SDMB Weight Loss Club, November

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

[QUOTE=Meyer6]
It is 45min long and seriously kicked my ass both times,
[/QUOTE]

OK, who introduced the phrase “kicked my ass” to this thread series? I think it was me, after the first time I tried the Turbo Jam weight training video.

The first time I tried it, it kicked my ass. I was weak and shaky for two days afterwards. My weak little girly arms were trembling for hours.

Last night I did it (and I never do the 40 minute exercises on weeknights), and it was no big deal. I feel fine this morning. I still couldn’t finish all of the bench presses, but I did more than I ever did. By next week I suspect I will do them all.

So what now? The recommended weight for women is 3-5 pounds, for men it’s 8-10. I’m on 10, and they’re getting sort of easy. Should I advance to 12? 15? What do I do with the old ones? Give them away?

Does anyone here want them? I’ll give them to you, if you are willing to pay for the shipping. That’s 20 pounds of pretty nice hand weights, which I paid $40 for.

Domestic shipping only.

102

I tried spinning once at the gym I used to belong to. What I remember is that the seats on those stationary bikes were very uncomfortable. Never did it again but congrats Meyer6 on going to class.

Congrats on your new size Kat. Don’t worry too much about the number on the scale.

tdn That’s so awesome. See, that’s why the scale isn’t moving but the belt is getting bigger. You are building strong, sexy muscles.

I walked to my neighborhood starbucks this morning. It involved crossing two very busy intersections but I pressed the button and waited for the crossing signal like a good little pedestrian. Even though it’s lighter in the morning I haven’t been able to motivate myself to do the 5 mile walk lately. The Starbucks trip is more like 3 miles and I get to sip coffee for the last part which is nice.

103

[QUOTE=velvetjones]
I tried spinning once at the gym I used to belong to. What I remember is that the seats on those stationary bikes were very uncomfortable. Never did it again but congrats Meyer6 on going to class.

[/QUOTE]

You do get used to it.
The first time I went to Spin class, I started to cry after 9 minutes. No joke. At that point, I was up to 9 miles for a long run, and 5 or 6 for an average run, and Spin made me cry. Now I go at least twice a week. But yeah, at first, ouchie in the hoohah.

Anyhow, I lurk on this thread a lot. I started Weight Watchers again 3 weeks ago, having gained some weight while unable to run (stress fracture). I have 15 pounds to lose.

Weight Watchers doesn’t give someone my size many points per day. I was struggling for a while, and actually gained weight at first, but am now down 2.5 pounds. My biggest success is that I haven’t given up.

Having a lot of weight to lose is so overwhelming that it’s difficult to start—the why bother feeling. Having a small amount of weight to lose is difficult because it’s easy to keep putting it off.

Heck. Losing weight is difficult.

Thanks and congrats to all on this road.

104

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven’t gotten around to thanking those who welcomed me back. Sometimes I sit down, ready to type, but just can’t get the words down on the screen. I do thank you from the bottom of my heart though.

I wanted to answer some of tdn’s questions:

[QUOTE=Tikki]
95 pounds and a year and a half ago it was a totally different story.
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=tdn]
I’m really interested in how people have reacted to that. Do you have any thin friends or family that you haven’t seen since before your journey? Any overweight ones?

How many have asked you for the Magic Pill?
[/QUOTE]

People have been very positive toward my weight loss. One overweight friend has said several times, “I wish I could do that.” I used to wish I could do the same thing but hitting bottom and getting off my butt and actually doing something about it is what got the pounds off. Alas, telling her that right now probably wouldn’t do any good; everyone has to get to that point in their own good time.

She and another, thinner friend feel that I’ve lost enough weight now and that I can stop. I find this a little bewildering since I’m only five feet tall and could lose even more weight than I plan to. They seem to think I’m going to waste away to nothing any minute now if I don’t watch out.

