Trying to lose 10 lbs. forever club

I am interested in finding others who have been struggling for a long time with losing the "last 10 lbs". .  I've been battling to lose 10 lbs for many years.  Actually, I've lost 10 in the last year but I needed to lose 20 a year ago (not just 10). 

I run, bike and swim now and have been participating in running 5k's and triathlons.  I have firmed up but would like to wear a size 8 comfortably.  I may want to go on to a size 6 next.


I think that if I had some friends with the same goals, then I would stay motivated.  Maybe we can share ideas and recipes. 

Let me know if you are out there and interested.

Hello everyone,

  I had a crazy day today.  I ran 5 miles this morning and then took my daughter to get her hair done.  Then I spent two hours at a photography studio for her senior pictures.  It  was fun, but a little stressful.  I did errands and housecleaning and I was supposed to do Pilates, but my husband is out of town and I have to take my son to practice.  Maybe I will do my Pilates tape.  I was so busy, I am only at 640 calories and it is 4:35.

Welcome Cmama!  I think the fact that you are consistenly losing is great.  For me, I think the more I stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grain, the better I do.  It is just so hard to stay away from that sugar.

Tonia,

I am going to do a little research on the fat flush.  I don't know if I have the discipline to do that for that length of time.

Mcpchants,

I am with you on the end of the day drudge when I am working.  Right now I am off for the summer and it is great.  I have tons of energy and a positive attitude.  School starts on Aug 22 for teachers and I am really going to try to keep my positive, healthy view of life.  In the past, I put so much into my job that after I took care of my family, there was nothing left for me.  I really am going to try to pace myself and take time to take care of myself. 

Well have a good afternoon,

Di

Hi everyone!  I'm new to this site, and I'm hoping it can help me get rid of the extra 10 (okay, maybe 11 or 12....) pounds that I've been carrying around.  I managed to get fit for my wedding a year ago, but here I am now, above where I was when I started back then!! 

Basically my problem is that by the time I'm done with work I'm just too tired to hit the gym.  And my commute is too far to go in the morning.  I need motivation more than anything.

I also have a big sweet tooth.... if there is anything around to eat, I will eat it!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying out this site.  Hopefully it can help!

Hi everyone,

  Welcome mburns! It sounds like this is the right place for you. 

 I had a really busy morning.  My kids had dr appts and tennis lessons.  We plan to go swimming later and I am going to take a step class at 4:30.  My pregnant friends are supposed to go.  The classes are one thing we can do together because we can adjust it to our own levels.

  So, I plan to stay within 1350 and swim and do the step class.  Maybe, I will squeeze in a walk later as well.  I feel really good.  I know I am still 6 pounds away from my goal, but I feel good.  After giving it some thought, I realized that is what it is really about.  I know we put alot of emphasis on that number on the scale, but maybe we should also measure our success by what we can accomplish.  I feel great when I can lug laundry up and down the stairs without asking for help, or just playing soccer or tennis with my kids.

Good luck everyone!

Di

Hi everyone!

Wow Di, it sounds like you burn a lot of calories just doing your day!!  I sit at a desk all day and sometimes feel like I can see my legs getting bigger....  :)

I did manage to have a healthy breakfast and a somewhat-healthy lunch, so I'm on track for today.  Now I just have to avoid eating badly for dinner, which will be hard because the in-laws are in town and couldn't find a vegatable if it hit them in the face.

I am getting out of work at 3:00 though, and should be able to get in a walk and/or a swim before dinner, so that will be good.

Just looked back at some of the old posts and saw the "consequence" strategy.  I love it!  Did that work for anyone?  I think I might give it a try....

Hello!  Sorry I haven't posted in the last few days, but that would've required me to put the fork down that I was shoveling food into my mouth with in order to type.  Yes, it's been that awful.  I have been in a funk for the past four days, and I can't knock myself out of it.  I don't know what the problem is.

Anyway, I didn't get much sleep last night, but I started out the day with my regular oatmeal, so I am on track (it's only 7:30am EST~~~ how could I NOT be doing good?~~~ I could have eaten chocolate cake for breakfast!)

Okay..... hurt my left arm and doc put me on high test motrin type stuff..... haven't ridden my bike since Monday.  Tried doing pushups, I can get about 25 before the palm of my hand (left) starts killing me.  and now, I fee like I have an enlarged tongue!!! How wierd is that??????? I don't know how to describe it, but for the past 3 days, my tongue is all prickly, and it kinda burns, like I cut it or something (but I don't find any trauma on it)  any advice???

so..........I have to go to my nephew's graduation party after work, if I don't fall asleep first.  maybe there will be a veggie tray........scratch that, my mother is helping cook... she (like some other posts I've read) wouldn't know a vegetable from a shoehorn 

Oh, and the lady who is hemming my dress has no idea how to "make" the bustle..... it doesn't come with one, you have to sew the buttons, hooks, etc, separately.

