# January 2011 Weight Loss Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 2, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155 "2011-01-02T18:47:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/81 "2011-01-22T23:44:18Z")
I wish I had the anwer to that. My husband and I are both finding the same thing; track all your food, exercise regularly (and track that too), be under your calorie budget for the week, and gain weight. Next time someone in a thread says, “It’s a simple equation; food in is less than exercise out, and you lose weight,” I’m gonna punch them in the nads. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/82 "2011-01-23T00:40:32Z")
Weight can be from other things - feces or water are the two main culprits. There’s a good section on this in the Hacker’s Diet (mentioned before, available for free online). That’s why daily measurements and weighted averages help show your real progress, rather than one tiny snapshot when you might happen to be bloated with water retention or something. Scroll down and look at the first graph on [this page](http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/signalnoise.html), and then down to the second. Averaging shows you the real trend instead of the variability caused by our bodies being strange things. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/83 "2011-01-23T00:59:54Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Weight can be from other things - feces or water are the two main culprits. There’s a good section on this in the Hacker’s Diet (mentioned before, available for free online). That’s why daily measurements and weighted averages help show your real progress, rather than one tiny snapshot when you might happen to be bloated with water retention or something. > > Scroll down and look at the first graph on [this page](http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/signalnoise.html), and then down to the second. Averaging shows you the real trend instead of the variability caused by our bodies being strange things. Yeah, this is why I only log my weight on Friday mornings before PT (not after PT, not on Thursday night, not Monday afternoon), so I can at least be as consistent as possible regarding any variables (I always drink water the night before PT, but I usually swet varying amounts depending on what I do AT PT. At my previous base, every time I went on a squadron run, I’d loose a pound, evidently just from sweating.) Quite a bit of it might in fact just be water you’ve drunk, or that was contained in your food, that hasn’t gone away for whatever reason. I’d arguably say that water weight shouldn’t be worried about, since water is very useful to your body (try going without it for a few weeks. Come to think of it, don’t do that) and will get sent on its way in due time regardless of what else you do. That said, my bathroom scale won’t tell me how much of my weight is water. Stupid machine, I paid $15 of my hard-earned, taxpayer dollars and all it gives me is the choice between total pounds or total kilograms? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/84 "2011-01-23T11:29:09Z")
> [@Angel\_of\_Doubt](#): > > Apologies if you already know/intend to do this already, but make sure you do not eat only lean protein if you are going to try it. I would read one of the excellent books on how to do low-carb, which is properly done as a high-fat, not (necessarily) high-protein regimen. That’s helpful to know, thanks. I honestly couldn’t tell you with confidence what a non-lean source of protein was, but I don’t intend to avoid eggs, nuts, marbly red meats, or seafood. Probably gonna eat them more often, actually-- usually I have turkey, chicken, and pork, sometimes beans. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/85 "2011-01-23T15:56:23Z")
Okay, comfortably back on the wagon after the holidays now. December gain of 4 lbs is off again and the food routine has settled down. Aiming for another 25 lbs lost by my anniversary at the end of June. But help! I seem to have lost my ability to eat broccoli, which has become one of my favorite veg, roasted with a little olive oil. I ate a metric buttload of it in 2010 without any problems, but suddenly it is giving me acid reflux & griping gut pains. What’s up with that? No other veggies are doing that, and it doesn’t seem to matter what else I am eating. It only happens when I have roasted broccoli as one of my veg servings. Hope I get over it. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/86 "2011-01-23T16:28:39Z")
Have you changed brands of olive oil or something? ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/87 "2011-01-25T01:41:42Z")
