I’ve lost three pounds since August. This is frustrating. :mad:
I have cut back on the cokes, I now drink ice tea. (12 oz. coke, 140 calories. Ice tea with 2 tablespoons of sugar has about 65.) Classes has started, so my eating habits have gone down hill. Candy at work, vending machines on campus, stress. All this makes junk food look sooooo good.
How hard is it to give up sugar? Is honey ok or are all sweetened things off limits?
From my own experience, it was incredibly easy. I did it by accident. I had read the book I posted above about Super Foods. According to the author, Steven Pratt, there are a lot of foods that are good for you, but there are some foods which are really good for you (oats, pumpkin, soy, broccoli, oranges, tea, salmon, turkey, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, yogurt, walnuts, beans - and their related foods). I concentrated on eating foods that are nutritionally powerful and avoiding foods that are not nutritionally powerful.
It is just weird to describe what it feels like when the cravings are gone. I like tea with just a squeeze of lemon. I don’t want candy from a vending machine (but I always have healthy snacks with me, even if it’s just a fruit leather in my purse or a few dried mango slices or trailmix). I like honey, now that I’m maintaining and allow myself more calories a day, I eat it occasionally. It has a lot of antioxidant benefits. This morning, I added half a teaspoon to my fresh blackberry, meusli, plain non-fat yogurt breakfast.
I think what made quitting sugar easier for me, was the fact for the first time I didn’t use a diet as an opportunity to eat fake foods and fake sugars. In the past, I used to binge on Snackwell’s just like I would binge on Nutter Butters. A taste of something sweet (even sweetened with fake sugar) was enough to make me eat out of control. Eliminating sugar (and fake sugar) stopped all that. I consider it a happy by-product of my switch to eating nutritionally powerful whole foods. If you’ve ever eaten out of control and felt the guilt and shame and self loathing, the feeling of having no will power, you can maybe imagine what it feels like to have those urges completely disappear. The only possible word is miraculous.
Like I said earlier, it was like sugar numbed my tongue. Without sugar, other things taste so sweet. A baked sweet potato is decadently sweet. A ripe mango tastes incredible. I would rather have a package of fresh raspberries than an apple danish.
Once I read the entire book that I linked (lank? lonk?) to and then started practicing, I have not had difficulty giving up chocolate and cookies. As I have said in several posts, I no longer even crave it. I did eye up the pecan bites the other day, but in the end didn’t really want them. I just don’t want sweet things any more.
I have had a couple of slices of cheese cake at parties (it is a dish that I am expected to bring to a party because the farmer’s market down the road sells a good one.) It was good but no longer ecstacy-inducing good. It was more like: mmmm, that was good, but I don’t need any more right now.
I do confess that I usually have a hard candy in my mouth. But there are days like today where I no longer even remember to do that.
I think you might have posted this in an earlier thread, and I think about that line almost every day–“focus on nutritionally powerful foods”–along with the concept that someone else posted about fulfilling your nutritional needs first. I, also, find that if my nutritional needs are satisfied, I don’t find myself craving for much of anything. I’m in the Pacific Northwest and salmon and blueberries are practically staples for me. I eat lots of broccoli and pumpkin. I’m eating a serving of Total cereal every morning after working out, and taking a prenatal vitamin with lunch.
I’m paying a lot of attention to eating whole foods and as few ingredients as possible. I’ve “rediscovered” some of my favorite foods! It’s been almost unbelievably easy so far, and I thank you for posting.
I think that WW in the US and WW in Aus are working on different plans at the moment, at least from what I’ve seen.
