Sorry, just now saw this. There’s a place near me that does a Bod Pod (body composition test–you sit in a giant egg-shaped machine for a couple of minutes) and they also do RMR testing, where you lie down and they strap a mask to your face and measure your breathing for 20 minutes while you’re still and resting. I did both. The whole thing took less than an hour. I found it pretty interesting and will probably repeat it in October.
Wow, I think we have one of those on campus – I’m going to look into getting an appointment with one. Although…weirdly, I’m a little afraid of what it will tell me…how irrational!
As of this morning, -16 pounds since 3/1.
That’s pure dietary change (low carb). No significant activity changes yet. So far I’m finding it pretty easy, biggest issue is boredom and that’s my fault for not making more of an effort, I’ve been eating the easiest possible things vs. the most interesting, and I have to be conscious about that so that boredom doesn’t drive me to make bad choices.
But the feedback of losing is pretty effective at preventing that, as is the general lack of desire because of the effects on my appetite.
Almost forgot: my blood pressure has gone down. Where it was bouncing in the range of 128-138/72-82, it’s now solidly in the range of 112-125/68-78.
Eating cheese, bacon and cream. I think I can hang.
Way to go, Stoid and MsRobyn!
I’ve been somewhat neglecting myself the last few weeks as I wrap up the semester, but I’ve managed to maintain the weight I lost. On Thanksgiving Day I was at 170 and I’ve been holding steady at 155 for a while. The only real problem is that I need exercise to moderate depression. It’s been hitting hard. So I went out today and did some interval running for about an hour.
It’s going to take a while of regular exercise before my mood bounces back, but frankly I’m just happy that I’ve made enough good choices to avoid gaining the weight back. I’ve been losing this weight as slowly as I possibly can to reinforce the behavior changes required to keep it off. I’m not in a hurry.
I’ve been plateaued for quite a while now, but I’ve sort of put trying to break through it on the back burner, probably until summer is actually here and I can be much more active. I’m more-or-less maintaining the previous 25 pound loss, though, without depriving myself, so there’s that. 
Although usually I am quite diciplined about weighing myself only on weigh-in days, I broke down and weighed myself today.
Not only did I lose the two lbs that I gained back - I lost one more!
Alas, Easter is this weekend and I will likely be doing some seriously bad eating.
Congrats.
As long as you’re good with the consequences, let yourself enjoy Easter splurge.
I find when I’m on a role it’s easier to skip the permissions because I get more attached to my results than the moment of pleasure on the lips.
I just signed up over there. I’m signed up with a few, trying to find the right fit (spark, lose it, mynetdiary) - I wish I could find a place that has the option of deciding for yourself what your goals are, instead of deciding that your diet should be X carbs, protein, fat, etc.- for obvious reasons.
If I had a clue how to code such a thing I’d get right on it…
Hold the press: I’ve lost 1.1kg
FINALLY!
Here’s the interesting thing, my husband was reading up about antihistimines and not only do they increase appetite, they also do something insulin related about telling your body to lay down fat which I have to admit I don’t understand but my husband is a pharmacologist so he has a pretty good idea about these things. So I’ve stopped taking antihistimines and I’m using a nasal spray instead.
Of course I can’t say with 100% certaintly that stopping the antimistimines has caused/contributed to my weight loss, but whatever the reason, I’m just happy to see the scales starting to head downwards!
Try Weight Watchers, which I’ve been doing since January. They don’t require any specific ratio of carbs to protein to fat, but their program is set up to establish a calorie deficit regardless of what you eat. If you choose to eat a pound of bacon, have at it, but keep in mind that you’re not going to be able to eat much more than that.
I’m not losing via calorie deficit, I’m losing via carb restriction, but I appreciate the suggestion.
I promise you that calorie restriction is a (even if hidden) component of that.
Let’s not get into that all over again, please.
Those of you who are celebrating Easter, what are your plans for the big(?) Easter meal? I was thinking of trying a sausage and kale gratin recipe from the NYT food section a few months ago – low carb and sounds delicious. I love me some kale.
We are having all kinds of things!
