weight loss and maintaining...it's really one big continuum

I've been on CC for @ 6 months. It's a really wonderful environment...loaded w/lots of information and misinformation and a really spirited, supportive environment.

I am not a yoyo dieter. I came to CC because I was/am ready to lose my weight. I journalled every day and read others' comments. Sometimes, when I was frustrated w/working on weight loss I'd wander into The Lounge and see what trouble I could stir up there.  :  )

I approached this site like so many others, like the dieting industry has conditioned us to look at weight loss...expecting that the weight should just fall off if I was doing it 'right', and assuming, if it didn't, that there was something wrong with me and my efforts. This is the thinking that leads to MORE dieting advice and tools and gimmicks...all readily available FOR SALE EVERYWHERE we go...and, I suspect, leads to yoyo dieting.  

When I entered my target weight at CC, the information I got was that I should consume @ 1650 calories a day in order to hit my target weight in 6 months. I manipulated that target weight every time I entered CC...at first it was unbelievable to have so much support and then, something about it didn't feel quite right.

One day I was out on the web and ran across a reputable site that offered a formula to calculate (I treat it as being not exact but in the ballpark) my calories if I were already at my ideal weight. Wow! With exercise, that is 2000 calories. Compared to the 1650, that felt like a lot of food. Of course, it wasn't the amount I was used to...the amount that landed me here!

Suddenly (after a lot of struggling to put all this information together) I realized that THAT 2000 calorie diet would be my maintenance diet. AND, if that was the amount I needed in order to maintain myself at my ideal weight, then it seemed apparent that I could also lose weight at 2000 calories. With my activity level, size and target weight, 1650 calories just doesn't fit into the scheme of my life!

So, at 2000 calories, not only will I 1. lose weight (albeit much more slowly!...my target date is now 1 1/2 years away!) on 2000 calories, but 2. I will also already be learning to live in maintenance mode. The way I eat now at 2000 calories will be the way I eat when I am 35 pounds lighter at 2000 calories. And THIS is the key to keeping it off!!! Learning to maintain the loss.

I know it looks like a long way (weigh...pun, get it?) off but the truth is, only 5% of dieters will reach their weight and maintain it. I haven't yet been a yoyo dieter and don't plan on it. That lifestyle doesn't appeal to me. Now that I know that 2000 calories is my healthy limit...that has become my real target and I will work on hitting that  everyday. As far as the rest of it goes, I guess my body will tell me when it's the appropriate weight for my 2000 calorie diet.

So, in essence, although I am not yet at my ideal weight, I am already in Maintenance mode because the way I see it, losing the weight is only half the battle. Learning to control triggers and being able to maintain a healthy diet is the other half. I can't have one w/o the other.

I will be @ on this forum in the future, struggling w/learning to maintain my 2000 calorie diet and learning how to combat old habits.

Take care.  

so, 5 days later, I have been at a 2000 calorie diet for @ 2 weeks, can't tell yet what weight loss is due to pms ups and downs but assume it is happening and that it is slight.

Also, surprised how UNHUNGRY I am. A healthy, satisfying diet is definitely the way to go. I threw in a nopudge brownie yesterday just because I wanted one. I am also beginning to trust my instincts and experience to guide me...rather than having a second brownie cause the first tasted SO good, I make myself some soup or something equally nutritious and dive into that for a while...

I do experience overeating urges @ one day/week and am especially cautious on the weekends. But, because I can eat SO much food (2000 IS a lot of food) I can easily say to myself...nothing wrong w/having that URGE food tomorrow...it will still be here and so will you...every day I put off the urge, the more in control I become 

Yes, 2000 calories gives you a lot of wiggle room. When I first hit maintenance mode and was told I had to eat 2300, I thought it was impossible. Next thing I know 2300 turned to 2500, and 2500 turned to 2800-3000! I don't even try to count or hit an exact target anymore. It's just too much food to keep track of.

so, dm, did you get a handle on the eating or has it gotten out of control?

Original Post by sharonclaire:

so, dm, did you get a handle on the eating or has it gotten out of control?

Yeah I pretty much know if I'm undereating or overeating. My meals are constructed pretty similarly, and it's more or less a given I have to eat double portions of everything. I don't bother counting calories anymore because it drives me insane.

I have almost zero urge to binge, probably because I'm eating so much to begin with. 

did you have much to lose to begin w/? Was losing difficult for you?

Hey, David, I just read your profile and you lost your weight pretty young and sounds like you were successful in keeping it off. Great that you are going on to building muscle and grad school...sounds like the beginning of very fulfilling life!

My son is 15 and when he was 12 he was slightly overweight...very strong always but we went through a crisis and he became inactive. the kids called him santa claus and he finally made the decision to trim back hi sice cream. He still gets in his treats but he's a capable athlete/student/person who has become very good looking and hope to be able to contribute great things to this world.

I am sure the being told he was over weight thing affected him pretty deeply...long term.

Thanks.