As for thin friends and family who haven’t seen me since before my journey, there will be some by Christmas who haven’t seen me for nearly a year. The owners of a place where I’ve occasionally worked in the past are friends of the family. They always have a big Christmas dinner for their employees and a few of their friends and though I haven’t worked for them in about a year and haven’t seen any of them since January, I’m most certainly invited this time. (Please let them pick a seafood restaurant and, believe me, I won’t be counting calories this one time!) It’s going to be fun seeing the looks on their and my sometimes-co-workers’ faces when they first see me. I’ll let you know what they say.

As for a Magic Pill, I’d have to tell folks there is none. The way to get started is to make a few small changes and when you start seeing positive results, make a few more. Soon those small changes will become habit and you’ll be on the road to a new you! It’s my opinion that trying to change everything overnight will probably set you up for failure and chances are that you’ll wind up heavier than you were before. Of course, YMMV if you’ve had surgery to help you lose weight.

Weighed in at 147.8 yesterday. I checked my BMI online today and am thrilled. Of course, I know online isn’t as accurate as one done by a doctor but according to it I’m now merely overweight rather than obese. Woohoo! I’m going to have to give up the hard wooden chair I usually sit in while I’m on the computer. The lack of natural padding is starting to make it uncomfortable.

[QUOTE=velvetjones]
Yeticus Rex Might I suggest that you could be getting at least an upper body workout without putting weight on your injured knee? Try sitting in a supportive chair (the barcalounger probably isn’t right for this) and doing arm circles and side and front arm raises and see how quickly you start breathing heavy. I remember an aerobics instructor telling me that I’d get a harder workout if I I used my arms more and she was right, it kicked my ass.
[/QUOTE]

Following up on velvet’s suggestion, I’d like to recommend Lilias Yoga. Lilias has had a show on PBS for years aimed at seniors or anyone with limited mobility. Most of her exercises are done sitting in a chair but you get a nice 20 minute workout nevertheless. If your local PBS station doesn’t have her on, you could order her videos or see if your library has them.

By the way, I still carry scars on my legs from the staph I got when I was a kid. I still remember how deep the holes seemed as I watched the nurse change my dressings. May you be fully healed soon!

105

[QUOTE=lorene]
My biggest success is that I haven’t given up.

Having a lot of weight to lose is so overwhelming that it’s difficult to start—the why bother feeling.
[/QUOTE]

I’m so glad you haven’t given up. Like they say, “One day at a time!”

I remember that “why bother?” feeling. I started imagining that eventually I would balloon up to 300 pounds and I’d be even more miserable than ever because how could I possibly get any of it off? It was too overwhelming and there’s just no way it’ll come off. Only there was a way and I finally got miserable enough to try it and it worked. If I’m not entirely successful one day, there’s always tomorrow.

I wish you luck on your journey to a new you. Don’t be such a lurker and keep us posted on your progress. :slight_smile:

106

[QUOTE=velvetjones]
I tried spinning once at the gym I used to belong to. What I remember is that the seats on those stationary bikes were very uncomfortable. Never did it again but congrats Meyer6 on going to class.

[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I think I’m going to keep going, but I have noticed that my bum and um, girly bits, are kind of tender. Hopefully that will get better!

107

I’m starting Week 6 of exercising 6 days a week. I haven’t missed a day yet. I’m feeling so much better–I played soccer with my kids yesterday and we had a great time. A month ago, I would have just refereed–or sat down on the deck steps and watched.

I finished my first week of no snacking after dinner. I handled that well, although the rest of my eating pretty much sucks. But after a month of no after-dinner snacking I’ll move on to dinner portioning. Small steps.

108

[QUOTE=Tikki]
As for a Magic Pill, I’d have to tell folks there is none.
[/QUOTE]

You probably didn’t see my post about it in last month’s thread – or maybe you did – but my point in it was when people see the changes in you, they ask you for the Magic Pill. When you tell them that there is none, it’s amazing to see their expressions change from hope to despair. They don’t want to hear about exercise. They don’t want to hear about eating responsibly. If you’ve got a bit of a cruel streak, it’s actually sort of fun to watch.

