yes that .5 makes a difference to me). I wrote my first cry for help not really knowing what to expect. I will Copy and Paste it here so you can read it and I don't have to type it again and break down:

I have never done this before. I am fat and I need help. I am out of control. People think I have my life together: a decent career, a good husband, almost finished with school, living overseas and they think I am happy and very fortunate. I am but I am out of control when it comes to my dieting and eating. I just turned 30 and I am the heaviest I have EVER been and I don't know what to do. I can't turn to my family or my husband...I don't know where to go, I don't know what to do. I have been on the Red Bracelet Project site and looking at all that pro ana stuff, hoping to god I could become anorexic. I know how stupid and **** that sounds, I really do! In other parts of my life, I really am not that dumb. I love to read and study and I know being overweight is bad for you. A lot of my family has diabetes, have had limbs amputated and have died from heart attacks. I know that over eating and being obese can kill me. I know all the ramifications but I still over eat. I still eat huge portions and I can't stop. OMG...I am so **** out of control it is disgusting. I don't know I am like this. I can go long periods without eating too. I mean I rarely eat at work....I don;t eat breakfast but ****, when I get home, I'm like a tasmanian devil. Even when I started eating breakfast and then eating lunch at work, I am still famished when I come home. And sometimes I find myself eating mindlessly in front of my computer after I had dinner and didn't know I even got something to eat. What am I going to do with my blubber ass! I have access to a free gym and I don't go. I am so ashamed when people look at me. And then you know what I do? Go home and eat more...I need help and I'm puring my emotions on the line here...I didn't use my real name and no one will ever know I am on here but it's now or never. I feel if I can't get it under control...

I'm going to die.

Well that was me a couple of weeks ago and now because of the support of you guys, I am on my way. I have lost 2.9 lbs so far. Not the greatest but hey, I didn't gain. Well, I guess that's it from me!

Wow, I'm afraid my offering is going to be much more tame...

I'm 29 years old, 5'6" and weigh around 140. I say "around" because I've been plateauing and my weight the past few weeks has fluctuated. I've weighed in at 140.8, then 143, then 142, then 140.8 again, etc. etc. I have lost 27 lbs since I started back in March. Slow but fairly steady. Since I've gotten closer and closer to my goal weight of 135, I've plateaued more often. I've also considered lowering my goal weight to 130, since I still have more fat clinging to my belly and behind than what I'd like, and I'm not sure that 5 lbs is going to be enough. My husband made me promise that I wouldn't lose any more than 10, though...or I'll start looking too-thin in some places. Like, my collarbones already are somewhat prominent, I guess since I'm at a healthy BMI now.

Physical challenge: Get at least 4 hours of exercise this week. This is how much I normally exercise, but this weekend I'm going out of town for the first time since March, and I'm not at all sure what kind of exercise facilities the hotel has. I think I'll probably miss exercising on both Saturday and Sunday, since Sunday night we're coming back, and it will probably take at least three hours by bus and we'll be very, very tired. But usually I exercise 5-6 days per week, 30-40 minutes. I promise, though, to really make an effort to do 40, not 30, and to not miss unless it's simply not possible to exercise that day.

Emotional: What is the most difficult thing for you about losing weight and how do you deal with it.

I'd say probably that it's a constant thing. It's not like something you practice at once per day, or once per week. It's ALL DAY LONG, 7 DAYS PER WEEK, ALL THE TIME. Every few hours, I'm eating, and it has to be carefully selected ahead of time and carefully logged immediately, or I'll forget to input it later. If I can't log it right away, I'll jot it down on a piece of paper. I plan the menu for the week before I go grocery shopping, and whatever it is, I have to be able to calculate the calories for it, or I get frustrated because it's hard to estimate by eyeballing something. So I generally cook from a cookbook that tells me the calories in everything. Sometimes, it's a bit tiring and I just feel like being lazy and eating whatever I want and not worrying about writing it down! But that's how I gained so much weight in the first place...and I know I'll never be the weight and size I want without putting in the effort.

