I gained 20 lbs last month... APRIL FOOL! (April weight loss thread)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I know, I know, it’s technically still March.

As of Tuesday, I’m officially 25.6 lbs. lighter than I was when I started in January! The charm I got to commemorate the event is supposed to look like a 25-pound weight plate (like for a barbell), but it looks like a washer.

It’s been challenging to watch my sugar intake. It’s been creeping up – a piece of chocolate here, another piece of chocolate there. I know it’s not a big deal as long as I account for it and make adjustments, but it’s still food that is taking the place of other, healthier, food.

I did find a walking partner. She lives on the other end of town, but I spend enough time there that it’s no problem. She and I both need the motivation and encouragement, so it’s good that we can do this. Unfortunately, we’ve got some nasty weather, so we’re stuck until it clears up.

How are y’all doing?

2

Waiting for the weather to break so I can take off the snow tire. This is the heaviest I’ve ever been but in the past one month of swinging the golf clubs has been enough to shed the winter poundage.
Congrats on the 26 lbs!

3

Still plugging along. Looked at a picture of myself a year ago, and I look a ton better now. I keep losing inches but am slow on losing weight–which is fine by me, because I care more about how I look than a number on the scale. 31.5 lbs down total, and I’ve lost 2 inches on my waist and 3 on my hips since January 19th. Next measurements will be taken on 4/19 or thereabouts.

The best thing is that I feel better. I don’t crave sugar anymore, my immune system is improved, I sleep somewhat better, I have more energy, clearer skin, less anxiety, my teeth don’t get that nasty film on them anymore…the list goes on and on.

4

I intentionally indulged to the hilt in my week-long vacation in Miami Beach, so I gained about 4 lbs after that. Now I’m back on my slow trend down, and in the normal BMI range.

I’m still kicking my own ass over not doing meal planning, but I’m at least trying to plan dinner a night ahead or so. Not doing meal planning is the major thing that trips me up; if I come home with no ideas then I’m more likely to throw up my hands and order out, or make food without thinking about the nutrition.

My very omnivorous husband says he wants to eat more of my vegetarian food, as it seems to agree with him very well, so I’m not making as much of an effort to make an “and meat” dish for him at dinner.

Getting new dishes has been a big help! We used to have these huge plates and bowls, and I would naturally just load them up. Now we have smaller, 10" diameter dinner plates, 8" small plates, and 6" diameter bowls that I think hold maybe 2 cups. The plates are flatter than our old ones, as well, so you can’t load them out to the edge. And yes, we’re not going back for seconds to make up for the lost food.

I first got the idea from Brian Wansink’s book Mindless Eating; research that he and others did found that the plate/bowl size makes a big difference. Then recently I saw an article in the Chicago Tribune that interviewed him and tested the calorie savings - and he warns that when the plate gets too small, you may have to worry about going back for seconds regardless. The Tribune staff compared servings of spaghetti and meatballs: 873 calories on a 10" plate vs 1220 on a 12" plate. Only 570 on a 9" plate!

5

After 5½ months: *-42.6 pounds (-20.2 since the beginning of the year)

And I’ve reevaluated my goals again:

Originally, it was to hit 190 and set 200 as a ceiling.
As I got closer, I knocked it back five pounds to 185 and 195.
As I got closer to that, I knocked it back five more to 180 and 185.
As I have just crashed thru my most recently targeted ceiling weight (both my recorded weekly weight, and my average weight for the past two weeks), I’m reevaluating once again.
Now the goal is to hit 175 and set 180 as the ceiling.
But as of now, I’m lighter than I’ve ever been since high school.

Now. . . If I can just find a writer good enough to fluff up my weight weight loss routine (watch what you eat, and get some exercise) into a 200-page paperback, I might have a bestseller. . . .

*And actually, I probably lost another five pounds on top of that for the previous month, but I didn’t have a scale to accurately record it.

