Weight Loss Support Thread [edited title]

[MsRobyn]

Originally Posted by sandra_nz

I had a really weird moment yesterday when I had some crisps for the first time since before starting Weight Watchers in September last year. I measured out 45 grams and was happy to have that, but after eating the crisps, I felt really amazingly grumpy and just wanted food food food. I ended up scrambling a couple of eggs and eating those, then I felt much better.

That's why I gave up the sugar and bacon. Both of those turned out to be trigger foods for me, and if I ate a little, I wanted to eat a lot more. If I have them in the house, I will eat them and that's not good. So I got rid of them from the house and I don't eat them when I go out. Basically, if I eat them, I want them, but if I don't eat them, I don't want them.

Last night, Airman and I went to his chief's house. It was a cookout, and there wasn't much I thought I could eat. I started off with some cheese, but I left the dips alone. For dinner, I had two hotdogs on rolls, some really good pasta salad, and some very good beans that also had some hamburger mixed in. I don't feel great about what I ate last night, but I don't feel bad about it either. I got up early this morning and went on an almost 2-hour bike ride to work it off. Oh, and I left the dessert table alone. I looked to see what was offered, but nothing jumped out at me that made me want to eat it. That's why I don't feel bad about what I ate last night. I made the best choices possible, and while I probably didn't need that second hot dog, I didn't go nuts on anything else, and I sure as heck didn't go face-first into the brownies. And I made it a point to drink lots of liquids and walk or stand as much as possible.

The bonus was that several of Airman's coworkers did not recognize me. That was a rush.

[ZipperJJ]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

That's why I gave up the sugar and bacon. Both of those turned out to be trigger foods for me, and if I ate a little, I wanted to eat a lot more. If I have them in the house, I will eat them and that's not good.

You need to be more lazy. Bacon goes un-eaten forever around here because I hate cooking it.

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

The bonus was that several of Airman's coworkers did not recognize me. That was a rush.

That's fucking awesome

[Cinnamon Imp]

I've been avoiding this thread because last time I weighed myself, I'd gained back the 6lbs I'd slowly lost since January

However, in the week or two since, I've noticed I've really stopped comfort eating as much, plus I've only been drinking socially when out, rather than the few glasses of wine most nights at home that were starting to add up, and I had two really good training runs last week.

I don't have a set of scales in the house, but I think when I do weigh myself it's going to be good news. Even if it isn't, I've had two people tell me this weekend how good I'm looking, so I'm shaping up even if it's not dropping off yet

[sandra_nz]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

That's why I gave up the sugar and bacon. Both of those turned out to be trigger foods for me, and if I ate a little, I wanted to eat a lot more. If I have them in the house, I will eat them and that's not good. So I got rid of them from the house and I don't eat them when I go out. Basically, if I eat them, I want them, but if I don't eat them, I don't want them.

Thankfully bacon doesn't have that effect on me! But I won't be eating crisps again, that's for sure.

110.3kg on the scales this morning, putting me right on track to be 110.0kg by Sunday when me and my hubby fly to Paris and meet up with my parents. Wahoo!

[perfectparanoia]

My goal is 1 pound a week and I have been eating/exercising to lose two (in case of metabolims slowdowns or binges). Last week I lost three pounds!

I started back on my weight program (to gain some lean mass and to help out my joint problems) but the real key was that I helped my friend move. Hours of moving boxes up and down stairs and cleaning are great exercise!

It really helped with my biggest problem which is that I have no problems moving around to accomplish something but hate exercise for exercise's sake.

Tonight I am going to do my weight program (with a smidge of cardio to warm up) and then hop in the pool with the kids.

[ZipperJJ]

Originally Posted by perfectparanoia

My goal is 1 pound a week and I have been eating/exercising to lose two (in case of metabolims slowdowns or binges). Last week I lost three pounds!

Jealous

[Gleena]

Added some HIIT to my gym routine last week.

And promptly came down with a nasty bug, which is keeping me out of the gym this week, which is boo and sad because I just did a reevaluation and upped all my weights.

Still losing very little, but enough and I'm ok with it. Almost there!

Ms Robyn, it's fantastic when people don't recognise you, isn't it? I swear it never gets old.

[MsRobyn]

Not being recognized never gets old. Ever.

The family and I are spending time in Philadelphia for the Fourth of July. (My parents were already here for other reasons; they just decided to extend their stay for a few days so we could come visit, and the Fourth is just metaphorical red-white-and-blue frosting on a chocolate cupcake.) We didn't drive and my parents didn't rent a car, so we're walking everywhere, and there is lots of walking around and activity and such for the museums that we've visited. I've been able to keep up, although I took a much-needed nap yesterday afternoon and still slept through the night. Thanks to the holiday, there will probably be a lot more walking today. But I'm up for the challenge.

Food-wise, I've been doing well. Still no sugar, but the bacon came over to visit yesterday at breakfast. I'm OK with that, though, because I had two strips and what with all the activity yesterday, and I knew I'd burn it off with no problems. (Believe me, I did. I'd love to find an apparatus where I have to lift myself off the floor with the help of pulleys. You'd be able to add and remove pulleys to decrease or increase effort needed. It's great for the upper body.)

I also went for Chinese last night because I didn't have the points for whitefish salad and the half-pound of pastrami the night before gave me indigestion . So I had steamed scallops, steamed asparagus with carrots and water chestnuts, sauce on the side, and brown rice. Extremely filling and satisfying, and no indigestion. And I had a point left over.) Overall, though, the biggest challenge is to eat enough to deal with the activity while not going over and still making good choices and not using the activity as an excuse to pig out. I want to step on the scale next week and show a loss.

[perfectparanoia]

Originally Posted by ZipperJJ

Jealous

I dunno, schlepping boxes for two days kinda sucked.

If you are really jealous, I have to take apart my paving stones and re-lay them this weekend. I am sure that's good exercise, too. (I promise beer and food.)

Aside: down another pound. WTF?

[Drain Bead]

After having my power out for six days and living with my in-laws, I am proud to say that I a) have not gained a pound, and b) only had one day where I drank any alcohol at all.

Power's back on now--among such key things as sleeping in my own bed and cooking in my kitchen, I am ridiculously thrilled about being able to go to the gym tonight.

[Moonlitherial]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

(Believe me, I did. I'd love to find an apparatus where I have to lift myself off the floor with the help of pulleys. You'd be able to add and remove pulleys to decrease or increase effort needed. It's great for the upper body.)

Site is blocked at work so I can't link for you but TRX suspension training sounds like what you're looking for.

Home kits are a couple hundred dollars.

[anu-la1979]

My life has been so busy running my startup and the tech incubator that I haven't checked in here in a long time.

I've stabilized at a sort of size 4 skirt, size 6 pant size. That said, I am kind of lazily back to trying to lose weight, because I'm getting married early next year and stuff. I just signed up for a CrossFit Groupon.

[perfectparanoia]

Whew! What a weekend!

Saturday I went to a backyard party where there was a ton of food and I had a small amount of pulled pork and some salad greens.

I could have had more but I was saving calories for the eight light beers I drank. (Worth every bit, I tell you.)

Sunday was rushing around so I ate protein bars for breakfast and lunch. By the time dinner rolled around, I was starving! Big mistake. Had a couple of slices of pizza (and stopped at two! Go team!) which fixed the problem.

It's so much easier when I am at work and in my routine.

Anyway, down 2.5 pounds this week (I do my official weekly weigh in on Monday) so I just gotta keep it up.

Drain Bead, I would not have made it six days with my in-laws. Especially when I am trying to lose weight. I usually just bring my own food supply when I am there. They get offended. Meh. I don't plan on seeing them until Thanksgiving so it should be fine.

[MsRobyn]

So I weighed in today and I lost 1.2 lbs. It's a loss, and it's a good loss, but I was kinda hoping for more since I didn't weigh last week. But it was stupid hot last week and that made it difficult to exercise as much as I would have liked.

But here's the deal. There is an end in sight. I'm now a shade over ten pounds from my final stick-a-fork-in-it-I'm-done BMI-of-25 goal. (10.8 lbs, to be exact.) I can't believe that I'm almost there.

[Alice The Goon]

I have never posted in one of these threads before.


Lately I have really gotten into cooking a lot (too much!) and have been gaining way too much weight. It's been fun, but it needs to stop now. I've decided to, for the most part, stop making yummy, high-calorie meals. From now on, I will be making dinners that consist mostly (~3/4 of the plate) of vegetables, with a small piece of grilled or broiled meat or fish. Very little carbs, and those in the form of whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, couscous, or quinoa. No white bread or potatoes. Breakfasts will consist of Greek yogurt with berries and whole wheat toast, or low-fat cereal with fruit, or once in a while eggs with whole wheat toast. Lunch- mostly turkey and other low-fat meat sandwiches on whole wheat, with lots of vegetables in/with them. Snacks- almonds, yogurt, fruits and vegetables.

I do think that I need one day a week when I can eat something like a piece of pizza, a hamburger, etc., so that I don't feel too deprived to stick with the healthy.


I'm also going to stop drinking soda and the like and start drinking green tea. I hate tea. I'm thinking that if I add a lot of lemon, it might be okay.


My goal is to lose 30 pounds by New Year's. This sounds doable, right?

[MsRobyn]

30 lbs in five months is doable, but it may be a stretch. Appropriate weight loss is 1/2 lb. to 2 lbs. per week. Some weeks, you will lose. Some weeks, you will gain. That's how it works.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to watch your portion sizes. This means weighing and measuring. Some things, like non-starchy vegetables, don't have to be measured with precision because there aren't enough calories to matter. But other things, like meats, starches, fruit, and dairy, do need to be measured. You'd be surprised to find out just what constitutes an appropriate serving size, and it's not nearly as large as you may think. What helps me with this is to keep the scale on the counter and in front of me. I also make it a point to get produce in small sizes, and particularly fruits and starches. This way, I can't go crazy on it.

After that, I'd just say to keep only healthy snacks in the house and in your general vicinity. If you don't have it, you can't eat it. Find snacks that make you happy, and that you can live with.

And, of course, get active. You don't have to train for a marathon or a triathlon or anything like that. Just walking is helpful. I find that if I walk to places where I can, and ride my bike where I can, I get my exercise in with no problems.

[VunderBob]

Mark me as someone who *LIKED* the heat wave. I lost my appetite on the 4th, and it didn't come back until Monday the 9th, when the heat broke. Lost 2.5 lbs because of it...

[Alice The Goon]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

30 lbs in five months is doable, but it may be a stretch. Appropriate weight loss is 1/2 lb. to 2 lbs. per week. Some weeks, you will lose. Some weeks, you will gain. That's how it works.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to watch your portion sizes. This means weighing and measuring. Some things, like non-starchy vegetables, don't have to be measured with precision because there aren't enough calories to matter. But other things, like meats, starches, fruit, and dairy, do need to be measured. You'd be surprised to find out just what constitutes an appropriate serving size, and it's not nearly as large as you may think. What helps me with this is to keep the scale on the counter and in front of me. I also make it a point to get produce in small sizes, and particularly fruits and starches. This way, I can't go crazy on it.

After that, I'd just say to keep only healthy snacks in the house and in your general vicinity. If you don't have it, you can't eat it. Find snacks that make you happy, and that you can live with.

And, of course, get active. You don't have to train for a marathon or a triathlon or anything like that. Just walking is helpful. I find that if I walk to places where I can, and ride my bike where I can, I get my exercise in with no problems.

All good advice. I know that when I was younger, I could drop 5-10 pounds like that just by using portion control. I hope it still holds true. Living out in the country now, I can't really walk to places, and it's dangerous to walk in the road with no sidewalks, but I'm trying to figure out other ways I can exercise. Thanks, MsRobyn- you are an inspiration with what you've done yourself!

[FloatyGimpy]

I've joined Overeaters Anonymous. I am 2 1/2 weeks into it and I'm down 10 lbs. I'm not weighing or measuring a thing. I have one rule only: nothing goes into my mouth unless I am legitimately hungry. If I am legitimately hungry, then an apple will suffice, if I'm only hungry for chips or cookies, then I'm not really hungry.

I am just overlooking the religious aspect of it. It's been incredibly hard but I'm just taking it one day at a time.

[Elemenopy]

I have had a vicious stomach bug for four days. I have eaten two meals in this time, if you can call them that, and a hot toddy or two. I will leave other details to your imagination, but your imagination is not nearly detailed or disgusting enough. I have gained 6 pounds.

That is all.

[MsRobyn]

Originally Posted by FloatyGimpy

I've joined Overeaters Anonymous. I am 2 1/2 weeks into it and I'm down 10 lbs. I'm not weighing or measuring a thing. I have one rule only: nothing goes into my mouth unless I am legitimately hungry. If I am legitimately hungry, then an apple will suffice, if I'm only hungry for chips or cookies, then I'm not really hungry.

I am just overlooking the religious aspect of it. It's been incredibly hard but I'm just taking it one day at a time.

I have a lot of issues with OA. I tried them a while ago, then went back to a few meetings to support a friend and have sat in on some online meetings since. Suffice it to say that, if it works for you, that's great, but it doesn't do it for me.

[perfectparanoia]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

I have a lot of issues with OA. I tried them a while ago, then went back to a few meetings to support a friend and have sat in on some online meetings since. Suffice it to say that, if it works for you, that's great, but it doesn't do it for me.

I would personally like there to be something between Weight Watchers and OA.

I could really use weekly meetings of similarly-minded people who are trying to lose weight as a support group but without the diet plan of WW (not that it's not a good program, it is, I just already have a program that's working) and without the religiousity of OA.

I think it would be really helpful.

[MsRobyn]

Weight Watchers has evolved from a formal diet (so many servings of this, so many of that, can't have this, can't have that) to something that is so extremely flexible that no food is off limits and that all of the choices are mine to make, and that's what I love about it. The meetings themselves are about making behavioral changes to achieve long-term weight loss, and the motivation to stick with it; they're not about food. Personal reflection is encouraged, but the goal is to troubleshoot to find out what works and what doesn't for me. If I gained weight last week, I know that I need to go back for that week and find out what I did and how I can improve. Emotionally, I just have to accept that I was the one who overate, and that I'm overcoming 40 years of lousy behavior. It doesn't take a genius or a Fourth Step to figure that out.

Part of the reason I dislike OA is because to me, it's less about taking the action to make positive changes that are sustainable in the long term, and more about making up hard-and-fast rules that define "abstinence". "I won't eat wheat, sugar, and alcohol." "I won't eat before 6 a.m. or after 8 p.m." "I'll exercise at for at least an hour every day." If any of these rules are broken, the person is no longer "abstinent". Instead of accepting that setbacks occur, losing "abstinence" is a failure that must be punished, not an opportunity for growth.

That said, I can accept that some people need structure. I'm one of those people, which is why I track and use the points system to guide my choices. At the same time, I refuse to assign labels to myself and make arbitrary rules that define what is success and what is failure.

[PacifistPorcupine]

So I joined WW a couple of weeks ago and so far i like it. I don't attend meetings but I have been tracking points/activities. I lost 7lbs the first week which was a combination of "wow new toy, let's see how many points I can avoid using and not die" and the time of day I originally weighed myself. Second week it's looking like it's going to be closer to 1 or 2 lbs. I'm going to have to step up my activity quite a but if I'm going to keep losing weight long term.

[FloatyGimpy]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

Part of the reason I dislike OA is because to me, it's less about taking the action to make positive changes that are sustainable in the long term, and more about making up hard-and-fast rules that define "abstinence". "I won't eat wheat, sugar, and alcohol." "I won't eat before 6 a.m. or after 8 p.m." "I'll exercise at for at least an hour every day." If any of these rules are broken, the person is no longer "abstinent". Instead of accepting that setbacks occur, losing "abstinence" is a failure that must be punished, not an opportunity for growth.

I totally agree with this and refuse to get sucked into any of that. It all seems like such a colossal waste of time and gets the focus off of the actual problem of overeating.

I firmly believe that eating when you're hungry and not eating/stopping when you are not hungry is the best way to go.

[Sleel]

Originally Posted by MsRobyn

(Believe me, I did. I'd love to find an apparatus where I have to lift myself off the floor with the help of pulleys. You'd be able to add and remove pulleys to decrease or increase effort needed. It's great for the upper body.)

You can get some of those heavy-duty weightlifting bands and loop it over a pull up bar to do assisted pull ups. You can get a 3 or 4 pack of bands for $70–100 (depending on the size of the bands included in the pack) or a single, if you know how much resistance you need, for about $20–30. Iron Woody is a good brand. Rogue Fitness sells their own brand of those too. Unless you're really big, or really really weak, you probably don't need the bigger bands, so you'd be okay with the cheaper pack.

You can also do body rows on a low playground bar, if you don't want to buy anything. Fitness rings (like gymnastics rings, but not rated for the kind of strain real gymnasts put on apparatus) are also a good versatile purchase, if you want to buy some gear. Rings are also under $80 most places. Rogue Fitness sells metal or wood ones. I recently ordered a set of wood rings from Samson Rings. You can do all kinds of exercises with rings, from ring push ups to muscle ups, or get really ambitious and try static holds like front or back levers and iron crosses. Good for both beginners and advanced athletes.

[gallows fodder]

I weighed myself this morning, and I've lost 9 pounds since June 6. Not too bad for a month with a birthday/4th of July/multiple trips to restaurants, but I still feel like if I weren't expected to eat 6 servings of grains/starches a day, I'd be losing weight faster.

On the other hand, man oh man, is it good to have a sandwich again. I've missed good bread so much. I usually have only half a sandwich (or make it open-faced) with one piece of bread at a meal -- like today, I'm having a piece of marathon bread (it's got cranberries, pumpkin seeds, other...types of seeds or something...in a multi-grain dough) with a slice of havarti cheese, deli ham, and pea sprouts for breakfast.

No food is really off-limits for me; I just have to budget it into my serving quota. A 2" square brownie equals two starches and one fat, for example. I'm still not eating brownies, but it's really mentally freeing to know that I could have one without "cheating".


I mentioned the flaxseed thing on the last page, but let me just leave this here:

4 oz. plain Greek yogurt
1-2 TB sugar-free fruit preserves (I use Wegman's sugar-free plum, raspberry, and strawberry spread)
Artificial sweetener of your choice (I use 1 packet of Splenda and 1 packet of Truvia)
1/3 cup blueberries
1 TB ground flaxseed meal

I swear it tastes like blueberry pie, and the flaxseed makes it feel filling. It's 135 calories if you use 0% fat yogurt.

[Drain Bead]

I went to my doctor on May 8th after I injured my knee and it was getting worse instead of better.

I went to my doctor again yesterday. Since May 8th, I've lost 14 pounds. I went on vacation from May 9th to the 14th--I know I gained at least 2-3 pounds while on vacation. So really I've lost that weight since the middle of May!

Go me!

[MsRobyn]

Originally Posted by PacifistPorcupine

So I joined WW a couple of weeks ago and so far i like it. I don't attend meetings but I have been tracking points/activities. I lost 7lbs the first week which was a combination of "wow new toy, let's see how many points I can avoid using and not die" and the time of day I originally weighed myself. Second week it's looking like it's going to be closer to 1 or 2 lbs. I'm going to have to step up my activity quite a but if I'm going to keep losing weight long term.

Congratulations on joining Weight Watchers! I do have a nickel's worth of free advice, though. (Well, a dime's worth. Inflation, y'know.)

First, not eating all your points is bad juju. You don't have to eat all of them if you're not hungry at the end of the day, and if you've met your good health guidelines for fruits and vegetables, liquid, and so forth. However, you still need protein, carbohydrates, and fat in order to be healthy. This is what I've eaten so far today, and what I plan to eat for dinner:

Breakfast:

• 1/2 cup Egg Beaters
• 2 oz. deli ham
• 1/4 cup fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion
• 1 low-cal English muffin
• 1 small banana

Total points: 6

Lunch:

• 1 slice of potato bread
• 2 slices of fat-free American cheese
• 1-1/2 oz. ham
• 1 small banana (the ones I get tend to be very small)
• 1 6 ounce container of Chobani fat-free fruit-on-the-bottom peach Greek yogurt (1 or 2 more points, but totally worth it. Most fat-free and sugar-free yogurt is one step above pudding IMO.)

Total points: 7

Dinner:

• 1 haddock filet
• 1 serving of broccoli
• 1 cup of vinegar cole slaw
• 1/2 cup sugar free ice cream

Total points: 7

Total points for the day: 20. As you can see, I've got some carbs at every meal, at least one serving of protein at every meal, and I watch my fat.

However, I know I'm having a late dinner, because I always have a late dinner on Friday nights. So I'm going to have another low-calorie English muffin with a serving of low-fat peanut butter as a snack. Total points: 3. I'm still shy 3 points, which is a lot better than being shy 6 points.

In terms of exercise, if you haven't been doing it, start easy because you really don't want to injure yourself, and you don't want to burn out. Find something you like to do and make it easy to do. For example, I ride a bike first thing in the morning, after the sprog goes to camp for the day. I ride for transportation and for exercise, so it's easy to do. And I love it, so I do it. Some people hook up and walk with friends. Some people do Zumba or whatever classes. Just find something you like to do so it's something you want to do, and take it easy until you get used to it.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket here. I've been in Weight Watchers for over a year and a half, and I've seen a lot of people come in with very high expectations of themselves and WW, and they've left soon thereafter because they can't keep living up to those expectations. Successful weight loss isn't about the number on the scale, and it's especially not about how fast that number goes down. It's about learning to make better choices so we don't have to lose the weight again. All I'm saying is, keep your expectations reasonable, and treat every setback as a learning experience, because that's what it is.

MsRobyn, Weight Watchers member since January, 2011.
Starting weight: 263.2 lbs. Current weight (as of Tuesday morning): 170.8 lbs. Overall weight loss: 92.4 lbs. Pounds to goal (as of Tuesday morning): 10.8.

[MsRobyn]

I forgot to mention that we have some people who post to this thread who are WW members. If you have any questions, just ask.

[PacifistPorcupine]

Thanks! And thank you for your advice. Me and my wife are both doing WW so we'll try to keep each other motivated and on track. She had done it before but it was harder for her because I do most of the cooking during the week and while it was a bit healthier food, it wasn't by much. She's told me already about not leaving too many points uneaten, that's something I'll have to work on. The thing is, I have sooo many points. I currently have 51 daily points . Breakfast (I recently switched to a larger breakfast to avoid mid-morning munchies) is 11 points, similar for lunch. That leaves me 29 points for dinner. Last night I cooked a recipe from WW (Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli or somesuch) that made 4 serving for 7 points each. I ate 3 of them and still had points left over.

[MsRobyn]

Yeah, I know it's hard. I started with 39 points and had a hard time with that. I'm now down to 26. Some days are easy, others, not so much. Today is easy because it's Friday and I tend to eat the same thing every Friday night because I go out with friends and I'd rather spend the time talking to them instead of agonizing over the menu.

[drewtwo99]

I don't have too much weight to lose (I'm at the cusp of being overweight, still barely at normal/average), but I do want to lose a little of the flab and rebuild my heart health.

I'm doing little ninja sessions on the elliptical throughout the day... burning about 100 calories at a time, every hour or so.

Congratulations to everyone here who has done such a fantastic job so far! I'm really hoping to get a nicer slimmed/toned body by halloween for some sort of a naughty costume, I guess

Cutting out all the refined carbs and sweets is going to be the hardest part for me... but I'm gonna try my best to slowly limit them until they are gone. I've done low-carb diets in the past for months at a time and it really seems to help me lose the flab when I need to.

[ZipperJJ]

I don't know about you guys but I'm a sucker for those stupid inspirational workout/eat healthy pictures you see all over Facebook and Pinterest. Stuff like "You've come too far to take orders from a cookie" and "Do not reward yourself with food, you are not a dog."

It's cheesy but stuff like that totally helps me keep going with workouts and avoid the wrong foods.

That being said, I'm off all week. Two trips, one last weekend and this weekend. Not exercising or eating right. I think it's a fine time - haven't lost any weight in a month after losing 50 lbs.

I'll be rearin' to go on Monday, tho!

[John DiFool]

Welp, after a 1,000 calorie/35 minute stint on the bike this morning, I finally(!) hit a 24.9 BMI, with 183.5 lbs. @ 6' 00", and it's also -60 in 3 years (-40 since April 2011).

[PacifistPorcupine]

I lost another 3 lbs this week, which brings the total so far to 10. So far so good!

[perfectparanoia]

Originally Posted by PacifistPorcupine

Thanks! And thank you for your advice. Me and my wife are both doing WW so we'll try to keep each other motivated and on track. She had done it before but it was harder for her because I do most of the cooking during the week and while it was a bit healthier food, it wasn't by much. She's told me already about not leaving too many points uneaten, that's something I'll have to work on. The thing is, I have sooo many points. I currently have 51 daily points . Breakfast (I recently switched to a larger breakfast to avoid mid-morning munchies) is 11 points, similar for lunch. That leaves me 29 points for dinner. Last night I cooked a recipe from WW (Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli or somesuch) that made 4 serving for 7 points each. I ate 3 of them and still had points left over.

51 points! Holy cow! I don't even think I could come up with a day's worth of food that was that many. I think you may have to resort to drinking melted butter.

I am at 11lbs down sine June 18th. It's a little too fast but I think there was a water weight thing going on. We'll see how the next couple of weeks go.

My office mate said I looked like I was 'melting.' Doesn't sound like much of a compliment but it's keeping me motivated.

As an added bonus, the better food and exercise have already reduced some of my joint problems, helped with my anxiety and helped my digestive system. Weight loss is starting to become a secondary goal to how awesome I feel.

[wonderlust]

I respect the combined knowledge of SDMB members, and I'm hoping you can help me choose a weight loss program. There seem to be so many options now, that it's hard to make an informed decision from hype and advertising. What has worked well for you over the long-haul?

I've dieted my whole life, I know tons (heh) about losing weight, so I need truly knowledgeable program consultants who I will respect, not airheads trained a week ago. I'm not a big eater, don't eat junkfood, eat lots of fiber and salads, complex carbs, and probably not enough fat, don't drink, and rarely eat at restaurants. But I do under-exercise.

- I need to lose 50 pounds for some pretty powerful health reasons, not just for attractiveness
- I do best when a program provides the meals. The boredom removes my appetite, in a good way, so that food is just sustenance and a routine
- I am always the slowest loser, and am really good about compliance
- If I have to look through recipe books and eat fake or real sweets as part of the diet, it only stimulates my appetite and makes me overly focus on food
- I've done HMR (for 7 months, but the shakes make me very sick with IBS)
- I've done Weight Watchers numerous times within the last 40 years, but the focus is too much on recipes and food preparation
- I need personal encouragement and exercise motivation
- Maintenance program, once weight is lost

A search on weight loss programs turned up options such as Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Chef's Diet, and ediets, but I don't know what kind of reputations they (or others) have or what kind of success rate for loss and maintenance.

Thank you in advance.

[gallows fodder]

South Beach

Or see a dietician

I saw my dietician yesterday and she switched me to a lower-carb/higher-protein diet when I weighed in at only one pound less than I weighed 3 weeks ago by her scale. (Although my body fat had dropped by 1%, so that was good. Also, my clothes fit a lot better -- I'm actually wearing my "skinny jeans" today and they're perfectly comfortable -- so I don't feel bad about the scale.)

Now I'm at 4 servings of starches and 8 oz. of protein a day, and she said she might make further adjustments later on if necessary. No more stuffing myself with food I don't want just to hit my quota! Today I have a whole English muffin for breakfast and split pea soup for lunch. Those are my starches for the day, done.

[wonderlust]

Originally Posted by gallows fodder

South Beach

Or see a dietician

I saw my dietician yesterday and she switched me to a lower-carb/higher-protein diet when I weighed in at only one pound less than I weighed 3 weeks ago by her scale. (Although my body fat had dropped by 1%, so that was good. Also, my clothes fit a lot better -- I'm actually wearing my "skinny jeans" today and they're perfectly comfortable -- so I don't feel bad about the scale.)

Now I'm at 4 servings of starches and 8 oz. of protein a day, and she said she might make further adjustments later on if necessary. No more stuffing myself with food I don't want just to hit my quota! Today I have a whole English muffin for breakfast and split pea soup for lunch. Those are my starches for the day, done.

I love you!!! How can I never have thought of seeing a Registered Dietician before now? I have an appointment now for Monday!

[gallows fodder]

That's great! Keep us updated on how it goes for you. My insurance (Aetna HMO) covers five visits per year with a referral from my primary care physician, so you might be able to go that route too.

Edit: I just realized that at 31.5% bodyfat, I'm technically no longer in the obese range (starts at 32%). Awesome!

[wonderlust]

Originally Posted by gallows fodder

That's great! Keep us updated on how it goes for you. My insurance (Aetna HMO) covers five visits per year with a referral from my primary care physician, so you might be able to go that route too.

Edit: I just realized that at 31.5% bodyfat, I'm technically no longer in the obese range (starts at 32%). Awesome!

Even though it's just numbers, that's an accomplishment that really means a lot!

[ZipperJJ]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!!! 50 lbs lost in the first 6 months then NOT ONE POUND in July!

I did have one weekend and one week off, but during those times I put on a few pounds, and had them off in no time, then sat at 280 forever.

Seriously I cannot believe how fucking hard it is to MAINTAIN 280 lbs! I am working my ass off and for nothing. Hate it.

I want to scream every time I read "I just stopped drinking Coke" or "I just started walking 10 minutes a day" and that lead to weight in weight-loss-themed threads. You'd think that my super fat ass (280 lbs! On a woman!) could just walk to the mailbox every day and I'd be trim by Christmas! But no! Not even 6 hours of exercise a week plus activity-laden weekends does it. ARGH ARGH ARGH!

I know a lot of you have gone through the same thing. And I'm sure you know I'm not looking for advice on what to do - cuz you know I've tried everything! I just want to rant. And maybe die.

Grrr.

Someone say how well they're doing now!

[perfectparanoia]

ZipperJJ, my sympathies.


However, think about those 50 pounds that you don't have anymore! Think about pounds of butter. Go lift something that weighs 50 pounds and think about all that extra weight on your joints! You are a rock star! Even if you never lose another ounce you are a success!

When you ARE looking for advice on what to do, let us know and we can try to help you out there.

(Aside, I am currently working on my first plateau and I also want to shoot someone in the head.

On the bright side, I got my husband to put himself in my shoes. I made him eat only what I eat in a day and do my exercise routine. He gets it now. He can lose weight by just not having an extra donut everyday. Creep.)

[olivesmarch4th]

Well, I'm back.

Last year was a really bad year. Blah blah blah medication, blah blah blah depression, blah blah unemployment. Bottom line, I gained about 15 pounds.

I have a new plan that I feel very good about. Two rules.

1. No Sweets in the House

2. Walk

Duration of plan: 3-6 months
And here's the kicker:

NOTHING ELSE.

Not tracking calories, not worrying about what I eat when I go out, not swearing off some evil food once and forever, not running an hour a day, not going to the gym, not weighing myself every day (or ever) - like I can't tell when I'm gaining weight!

No Sweets in the House means No Sweets in the House. As in, dump out that half can of Dr. Pepper before you go through the front door. No sugar-laden juices. No sugar laden jam. No cereal past 10am. If I get a gift of sweets, I get rid of it (that will be the hardest part.) The ONE exception is holidays, however, EVERYTHING left over must go the next morning!

Walk means Walk. If I'm twiddling my thumbs, walk. If I'm in a huge parking lot, walk. If I can get there on foot, walk. If I get to work early, walk. No gym clothes, no fancy shoes, no running, no cycling, no anything but walk.

This is my plan. I feel amazing about this plan. The reason why: I am totally willing and able to sustain this for the rest of my life. It doesn't require any complex calculations, it doesn't require deprivation (I mean you damn well better believe I'm eating that cheesecake when I'm at a restaurant), it doesn't involve guilt in any way. There is no ''Should I eat this?" It's just these two rules.

Will it be enough to lose weight? I don't know. It doesn't really matter. Because once these are firmly ingrained habits, I can make even more changes, very slowly, one little step at a time. It might take years, I don't care, as long as it's permanent and sustainable.

***
As for how this is going, I'm on day 4 or 5. This month I learned the hard way not to spend too much grocery money at the beginning of the month, because I have had to be really creative with food this week. I've been very hungry the last two days, and not because I'm intentionally restricting calories. Just, I really want us to hit our budget this month.

The sugar cravings are starting to hit today. It doesn't help that I'm really hungry. Yeah, I'd like to go down to the store and buy a six-pack of cola, but I have this rule, see.

[ZipperJJ]

Awesome, olives Plans you can stick to are the best sorts of plans there are!

[perfectparanoia]

Originally Posted by olivesmarch4th

The sugar cravings are starting to hit today. It doesn't help that I'm really hungry. Yeah, I'd like to go down to the store and buy a six-pack of cola, but I have this rule, see.

Drink a litre of water. It will make you feel less hungry.

You should also try to spend only 20% of your food budget a week. That way, if you go a little bit over, you will still have enough to get you through the end of the month.

[Sattua]

Hey all. I finally joined Weight Watchers this morning. My daughter is almost 17 months old... time to stop blaming the baby fat and start taking responsibility.

Is there a Straight Dope group or message board thread or whatever on the WW website?

w00t #1: Bananas are now zero points!
w00t#2: the 30 Day Shred gets me 5 activity points!

[gallows fodder]

I started yoga yesterday -- I found an instructor who comes to your house and does one-on-one sessions with you. It was as awesome as you'd think. She seems like a great teacher, I felt like we're on the same wavelength and clicked, she got me started on a basic routine, and it absolutely felt great and felt like this is something I want to keep doing for the rest of my life.

I weighed myself today and I am now the same weight I was in college -- I've lost 12 pounds since June 6. It's going more slowly than I'd like, but it's working. 10 pounds until I'm under a BMI of 25, and 20 pounds until I reach my goal weight. I can do this.

The weird thing is, I've lost 40 pounds since my highest weight, but I look exactly the same to myself in the mirror. I know I've lost weight by the scale, I tried on an old pair of pants the other day and they fell right off me, I know I must be smaller, but I look the same.

Oh, except I had the sad revelation today when I was looking at myself in my sports bra as I undressed after a workout: I've lost weight from my chest. That's the one area I don't want to lose. Couldn't it be my ass instead? I could still use it as a bookshelf. Come on, now!

[Cinnamon Imp]

Well, at least I know I'm fit, I ran that 5K race I've been training for in about 34/35 mins a fortnight ago, and I've signed up for a 10k to give me the incentive to keep running.

Unfortunately, I seem to be eating & drinking more to compensate for it, and I'm within two pounds of where I was when I joined these threads back in January. (two pounds under, thankfully, I've not gone up *that* much yet!)