Posts by susanlew

Ahhhh that's awesome!! Congrats! Really hoping the trend will continue for you!

Not Sephardic but not too strict about it, either, so sometimes I keep sephardic-style. We'll see how the week goes! I've been trying to think of creative ways to up my protein (b/c I'm a stupidly picky eater and don't love beans or tofu) - so maybe this week will be a good challenge for that!

(In response to supwrskinny - thanks for your concern! Yes I'm healthy about it :) My family is just super judgmental and would make too many comments/give unwanted advice if they knew I was dieting. I need this to be for me, not for them. They'd treat it like "oh, good, we nagged you enough about being fat, glad you finally listened!".)

I always eat at least my BMR. The reasons are 1) most of the experts say you should b/c it's healthier for your body/organs. 2) Because in my first try at weight loss, I ate under my BMR for many months, and although I lost weight initially, I gained it all back too easily. And 3) In my second (CURRENT) try at weight loss, I plateaued when eating below my BMR for weeks and weeks. So I followed everyone's advice and started eating above it, and now I'm losing again!

I recommend you eat at least 2,406 and see how it goes! If you're feeling hungry at 1,900, it's probably your body telling you to eat more. Your body needs fuel/energy, especially on days you work out! Good luck!

I'm dealing with the same thing right now! I've been steady for the past few days but then today I was up a few. I lifted hard yesterday at the gym, and I read when you strength train, your muscles retain water the next day - so I'm HOPING that's why I'm up. I realize I didn't actually gain fat -- but I totally hear you, it's really discouraging to see hard work and a healthy deficit do nothing for you. 

You're doing an AMAZING job! 2 dress sizes is a huge loss. Keep it up! SO much easier said than done, but let your clothes do the talking - not the scale. (And I'll try to take that advice too haha.)

In my experience, circuit training means you keep your body moving at all times (i.e. between reps you're doing jumping jacks or other physical activities). When lifting, you generally rest between reps so your heart rate isn't staying up. That's not bad! It just means, IMO you should log it as weight lifting and not circuit training.

Yah, it sounds like you could either not be eating enough, or perhaps eating more than you think. It's hard to tell without counting. Try logging your food for a few days to see how much you're taking in. I like using this website to figure out how much I should eat based on my activity level (using the "fat loss" estimate, not extreme): http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calc ulator.htm

I actually have the opposite problem. If I'm losing, I consider looking good and being too small for my clothes a GREAT reward! However, if I've plateaued for a while, I think "well if I'm doing everything right and not losing.. what do I have to lose by splurging? I'm not losing anyway!"

I agree with reissue and other posters. It's so hard, but you have to try to not let too much food be the reward. For me, (recently b/c I just got off a 5-week plateau) I practically start crying when the scale goes down out of joy b/c I can't believe I'm really doing it! I look in the mirror and start to see body definition where it hasn't been since high school and just think about the possibilities for the future if I keep going! Cuter clothes, more confidence, more attention from boys, no more judgment from my family, etc. I know, so much easier said than done to not splurge, but... keep going! You can do it!

Remember this commercial? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzXADOfTRB0

I want that to be me!! :) Except if I ever get down to my goal, obviously it would be a lot more fun to go on a shopping spree than getting old stuff tailored - but still.. I won't want to give up on some of my favorite dresses, etc.

• Quinoa (I like Arrowhead Mills Organic)
• Greek Yogurt (I like Oikos by Stonyfield)
• "No Salt Added" Heinz Ketchup
• Frozen Broccoli Florets (I like Cascadian Farms)
• Low-cal Ice Cream Sandwiches (I like the 80-calorie mini Weight Watchers brand)

Hmmm.. any chance you can reverse your morning routine? Do some light exercises in front of the tv (get an exercise ball or some home weights), then shower and drink coffee? Or you could do that during your evening TV watching...

When I was in HS, my after school sports practices lasted a good 2-3 hours. Could you stay a little longer after track and use the weight room?

If not - just keep in mind you're losing at a really healthy rate! You've done a great job so far so keep doing what you're doing and try not to stress too much about it (though I know that's easier said than done). Take the stairs in your school whenever you can, take the long route to get to class, try to stand/walk around more during lunch or free periods. Good luck!