There’s a fun commercial on TV, probably locally only. It’s one of those medication commercials for a wonder pill. It will help you lose weight, feel great, look better, and live longer. The name of the medication is Exercisia, and it’s only available from their facility – which is a gym.

109

Agreed - the squeals of “HOW DID YOU DO IT?” fade pretty quickly when I respond “I quit eating crap, started eating better and exercising.”

110

My stock answer is pretty much “I ate less and moved more”.

Jesus. Who’d have thought Susan Powter had it right?

111

After about a month of consistent weighing (just about every time I stepped into the bathroom, really) and being dismayed at the needle that rarely wavered from 250, I was rather surprised to find it had jumped down to 245 almost overnight the other day. Sure, it popped back up to 250 after a nice big Sunday meal, but it quickly went back down. I’m apparently losing weight in 5 pound increments. Who knew? :smiley:

And I don’t think it’s the scale, because it does point at numbers other than multiples of 5 after a meal. I really need to get a new digital scale, though.

112

[QUOTE=tdn]
You probably didn’t see my post about it in last month’s thread…
[/QUOTE]

Yup, I didn’t. I was offline for over two months while my computer was in a coma. I haven’t gotten around to reading the posts from Sept. and Oct. now that I’m back.

But anyway, point taken. People want a quick, easy, painless fix and don’t like being reminded that there isn’t one. It takes work and dedication to get the pounds off.

113

258½, down 2 from last week and 29½ from seven weeks ago. I had no right to register any kind of a loss this week, I thought, as it was Mrs M’s big birthday bash at the weekend and I ate far too much rich food both at the party and snacking on leftovers the next day. I guess I must’ve gone the hard yards already during the preceding five days. Still walking, still hoping to shift another 6½ by month end.

114

So I think the last time I posted in one of these threads was back in April… of 2006. I’m back in, hi guys.

5’6" female, just weighed in at 243. I’ve been maintaining around 245 for around a year. At first I was giving myself a pass because I was finishing up nursing school, but I graduated last December. No more excuses.

My battle of the year has been to get into exercising regularly. I’ve lost weight in the past, and I know that once I do that, I start losing weight and then I start eating better. So here goes - I’ve done good cardio workouts 5 days a week for 2 weeks now, and a couple days ago I realized I hadn’t had any fast food in a week.

I think I’ve finally got my mind convinced that I AM going to exercise. Now I’m working on convincing my body that it IS going to take! :wink: Tonight I took some “fat pictures” of myself for future comparison. Hopefully I’ll be posting again soon with good news.

115

The hubby and I had a long weekend away, in which we celebrated my birthday (last Saturday) and our anniversary (last Sunday). That meant all meals eaten at restaurants, and I indulged in dessert (caramel cheesecake, YUM!) and cocktails.

As a result, I’m up one pound this morning from last Tuesday. I’ll give myself until next Tuesday to get it off!

116

[QUOTE=Tikki]
Yup, I didn’t. I was offline for over two months while my computer was in a coma. I haven’t gotten around to reading the posts from Sept. and Oct. now that I’m back.

But anyway, point taken. People want a quick, easy, painless fix and don’t like being reminded that there isn’t one. It takes work and dedication to get the pounds off.
[/QUOTE]

Here is a link to that post. It rambles a bit, but I’m kind of proud of it, mostly because it took me a long time to type it all out.

117

[QUOTE=tdn]
Here is a link to that post. It rambles a bit, but I’m kind of proud of it, mostly because it took me a long time to type it all out.
[/QUOTE]

And all the words of your “predictions” are true. The first question people ask about my 100+ lb loss is “How long did it take?”. I know they want an answer like 6 months or something ridiculous like that.