I recently figured out how to make smoked chicken in the smoker (I’m slow, gimme a break) so I’ll be making some more of that. We also will be grilling some brats, hamburgers, & hot dogs.
I am making a Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (thanks jali!), baked beans, and deviled eggs.
My daddy’s lady friend is bringing a spinach pie, broccoli salad, cherry tomato with mozzarella pearls salad and the lighter version of Paula Deen’s famous “gooey cake”.
My sister is bringing potato salad, an orange Bundt cake, brownies and some FRESH New Orleans bread. Yay!
Some of that is in my nutrition plan, and some isn’t. I will just have to eat sparingly of the “bad” stuff.
In other news, I have now lost 40 pounds. It’s become a real challenge to find clothes in my closet which actually fit. 
Well, the argument has been had extensively.
Now I’m testing it. So far, not the case.
Time will shake it out.
WW doesn’t specifically require a specific ratio, but their Points system makes it impossible to go low-carb.
I just typed a typical day of mine into a Points calculator. It came out to 47 Points on the old calculation, and a whopping TWO HUNDRED AND FIVE on the new one. (1,821 calories, 135g fat, 44g carbs, 11g fiber). I should actually be getting about 120 calories MORE than what I ate that day, according to the RMR testing I had done. I’m finding it very difficult to get that high.
I would be allowed 30 points per day on the old WW, and 34-39 on the new one. Not only is this formula not feasible for a low-carb diet, but I sincerely think it’s not long-term sustainable. I lost 80 pounds on WW–gained it all back and then some because I was literally starving myself (at the end, as I reached goal, I was eating 1000-1100 calories a day) and had to restrict too many things. If you have the willpower to give up almost all fats and sugar for the rest of your life, that’s awesome. But most of us wouldn’t have been fat in the first place if we were capable of doing that.
The way I’m eating now involves restriction, sure. It’s hard to avoid all grains and all refined sugar. The general mantra is to strive for 100%, but if you’re eating this way 80% of the time you should lose weight. And I have. I look at it this way–if I were on WW, I’d have to restrict everything I love. At least eating this way, I only have to restrict half of it–and that half is usually just the vehicle to get the tasty stuff in your mouth. Seriously–when you eat Indian food, is the rice or naan your favorite part? Is the bun your favorite part of a hamburger? In general, you just use those empty calories to get the good calories into your mouth. I’m just cutting out the middle man.
You said that the best it’s every been said, I think!
The new program is far more sustainable than it used to be. I can eat what I want when I want. And I also gave up excess carbs; just about any dessert I have is sugar-free, and I haven’t had a burger on a bun in so long I’ve forgotten what they taste like.
Basically, the new program is more about behavior modification and making healthier choices that are more sustainable over a longer period. If I reach for vegetables instead of chips to go with my sandwich, so much the better. If I want to have bacon with my breakfast, I can do that, too; I just have to be prepared to adjust the rest of my day.
Finally, there is no “magic bullet” to weight loss. You and Stoid found something that works for you. Weight Watchers works for me. And that’s cool, too.
Gah, I’m stuck at 183. I got lazy with my eating and it’s lead to a plateau.
I ran 5K last night, but I think I need to start cross-training to stave off boredom. I need to increase my speed when running, and the only way to do that is to drop another 20-25 pounds… that’s going to take probably the rest of this year.
The 205-point day was the following.
Breakfast: 2 egg cups. Basically, this is beaten eggs mixed with sausage crumbles, peppers and onions, and cheese, baked in muffin tins.
Lunch: About 3 cups of lettuce, topped with a tomato, a chicken breast, 2-3 slices of bacon, about 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, and 1.5 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing.
Dinner: A link and a half of Italian sausage with caramelized onions and a serving of kale chips.
Snack: Half an avocado and 7 ounces of coconut milk, blended with ice into a smoothie.
Less than my RMR in calories, but more than a week’s worth of WW points. It’s impossible to do a low-carb diet on Weight Watchers. Maybe you can eat what you want, but I don’t want to eat grains. I think they’re harmful. And you can’t do WW without them.