# SDMB Weight Loss Club, July 2008 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 1, 2008, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891 "2008-07-01T13:13:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/41 "2008-07-07T00:21:36Z")
Thanks, **Olives**! I wish I could train with my husband, but we’ve tried and, alas, it is utterly useless. For one thing, he’s a runner and I HATE running. Simply can’t do it and have no interest in trying. For the other thing, I’m 5’ 4" _almost_, and he’s 6’ 2", and his stride is waaaaaay longer than mine. So even if we walk together, while I’m “power walking,” he’s merely strolling, which is really no fun for him at all. A couple of years ago, before my shoulder injury, we’d drive to the club together, I’d swim laps and he’d take off for a run. Then we’d meet back up at the club, sit in the jacuzzi together for a while, do our things in the locker room (he’d sauna, I’d steam), then go home together. But he decided he doesn’t like going to a gym – it’s just not his thing, so he quit his membership. And my PT told me swimming was probably a contributory factor to the bulding disc in my neck. \ I’ve just been beckoned to assist with mounting trellises, so I shall return with more of an update. Hasta! ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/42 "2008-07-07T02:23:33Z")
Whew! Gardening is DONE! Woo Hoo! Worked up another good sweat and feel very proud of our accomplishments today. Here’s some pictures of our gardening project: [This](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23298617@N05/2326077998/in/set-72157603975203606/) is what we started with, except that all that crap growing there was higher than the retaining wall and way out over the sidewalk to the left. It was a horrible mess of weeds and poisonous oleander. Yuck. [Then](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23298617@N05/2409628112/in/set-72157603975203606/) we had a contractor come dig out the rest of the mess, tear out those ugly stacking bricks, pour a new retaining wall and finish the driveway all the way to the wall. We painted the cinder block wall the same blue color as the house, put our fountain in the middle of it, and laid some old bricks we had laying around on the top of the new wall to cover the unfinished cement, which will eventually be topped with flag stone and have a stack stone facade put on. It’s been like that for a few weeks, and this is what we did this weekend: [In progress 1](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23298617@N05/2644705508/in/set-72157603975203606/) [In progress 2](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23298617@N05/2644705326/in/set-72157603975203606/) [Finished 1](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23298617@N05/2643878111/in/set-72157603975203606/) [Finished 2](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23298617@N05/2644705622/in/set-72157603975203606/) [Finished 3](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23298617@N05/2644705730/in/set-72157603975203606/) I’m exhausted! Oh, I had an orange for my afternoon snack, and we’re having brown rice pasta with shrimp in a marinara sauce and steamed broccoli & cauliflower for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/43 "2008-07-07T11:26:47Z")
3lb down at my weigh in, less than 12lb to go now! ---
**Author:** ![A\_Priori\_Tea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@A\_Priori\_Tea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Priori_Tea)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/44 "2008-07-07T12:39:37Z")
Congratulations, **Illuminatiprimus**! You’re into the home stretch! 🙂 My weigh-in this morning was 158 - starting the week off right. We’ll see if I can meet my goal for this week, and maybe set a pie-in-the-sky for next week of brushing up against 155 once. Fingers crossed! ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/45 "2008-07-07T12:59:48Z")
Could I get a ruling, please? Is this thread a place to discuss techniques of weight-losing, advocating certain wegiht-loss programs that work, complaining about those that haven’t, etc., or simply to exchange updates, encourage others, etc.? I’m fine with either, and happy to start a thread elsewhere discussing the more complicated and perhaps troubling issues, but if this thread is the best thing for such discussions, I’m glad to contribute here. I, for example, have become convinced that weigh-ins make sense early on, to motivate one and to track that one’s strategy is working, but I also feel that beyond that point (maybe a month or so in), weigh-ins are destructive. I thnk that a half-pound fluctuation, for example, is far more indicative of where the scale is sitting on my bathroom floor than anything else, and I can’t imagine been picked up by that 1/2 pound loss or being dejected by a half-pound gain, but I’ll shut up about that if this isn’t the place for that sort of chat. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/46 "2008-07-07T14:09:03Z")