Then they want to hear that I woke up every day and zipped on the magic fat loss suit and took my magic fat loss pills. :smack:

They get such an UGH look when I tell them “you have to work for this”. I busted my ass for this weight loss, literally! I did double workouts sometimes. No one wants to go to the gym even once a day let alone work out a second time!

I now know that exercise is as important as breathing. It’s something I have to do to stay alive. And eating healthy foods. It is work but it’s surely better than some of the alternatives!

118

[QUOTE=norinew]
The hubby and I had a long weekend away, in which we celebrated my birthday (last Saturday) and our anniversary (last Sunday). That meant all meals eaten at restaurants, and I indulged in dessert (caramel cheesecake, YUM!) and cocktails.

As a result, I’m up one pound this morning from last Tuesday. I’ll give myself until next Tuesday to get it off!
[/QUOTE]

Happy Birthday!

This was my experience this weekend, too (the weight gain, that is). I also celebrated my birthday and my mom came to visit and cooked for us constantly. Unfortunately, family can often be the biggest roadblocks to success in weight loss. Though she knew I was trying to lose weight, she kept making high-calorie foods and pressuring me to eat. Sadly, I caved a couple of times. The result? One pound back. Conclusion? Do more mental preparation beforehand to resist temptation.

Ugh. It drives me nuts that my mom can be so supportive and enabling at the same time. She basically associates food with love - she shows love by cooking and I’m supposed to show it right back by eating and eating and eating. My husband is incredible, though - without him constantly cheering me on, I don’t know what I’d do.

119

Thanks, overlyverbose, right back atcha!

As for gaining a pound, sometimes it helps to just accept that during certain activities or whatever, you may gain a pound or two. It’s just temporary.

I’ve done really well today, sticking mostly to protein, and drinking lots of fluids. I plan to continue that for the rest of the week. By next Tuesday, I should have at least that pound off, and maybe it’ll take a friend or two with it! :wink:

120

Happy birthday, norinew and overlyverbose! Sounds like you both have great husbands to support you as you navigate the sometimes obstacle-strewn path of weight loss. Give them a big hug for me!

[QUOTE=tdn]
Here is a link to that post. It rambles a bit, but I’m kind of proud of it, mostly because it took me a long time to type it all out.
[/QUOTE]

Wow, tdn! That you did a great job with that! So insightful! I’m sorry that I didn’t go look that up myself. My excuse is that I nearly fainted at work yesterday and had posted not too long after getting back from the doctor, so I was somewhat distracted. The doc thought maybe I hadn’t gotten enough liguids in the past few days and was dehydrated. But my theory now is that it was Aunt Flo’s way of saying, “Oh hi. Don’t mind me. I’m just getting things ready for The Change is all.” Today I felt great, almost hyper at work. But don’t worry, should this happen again, it’s right off to the emergency room for some tests to see what’s up.

I’ve bookmarked your post so I can read it again from time to time. I don’t think it was rambling but sincere and quite well worded. One little thing I’d like comment on has to do with this:

[QUOTE=tdn]
Do you believe me so far? I guarantee all of my predictions. But here is the fifth and most astounding one: You will notice your friend’s expression change. Instantly. It will go from absolute enthused curiosity to absolute disappointment. The verbal response you will get? “Oh. Yuck.” She will instantaneously turn off before your eyes. You’ve become a let-down to her. You’ve gone from winner to loser in that very moment.
[/QUOTE]

I don’t think it’s because you’ve gone from winner to loser in her eyes but that for one brief, shining moment she had pictured herself as being a winner too. Then she realized that in order to be one, she’d have to take steps she isn’t yet ready take and let her own self down. But who knows? In talking to you, you may have planted a seed in her mind that will eventually help her make that commitment to lose weight and win after all!

I would like to announce that I am now joining those of you who have lost 100 pounds or more. I weighed in yesterday one hundred pounds lighter but wasn’t much in a mood to celebrate. Today, though, Woohoo! Only 25 more to go! With my Magic Pills, that should be a breeze. :wink: