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.

OHIO- I am soooo happy for you...great job! You must be thrilled.

Well I figured I was doing poorly and didn't eat very well yesterday. I am in a funk, what can I say? But I woke up this morning and the scale was actually down. Weird. I don't get it.

Well that inspired me not to give up, so I am going to try to remain focused. I can't exercise today because the kids are home and I didn't get up as early as I would have liked. I was up late studying. That's what happens when I am in school. I ate carbs to stay alert while studying too. BAD!

I didn't go over my 1800 calories that I need for maintenaince. So that is good at least. 

Well I am going to try to keep at about 1500 or 1600 today. Hope you all have a nice weekend! 

well, i'm a little closer to that first 10lbs. 148.3 this morning, so almost two pounds in a week. i'm going to add in (finally!) the strength training this week and try really hard to keep to 1400 (most days last week, i was closer to 1500 or 1600, but i figure this takes a while).

walked the dog this morning for an hour, but other than that it's my cardio day off. i'm going to try a denise austin video for strength training though.

 

be strong everyone! i have a 30th birthday party to attend this evening, for which i have just made a fruit crumble. must not give in.

 cc: it's interesting to me that you eat carbs to stay awake... i'm a student too, and if i eat carbs i fall straight asleep.

good luck with the holiday weekend! 

Hi everyone,

I've enjoyed getting caught up on your posts this evening since I haven't been here since Thursday.  I've had some good workouts but haven't done great in the eating/calorie counting department.  I think Cc1170 and I are in the same boat.

Saturday night was when I really acted-out with food & drink.  I went into the What-the-heck mode of thinking.  I woke up Sunday and did some real soul searching.  The question I had to ask myself was... Why would I want treat myself so horribly?  I felt like crud when I woke-up. Anyway, tomorrow is a new day. . . 

The Plan for Tuesday: Full body weight workout; bike 12 miles; 1600 calories.  Eat like I care about myself.

Question:  Have any of you looked at your weight and compared days of the current week to days of the last week? For example: This Monday to last Monday etc.  I have found it interesting lately to look at that.  I have a pattern going that I am up on Mondays but down by Wednesday.  I don't feel so bad on Monday if I compare it to last Monday and the number is coming down.  Or, if I compare this Wednesday to last Wednesday and the number has come down.  Let me know if this has been happening to any of you.

Have a great evening!!

Hello everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in so long.  I feel like I am out of the loop now.

Ohio: Congratulations!  I am  so happy for you. I know you said you gained it back, but I bet it will come off in the next 3 days.

cc1170: What degree are you working towards and where do you attend?  It is so tough when you know your brain and body could really use the extra calories, but you don't want to go over.  Take it one day at a time.

Welcome prospectpark, I don't think we have spoken before.  Sounds like you are definitely doing the right things.  What degree are you working towards?

tonia; I agree with you, we must treat ourselves well.  That means eating healthy and exercising regularly.  I think if in the big picture, we are doing well, then the small side trips to "what the heck" land are not as damaging.  I see a pattern with my behavior on the days of the week.  I start out very strong on Mondays and then get a little more relaxed with my eating by Thursday.

Hi tandosnip; posting does really help.  How far do you run in one hour? Sometimes an hour just seems so long.........

Well, I am doing well overall.  I have been able to fit in at least one hour of cardio in 6 days a week and strenghth training 3 days a week and stretching 20 minutes every day.  I know a lot of people don't think stretching is a good use of time, but I think as we get older, it definitely is.  My eating has been overall very healthy, although last Wednesday I was up 2.4 pounds.  This means I am only down 2.6 pounds.  I am trying to drink more water and focus on the goal of being healthy first and the 10 pounds second.

Good luck everyone!

Di

Di-I am working on a Liberal Arts Associate degree right now at a local college here. Mercyhurst College. Don't know if anyone has heard of it or not. I plan to go for my Bachelor's, probably in business administration. I am 36 but still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Ha!Ha! Thanks for asking.

Ohio-don't beat yourself up, just go right back to the way you were before the trip and you will have those 2 lbs off in a couple days.

Tonia- I have a cycle of spikes as well, I definately yo-yo and seem to splurge on calories at the same time every week or month. I want to stop doing that since it is the only thing holding me back from being at my ideal weight.

Well I am trying to remain focused while extremely busy with family and school. I have been pretty stressed. My older daughter has had more issues than usual and it has been stressful. I am trying to get studying done whenever I can.

