Welcome to the Group

Welcome! We would love get to know you, so please tell us a little bit about yourself. You can choose any format you'd like, but most of us here share some or all of the following details:

1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

And now just go ahead and make that first post!

Greetings!

1. History with weight loss:

I have had issues with weight since Jr. High.  I am now 46.

2. History with Calorie Count:

I joined in July 08 after researching calories for various foods.

3. Reason for joining this group:

I've never used forums before, but I want to do things the right way this time.  I want to live a healthy permanent lifestyle, not relying upon quick fixes, and I find this site to be very motivating.  Since I am 5'7 and currently weighing 242 (12 lb loss,) I still have 99 lbs to go.  Since I wear size 16-18, to some, it's hard to believe that I am carrying so much extra weight, but I am, and I plan to rectify that ASAP including watching my cholesterol level.

At a heath fair in my church, I had my cholesterol taken, and it registered 239.  The other numbers were either higher or lower than they were supposed to be.  In December, it was 222 which was not great either.  Now it may have gone up because I had eaten a lot of shrimp for four days prior to the exam, but either way, I want to get it under 200, and I know diet and exercize will remedy that.

I have been choosing to eat healthy food, walking, and watching my total cholesterol intake according to the CC charts.  I will check it again in October to see if it has improved.

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

I am a manager in NY, married 15 years to a supportive husband (who incidentally is a physically-built chef, ) and  we have a beautiful 9 year-old daughter.

I love to do charity work through my church, and as of late, I love to walk.  Today I walked over 12,000 steps at lunchtime!  I am pleased with that, and motivated to do more.

I look forward to going the distance with the help of this site and the encouragement of this group!

Have a fabulous day because you are worth it!

Welcome, Melinda!

Being married to a chef must be a challenge. :-) I hope he makes you good, healthy foods.

Have a fantastic day. Let us know how things are going for you. We are all here to support each other.

Best regards,

---Kayvan

1. History with weight loss:

I did pretty well until I had two children.  I got up to 205 before a combination of things inspired me to do what I knew I needed to do.  I am now down to 180 and still have 45 pounds to lose....  I might settle for 30.

2. History with Calorie Count:

I joined in February 08 after researching calories for various foods.

3. Reason for joining this group:

My cholesterol has been around 300 for a good 20 years.  At first my doctor said that it wasn't too much of a danger to women until menopause.  Well, that time has come.  I have to start taking this seriously.  I have tried improving my diet, but that didn't get me much.  My doctor said I have bad genes and need medication.  I reacted badly to Lipitor so we are now on a search for one that works well and I can tolerate.  I am now on Welchol, but that only brought my cholesterol down to 240.

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

I am married.  Two daughters, two stepdaughters, one stepdaughter lives with us.  1 ancient, decrepit cat.  I go to a woman's boot camp program 2-3 days a week to work out with them and am trying to ride a bicycle a couple of days as well.

I'm in my late fifties. My husband and I have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. I'm pretty much a fulltime grandma. I also look after my 86 year old mom who lives with us. I've always had high cholesterol. But I had high HDL too. Unfortunately, lately the ratio has changed for the worse: My overall number has gone up and my HDL come down. My total cholesterol was 315 in May, 2008. My doctor wanted to put me on medication. However, I asked if I could first work on lowering it for 3 months. I've done four things: started taking time released niacin and fish oil capsules, added 30 grams of ground organic flax meal to my food daily, and lowered my weight by limiting my calories. It's now been a little over 3 months since my cholesterol check and almost 2 months since starting with Calorie Count Plus on July 8th. With CC's help I've lost 10 pounds. I had a blood test last week. I meet with my doctor on Friday for the results. Wish me luck!

Hi barbarriba,

Your story sounds just like mine.  I'm almost 50 and my cholesterol went nuts for the first time this year.  Bad HDL, LDL and that ratio thing.  Doc gave me 6 months to fix it myself or take the drugs.  It's been about 2 months since then and I'm making some progress on the weight.  I've cut back (way back) on the "drive thru" lunches and take the fish oil every day.  I've added some aggressive cardio and some strength training too. 

