That’s fantastic news! My big milestone, after moving from morbidly obese to merely obese, was when the first number changed from a 2 to a 1.
I’m still on WW, but I wound up taking a bit of a break over the holidays. But when Airman asked me if I was officially off my diet. I’ve been unable to go back to my regular meeting because of my work schedule, so I found another and got back on track. I’ve not only lost the weight I gained over the holidays, I’ve lost a little more. My final goal is to get down to my absolute by-Og goal weight by at least Passover. I’ve got five weeks to lose (maybe) six or seven pounds. If I keep this up (and it’s really not that hard), I’ll be good to go.
And the company I work for has a fitness center that was cheap to join and is pretty well-equipped. So I go to work early and hit the treadmill for an hour or so. The exercise is definitely helping. But I’ve also got a knee problem that’s steadily gotten worse as my activity level has increased. I now get to talk about an MRI and orthopedic consult with my primary care doc, because this shit hurts.
So good on everyone for your progress! Keep it up!
Over 12 years I lost 85 pounds, half of it since fall of 2010. I am 6 feet tall and since last summer I have been oscillating between 195 and 200 (a BMI around 27). My wife and my doctor are freaking; if I am losing so much weight I must be sick. And my doctor (and my physician DIL) think I have lost my appetite (my wife knows better). So last summer I stopped losing just to show I could. I did go up to 203 a month ago after an operation for detached retina that led to considerable inflammation. With no change in diet, I went up five pounds in one week and lost again in one more. I had no idea that inflammation could have that much effect.
How did I do it? Well we mostly eat modest meals (but I make no attempt at moderation when I go out or go visiting) and I essentially stopped eating between meals (including after dinner). And last summer I started eating modest snacks and that’s all I needed to stop losing. I can’t say it was easy, but it was easier than any diet I have ever tried. And it is a change of lifestyle, hopefully permanent.
BTW, statistics show that people with BMIs in the 25-30 range live longer than those in the 20-25 range. It is conceivable that that statistic reverses cause and effect. That is that sickly people lose weight. At any rate, I see no reason to get under 25 (except maybe to prove I can do–no thanks).
What is y’all’s opinion of a lunch salad of 2 roughly chopped tomatoes, thin sliced onions, kalamata olives (not a lot) and Ken’s Lite Balsamic vinaigrette, about 2 tbs?
Yes, that lunch is definitely lacking in protein and I think you would be hungry soon afterwards.
Here’s my go-to lunch salad that my darling husband makes for me each day to take to work:
spinach leaves
mushrooms
cherry tomatoes
red onion
sliced cucumber
peppadews
sliced chorizo (30g)
low fat ‘greek’ salad cheese (30g)
low-fat herb and garlic dressing
I’d like to lose about 17 pounds to get back to my goal / healthy weight. I’m not on a specific diet per se - I’ve just been trying to modify my eating habits overall so that I reach for the healthy food and correct portion sizes rather than the crap that is all too tempting.
Exercise, rather than food, is my main challenge. In the past year, I’ve taken a new job that has obesity as a risk factor (!), and my husband was re-assigned to second shift, so I became a single mom, essentially. No time for exercise + a job where I literally sat without the ability to move all day = gaining 9 pounds.
I’ve recently started exercising on the treadmill for an hour a day, so I’m hoping that, in combination with moderation, can at least kick off the process.
Is anyone else craving hot cocoa at this time of year? Have you found any low fat, low sugar ways to satisfy the craving? I’ve tried Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets and Diet Cocoa, and the 15-calorie one (Sensible Sweets?) tastes like death, and the other option isn’t much better. I make it with water, not milk.
I’m obsessed with making soup for lunch. You get all the vegetables, grains (if you want), and protein you need in one hot, filling bowl. Make a big pot on the weekends, and you can easily get 2 weeks’ worth of lunches out of one cooking session.