IMHO, let’s talk about everything related to weight loss. If we get way hijacked then we’ll address it. I do think regular weigh-ins are necessary, just to make sure you’re staying on track, but I believe anything more than once a week is counter-productive. Measuring oneself is also a good tool. Some peole get discouraged that the scale isn’t moving, but once they realize they’re gaining muscle mass and losing fat, as evidenced by the measuring tape, they continue to stay motivated. Plus, it’s a bit of a reward…to see the scale moving down into the lower numbers. It means all your hard work is paying off! ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/47 "2008-07-07T15:10:11Z")
I think any weight loss-related topics are open for discussion here. If you’re looking for a broader response on a topic, though, you might want to start another thread so you’re not limited to just the weight loss club members. I weigh myself every day, because I use a database that averages out my weight. So if I’m up a pound one day because I’m retaining water and down two pounds the next, it gives me my average weight and that’s what I go by. I’m the first to admit that I’m a little bit obsessive about weighing myself, but it’s because the fluctuations interest me more than being obsessed about how much I’m losing. I find it interesting how my body reacts to certain things I eat, exercise, alcohol consumption, etc. I also find it helpful to keep myself from backsliding. After a third or fourth day of being up a pound, I start to get a bit concerned and consider the reasons why it might have happened (overeating? missing workouts?) and work to correct it. Usually, it evens itself out though. I also take measurements every other week. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/48 "2008-07-07T17:25:01Z")
I must have been carrying a lot more water than I realized, because NO WAY have I lost 2.5 pounds of fat in 3 days. And yet, I’m down another pound this morning. Either that, or gardening must be good exercise for me! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/49 "2008-07-07T20:27:01Z")
I haven’t been around for a while because life has been busy, but I am 1 lb away from my first goal of 10 percent of my body weight. I weigh 221, down from 245 in mid-March; one more lb to hit my goal of 25 lbs. I’m hoping it will happen before we go on vacation in 2 weeks. I expect to stay steady or lose on my 2 weeks vacation; we’re going to northern California and planning on hiking and camping in Yosemite, and walking around a lot looking at big trees and such. I feel great–I have been exercising 6 days a week since March, and I can feel it getting easier by the day. There’s a hill by my house I sometimes incorporate into my walk; not that long ago, my legs were aching on the way up and now I hardly notice it. The big goal is to get into shape. Hiking, here I come! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/50 "2008-07-07T20:46:34Z")
I’ve lost nearly 40 lbs since May 40th… On the one had, I had to lose - on the other - can that be healthy? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/51 "2008-07-07T20:49:29Z")
I guess it depends on the calendar you use. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/52 "2008-07-07T21:54:16Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] I’ve lost nearly 40 lbs since May 40th… On the one had, I had to lose - on the other - can that be healthy? [/QUOTE] Welcome back from that pocket dimension of parallel time that you have been living in Khadaji. Tell us, what’s it like living in a world where the months are longer than 40 days? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/53 "2008-07-07T22:01:03Z")
If we spent as much time in the hospital as he has recently, we’d feel like the months were 40 days long too, I’m guessing. But yes, that is a lot of weight to lose in that short of a period. Might want to check with your doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/54 "2008-07-07T22:20:56Z")
[QUOTE=yellowval] If we spent as much time in the hospital as he has recently, we’d feel like the months were 40 days long too, I’m guessing. But yes, that is a lot of weight to lose in that short of a period. Might want to check with your doctor. [/QUOTE] 😃 It does feel like 40 days sometimes. I called my doc today for that and other reasons. He will call tomorrow and I will be in to see him next tuesday in any case. Last time I discussed this with him he was totally unconcerned. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/55 "2008-07-08T00:56:31Z")