6

It’s a little hard to tell exactly, because I keep using different scales (one at home and one at the gym) and my weight fluctuates during the day and I’m bad about weighing myself consistently at the same time, but I’m down about 13lbs (205-192) since the beginning of February. My immediate goal is about 165; I’ll reevaluate as I get closer.

7

1.8kg to go. Getting there very slowly. I do like your idea,MsRobyn, of a silver charm. I may steal that idea and purchase one for myself when I finally get to goal. Not sure what’d be appropriate but I do like the idea.

8

DrainBead, check your pm’s please :slight_smile:

I am very close to my goal weight! 35lbs lost so far :slight_smile:

9

I’m impressed, frankly; several people with 20+ pound losses in three months? It’s impressive!

Hints that I should get off the couch now, too… I don’t need to lose much weight, but I’d like to carry it a little better.

10

I went to Universal Florida with my extended family at Thanksgiving, and they had to put me in the rollercoaster seat with the special double-seatbelt. And even that was a struggle to get fastened. Can you say embarrassing?

Of course, I didn’t do anything about it through the Holidays (there’s always an excuse!) but I made a New Year’s resolution that I’ve actually kept for 3 months and counting. The plan was not to go on some extreme diet and count every calorie, nor was it to embark on an overly-ambitious workout regimen. I know myself, and I wouldn’t stick to such things for very long.

Instead, I’m taking baby steps. Oatmeal for breakfast instead of donuts. A handful of potato chips with my sandwich instead of diving into the bag until I’m stuffed. I don’t starve myself but I’m trying to instill myself with better habits for the long haul. And I get up from my desk and walk a little bit when I have a chance. I go up and down the 3 flights of stairs in my building at least 4 times each workday. When I get home I find something to do around the house that doesn’t entail sitting in front of the computer or TV for at least a half hour (which usually stretches longer).

And, slowly but surely, it’s working!

In early January, I weighed 288 pounds. (6’2", in case you’re wondering.) I was never in the habit of weighing myself, but I’m pretty sure that’s about my heaviest ever. I weigh in every Tuesday now, and this week I was at 276. Down 12 pounds and counting!

I know that’s not as drastic as some of your results, but I’m very encouraged. And I feel like I’m just getting started. I’ve got more energy lately, which will only help in staying more active, which I expect will further increase my energy level, and so forth. Food-wise, I don’t feel as if I’m depriving myself at all, it’s just a matter of degrees. It’s getting easier to listen to my body when it tells me to stop eating.

Sorry for the long post, and I don’t want to blow my own horn too much over 12 lousy pounds (I’m still fat!), but this thread seemed like a good place to get some things down in writing, which will help keep me motivated to be good!

11

I started in September, so it’s been 7 months for me. That’s about 5 pounds a month. :slight_smile:

12

As of today, I am 21 pounds lighter than I was when I started weighing in. (I started seriously trying to lose weight shortly after Christmas. Sometime after Jan 1, I took my first step onto the scales.)

I took in 3 belt notches, got a new belt and have now moved to the second notch on it (although that is a little too tight.)

Was at a small gathering last night and many commented.

13

That’s fantastic! It is the little things that make the difference. One of the things that has helped me out the most is to have salad or fruit in addition to the meal. I feel fuller longer, so I don’t want to snack as much, and I make sure I get in all of my fruit and vegetable servings. It’s a small change, but it’s probably been the most helpful one I’ve made.

The other suggestion I can make is to make sure you have some variety in your diet. Instead of steaming, try roasting your vegetables. Roasting adds a much better taste and you can do it with just about anything. You can also try different grains. Steel-cut (aka Irish) oatmeal has more fiber and a different taste, and you can make a batch for the entire week and portion it out. I’m anxious to try quinoa, which is a grain that is loaded with protein. I might make that tomorrow. Finally, try different seasonings for meat. I recommend Penzey’s seasoning blends. They have a lot that are salt-free, and I haven’t had a bad one yet. They also don’t add calories. The point is, the same foods over and over and over get old fast. Variety helps you stick to whatever it is you’re trying to do.