I probably shouldn't even be posting this right now, but I need to do it for ME! I don't want to succumb to the pressure.

I have been squeezing short amounts of exercise in the last couple days, nothing like I have done in the past so that is scary. I am trying to keep within calorie limits. We shall see.

My weight is ok though. I weighed 130.6 this morning so the scale is in the right place. Let's see if I can keep it there and get it going down...

You ladies take care! 

Is anyone on the 2000 calorie diet?  I am about 5' 4" and 155 lbs.  I had lost 25 lbs for my wedding and have been trying to lose between 10-15 more lbs for about a year.  When I joined Calorie count, it gave me a 2000 calorie diet to follow.  I just went out and stocked up on some healthy snacks and at 3:30 pm I am at 1000 calories. I don't know how I'm going to make it to 2. 

 The 2000 calorie count was given to me bc I have an active exercise regimen.   Any one else in the same boat?

I fell into the "want to lose those last 10lbs" trap for awhile.  I felt tired and cranky trying to will my body with exercise and nutrition into losing them.  I had to re-evaluate my situation.  I'm 42 years old, 5'8" tall, a healthy & toned 150lbs and a size 6-8 (depending on the manufacturer).  I started at a size 10/11 by the way, about a year and a half ago.

Did I want to spend the rest of my life chasing those last 10lbs off, or let it go, accept myself as I am (with a healthy BMI by the way of 22.5) and stay active, happy and fit, while maintaining realistic and healthy eating habits?

After much soul searching, I decided that it was unrealistic to force those last 10lbs off.  I'd have to workout 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, watch every calorie that I took in, and basically make myself misreable (not to mention my husband and my friends!) AND obssess over it.  Frankly, life is too short for that.

So I ask each of you on this thread: Is it more important to stay healthy and active and enjoy each day to its fullest and move on with your life, or is it more important to chase those last 10lbs and not leave room for anything else? Can you look at yourself honestly and say "hey, I look GOOD the way I am, and I'm taking good care of myself for the long haul.  To hell with the media pressure to be 'hollywood perfect'." When you can do that with true conviction, you'll find a great burden has been lifted. I know I did and I'm a much happier person for it.

Good luck!

My motivation is moreso to get rid of fat around my ab/midsection.  I have a lot of muscle, but fat in the middle and that's the most unhealthy place.  I want to get to a place where I am eating right..I have a problem with overeating and that is definitely sabotaging my progress.  Before I have kids, I want to know that I am in my best health and with good habits.  I'm a size 10 right now and there is a reason why for a year now I haven't gone lower.  Something I'm doing is not right and I want to learn better habits and be happy.

Thanks for the great posts.  It really encourages me to hear how everyone is doing. 

Cc1170:  I believe you will come back stronger when you get back into your regular exercise schedule.  I agree with you that the if I could break the splurge trend I would make more progress.  I applaude you for taking some time for you.

Hmorris0506: Have you done a RMR (Resting metabolism Rate) + Calories Burned Through Exercise?  Sometimes I do need 2000 calories but that would be on a day when I cycle and run.  I am 5'4 and weigh 140- 143.  I am training for Triathlon and usually need about 1600 calories. 

Dievans: Your pattern is just like mine.  I rock on Monday thru Wednesday and around Thrusday I start relaxing.  By Saturday I'm hardly keeping track of anything.  I think when I break this cycle, something dramatic is going to happen.  Any suggestions???

Tandoship: Thanks for the biking info.  Tuscany will be a rush.  Last November my husband and I went to Italy and took a trip up to Tuscany. There were cyclers coming down the mountians and it looked as if one bad move would send them to meet their maker.  We did take a cycle-sight-seeing tour of Florence.  The hardest part of it was dodging the cars that are 3 inches away from you as the ride the norrow streets. 

Okay everyone, the holidays will be upon us soon and you know what that can mean to our progress.  If we don't get busy and shed the remaining part of our 10lbs then we will, at best, be maintaining through the holidays and have to face the giant after the holidays.

What can we encourage each other to do between now and November 15th that will create some weight-loss momentum? 

One suggestion is that we confess and throw out our biggest excuse for not reaching our goals.  Then, decide what thinking we want to replace it with. 

My number one excuse is that I am too busy and social to count calories on the weekends; or, it is too hard to keep track and count on the weekend.