I'm looking forward to my next checkup in about 4 months.

Keep up the good work!

Hi dougdebug! As I posted elsewhere, I was thrilled with my cholesterol test results yesterday. Dropping from 204 triglycerides to 106 confirms that following our plan on CC really works to improve our health. I can't get over how many times I've read that you have to take medication to really bring your cholesterol down. I'm going to keep working on it with diet and exercise. Good luck to you too!

Hi Everyone my name is Lianne

1. History with weight loss:

I at one time lost about 40 pounds then gained them back.

2. History with Calorie Count:

I joined CC a while back but really didn't do anything with it. I need help to get this weight off so I figured that CC would be a great help.

3. Reason for joining this group:

I wanted to find a group that could help me get my cholesterol down. I will be 50 next year and I don't want to be unhealthy. My total cholesterol is 255 and I need to get it down.

4. Something interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

Well my life isn't very interesting, anyways I don't think so. I live in the country with my husband and 2 pets. Chaco our chocolate lab and Coal our solid black cat. I work for a fire department and am the Fire Chief's assistant. My job can be boring and it can be very busy. Just depends on what is going on. I have been married for almost 29 years and have 2 grown girls. Both girls are married and we have 1 granddaughter, our first grand child. She is 5 months old and is so much fun. My husband and I love to ride on the motorcycle and just enjoy life.

I am hoping by joining this group that I can get good ideas on how to lower my cholesterol. I just talked to my Dr's. office and they want to put me on medication. I guess the dr. isn't interested in trying to let you do it on your own. To be truthful, I am afraid of those medicines. I really want to do it naturally, or as close to it as I can. I am overweight and have started walking everyday on my lunch hour for 30 minutes. I also have hypothyroid, and I thought I heard somewhere once that synthroid medicine can cause your cholesterol to go up. Does anyone know anything about that.

I really hope that by joining here I can get the help that I need. I only want to be around for a long time to see my granddaught grow up and see my new ones that will come along in the future. If you have good ideas for me please help me.

 

Great to have you!! I look forward to talk/working with you!!

 

hey everybody...i had a cholesterol checkup about a year ago and it was at 209...i was recently injured(jan 2005) and didnt do much exercise since then(i used to walk everywhere...now i cant walk).  i just figured it was due to lack of exercise so i started going to therapy(which has helped immensely) and dont eat as much fatty or high-chol foods.  i had it rechecked about a week ago and it dropped all the way to 202!!!  hehe so i figured my diet needed some work.  when i went into the hospital in 2005 i weighed 117 and i was 135 usually since high school.  this 165 is normal for my height, i guess, but i am getting a little belly...i want to get rid of that, but i think that is more an exercise problem.  mainly i started researching good diets(came across veggie stuff) because of my cholesterol...its not really high, but borderline i guess.  o i just bought stuff for the makings of a lentil soup recipe i found here.  i've really started a fiber thing this last year.  hmmm i think that's all :)

lessee...history...weightloss: none - caloriecount: none ....interesting details...none hehe i used to be the mangager at a gas station.  that was the best job i had.  and before that, i had done almost everything.  hotel night clerk, dishwaher, secretary, video store clerk, bartender.  and many more...i didnt stay at any jobs for very long.  when i managed the station, i think i had been with the company for 2 maybe 3 years...and that was the longest i had ever stayed with anyone.  started out as a clerk.

pets: none - interests: hmmm i watch too much tv, sit on the computer(actually i lay in bed with a wireless laptop-isnt technology wonderful?), and listen to audiobooks(cant read as well as i used to...was assaulted which led to brain damage).  listening to 'wheel of time' series by robert jordan now...is good if u like geeky fantasy novels.  ok i'll stop wasting ur time now...need to waste my own.  good deal on everyone managing their *real* chol problems...my situation is more of an irritant. *wave*

1. History with weight loss:

I've never really had a problem with my weight, just a little overweight but I have dealt with it.  The biggest problem right now is that I'm 25 and have high cholesterol.  The doctor said that the bad cholestrol was high but also the good cholesterol is low.