Did I mention that my beau thinks the wedding invitations I ordered are cheesy looking?

or that my sister and my girlfriend want to have a "bridal luncheon", after I have repeatedly asked them NOT TO.... I really don't like parties for me (I usually can't behave, as my mother would say)

Am I stressing?  NO, of course not.

Have a super day all, and be prepared to drive to NY to drag me back up onto the wagon from which I fell.

Hello everyone!

Amyb, Amyb, Amyb....Hopefully writing it all down helped.  My best advice is to splurge on a good massage.  Stick to just walking and call your doctor or pharmacist about your tongue.  It could be a drug interaction or allergy.  You have so many things going on that are out of your control.  Accept that you can't control what is served at the graduation party.  Find a comfy seat away from the food. The bustle on the dress is a biggie.  I am sure the seamstress will figure it out and no one will know what it is supposed to look like.  Wedding invitations are about expressing love and hope, they are supposed to be a little cheesy. Enjoy the bridal luncheon; it is going to happen.      How's that for advice?  You are allowed to stress.

mburns,

  Sounds like you have a plan.  I personally like rewards instead of consequences.  I often beat myself up too much when I screw up, so rewards are better.  Keep up the good work.

Today I going to visit my parents and they are camping.  There is going to be a party, but it shouldn't be too bad.  There will be alot of kids there and I am sort of a kid magnet so I don't usually have too much time to eat.  I think they can sniff out a teacher a mile away and know I love kids.  It is my day off from exercise, but I will at least fit in a good walk and stretch.  I have been doing well staying within 1350, so I will continue with that goal.  If I don't drop anything on Wednesday, I may cut back a little more.

Good luck every one (especially amyb!)

Di

Hi I am trying to lose about 10 pounds, so  hopefully i can. i am new to this site, and it seems really great so far, so hopefully i can do this. Wish everyone the best of luck.

Amy, I liked Dievans suggestion about the massage.  It will do you wonders on all levels.  I agree with Di about the  tongue swelling. It sounds like a reaction to something.  I hope your doctor or the pharmacist can get to the bottom of it quickly.

On the other levels, I know that when I dont' get to workout that I crave more junk.  I think our bodies crave the good stuff to fuel our workouts.  I feel badly about your exercise set back and the stress you've been under.   I wish I could come to  NY and drag you back up onto the wagon.  Although, you do seem to be keeping your sense of humor about things.

Welcome, Mburns and Melissa.
Mburns, I like the consequences but I think they work better if you set up the consequence before the action, such as, if I don't stick to my plan then I will wash my husbands car.   That way, it's more of a deterrent than a spanking.  For example,  when I am at the party and see the cake I tell myself, "If you eat that you will have to wash your husband car".   I know that when I am out washing my husbands car today, I will be giving it a lot of thought as to why I chose to not keep my promise to myself to lose the excess baggage I've been carrying around.  Besides, my husband will get a great blessings.  I agree with Di about not beating ourselves up but, personally rewards don't motivate me as much as consequences.  We all have to find what works best for us.  I think our forum is so great because verbalizing it helps us to get a better perspective.  Also, I hope you will somehow be able to get some exercise in.  At first it will be hard to get past the tired feeling, but if you do exercise, you will have more energy than you've ever had. Do you think you could do something on your lunch break? 

Friday: Went for a 24 mile bike ride which was my longest ever. I learned a great lesson about fueling my body for exercise.  My work-out partner and I didn't plan to go that far so I only drank  a shake and ate a boiled egg thinking it would be enough. That was about 1:30:00 before the ride.  At the last two blocks of the ride, I felt dizzy and had to walk my bike the rest of the way to the car.  It was about 20 minutes, and a granola bar later that I was finally able to stand on my feet.  Ladies, always keep something to eat in your car, purse or on your bike.  If my friend didn't have the granola bar, or if I would have been alone, I think I would have had to call 911. It was scary. Has anyone else ever had this happen before?

Didn't stick to goals for the weekend: Saturday, we went scalloping and after cleaning 5 gallons of scallops, I wanted a Corona and it was down hill from there.  I will wash my husbands car this morning as a consequence.