Over here, you’ve got the points system. Every food is assigned a certain amount of ‘points’ based on the total kj (calorie) content, and the saturated fat. The basic formula (for AU) is kj/300 + sat fat/4 = points. So for example, something that had 653 kj and 1.4g of saturated fat would equal 2.53 points, which’d be rounded to the nearest half-point (2.5 points). At the weight I am now, just under 140kg, I get 26 points/day to eat. That number goes down as you lose weight, and you can “flex” your points which is if you eat less one day you can save a certain number of points for later in the week, or if you know you’ve got something big coming up (a party/special occasion) you can do excercise and bank points for that time. As long as you pretty much eat as close to your total points as you can for the week, you lose weight. And you can eat anything, as long as you stay within your points.
The other option we’ve got over here is called “No Count”. It’s more restrictive than the points plan. There’s basically a list of foods that WW classify as “No Count”, that is they’re described as high density, low energy foods or something along those lines. Basically it’s pretty much all Low GI foods, very filling but low on sugars and carbs so you also stay full for longer. It’s less about counting or weighing, and more about gauging your hunger, eating until you’re full and then leaving it go. You also get a small bank of points that you can spend on “treats” or “counted” foods each week, with the option to do exercise and bank more points for special occasions. From what I’ve seen of it, it ties in more with what Glory was describing as the “whole foods” approach - it’s all about whole grains, fresh fruit and veg, lean meat and less sugar/high carb foods.
I’m still weighing up (pun unintended) whether I’m going to continue following either of the WW plans, or whether I’m going to look elsewhere. I think I need guidelines. On my own it’s too easy to sneak in that packet of chips, and pretend it never happened. I feel the need to be accountable to someone or something, I think.
Just wanted to say that I eat a ton of carbs, usually 40% of my diet from carbs over 200 grams a day. Beans, vegetables, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, brown rice, corn, sweet potatoes - all foods I eat a LOT of. I just don’t eat foods that aren’t nutritionally powerful, which cuts out a lot of “empty” carbs - white flour, overly processed breads, sugar, white pasta, packaged baked goods, crackers, white potatoes (potatoes are okay, I just prefer sweet potatoes now).
OK, I can still report my lack of chocolate and beer, but I won’t dwell on it.
As I have mentioned, I have been shooting for a lifetime change and not instant gratification, so I have not been weighing in since - oh, I think feb or march. I figure that if I weren’t losing, it might discourage me and I might give up. If I am losing, I don’t think it would motivate me more.
But I do have some ways that I check. I have a post-op stomach wrap that I must wear and will have to for some time yet. I usually judge my stomach size from it. When I started wearing it, it was at least 4 inches from where it is now. If we allow for some stretch in the material, I figure I have lost 3 inches. I carry most of my weight in my belly, so when I lose, I lose most there too.
Yesterday however, I could not get it to wrap as far as usual. It seemed as if I had gained a whole inch. No matter how many times I tried it, it would not wrap. 
Who gains an inch in a day? I confess I was a little bummed last night.
Today, I’m seem to have lost that inch and maybe even just a little more. So I’m happy again. I guess it was water weight? I dunno. Anyway, come December I’ll weigh in and we’ll get an official tally. For now, I’ll just keep on keeping on.
How about you guys? Seems like we’ve slowed down a little. Does that mean we are failing or does it mean that we are doing so well we don’t need the feedback?
I was in Vegas for four days, not this past week but the week before. I gained four pounds. It’s gone. I’m right back where I was beforehand, and haven’t been exercising. I’m off to join the Y today so perhaps the whole family will get healthier.
I met my goal today. I got under 200 pounds. To be precise I now weigh 199.5 pounds. This is more than just getting below 200 however. I started this diet about 6 months ago at 239.5 and I decided part way through it I wanted to lose 40 pounds by my 40th Birthday. Today I am 40 years old.
I am pretty happy about this {in case you couldn’t tell}.
I still have another 30 pounds to go, but I have given myself until the end of next year to achieve this goal.
I have been eating very well, exercising and I have more energy.
Thanks to everyone that have been part of this series of threads. You have all been a lot of help.
Thank you,
Jim
WhatExit, that’s wonderrful news! Oh, and happy birthday!!