This morning I cracked the 150s for the first time in over seven years. 159.6, whooo! Down from 185 in September, so 25 pounds down, about 20-25 more to go. I can totally do this. Except…tonight I am ravenously hungry for some reason and I can’t stop snacking. I also can’t help thinking there’s some psychological component to this, something I’m doing to deliberately sabotage myself. Maybe someone reading this can relate. I started gaining weight in high school, partly from puberty, partly from developing bad food habits, and partly because I was freaked out by all the attention I was starting to get from boys and adult men. When I gained ten pounds in my freshman year and noticed that boys were whistling and cat-calling at my much thinner friends but not me, I was happy and relieved. I never set out to gain weight in a conscious way (as in, “Here, I’ll keep eating until I’m so heavy no one will look at me anymore”), but I made no effort to lose any weight, either. I entered high school around 130 lbs and graduated around 150. I graduated college around 160. I was 175 by my mid-twenties, and at my heaviest a couple of years ago I was 192. So now that I’m losing weight and feeling better and dressing better, I’m starting to get attention again, and…well, I don’t like it. I thought I would welcome people flirting with me, etc. after years of being (or at least feeling) invisible, but that’s not the case. Most of me is adamant that I not gain the weight back, for health reasons (the reason I set out to lose weight in the first place), but there’s a small part of me that wants to so I don’t have to deal with any of this anymore. I would go into this more, but even typing this out makes me feel uncomfortable. I think some therapy may be in order. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/88 "2011-01-26T23:55:08Z")
Oh, jeez, did I kill this thread with my oversharing? :o Well, in happier news, today I had minor surgery and was told to eat lightly when I got home, something like soup and crackers. Crackers?! I haven’t had crackers since September when I cut grains out of my diet. So of course I got home and promptly set to eating, like, 30 crackers. Oh, and a little soup. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/89 "2011-01-27T00:38:24Z")
Nah, I totally understand the feeling - in middle school and part of high school I wore baggy clothes to hide anything that might be “developing” on my body and keep guys’ eyes away. Stuck idling at a hair above normal BMI. I know I’ve lost a pound (averaged loss) this week but it’s still frustrating. At least I’m surprisingly not jonesing for food even though I hit around 1300ish calories a day (at my height, weight, and sedentary lifestyle, that’s not bad), so I’m making good choices for satisfying foods. I’m supposed to eat 1250-1600 a day. I’ll aim higher on the range when I do more exercise. Right now I’m working the “exercise ladder” in the Hacker’s Diet, to work my way up to being able to do more exercise without absolutely killing myself. My walking muscles are great; do anything else and I’m aching for days. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/90 "2011-01-27T06:13:36Z")
**gallows fodder** , you’re not alone in weight loss having a psychological component. It’s a big change in many ways for you; it’s a change to how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you, how you relate to the world, how you feel about yourself, all that stuff. I don’t think it’s all that unusual to have mixed feelings about weight loss. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/91 "2011-01-27T10:48:26Z")
Man, I’ve lost like two or three pounds every day this week just by wearing chem warfare gear (those suits make you sweat like a pig). Of course, by the time I’ve drunk about two quarts of water and had dinner, the weight’s back. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jacob\_wrestling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@jacob\_wrestling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacob_wrestling)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/92 "2011-01-28T16:52:07Z")
**gallows fodder** , I can sympathize. Have you ever read the book _She’s Come Undone_ by Wally Lamb? I actually hated it, mostly because the main character was such an unlikeable person, but it’s pretty much about how she becomes morbidly obese as a psychological response to being raped by a neighbor when she was 12 or 13. It might be an interesting read, if only to feel better because you’re not nearly as messed up as she is 😛 I wish people would shovel their sidewalks! Due to my somewhat transient living situation at the moment, I’m don’t want to join a gym, but I’m also learning that I don’t enjoy cardio workout videos. I just want to run outside and test out my cool new heart rate monitor. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/93 "2011-01-29T02:29:33Z")
Was reading (I think in another thread on the SDMB) about how in some cities, if you shovel the sidewalk, but miss a spot for some reason, then you accept liability if someone slips and hurts themselves. But if you make no attempt to clear the sidewalk at all, and someone slips and hurts themselves, it’s their fault because it was obviously outside your control. Hence, many people, I guess, just don’t shovel their sidewalks. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/94 "2011-01-29T22:51:19Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > 1. WTF happened? I sure ain’t been gorging myself three and a half pounds worth since this time last week. ☹ 222½. A small step in the right direction, at any rate. Taken over the last three weeks it’s pathetic, but over the last four, not so bad. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/95 "2011-01-30T01:27:59Z")