Bike: 12 miles
Eating: 1400 calories. I Will stick to whole grains and protien with no white products such as sugar and white flour.
Greatest Challenge: Counting calories again after Fat-flushing for a week.  You don't have to count calories on the fat flush. 
Consequence for not meeting my goals: Weed three plant beds

Friends, sorry to be so long winded.  I haven't posted since Thursday and I missed all of you.
Have a great day!

P.S.
Trixi, about the plateau, I think if we have lost 3 lbs. it is not a plateau.  I do think it is harder for us to drop the weight because we don't have as much to lose as some people.  Also, our bodies are craving food and trying to hold onto weight because of our workouts.  If I don't exercise and I reduce calories, I could probably lose more but I will lose muscle.  I also know that if completely eliminated alcohol, sweets, fats etc I would lose more.  I have to keep trying to figure out how I can enjoy the parties and still keep my goals.

I'd be interested in hearing others opinions on this.

Good morning everyone!

  Yesterday went well.  I ran 6 miles and felt pretty good about that.  We went to CrackerBarrel for brunch and I had 3 pancakes.  I skipped the syrup and whipped cream, but did have blackberries on my pancakes. Yummmmm.   For dinner we had a cookout and I had a big salad with salmon.  Then I played tennis for about 45 minutes.  I am just learning how to play so it involved quite a bit of chasing the ball.

  Today it is dreary in PA and looks like rain.  I decided to sleep in and go to a BodyAttack class this afternoon.  If I meet my goals this week, which is right now, not to gain, I will allow myself to go to Victoria Secret.  I don't need any new clothes for work, but I could use some new fancy underwear! 

 I was reading in Prevention that another trick we could try is drinking very cold water.  Supposedly, our bodies have to expend more calories to warm up the water.  Also, we need to make sure we have adequate calcium intake.  I am going to add a supplement because I know I do not get enough calcium.

Tonia, I know exactly what you are talking about with eliminating all the bad things.  I know if I would be really strict with sugars, processed foods, alcohol, and fats, I would lose.  I am just not ready to give up all of those good things entirely....  It is almost like I am trying to find that happy medium and still lose.

Well goals for today are to eat 1300 calories and take a walk and do Body Attack.

Good luck everyone!

Di

Thanks for all the words of wisdom everyone!  I need all the motivation I can get..... 

Had a horribly unhealthy weekend.  Don't even want to think about it.  But I did do a lot of swimming yesterday, so hopefully that helped balance it out at least a little.....

Amyb-  I got married last July and the best advice I can give you is RELAX.  I (like you) started freaking out a few weeks before the wedding.  (I actually had a recurring nightmare where my bridesmaids didn't show up.  Which obviously didn't happen!).  Lots of things happened that I couldn't change (like my husband decided to change the pattern of the kilts he and the groomsmen were wearing AFTER I'd already coordinated the flowers and bm dresses to match the first pattern.....) but everything worked out in the end.

Invitations are ALWAYS cheesy.  That's the nature of them.  Believe me, no one is going to look at them and think anything other than "oh, look!  I'm invited!".  About the dress- if the woman that's hemming it can't do the bustle, find someone who can.  I promise, there is someone out there that can do it!  And there's certainly nothing wrong with taking it to a different person then the one that did the hem.  About the party- if your sister is insisting on having a luncheon, tell her that you'll do it but ONLY if it's 10 people or less, and is seriously a lunch, and no presents.  That will make them happy, but it will take the "party" feel away from the whole thing, and be less stressful for you. 

It sounds dumb, but a good thing to do is to sit back and just take a deep breath (and the massage idea sounds good too!).  You've already finished so much for the wedding, and you don't want to let the issues get in the way of enjoying the planning.   In the end all that matters is that you're there and your fiance is there.  The rest is all extra.

Hope everyone has a great and healthy day!

Tonia- about getting rid of everything bad for you (like sweets and alcohol).  I've tried that before and it absolutely didn't work for me.  Maybe I just don't have enough self control.  But when I stopped eating sweets/chips, I found that I would binge on them like crazy any time I gave in.  But when I just allowed myself a little bit every so often I was able to control how much I ate.  That's what I try to do now.  For example, if I "need" something sweet, I'll take two cookies out of the package, and then put the package away in the cabinet.  That way it's out of sight and will actually take some effort to get to it, and give me more time to think about what I'm doing.  As for alcohol....if you figure out a good one for that let me know!  :) 

Good Morning Everyone!!