14

I have lost nearly 20 lb since October. I didn’t change meals, but simply cut out all snacks. As my doctor pointed out, if I snacked 500 calories a day (and I’m sure I did), then cutting them out would lose a lb/week and that is more-or-less what happened. There have been three interruptions to the diet. Over Christmas/New Years, I lost nothing. During an 11 day trip to NYC in January, I also lost nothing. During a three week vacation in Barbados, I actually gained a pound. So it has been a bit more than a pound a week the rest of the time.

My BMI went under 30 for the first time in at least 40 years about 10 days ago. I am aiming for 25, which means losing another 35 lb. Seems formidable.

15

I’d been at a plateau for several months, but I finally managed to start losing again by cutting all the cheese out of my diet.

I was eating cheese five times a day. That is not hyperbole, that is a fact. For a few days I ate no cheese and lost a pound. I also got my digestion moving normally again. Looks like I will not be eating cheese again anytime soon.

I LOVE YOU CHEESE IT’S NOT YOU IT’S ME

16

Yeah, cheese and nuts are the bane of the low-carb dieter. Good snacks if you can do them in moderation, but they’re very calorie dense and easy to eat way too much of. Honestly, I think the bulk of my weight loss has come from cutting out snacking entirely. I still eat plenty.

Got walloped with a nasty cold last night, just in time for the Biggest Loser weigh-in tomorrow. I hope that the fact I ate very little today thanks to illness will help me win some money, because it’s not good for much else.

17

As mentioned up-thread, was at a gathering Saturday - and this reminded me of one of the most common comments/questions I get. *Wow, you’ve really lost weight. Do you feel better? *or I bet you feel better, don’t you?

Do you get that a lot? How do you answer? To be honest, no, I don’t really feel any different. OK, I feel a little better about myself - it is nice to hear positive feed back. But I’m not feeling any different.

gallows fodder, you have my sympathy - I eat a lot of cheese! I would miss it if I had to take it out of my diet! I add it to darn near everything I eat.

18

You know, honestly…I’m missing cheese a lot less than I’d thought I would. I’ve always been pro-cheese in general and would put it on damn near everything savory, or eat it plain for a snack (several times a day), so I thought this would be a terrible sacrifice. But it’s really not. I just leave it out of my tortilla wrap at lunch, only snack on nuts during the day, and just put butter and salt on my vegetables at night for flavor.

I feel a lot better now, too! I was so bloated for so long and couldn’t figure out why, and this has done the trick. (I’ve actually cut out all dairy except for a little butter, so I haven’t eaten yogurt either.) That’s helping me avoid cheese, because I don’t want to look…well, I still have a belly so I already look pregnant, but now I only look 5 months pregnant instead of 7 months. :slight_smile:

19

January 1st: 208.6 pounds
This morning (4/5): 184.4 pounds

I’ve lost 24.4 pounds so far this year. I’ve hit a couple of rough patches, but running is helping me quite a bit.

I felt good to break the 185 barrier this morning. I’ve been stuck there for a few weeks, where I hit 185.something, then bounce back up to the 187-189 range.

My New Year’s resolution was to be at 180 by 6/1. I think I’m going to blow that away.

With the running that I’m doing, I think I can hit 165 by 12/1. That would put me at the weight I played lacrosse at in college, which will be thrilling.

Ideally, if I can hit that by 7/22, I’d feel amazing. I’ll turn 30 that day, and to be in the same shape I was in at my best would be amazing!

20

I’ve lost about 20 pounds since early February by cutting out sugar and cutting way back on other carbs. Had dinner with the in-laws on Sunday and they said they could really see a difference in my size. Wish I could say the sugar cravings are gone, but I still get them a lot. Right now there are two boxes of gourmet cupcakes in our break cube and I want one SO. DAMN. BAD. What’s worse, I’m out of healthy alternative snacks at the moment and can’t leave until 4PM. This is going to be a looooong 90 minutes.