Hi! I’m in a good place now. I’m 12 pounds down since Thanksgiving and less than 15 pounds from a ‘‘normal’’ BMI. I’ve been through cravings, depression, sickness, the holidays, vacations where I ate out every day - and I still stuck to my plan and lost weight the whole time. Somehow it all just clicked into place for me. I owe it to CBT for weight-loss, which I discovered through this book, the [Beck Diet Solution](http://www.amazon.com/Beck-Diet-Solution-Train-Person/dp/0848731735), as well as [SparkPeople.com](http://SparkPeople.com), of course. The weight is coming off slowly - about .5 lb per week and some weeks totally stagnant, but that’s to be expected. The Beck book really helped me to reframe my attitude about progress and weight loss, and learn how to talk back to myself when I get discouraged. It has also taught me to deal with cravings. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty simple… everything boils down to a clear choice. You either get to overeat OR you get to lose weight, but not both. It’s much easier to make these decisions when you are clear about your motives for losing weight and review those reasons before every meal. It’s amazing how differently I think about eating and exercise now than I did before. I cook healthy recipes daily and they’re pretty freakin’ delicious if I do say so myself. Also I totally had a chocolate brownie fudge sundae yesterday for dessert - without eating too much. Progress may be slow, but it’s consistent, and if I just focus on reinforcing this new lifestyle it will eventually fall into place. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/96 "2011-01-30T02:28:41Z")
Down 8 pounds for the month, 15.5 since December 7th. Body fat down about 1-2%, depending on the day. Pizza party for my daughter’s 2nd birthday tomorrow. I’ll have a slice, along with a big plate of the Greek salad I’m making, and a small slice of cake, then go back to normal on Monday. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/97 "2011-01-30T03:06:29Z")
I ended up weighing in two days late (once due to weather, once due to the little shithead who egged my car; the windshield had to be cleaned). I also didn’t lose anything. I didn’t gain anything, but I didn’t lose anything, either. We went to the in-laws’ for dinner tonight, and I had half a steak, one baked potato with a little butter, a slice of bread, sugar snap peas, some steamed shrimp, and a small piece of birthday cake. I don’t feel bad, because I didn’t gorge myself, but I don’t feel all that great, because I ate more than I’ve gotten used to. Also, the Kinect is the greatest tool ever invented. I did the Biggest Loser workout game and that shit is HARD. I’m still sore, two days later. I have to figure out how to tell it not to give me pushups. (I have an old injury that tends to be aggravated by any exercise that builds up the chest muscle.) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/98 "2011-01-30T03:23:12Z")
15 weeks and -30.6; ten pounds away from my target weight. I’ve been able to consistently lose an average of about two pounds a week since mid September. But I’m so close at this point, I’d be happy if I only lost a half pound a week. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/100 "2011-02-01T08:22:09Z")
So, had my PT Test today. Weighed in at around 168 with a 35 inch waist (Interestingly enough, when I weighed 190, I still had a 35 inch waist, and it certainly wasn’t muscle. I can only assume that on my body, all the extra weight gets tucked away elsewhere.) Ended up scoring about an 84 on the test overall (12:32 mile and a half run, 37 pushups, 52 situps, and 35 inch waist. Not sure why they make me weigh in, since it doesn’t actually get scored for anything on the Air Force PT test). I think I might try and get back on the path and see if I can’t lose another 5-10 pounds. I’m not exactly disappointed with 168, as it’s lower than I weighed at any point in my career since Basic Training (and that was a weight-lowpoint for my adult life), but I kinda got used to seeing the weight coming in smaller and smaller each week, though I realize that the lower I get, the harder it gets to lose more. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155/101 "2011-02-01T10:26:46Z")
I did exactly what I said I would for the party, except I only had half a slice of cake, and I had a beer. I was wired to the point of shaking for four hours afterward. Clearly sugar and I are not meant to get along. Provided my daughter’s day care doesn’t close today, I’ll be making a standard recipe–cream of chicken soup. It’s an old-school recipe with slow-simmered broth, thickened with pureed veggies, the ground meat of the whole chicken that simmered to make the broth, and lots of egg yolks. My daughter, who just turned 2 yesterday, thinks it’s the best thing ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/january-2011-weight-loss-thread/566155.md?page=4)