2. Reason for joining this group:

I need help finding stuff I can eat that actually tastes good.

3. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

I have two puppies and live with my boyfriend in the house that I have owned for the last 4 years.  I also have a job that I love.

Hey,

katieann16 - you and I are in the same boat, I think!

I'm 33, and have been cursed with bad genetics.  Oh, I'm sure I could do better eating, but I exercise a lot (3 - 5 times a week, fairly hard), my weight is low - I'm generally healthy.  Eat very little junk food, hardly drink, don't smoke...and yet still - my cholesterol is high, and my last blood pressure check seemed to imply I was approaching hypertension.

Ever since then, I have increased the number of times a week I eat fish from zero, more or less, to three.

But I am freaking out - I read that the recommended daily value for cholesterol is 300 mg.  I thought that with my issues, I should try for 150 mg a day.  so, I look at everything I eat.  Shock and horror!  Pastrami is really bad, and so is sliced chicken breast (as a deli meat).  I tend to snack on those.  I'm off red meat.  No more cheese.  No sweets for so very, very long.  And now this!  So, besides lettuce, what can I eat?!  Especially between meals, since I tend to eat small meals and snack in between.

So, I hope someone on this forum can give me some tips on where to look.

Thanks, and good luck to all the folks on this site!

 

Hello everyone!

well let's see I will start by answering these questions.

1. History with weight loss:

I have never really dealt with weight loss just weight gain. In my early twenties I was a scrawny 140 lbs at 6'1". I start weight lifting and taking supplements and gained 60 lbs. within a year. In good shape then. At 23 I was diagnosed with having gout and workouts and everything went downhill from there. As did my fitness. I started gaining more fat feeling more lazy and less motivated. Diet a genetics were no doubt the cause of my gout but the main trigger was my creatine supplement. Now I weigh 225 lbs on a med-small frame with a Body Fat % of 29%. I am working to get to under 200 of healthy body weight and that is my goal for the year. So this is my first year i have been trying to focus on losing weight and managing my health. I jsut started Power 90 as well for my workout routine. I got sick of the humdrum in gyms.

2. History with Calorie Count:
I just started calorie count and find that even in this short time of using it (this week I just started) it is a great tool.

2. History with Calorie Count:
I would like to learn to manage my cholesterol better without having to take medications. My Triglycerides are through the roof while the other levels are normal. Of course most is from diet but my family has history of high Tri's. Hopefully I can do it without the Trichlor. I just hate taking meds. I don't know all my levels off hand but my tri's were over, dare I say, 300!

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

Well I got engaged last spring, bought a house last spring. Besides my fiance the love of my life is my Boxer Vega. She keeps me busy and active. I love to snowboard but haven't been able to due to a knee injury and then a protruding L5-S1 disc. I know I have issues.  There's  a lot of activities I like to participate in. My bad eating habits came from Culinary school, A lot of rich foods. And that is about tit. I am happy to share with anyone if there are more questions or comments.

Hi,

I am a 66 year old woman who still behaves in some ways like the beatnik/hippie I was in my real youth. "Did", I should say, until I had a heart attack and bypass surgery a year ago. My blood pressure & cholesterol had been low normal until probably about age 60 when heredity reared its head and both those vitals soared.

I'm 5'3" (down from 5'3.75") and have weighed between 107 & 165 though usually between 125 and 150. These fluctuations probably added to my heart stress. I've been very careful about my fat & cholesterol intake since my surgery and pretty good about exercise. I also take cholesterol meds. My stats have improved significantly but not quite enough according to my doc.                                            I just started calorie count. I'm at 127lbs now which --BMI wise--is okay for my height & age but want to be 120 just for the extra safety edge. My diet is pretty close to the "Mediterrean Diet" though I don't drink wine.

 

 

When I was in college, I couldn't put on weight to save my life.  I remember one of the profs looking at me and remarking, "You're positively anorexic!"  That was in the days when I could eat everything on the table and lose weight.