Something else that's difficult is getting enough fruits and veggies, something I'm still working on. More about that later...

Hi from Canada

I'm 32. A single mom of 3. Love them to death but they drive me nuts sometimes. I have fallen head over heels for a wonderful man. I've never been this happy. He's great with my kids too. I'm 5'9, 165lbs. Trying to get down to 150. See how I feel from there. Will most likely want to lose a bit more. Been losing and gaining for the past 4 years. Highest weight was 204, lowest 154.

Hardest partfor me is be consistent. So hard to be healthy all the time. I'm going to try my best to stick with it. I want to lose this weight

Talk to you all later, Sarah

JMH Thanks for being so honest. You can do this! It won't be easy but it can be done. Just DON'T GIVE UP and let us help.

Crazy I think it is great that you are staying motivated during your plateau. I know those are so difficult to deal with. What worked for me was actually increasing my calories for a few days to a week. I don't know if you have tried this or are willing to try this...

Sarah Single mom with 3 kids, I am impressed you have time to be on CC and work on your weight.  What part of Canada are you from?

It seems some original members are already dropping out. Are you guys happy it being just the 4 of us or should I try to recrute some more people?

I am in a very good mood today. After working non stop for 2 weeks I have today and tomorrow off. I went to Zurich today to do some shopping. I got started om my X-mas list and I went to the Asian foodstore to buy roti and naan bread. While I was at the Asian store I saw they had sweet potatoes. I LOVE sweet potatoes but hadn't been able to find them in the regular supermarket. So I bought like 4 pounds which I than had to carry around Zurich for the rest of the day. I also went to Starbucks for my monthly treat of Chai Latte. It has close to 400 cal. but so worth it! I am going to use the gym for an hour after I am done typing this so that should even out the Chai Latte.

How is everyone else doing calorie wise?

Hello everyone,

I am still here don't count me out. My computer has been acting a little funny.

Not sure what to say about myself except I need to lose a lot of weight (At least 100lb)

Anyway from USA 39 yr old male 6'5" 350lb.

My first week of diet and exercise went well. I know the real problem will be staying on track. Good to have a group like this to help. I understand that I did not gain this weight overnight and I am not going to lose it overnight either. (slow and steady) In the past I never tried support groups so maybe this is why I have always failed. Making a new start and I am not going to let anything stop me this time.

You thought I was kidding when I said not sure what to say about myself.(HAHA)

keegan Glad to see you are still with us. I am sure having the group and the rest of CC will help you to be succesful this time. What kind of exercise are you doing?

Hey marlies,

I have been weightlifting 3 times a week for 30 min each session.

Also I ride a stationary bike 1 hour a day and I am up to 1 hr of walking per day.

CC said that I should be eating 2400 calories a day. However when you eat the right food it is hard to eat that much. 2400 calories is a lot of food. Maybe I should eat a Big Mac. (haha just kidding) 

Hi everyone.

I'm happy to report that I did 40 minutes of exercise last night instead of 30. I did a 30-minute cardio tape and then a 10-minute DVD using a rubber tubing. The DVD is part of a set called Tamilee Tight on Time, which gives you eight ten-minute workouts, each one emphasizing something different.

Tuesdays I normally don't exercise because I go to church (it's my rest day), but I might be able to tonight because there's no church tonight...because we're all going to a religious convention this weekend instead. OTOH, my mother-in-law is coming over, and if she doesn't leave early, I can't exactly kick her out of the living room (which is the only room in the house with a tv to work out with my exercise videos and DVD's). So we'll see what happens.

And regarding the calorie increase: I already tried it, in a manner of speaking, but maybe I didn't keep it up long enough. Actually, CC says I should lower my limit to 1400 (I had been eating 1500 before), and I'm finding it very difficult to eat 100 calories less per day. I do a weekly total, and although some days I'm able to do 1400, others I go over (still under maintenance, though) and end up at 10,500 by Sunday -- just as if I had been eating 1500 per day! Weigh day is Thursday, so we'll see how I do in two days.