So wonderful that it deserved two r’s in the word “wonderful”! 
Woohoo! **WhatExit **congratulations! That is great news.
I too have split my goal up to cover more than one year. I want to lose 30lbs this year and somewhere between 20 and 30 next year.
Congratulations What Exit? you’ve done well.
Me, I keep setting goals like that for myself and then not reaching them.
Glory My husband and I really pride ourselves on only eating whole foods. Fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, fresh fish and lean cuts of meat. Nothing packaged or processed. My whole problem is quantity. I can really eat a lot and frequently eat more than I need. I haven’t quite tackled the hunger/satiety thing yet.
That and I drink too much.
I haven’t appreciably lost since I joined the SDMB weight loss club. I’m still hanging at around 178. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more.
I’ve decided that I really need to not drink every day and so that is my latest lifestyle change. Not drinking every day. We’ll see how far I get with that.
I find myself wondering how to make the mental shift between trying to be a smaller size so I look better and just trying to be healthy. It seems like my entire life revolves around my size. I’m going to try and wrap my head around that one.
Thank you on the Congrats, I barely made this one.
I think the cutting down on drinking is probably a good idea.
I made the mental shift you described. I could not get motivated just to lose weight to reduce my size, but I came up with a physical where my Cholesterol was very high. I would have had to go on medication, probably for the rest of life or get serious about changing my diet and increasing my exercise. Both my parents had heart attacks in their 50’s. I did not want to join them. The only thing I had going for me was a lack of smoking.
I took the attitude, I did not want to be unhealthy and have long stays in the hospital if I could help it. I also have a strong stubborn streak about becoming medicated for life if I can avoid it. I handled kidney stones via much better hydration, I decided I could handle High Cholesterol and therefore weight via diet and exercise.
Find something in your mental makeup to motivate you to lose the weight through diet and exercise. Remember also the exercise and eating habits is far more important than the diet itself. Diets are temporary, exercise is real.
**Khadaji ** & norinew, thank you.
Jim
Checking in. Thank you for the invite, Khadaji.
I recently described my regimen in this thread. 6 weeks in, and going strong. I don’t use a scale but I’m guessing I’m less 15-20 lbs.
This comment really resonated with me:
On the rare occasions I crave sweetness, a little fruit juice fills the bill.
Best thing about autumn: squash, baked in apple cider.
Oh, and big props, What Exit?
Okay, guys, I give up, I’m joining the club. I’ve gained 40 pounds in the last year and gone from a size 2 to a 10 in some pants and I’ve just had enough. (I mean, a few pounds was good, but 40?) I need to get off my butt and get to the gym or something. I’ve ordered the Weight Watchers home kit (no meetings. Hell, no meetings. Shouldn’t set goals you know you won’t follow through with, like going to meetings) and my goal is to lose a size before I go on a cruise next month so I can fit into at least some of my old pants. If I make it I’m going to reward myself with a new dress for the formal nights.
The good news, I guess, is that I had to give in and go up a bra size too.
Congratulations and Happy Birthday, Jim! What an accomplishment for you! I’ll dance for you when I get around to meeting you.
Zsofia, good for you! HELL NO meetings was more my response. After a month, I wanted to kill all of the whiny people. I’ve done it on my own, you certainly can too! If you have a live journal, we’ve got a community for sdmb ww people.
I do the WW Core plan. Not sure how it’s different from No Count, but I just wanted to note that everything listed in Glory’s post above is Core except the tortillas (and you get 35 points a week to use on non-Core foods, so they’re not totally eliminated - most wheat tortillas are like 1 point). The ww pasta, brown rice, and potatoes are limited to once a day, but otherwise most whole grains are Core, as are plain hot cereals and some cold cereals. It’s a pretty common misconception that it’s a low carb plan, but it’s not at all. Like Glory’s plan, it just restricts empty carbs.
Preach on, brother… And congratulations!