My thinking replacement: I am worth the extra time and effort it takes to calculate and keep track of what I am eating on the weekends.  I am worth the extra planning it will take to eat right on the weekend.  I am worth the sense of well-being I will recieve by doing the right thing on the weekends. 

Today: Biked 11.86 miles.   Did upper and lower strength training.  Will stretch as per Dievans encouragement.

Plan for Wednesday: Am swim with masters team for 1 hr.; PM run 3 miles.

Have a great evening!!

Ohio45: That 2.7 will come off easily as you get back to your regular pattern of eating.  You are so right about the fact that all of us here are probably so much better then we ever have been even when we "blow it" or have the "what the heck" days.  I'm  certain we all can celebrate where we've come from.  My days of filling plates with tortilla chips, grated cheddar and jalepenos are over.  My two- bowl- ice- cream -nights are a thing of the past.

  Frogkissin: So glad that you are so happy at the place that you are.  Your are right about loving ourselves right where we are and not needing the scale to drop 10 lbs to be happy.  A BMI of 22.5 would be ideal for me.  Yes, I do except myself where I am,  but is there anything wrong with me trying to obtain the  same healthy BMI that you have obtained?  I am not tired or cranky as you have mentioned, I love my training for Triathlon and know that 10 lbs. would help my overall performance.  If you got to know all of us a little better, I think you would realize we are more like you than you realize.

Tonia-

I did a RMR test online and according to my stats, my RMR ranges between 1418 and 1478.  Does that mean I need to eat at least 1400 calories a day?  If I did a workout that burns 200 calories, for example, would I have to eat 1600 cals that day? 

Tonia: my comment was general and aimed more at those who I assume are already at their ideal BMI's, but yet want to purge those last 10lbs seemingly for the wrong reasons.  I apply that comment solely to my own perceptions and people can each take from it what they need: or not.  Frankly I never read your post's specifically, so in the future, remember not all comments are directed at you or any one person unless otherwise noted :)

Good luck with your triathlon training, I applaud the dedication needed!

Wednesday Weigh-In: 141.8 , up +1.6 from last weigh-in.  Clothes are fitting well.  It was a very active weekend so I am not too concerned although moving in the other direction would have been better.

Got my morning swim accomplished. I only swam 1000 meters instead of 2500.  The coach wasn't there so my workout friend and I started talking and you can't swim and talk at the same time.

Thursday plan: bike 10 mile; upper and lower body workout; 1600 calories

hmorris0506: The RMR is the amount of calories your body burns if you never get off of the couch (Resting Metabolic Rate).  Your BMR is what you do in your normal daily activites if you don't workout. YOU NEVER WANT TO GO BELOW YOUR RMR because your organs, brain etc needs those calories to live.  So for you, don't go below 1478.   If you were given 2000 based on your exercise and activity then you will want to subtract 500 calories a day from 2000 for every pound per week that you want to lose.  If you want to lose a pound per week then you would eat 1500 calories per day.  If you want to lose more than a pound per week, you would have to increase your activity instead of going below 1500 calories. 

How did you lose the 25 lbs before?  That was a great accomplishment.

Frogkissin: Your point is well taken on trying to lose 10 lbs. for the wrong reason. 

Hope everyone is having a great day! 

Just checking in-

Tonia- thanks for your encouragement. I need it! I just got done with map test of Asia. I aced it! I am in between classes right now.

I got my exercise in early this morning. I had a dr appt after that, studied for a while, then came to class. I have an hour break than I have another 2 hr class. Then I get to go home and get my 6 yr old showered and ready for bed. I have class in the morning tomorrow after I get same 6yr old off to school. She has piano after school tomorrow. Then I have an open house at my 10 yr old's school. Busy days and nights.

I need the exercise just to keep my cool, otherwise the pressure gets to me. I will try to get it done in the early am tomorrow. I hate exercising that early, I am not really ready to go at the time of the day (6am-ish).

Well I need to go study for a little bit. I am not very hungry today, good thing. I snacked on cheez-its last night while studying for today's test. I shouldn't have. I ate way too many! Oh well. I will keep trying...

Frogkissin-you actually made me feel a bit better about accepting myself where I am. I really need to do that and just let myself off the hook a little bit. I am really too hard on myself over this weight thing. I think the pressure sometimes makes me fall off the wagon sometimes.

Ohio- It sounds like you are doing great! Great job!