I became overweight at 13, and became obese at 14. I wasn't taunted about it excessively, but the few times I was taunted, it definitely hurt, especially since most of the criticism came from my family. 

I think the whole experience of losing what amounted to 30% of my body weight will have more of a long term effect on me than the taunting. 

That's great that you took the positive from the situation! I hope he will learn to do that, too.

Glad you stopped to chat, David. You sound like you have your ducks in a row...not just diet but head screwed on straight and goal oriented. I wish you well. If ever you get insights on what it is @ your diet that works for you...types of foods/eating regularity, etc, I am all ears!  

I am crossing traditional lines by camping out here at maintenance, but, the truth is, with my diet being already a maintenance diet, I consider this to be my Half-Home. :  )

Well for meals I eat a lot of veggies (spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, etc), I also eat carbs like brown rice, sweet potato, oats, lentils, etc. and then I eat meat most of the time.

Basically I eat double portions of all those things. If you were to cut back to single portions of meat and carbs, and eat two, 200 calorie snacks, you'd probably be looking at about 1,500-1,800 calories a day by the time it was added up.

That's a neat idea, and I salute you for your patience. I don't know if I could have stood to wait so long as I started out with 100 lb to lose, but I hope it works out well for you.

Original Post by dm84:

Thanks.

I became overweight at 13, and became obese at 14. I wasn't taunted about it excessively, but the few times I was taunted, it definitely hurt, especially since most of the criticism came from my family.

I think the whole experience of losing what amounted to 30% of my body weight will have more of a long term effect on me than the taunting.

To tell the truth, you really don't look bad ad all in your "fat" photo.  A little on the stocky side, but your face looks nice with a little meat on it - look kind of like a defensive lineman type! 

Original Post by udokier:

Original Post by dm84:

Thanks.

I became overweight at 13, and became obese at 14. I wasn't taunted about it excessively, but the few times I was taunted, it definitely hurt, especially since most of the criticism came from my family.

I think the whole experience of losing what amounted to 30% of my body weight will have more of a long term effect on me than the taunting.

To tell the truth, you really don't look bad ad all in your "fat" photo.  A little on the stocky side, but your face looks nice with a little meat on it - look kind of like a defensive lineman type! 

 Yeah I got that a lot...The problem was I barely fit into XL shirts, and my waist ballooned to a 42. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs and I was incredibly weak. Given the extensive family history of diabetes, I had to lose weight.

I'm stronger now at 165 than I was at 235. 

udokier, I just read YOUR profile. How could you get chunky eating Japanese food? Were you hanging out at Japan's only McDOnald's? lol

I really am just kidding but am really curious @ your life there...how much do the Japanese talk @ American politics? Do they do so openly w/you?

And, do you eat a Japanese diet? Are there any outside/western influences on what they eat?

I always hope people come back to visit sites in order to continue w/conversations. will wait to see whether this happens...  :  )

Original Post by sharonclaire:

udokier, I just read YOUR profile. How could you get chunky eating Japanese food? Were you hanging out at Japan's only McDOnald's? lol

I really am just kidding but am really curious @ your life there...how much do the Japanese talk @ American politics? Do they do so openly w/you?

And, do you eat a Japanese diet? Are there any outside/western influences on what they eat?

I always hope people come back to visit sites in order to continue w/conversations. will wait to see whether this happens... : )

 ...Japan's only McDonald's?

McDonald's is everywhere sharonclaire.
It has almost as many franchises in some other countries as in America, in proportion to country size.

its possible to get fat on any diet :) eating habits matter just as much as the food itself.

 

ANYWAY, gl on your weightloss journey! let us know how it goes. 

Original Post by sharonclaire:

udokier, I just read YOUR profile. How could you get chunky eating Japanese food? Were you hanging out at Japan's only McDOnald's? lol

I really am just kidding but am really curious @ your life there...how much do the Japanese talk @ American politics? Do they do so openly w/you?

And, do you eat a Japanese diet? Are there any outside/western influences on what they eat?

I always hope people come back to visit sites in order to continue w/conversations. will wait to see whether this happens... : )

I was living in San Francisco at the time my weight peaked.  I ate kinda big meals, and I would have a 6 pack of beer, a big plate of nachos and a dessert every Friday and Saturday night.  I didn't weigh myself for years, and in the mirror I thought I looked okay.  My wife showed me this video of myself and I was shocked at it, so I weighed myself and found I was 275 lbs (I had been 235 or so the last time I'd weighed).  I was going through a midlife crisis and depression and self-medicating with too much food and beer.

I don't eat all that much Japanese food considering - maybe 3 nights a week.  But even that, I feel the need to adjust it because a typical Japanese meal has way too much rice and way too few vegetables, also sodium is a problem.

But the meals weren't my biggest problem - it was the snacks, comfort foods and beer.

