I’ve officially hit my weight loss goal! I’ve lost 102 pounds since last April (my goal was to lose 100 pounds). I still want to lose 10 pounds to be down to 120, but I’m not “trying” anymore, just doing what I’ve been doing for 18 months. I run or go to the Y to use the elliptical 4 times a weeks and swim at the Y about 3 times a week, and I stay within 1500-1700 calories a day, with occasional splurges.
I also use Sparkpeople. Tracking my food is what made my weight loss possible.
Yep, that was the real eye-opener for me. For the longest time, I was eating healthy, but I was eating too much. Once I started staying within my calorie range the weight came off.
We have an HMR location here, and I want to look into it: but I am so scared of what it will cost. It looks like I’m going to get a year membership to our local YMCA for our family. It’s just around the corner (walking distance!) and it has a special kid’s gym for ages 12 and under. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to afford that, but it looks like we may have a bonus coming very soon: so that will be my Christmas present for the family.
ETA: Oh, and SparkPeople pretty much has saved my life. I have had very little support in the past with my weight loss efforts, which pretty much dooms me to failure. This time I decided I didn’t care what anyone else thought: and then SparkPeople was mentioned. My life has not been the same. Thanks mainly to the SDMB group and a few other people I’ve met along the way, they’ve helped me keep my dream alive. We’re having a fitness challenge at work, and while other people are losing their motivation, I’m more motivated than ever. I highly (HIGHLY!) recommend it.
What’s an HMR diet?
Always Brings Pie, first of all, congrats, that is awesome. And second, you give me hope, because my weight loss is unbelievably slow. I’m pretty good at not overly focusing on it, but as someone else said, week after week of plateaus kind of sucks. But then when the plateau breaks, it’s all the better. 
I’ve actually lost 23 pounds since June 1 so I probably shouldn’t bitch.
Also congrats to Zjestika, 100 pounds, holy cow!
So, on the topic of pants sizes. When I started this whole process back in June (actually I had a false start in January, did well for a month and a half, severely fell off the wagon, and then didn’t get back on the wagon until June, so I count June as the beginning) I was a size 18, and those were getting tight. I went shopping for new pants two weeks ago and all of the size 14s fit me. :eek: I accidentally put a pair of my old 18s on, a few days ago, and they literally fell off of me in the parking lot of the grocery store. (I caught them before they traveled far enough down that anyone else noticed.)
The thing is, the 14s I bought are actually a little bit loose in the waist and now I’m wondering if I should have tried 12s. It never occurred to me because I have been a size 14 since high school. I think of it as my “good size,” the one I’m in when I’m looking pretty good and at a reasonable weight. I haven’t been in a 12 since probably my sophomore year.
This is kind of blowing my mind. I should probably not count my chickens until I actually try some 12s on to see if they fit, but seriously: 14s. Loose. Holy crap.
It’s one of those mixed blessing things when you buy (or have) clothes that are too big. I’ve done it a lot in the past year. You try on the size you think you are, it seems fine, then a week later you realize it’s too big really. One the one hand you’re happy that you might be a size smaller, on the other hand it’s money wasted.
I don’t expect any sympathy, but it really is financially difficult. Right now I need new everything because it’s all too big. Pants, dresses, sweaters, winter coat, bras, underpants. I can afford new absolutely nothing until after Christmas. I’m still wearing size 10 pants when I should be in 6s. I know, poor me.
Check here. That will give you all the details (except cost, of course!)
TIE! 
ZJ, go to a thrift store. You can get your “in-between” clothes for fairly cheap, and they’ll tide you over until you get to your goal weight and can do your big splurge shopping trip. After all, if you can fit into a size 6, why wear size 10s? Show off your new sexy bod! You’ve earned it!
I’m going to a thrift store later today, and I’ve gotten several things there along the way. But when I say I’m broke, I mean thrift store broke, too! But I have $20 and I bet I can get 2 pairs of pants and maybe a top, too. If I bring a donation I get a 20% discount!
I really want to wear some 6s. Last time I was at a thrift store I found the most beautiful dress that I looked smashing in, but it was impractical because it was white (with black polka dots) and would have required some very specific new underthings. But I love shopping and trying on clothes! I never thought I’d say that!
You deserve to wear some size 6s. You’ve worked hard to get where you are.
Have you tried garage sales?
Wrong time of year here for garage sales, although in general it’s not a bad idea.
I hear you, re the expense of buying a new wardrobe. I really didn’t want to buy myself new pants yet, but when your old ones are literally falling off, well, something must be done. I’m wearing a belt with the 14s that are slightly loose, and that’s working out pretty well for now.