Thanks for all the advice/motivation.... it really has helped.  We did a 5 mile run yesterday and then later on in the day did a 17 mile easy bike ride.  I am still at 141, so my stress eating hasn't cost me too much.

sounds like everyone is doing well.  3lbs is 3 lbs... you are right in saying that because we have less to lose, it won't come off as quickly as the folks that have lots to lose.... and because our bodies have adapted to the "3 milers" as I call them (we run 3 miles 5-6 days a week)... that is just maintennance for us!  Sucks having a body that is soooo efficient sometimes...

You are all right about the wedding stuff.......... I was starting to relax.

Hey all!  I had a busy weekend with its ups (exercised vigorously) and downs (ate poorly).

Amyb, I went through all that wedding madness 4 years ago.  I remember how all the little details seemed kind of ridiculous to me - so I hope you get a massage soon!

Di, it sounds like you're active all day.  That's great - and being outdoors is one of the best things about the summertime!

Welcome to mburns and Malissa!  Mburns, hope the visit with your in-laws went well. :-)  For me, the consequence system works - I had two unsavory consequences last week and was good the rest of the week.  Until the weekend, which is the Achilles heel for me and pretty much everyone else on this board.

Tonia and amyb - thanks for giving me perspective on the whole "plateau" thing.  I just can't help feeling frustrated with such slow results, but it's important to remind ourselves that having efficient bodies is a good thing...

So...weekend report. 

Exercise - excellent!  Besides hour-long hikes with the dog, I played tennis Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  And it was vigorous, exhausting tennis for at least an hour each day.  In fact, on Sunday, I was so tired afterwards that I fell asleep in my workout clothes while I waited for my husband to get out of the shower.  I have to say that this is an area I'm really happy with - I've only lost a few pounds, but I'm stronger and have more endurance and cardiovascular health, so huzzah!

Calories - not excellent.  In fact, poor.  The weekend was very social - went out with friends on Thursday and Friday, and drank too many glasses of wine over dinner both times.  Saturday was all right, but on Sunday, we ate lunch with another couple and I ate everything on my plate - crab cake sandwich, about 2 cups of steak fries, and a little bowl of cole slaw.  I even ate some of my husband's lunch and drank 2 beers.  Maybe I was so hungry because this was the first meal after tennis?

Consequence for such poor choices:  walk to the store today for this week's fruits and vegs. 

Goal for Monday:  1300 calories, drink 72 ounces of water, 1 workout + pushups.

Biggest challenge:  snacking after dinner.

Have a great day, everyone!

Tonia, congrats on the 24-mile ride!  And thanks for the tip about keeping a little bit of food with you - your dizziness sounded scary. Sorry you have to wash your husband's car, but I bet he's thrilled.

Hey everyone. I'm knew to this site and this post. I'm looking to lose 10 pounds as well... (maybe even a little more if I'm motivated enough!). The problem is that I've never really worked out before in my life. I'm so used to eating whatever I want and being lazy without gaining weight until the past 2 years!

I've been trying to build up how far I can run the past 2 or 3 weeks... I can usually run anywhere between 2 and 3 miles now depeding on the day. As for the calories, I started eating crazy healthy and realized I was only eating about 900 calories a day. So now I'm trying to make sure its at least 1400 which is actually harder then it seems now that I don't want to let myself eat unhealthy, except for the weekends when I'm around people who don't worry AT ALL about what they eat. Sounds like I'm just like the rest of you with problems eating healthy on the weekend! It would be much easier if the people around us ate healthy all the time too!

tonia- thats awesome that you biked 24 miles! Very uplifting for me. Hopefully one day I might be that in shape!

Hope everyone's Monday is going well.. If thats possible on a monday!

The visit with the in-laws went well, thanks.  However, it's still going.... They're from Scotland so there here for another week (his mother has been here for THREE already, and his father for a week).  They're great, but it will be nice to have the house to ourselves again.  And they eat so badly.  I just talked to my husband and my dinner choices (mother-in-law is cooking) are mac-and-cheese or spagetti with beef meatballs.

Steph- start of slowly with the exercising.  It will get easier with time and you don't want to go too hard in the beginning and end up hurting yourself.  When I started running I only did 1/4 mile at a time and slowly built it up.  Now I'm at 4 miles and it feels great!  It's also good to run shorter distances and throw in some hills and sprints.  Mix things up!

Have a good night everyone!

Did my biking goal but not my eating goals.  Guess I'll have to weed three plant beds. I went to a bridal shower and couldn't resist the food.  If I would have eaten and planned better before the shower, I think it would have made it eaisier to stick to what was on the fruit and vegetable trays.