This week I’m eating Red, White, and Green soup (my own creation :)):
Red – stewed tomatoes, tomato-basil chicken sausage, 4 strips bacon
White – onions, baby lima beans, Dutch peewee potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes
Green – celery, tons of baby kale
…in a chicken-stock broth
Comes out to (per serving): 245 calories, 44 g carbs (26 g net), 6 g fat, 18 g protein, 18 g fiber
On a sad note: I usually take a Greek yogurt concoction of my own making as dessert, but last night at the grocery store I whimsically decided to buy one serving of Alpina’s ReVive Greek yogurt with granola that you can mix in, and I took it for lunch today. It’s so thin and liquidy, it’s like soup, and not the appetizing kind. It tastes okay, but the thick texture of Greek yogurt is the biggest draw for me, so this is pretty disappointing.
My husband and I have been on a ketogenic diet (very low carb, high fat, moderate protein) since the first of the year. It’s worked out so well for us, even though I was skeptical at first. He’s lost 31 pounds and I’ve lost 16.
It’s really helped tremendously having him as my diet buddy, and this is the perfect diet for a man: plenty of meat and cheese, not too many vegetables, and no low fat diet food!
I hit a wall yesterday. I woke up and did not want to cook anything to eat. I didn’t even want to take the time to cut open an avocado so I could spoon the blah insides directly into my mouth. It was all too haaaaard!
Then for lunch I didn’t have any meat except frozen chicken so I had to cook frozen chicken and the package says about 35 mins but really it’s more like 55. I was so mad! Grr!
I’m over it today but I still am pissed at having to cook every. fucking. thing. On top of that my weight was going up because I had gotten back to the gym and that always happens.
Very very frustrating. But my weight did go down again (no gym last night, tho).
I hear you. Cooking time is doubly frustrating when you’re starving. What’s your go-to snack while you’re cooking, or do you have one? I have such a hard time when I get home already starving and still have to cook for myself and the kids. I’ve tried about 1/4 cup of low-sugar Craisins because I love the tartness and there’s tons of fiber (40% for the day, I think). Also good to eat with popcorn when I really would prefer candy instead! I’d love some more ‘healthy snack’ ideas though. I do eat raw veg when available too.
The never-ending prep work gets to me, too. In my most successful weight loss campaigns I always have three big tupperware containers in the fridge: one full of a cooked, sliced protein, one full of whole grain salad, and one full of chopped green salad with lots of interesting veg in it.
My go-to cooking snack is pear or apple slices. Lots of fiber and water, usually spoils my appetite for dinner. Which is good
I like sugar free Jello. There’s some volume there and only five calories per half-cup. I can reach in to the fridge for a cup or two when I want something sweet.
I’ll join in! I’m dieting (well not really dieting just eating healthier) and I feel great! I’m doing the Paleo thing, man was I skeptical when my farrier told me about but after seeing his results and hearing him talk about it, I started thinking about it. But what really caught me was a Paleo thread on another forum I belong to and that sealed it.
Now I’m not hardcore Paleo, I’d say 80/20. I cheat. A little and I’m okay with it. Like tomorrow I’m celebrating a job offer (nailed it-got a working interview Mon!!!) and I’m taking myself to Mimi’s Cafe and eating their lovely bread and very-un-Paleo-diet-pasta. Bad I know.
My sleeping pill is kicking in, I’lll write more tomorrow if anyone wants.
This will be my first post in this thread. Many, if not all of you likely have no idea who I am. I have been a member since 1999. I lurk much more than I post.
September 23, 2012, I woke up with chest pains. It turned out to be a rather mild heart attack and did a thread about this here. I took it as a wake up call.
I signed up with the rehab program at the hospital. This was 18 sessions of cardio style exercise for half an hour and 15 minutes of healthy lifestyle education. By the time the sessions stopped, I activated a long domant gym membership, and I have been working hard at it ever since.
I’ve been on a reducing diet since January 2 of this year. Last December I found out my blood sugar was high. Not really bad, but I now have to use a monitor each day. No medications thank God, control by diet seems to work.
After New Years, in the past, I’d begin a diet, lose the weight, and then go back to my old unhealthy habits. I love chips, burgers, salty stuff. And chocolate of course. I also work as a baker professionally, so I’m always around food and there’s the constant temptation to nibble.
But this year is going to be it. I’m on a low calorie diet. My initial goal is to get to 175 pounds. When I reach that, and maintain it for a month, I’ll gradually increase the calories, until I find where I can keep the weight level.