 

Most Japanese I know are not terribly political, but I can tell you that Bush is pretty much universally disliked here.  But the sad thing is, nobody here is aware of how idiotic he sounds when he talks - no matter how idiotic his gaffes are, they always put subtitles or dub him so that he sounds coherent!  But despite all that, they dislike his policies and are not happy that Japanese troops have been send to Iraq and Afghanistan to support our occupations there.  They have lost several troops and want them brought home.

 

I feel the same way bout our troops. 

Original Post by shadowmystika:

Original Post by sharonclaire:

udokier, I just read YOUR profile. How could you get chunky eating Japanese food? Were you hanging out at Japan's only McDOnald's? lol

I really am just kidding but am really curious @ your life there...how much do the Japanese talk @ American politics? Do they do so openly w/you?

And, do you eat a Japanese diet? Are there any outside/western influences on what they eat?

I always hope people come back to visit sites in order to continue w/conversations. will wait to see whether this happens... : )

...Japan's only McDonald's?

McDonald's is everywhere sharonclaire.
It has almost as many franchises in some other countries as in America, in proportion to country size.

its possible to get fat on any diet :) eating habits matter just as much as the food itself.

 

ANYWAY, gl on your weightloss journey! let us know how it goes.

Aint that the truth - there's one about 1/2 mile down the road from me, and about 5 within bicycle distance.  We go there occasionally because it's cheap, but I prefer Wendy's, which is downtown and not as convenient...

Wendy's, too...sorry, people, my overseas information is dated!

And, thanks, shadow for putting me straight on the real reason folks gain weight. lol

I'm reading your description of Japanese diet and surprised...too much rice/too few veggies...are they not as available all year as they are here?

really enjoying my journey, thanks for asking! this is a real get to know me and all my pitfalls time. it's sort of fun.

Maybe it's better that the Japanese only get a watered down version of our president's speeches. the sad part is that Bush is pretty much universally disliked over here, too. I think many of us are clenching the edge of our seats waiting to see what this last year will hold...and look at the way the current campaign is going...there is no clear front-runner...so once he's out who is going to be able to effectively handle all these problems! Hard to believe that under Clinton things were so euphoric.

Original Post by sharonclaire:

I'm reading your description of Japanese diet and surprised...too much rice/too few veggies...are they not as available all year as they are here?

Well, I was referring to restaurant meals and the bentos they sell in convenience stores. The supermarkets have plenty of veggies at reasonable prices (actually rice costs a lot more here than in the US) it's just that people here have a habit of eating a lot of rice because they just like it.

Overall, the SJD is better than the SAD, but there are some imbalances - too much white rice, many dishes with too much sodium, they love meat with a lot of fat on it (ick) and eat a lot more pork than in the US - but again there is a lot of individual variation, where one person may eat a lot of veggies and fish, another may eat more ginger pork & rice. Regardless, the typical diet here is not really like what they serve in Japanese restaurants in the states - no knife acrobatics at restaurants, I almost never see anyone eat teriyaki chicken, and sushi is an occasional treat, not a daily staple.

 

Typical J breakfast:

Rice

2 oz. Fish

Miso soup

 

Typical J lunch bento

Huge serving of rice

1/2 cup veggies

4 pieces of boneless fried chicken a bit bigger than chicken nuggets

 

 

Or a serving of udon noodle soup with maybe a raw egg or a bit of meat on top

 

Typical dinner

1/2 cup kabocha (japanese pumpkin)

1/2 cup steamed spinach

big bowl o' rice

2 oz. fish or seasoned meat

 

When I eat Japanese, I eat a lot of those same things, but I double the amounts of the meats and triple the amount of veggies and half the amount of rice.

No knife tricks? boy, we are all Hollywood, aren't we?

I have to admit, I'd be the one eating a huge serving of rice. 2 oz servings of animal protein, huh? is that expensive? sushi not daily and raw EGG/fatty meat...you are telling me things that are kind of blowing my mind. Is this middle income?

you can't be the only westerner around these days, right? are you comfortably accepted?

Original Post by sharonclaire:

No knife tricks? boy, we are all Hollywood, aren't we?

I have to admit, I'd be the one eating a huge serving of rice. 2 oz servings of animal protein, huh? is that expensive? sushi not daily and raw EGG/fatty meat...you are telling me things that are kind of blowing my mind. Is this middle income?

you can't be the only westerner around these days, right? are you comfortably accepted?

The food I'm describing runs the gamut from working class to upper middle class - there is still much less class division than in the US, IMO.  But a lot of young (dumb) or poor people subsist on those cups of salt and chemicals known as "cup ramen" they start at like 50 cents each, and the "top ramen" style ones are even cheaper.

There are a decent number of non-Japanese around, the topic of how well we are accepted is a complicated one, but suffice to say, I don't blend in, but I first came here 13 years ago so I really don't care so much anymore. 90% of people here look at foreigners as something quite novel and tend to be extremely fawning, but then quickly lose interest.  But then there is the 10% of the people who can look beyond the superficial and talk to you as a person - those people are all right.  My father in law is pretty cool.  I have made some nice Canadian friends here, and I enjoy hanging around with them or my family the most.