Over the years, things changed.  After sporadic and half-hearted "attempts" at reducing my intake and getting more exercise, last summer I finally decided to do something about it.  That was about the same time my wife and I discovered Calorie Count.

At the time, my weight was just a tad over 180.  It was early August.  I entered all my info on Calorie Count, got the recommended number for daily calories, and set my target for 150, which had been my target in college as well--working from the other side!

Since then, with the aid of Calorie Count, I have kept my daily intake to between 1500 and 1800 calories.  Even during the holidays, I found it was difficult to eat much more than that.  Additionally, I got into the habit of walking to the local supermarkets--there are two of them side-by-side just over a mile away: there's always that small item or two we need between weekly shoppings.  

Last week I had a follow-up doctor's appointment.  He had mocked me last August when I announced my plan, and said he wanted to see me right after the holidays (ha-ha!).  After he looked at my bloodwork and checked my weight, he was beaming!  Without going into the numbers, I'll just say that he read the report to me line by line, saying "excellent" or "perfect" after each number. He called me his "poster child" and said that if I had been under the age of 10 (I'm 65) he would have given me a sticker.  As it was, he took out his prescription pad and wrote out a script for a Gold Star (which we have hanging on the fridge).

My weight?  As of this morning, it is 153.  The process works.

Billions will be saved in health care costs as people get involved and commit to CC and similar programs. I felt just like a kid when my doctor gave me my gold star. Doctors get pretty discouraged trying to get people to improve their diet and exercise routines. There's a lot of talk about turning points right now. I hope this becomes a turning point in allowing people to take charge of their health.

Hello Everyone:

It's so nice to find this group. I've just started with Calorie Count mainly to try and find a way to control my out-of-control cholesterol. 

There's a lot of heart disease in my family so I'm feeling like I have a great big target on my back right now.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone...

Gilly

Hi everyone:

I went from underweight in University about 25 years ago to a BMI of around 30 recently. I'm interested in tracking my caloric intake (joined CC last week) since I'm doing a personal 6 week test to try to lose weight, lower triglycerides and cholesterol.

I'm adopted and have no idea of the heriditary components, so I need to see if I can make the numbers move with diet and exercise, or the alternative is to maybe look at statin drugs.

Not sure what I'm looking for from this group but I'm willing to take a chance and see what I can learn.

M

1. History with weight loss: My weight's been up and down pretty much my entire life.  Recently doing much better due to being on the right diet and getting more exercise.
2. History with Calorie Count: First joined a couple years ago, got busy and slacked off - now back and working seriously on tracking my food intake.
3. Reason for joining this group: Have low HDL...my total cholesterol is great, my LDL is ok, and my triglycerides recently dropped to be in the normal range - probably due to the meds, fish oil, etc. 
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests: I'm an information professional, married for just over 2 years, no pets...interests are reading, football, and movies - but haven't had much time for anything but work and sleep lately.

Hi group,

1.  History with  weight loss:

the older I get the harder it is to lose the weight, but I usually end-up being successful for a period of time and it gradually comes back.  Exercise and diets (structured) becomes boring and routine. 

2.  History with Calorie Count:

a few years ago I thought it would be better than writing everything down, but it ended-up being about the same.  The new site with other links is interesting and I'm looking forward to using it more.

3.  Reasons for joining:

Turning 50 this year and I want to stay active.  I need to fight the genes the best way I can and that would mean making better food choices and exercise. 

4.  Interesting facts?:

My Cholesterol was 150 HDL and LDL both good and Triglyerides (sp) was a little high and my doc said take some fich oil, so I guess it wasn't that high.  Liver enzymes were good.  I take 20mg of Lipitor daily with a baby aspirin and now the fish oil.

HR recriuter in health care.  I live in Mississippi and have 6 kids and 3 dogs and 3 cats.  This last year I joined the hospital Wellness Center and it has been awesome.  I go 3 or 4 times a week and love to hit the treadmill, weights, and the many classes they offer.  Many areas have toned-up, but I'm the same weight.  That is why I need to pinpoint the food in-take.  See what I mean?  Any information you care to share would be beneficial.