Sounds like you had a good day Marlies! I love sweet potatoes!

Glad you are still here Keegan!

Way to go on your 40 minutes Crazy! Finding the time to exercise is always a struggle for me. Never enough time in the day. I don't work tomorrow and the kids are all in school so it's a me day. Hopefully I'll find time to do something.

Only exercise for me yesterday and today was work. Not working up a sweat or anything but on my feet for 8 hours straight gotta burn a few calories right?

Hope you all are well

Yesterday night I did an hour of cardio on the ellitical and 15 min. of rowing. Right now it is 7.30 am here and I am off to the gym to do an hour of fatburn. Kind a proud of myself for being up early and not staying in bed. I am really motivated to lose the weight I gained since June before I go home for x-mas.

Sarah Enjoy your day off! I hope you can get some exercise in, maybe a nice walk?

Crazy I hope your mother-in-law left early so you could exercise. If it is difficult to eat 1400 I wouldn't do it. You are close to your goal weight and I think you should listen to your body. If you are hungry eating 1400 than it is clearly not enough.

Keegan  I was feeling very proud of myself for getting an hour to 75 min. of exercise a day but that is nothing compared to you. Great job! In regards to your calorie goals, have you tried adding some healthy fats to your food. That quickly increases your calories. Things like peanut butter or olive oil are good for you. I would also suggest weighing all your food to make sure you are eating the right amounts.

Wow CRAZY! You have already lost 27 lbs!!! Go YOU! You know how you did 40 minutes of exercise instead of 30, how did you motivate yourself to do that extra 10 minutes?

It is so ridiculous, but I cannot do that. If I set the damn timer for 30 minutes on the treadmill. THATS ALL I'M DOING! Even if I haven't broken a sweat. I figure I did my time and that's good enough. It's so wierd cause when I am at work, I push myself to the max. I mean I stay hours after my shift to get my projects complete (un-paid)! But with exercising, I would rather do 29 minutes than go a minute over. HELP!

Hey mom,

Glad you're in the group! Wow, you have a lot on your plate. My mom was a single mom of 6 and I know how difficult it can be! I'm 30 and it's just me and my husband, I'm scared to death to have kids. I just wanted to say kudos to you!

Whoa Keegan...you are a exercise madman. I want to lift weights but I feel so self conscious at the gym. I mean I go to the base gym so I work out with soldiers and civilians. That's a bit intimidating! And it's not them, it's me. Cause I went once during the slow time after PT (8am-9am) and I wasn't sure how this machine worked and it must have shown on my face. I started to walk out and this marine called me back and he told me not to leave cause he was going to show me how to use the machine. He was so incredibly nice but I was mortified! I haven't been in that weight room since.

Hello everyone

My computer might go out so this might be a two part message.

I look forward to reading everyones posting each morning it is a good start for the day. I could kick myself for not trying this support group thing sooner. So time for the truth.. I make my living as a machinist and have been planning for early retirement. So over the years I have been putting away a little money  here and there. But I was thinking how miserable retirement would be if I am in such poor health that I spend more time in the hospital than living my life. So I made the decision to quit my job for a short time and put all my efforts into losing weight. Not really a hard decision for me to make it has been easy to keep my mind focused on my goals. So my day start at 5:00am I wake up take a shower then eat breakfast workout then eat lunch workout then eat dinner take a shower go to bed...  wake up repeat day.   If I don't lose weight this time I am going to learn to be fat and happy.

Hey JMH

You lived on a AFB? I did too, I lived in Bitburg Germany. Germany is a great place; I am sure this is where my weight problem began. The food in Germany is excellent I hated to leave.  I think there is another AFB near there Spangdahlem. (I bet I spelled that wrong) Drop me a line let me know what you think about Germany so far.

This is not a weight loss issue, but I would love to hear about the different places/area everyone has been. The USA is a great place, but I want to know about other places. Please drop me a line.