Dievans & Mburns,   Like you, I want to find that happy medium and still lose.  I'm beginning to think that I should toe-the-line weekdays and loosen up on the weekends but just make sure I don't go crazy and bing eat.  I just feel so out-of-balance sometimes with the empty foods and I am working on the dicipline that only allows one cookie.  I am getting better about it.  Chips used to be my weakness but now I'd rather not deal with the bloat they cause. I 've had to get my body cleaned up to even recognize the bloat.  The alcohol?  I'm trying to limit it to weekends until I get below the 140 mark, then I will allow myself the one glass in the evening.  I do love my one glass of wine.  I think realizing how important our liver is for fat metabolism has helped me to back off the alcohol.   Dievens,  what is a body attack class?

Amy, it sounds like you are yourself again.   You Go Girl!  Congrats on maintaining and not going up on the scale.  It's nice when we have a new "set point". 
 
Speaking of "set points"-- I'd like to know if this happens to everyone:  My weight will fluctuate by about 3 lbs.  I can get on the scale one day and weigh 145 and two days later weigh 142  then swing back up to 145.  I can go for two weeks like this and all of a sudden I will drop down to 141.   At this point, I may only swing up to 144 and never see 145 again.  I may have a good day before weigh in and drop down to the 141 but be back up to the 143 or 144 mark the next day.  Since I don't see the 145 again, it tells me I've reached a new "Set-point".  I would say the set-point is the middle of the swing.  If I am swinging between 141 and 144 then the set-point is 142.5.  When 142.5 becomes the
 new high point, then I know that I've actually loss fat/weight.
When we first started the forum, my set-point was 145.   Now, my high-weight is 143 and my low can be 140.5 so my new set-point is  about 142.  Therefore, even if I weigh-in on the high of 143, I know I actually have a lower set-point.  Does this happen to anyone???

I know it helps me to not be discouraged on weigh-in day if I am up on the scale if I know I actually have a lower set-point.  I guess a lot of people don't like to weigh daily but if I only weighed once per week and happened to see the high end of the set-point every week, I would get really discouraged.

Trixi, I laughed when I heard your tennis sleeping story.  I love tennis but haven't played lately.  I do know you've come a long way since we started the forum.  I think I remember you being worn out playing just 30 minutes of tennis.  Btw, if I die, I want to come back as your dog.  The hikes sound so fun.  My dog would think he died and went to heaven if I took him for an hour hike.  I want to get one of those pull -behind- the-bike strollers to take him with me on the bike.

Tomorrows goal:  Not to be so long-winded in my post!

Today's goal:   Weed three flower beds.  Clean house (cleaning my house is a five-hour job if its done right). 
Eating: 1400 calories; and actually counting them.  I haven't been good at this in awhile.
Greatest challenge: Staying focused on my work
Consequence for not meeting goals: Weed three back-yard beds (this has been my husband's job since we hired someone to mow our yard; it used to be my job as my husband sat on the riding mower)  With the consequences, it will free my husband up to workout with me instead of wash his car or weed the beds)
Reward if I weigh-in lower tomorrow:  Buy something new to sleep in (I liked Di's plan)

P.S.  Has anyone heard from MCPchants?  Hope she is alright....

 Mcp, where are you?  I miss you.

Tonia, thanks for noticing the tennis improvement.  I played for an hour this morning and feel rejuvenated instead of winded/wiped out.  What kind of dog do you have?  Mine's a lab mix, and when we're in the woods I let her go off leash, which she just loves.  She's such a softie - like Ferdinand the bull, she tries to make friends with all the tiny woodland creatures she meets, but they of course think she's trying to eat them.

So...you're weeding three flower beds today...has your husband caught on to the fact that all your consequences directly benefit him? ;-)

Welcome steph!  I'm really glad you're eating more than 900 calories a day.  If you only eat fruits and vegs, it's hard to make over 1000, but remember that dried fruits and nuts are easy high-calorie, nutritious snacks.

Mburns, I couldn't believe your dinner options last night.  I mean, it's really nice that your MIL wanted to make dinner, but wow.  Hopefully there was a salad or something light on the side.

Di, GOOD FOR YOU for eating your pancakes without syrup or whipped cream.  That is a tough going-out situation and it looks like you made good choices for yourself.  I also started refrigerating my water bottles in lieu of your Prevention tip.  Do you like that magazine?  I love Cooking Light but I'm thinking about getting another magazine subscription.

Amyb, I know you're super busy with the final wedding touches, so just remember that we're all right here for you.

Goals for Tuesday:  1400 calories, 2 workouts, pushups.

Consequence for not meeting goals:  clean the oven and the microwave oven.

Biggest challenge:  I also need to stay focused on work today.