I’ll report back from my thrifting later this evening!
Here’s some perspective for you - next time you’re grocery shopping, pick up a ten pound bag of flour in each hand and hold it on your hips - that is the weight you’re NOT carrying around with you any longer, all day, every day.
Is anyone else running into any psychological issues with losing weight? I know I need to, and I really want to, but I’ve been this weight for so long it’s like an old friend. Not a particularly welcome old friend, but still.
This is one of the things that IMO helped to sabotage most of my prior weight loss efforts. I could lose a few pounds (once I even lost 20) but mentally I was still in “fat mode.” It was just somehow comforting to overeat, even when I knew it was sabotaging my weight loss efforts. Something about transforming your body is just alarming and nerve-wracking in a way. It’s hard to describe.
The difference for me this time is running. I’m not really all that fast, but I am signing up for races, and the feeling of being a competitive runner (even though the only person I am really competing against is myself) has really helped me move past the mentality of “I am just overweight and that’s how I naturally am and I can never really change that.” After the first time I ran a mile, it was like, whoa. Dude. If I can do THAT, then clearly I need to rethink some of my basic assumptions about my body and my physical capabilities.
Not that I am suggesting that everyone become a runner, of course, but I think that finding some physical skill or ability that you can work on mastering, is really helpful with weight loss. IMO of course.
That’s a good description of how I feel occasionally. I’m trying to lose weight to hopefully solve a couple of health problems, so it is a different reason for losing than before, and I think that will make a difference. It is a big change, though, and very few people are comfortable with change, I realize.
I’m under orders from my doctor to lose a minimum of 10% of my body weight because my insulin is elevated. So, Mom and I joined Medifast.
I admit, I haven’t done anything organized like this in a very long time. They apparently aim to take the weight off fairly quickly, but then keep you on a year long maintenance to get you readjusted to the real world.
One thing that made a huge impact was the body analysis they did. For one, it calculated the number of calories I need every day: 1650. I had been figuring my daily intake (when I did any figuring at all) at 2000, just like the nutrition labels say. Gee, no wonder I never lost weight.
It’s not easy. I’m thinking about food all the time. I can’t watch tv because of the commercials - stuff I’d normally never eat is making me drool when I see commercials for it. I’m also very, very, very hungry. Like “what can I kill and eat” hungry, but it’s getting better.
I started last Monday. On my first weigh in, I’m down 6.4 pounds. I have another 19.6 to go to make 10% of my body weight. Then, I’d like to keep losing. I have a total of 88 pounds to lose. Well, 81.6 now.
When I last had a physical my doctor said that she would like me to lose 10%, because it would bring my blood pressure down. Naturally I floundered for a while, but since I’ve started really hitting the gym and running, I made that goal and I’ve gone past it. I still have A LOT to lose, but right now I’ve lost 42 pounds (in roughly 14 weeks) and I feel a lot better. I’m sure my blood pressure is still higher then it should be, as is my resting heart rate, but I’m feeling better physically. It’s nice.
In round numbers it’s about $120 a week for food, plus $80 a month for the (trust me, usless) class I have to attend. This is over and above fruits, vegetables, etc, you need to get from the grocery store.
I’m planning on switching to a home program when this first 13wks is finished. The classes are a complete waste of time. The woman who runs the program is nice and seems to know what she’s talking about, but the information is basic and she’s following the script that never leaves her hand. Drives me batty.
Allright, I’m back on board. I finished the C25K in late August and ran my first 5K in September. I then started a “Gateway to 8K” program in mid-October, but haven’t been good about keeping with it. For my birthday, my husband bought me the EA Sports Active game for our Wii and Wii balance board, and I used it for the first time last night - I started its 30 day challenge.
We’re headed to Hawaii in early December, so there’s still time for me to take off some pounds - I’d be thrilled to lose 10, would love to lose 8, but will be happy with 6. Anyway, I’m back on the wagon, at least.
Yep, Sparkpeople really helped me with that. I beat breast cancer and lost 40 pounds. What else can I do?
I did call, and that’s what I was told. $240 every two weeks is impossible for me, as the sole support for a family of four. So I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing. I was given the shake option, which sounds more reasonable: have you tried them? How’s the flavor?
I’ve been on cloud 9 since yesterday’s weigh-in. I hit my first goal: 26 pounds lost. I made a new goal of 50 total pounds by the end of our fitness challenge. What surprised me was when someone else I work with said I was an inspiration. ME? Nuh-uh. I still need inspiration and support. But that really got to me.
Two more calls to listen to and I can go for my first walk!