[QUOTE=pseudotriton ruber ruber] I, for example, have become convinced that weigh-ins make sense early on, to motivate one and to track that one’s strategy is working, but I also feel that beyond that point (maybe a month or so in), weigh-ins are destructive. I thnk that a half-pound fluctuation, for example, is far more indicative of where the scale is sitting on my bathroom floor than anything else, and I can’t imagine been picked up by that 1/2 pound loss or being dejected by a half-pound gain, but I’ll shut up about that if this isn’t the place for that sort of chat. [/QUOTE] Totally agree. In fact, my earlier post in this thread offered encouragement to someone who was disappointed that there’d been no movement for a while. Performance is a better indicator of your status than plain old weight loss. It’s entirely possible to gain muscle at a rate that’s equal or greater than your fat loss, at least for a while when you’re first starting out on an exercise program. If you went only by the scale, you’d think you were either not losing or even gaining weight. As I’ve mentioned in other threads, impedance fat-measuring scales seem to be next to worthless. I’ve had readings _go up_ as my weight dropped and was visibly more lean. By other indicators (wrist, waist, height, weight measurements) I’m probably at about 13–15% body fat, but the impedance scale says 22%. I’d have little doubt about the true value if I could get my hands on some body fat calipers. Since I can see ribs and stomach muscles, I’m betting that the 22% reading is high. Besides which, that scale said I was at 26% when I was 85 kg, before starting this round of weight loss, and I’m now between 76–77 kg with a lot more muscle. Those numbers don’t add up. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/56 "2008-07-08T09:00:59Z")
I agree that weigh ins are only so useful in tracking progress, and weighing yourself more than once a week is pointless. Even then it can take up to ten days for a step change in metabolism/activity levels to show up. There have been times when I’ve done a huge amount of exercise and been really stringent with my diet and lost nothing and then the next week after very little exercise found I’ve lost 3lb. You just have to keep going at it. Also of course if your clothes are feeling looser and you’re looking thinner but the scales stay the same then you’re still on course. A friend of mine a while back was killing herself exercising for several weeks and was complaining loudly and bitterly that she hadn’t even lost a single pound. Me: “So, how many inches have you lost?”. Her: “Four, but I haven’t lost one pound!” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/57 "2008-07-09T02:26:46Z")
> [@](#): > > [**Keeping Food Diary Helps Weight Loss**](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/08/health/webmd/main4242419.shtml) > > July 8, 2008 > > (WebMD) Keeping a food diary may be a key to losing extra weight, a new study shows. > > The study, published in the August edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, included 1,685 overweight or obese U.S. adults aged 25 and older. > > For six months, they kept food diaries and were encouraged to eat a healthy diet and be physically active. They also met weekly in groups to share their food diaries and brush up on skills like how to judge portion size. > > . . . > > Those who kept food records six days a week - jotting down everything they ate and drank on those days - lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less, Stevens tells WebMD. > > . . . > > Showing your food diary to someone else is even better, in terms of accountability. . . My nutritionist/trainer had me doing this initially, and I must admit that it did help. So, perhaps I’ll start an online food diary somewhere. Maybe I’ll include what exercise I’ve done, so I’m accountable for days when I’m a slug, too (like I feel like being today). How’s everyone doing this week? ---
**Author:** ![Kerrigan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/49beb7/32.png) [@Kerrigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kerrigan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2008, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/58 "2008-07-09T06:29:57Z")
Two full days of successfully being back on the wagon. Staying within my points on WW (and my Flex points are ALLL gone from last weekend…), and major cardio workouts… Oh, and I went grocery shopping. My weeks usually go better after I actually put healthy food in the kitchen! The scale seems to agree that I’m doing well. I know I’m only supposed to weigh once a week, but, well, I don’t do that. And my weight’s down a little over a pound from last Friday. On the way home from the gym tonight, I was stuck at a red light and got to feeling around on my lower legs/calves. It seems that I don’t poke through layers of fat quite so long before I hit muscle these days. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/59 "2008-07-11T02:00:26Z")
I was really really bad this week. I gained 3.8 pounds. Bad Kat! _smacks self with a rolled up newspaper_ ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891/60 "2008-07-11T02:32:06Z")
**Kat** , didn’t you gain weight last month? If I may, sweetie, whatever you’re doing…it’s not having the effect you want. What _are_ you doing? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-weight-loss-club-july-2008/454891.md?page=4)