Each day I eat 100 calories less than I’ve been allowing myself, and “bank” them. This allows for the occasional burger or candy bar. And on Easter, when my family has a big meal, I’ll not be counting.
So far I’ve lost twenty three pounds, with eighteen more to go. Wish me luck
Oh, and I’ve found home made soups are a good way to fill up, with a relatively low calorie count.
Great job longhair and Baker! (And anyone else I missed.)
I am going to start Zombies, Run C25K today. I’ve tried other C25K programs in the past and hated them, but this one sounds fun. I actually managed to run 3/4 of a mile yesterday (not all at once) and my knee didn’t fall off. I’ve decided that I’m just going to carry on. My knee can do whatever it wants and I’m going to do whatever I want. It’s not going to stop me.
I do something similar. When I’m making a big veggie salad, I cut up extra veggies and pack them in individual baggies so that I always have something to snack on. One Baggie of veggies + hummus or a wedge of light Laughing Cow cheese is filling and meets my calorie reqs.
Other things I keep on hand:
Shelled edamame (great source of protein and fiber)
Low fat cheese sticks
Low fat cottage cheese
Chunk white tuna
Nonfat or 1-1/2% plain Greek yogurt
I am really emphasizing protein these days and it’s helping a lot with my energy and staying sated. If I’m truly stuck somewhere without a chance for a meal, I have chia seeds and whey protein that I can mix with water. I’m not a fan of drinking my calories, though.
I’ve been making a renewed effort since around Christmas. I’ve lost 13 pounds since then and would like to lose 13-18 more. I’m at the point now where I’d always slack off before, given that these last pounds are pretty much vanity weight. But I really want to be leaner and stronger. I’ve started Crossfit and made some pretty good strength gains, so I guess more important than the number on the scale is how I look and how much muscle I build.
Hi everybody! So last August I got the DIABEETUS talk from my doctor and decided to shape up.
Since last September, I’ve lost 25 pounds (1 pound a week). It’s just been changing my diet, trying to go lower carb and hitting the gym 3 times a week.
I’m concerned about hitting my plateau though. I do have a lot of room to expand my regimen - I don’t calorie count yet and my gym routine is just 30 min of cardio - but no one wants to have to go stricter.
I also have a love/hate relationship with other people’s weight loss stories. People who manage to lose 60 pounds in 4 months and stuff like that. I wish my weight loss was that drastic!
I also struggle with takeout and convenience foods. I go to the gym right after work, and after that, I don’t want to cook. It’d be nice to just pick something up on the way back! In situations like that I’ve been trying to grab a freshly made panini from the deli or stuff like that instead of McDonalds.
I’m having a love/hate relationship with my OWN weightloss story right now! Last year I lost 60 lbs between January and October. It feels to me like it came off fairly easily and regularly and I was doing the same stuff I’m doing now.
Pissed that I stabilized and gained, pissed that I’ve had to get rid of the same 10 lbs twice and pissed that it’s not melting off like it did before.
And it’s not like I have just 20 more lbs to go. I have 80 more lbs to my goal, which is 30 lbs higher than the top range for my height for women (I’m 99% sure I’ll look like a supermodel at that weight though).
One day at a time tho.
On the bright side I still love reading other people’s success stories. Even people who had 20 lbs to lose. Every weight loss journey has its own struggles, no matter how much you have to lose.
As for things I keep around to snack on while I cook, my options are pretty limited with Whole 30. Can’t have jello or cheese…it’s pretty much olives or nuts. I did just open up two cans of olives and put them in the fridge, thanks for reminding me!
Well, my husband came home, and he wants to lose weight, and he wants to support me, but it seems he wants pizza just a little more. Still, convinced him to eat a big salad first and only half the amount of pizza he usually downs, so we are making progress.
Finishing week 2 of WW tomorrow - we’ll see what scale says. I’ve stopped feeling hungry all the time and are not getting any particular cravings, so that part is done with for the moment. Barring any health problems, like throwing my back out or some strange new menopause-related issue, I should be good to stay on target until the summer festival season, when my workload and stress skyrockets for about 10 weeks.
