Has anyone else heard about the Discovery Health Channel fitness challenge? Here are the details. I’m going to sign up for it. I’ve been wanting to try out Bally’s for when my Curves membership runs out in March, and this will be perfect. Yay!
Here’s an idea:
Everyone go take your measurements. Measure everything: thighs, calves, ankles, wrists, forearms, upper arms, neck, midriff, chest, waist, and hips. If you’re a woman also measure directly underneath your boobs and directly over them (just under your arms).
In a year’s time you’ll want to know how many inches you’ve lost since today.
If you can, go take a picture of yourself as well. I have a TERRIBLE pic of me taken Memorial Day weekend, about a month after I started working out, and I’m amazed at the difference!
So, I ate a ridiculous amount last week when I was on vacation. I got on the scale this morning… and I’m only one pound lighter than when I started getting serious about weight loss, 1 year ago today.
I am consequently feeling disgusting. In any case, maybe that’ll give me more motivation.
160 or 154 depending on when you start from/153/120-ish
My plans for the new year:
- Reach my 10%, 139, by April 1
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Eat more protein
- By doing 2 and 3, eat less carbs (currently they make up just about all of what I eat)
LaurAnge, when I started my lower-carb eating plan, this is what I did: I created a Word document in which I listed ideas for: Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners and Snacks. I did at least 6 of each. When your primary diet staple is simple carbs (as mine was), it doesn’t always work to say “I’m gonna eat more fruits, veggies, whole grains and protein, and none of that other junk”, because then you’re left standing in the kitchen at meal time, saying, “well, what am I going to eat?” Planning ahead of time made it a lot easier for me, and I’m convinced that it’s one of the reasons I’ve been able to stick with it!
Disclaimer: I am not the “weight-loss police” or anything. But sometimes what works for one of us will work for someone else as well, so I’m just throwing in my 2 cents.
Morning, you all. The new year has greeted me with atypical snowfall, and a good deal of it, so I’ve been able to get some anaerobic exercise today. (And yes, I bent at the knees, paused frequently, drank water, and generally wasn’t macho.) In addition to the shoveling, I got to help saw up the absent neighbor’s tree, which had fallen into the street.
LaurAnge, niblet_head, OneYogini, liirogue et al.: Glad to see you here. Maybe we should make a community agreement to try to post when we’re not doing well so that we can support each other.
I highly recommend the DietPower software, which tracks exercise as well as food, adjusts as it learns your metabolism, has easy Help entries, and can be set to reflect some of your specific goals (e.g., X grams of sugar/day, X micrograms of calcium/day, etc. It doesn’t account for sugar alcohols well, but I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out how to put in incorrect numbers for correct results.
New Year’s dinner (eaten without guests, as we’re snowed in):
roasted pork loin (marinate: lemon juice, ginger wine, garlic, aji mirin, low-sodium soy sauce, herbes de Provence, pepper): 4.5 oz
roasted chestnuts: 10 nuts
warm pear dressing (.5 chopped pear, 3 chopped dried apricots, 1/4 c. red wine)
ginger-orange tea
1/2 c. Atkins Endulge ice cream (3 net carbs, but for my money, Dreyer’s low carb is better)
It’s a little high on the glycemic load, but there will be composed salad (and more pork) later today.
My scale (it’s electronic) started reporting my weight in stones/pounds. I’m not sure why - but there it is. In a way, it’s nice to see a nice 2 digit number there…sadly, I can multiply by 14 in my head really quickly. So, I’m 1 stone 5 pounds above where I want to be.
I turn 30 in 11 weeks. I think I can make it down by then. For the next few days, I’m just going to work on writing down what I eat. I bought a nice notebook in which to record it.
I have to figure out exercise. I need goals, there…the one I have isn’t until mid july, and it’s several months out to start training for it.
This morning, I did a 5k. I want to be faster next year.
Has anyone looked at the thread I started here about the Discovery Health Channel challenge? Looks like it’ll be fun, and I’m up for it. Anyone else? Free guest membership to Bally’s.
Could you share some of those ideas? (Esp. lunch and dinner) I often end up thinking exactly that - and then I default to cheese.
Can I get in on this? It’s a new year and I’m determined to do it right!
Start (@ 7/03): 220
Current: 170
Goal: 120
I’m halfway there. I feel like a year should be enough time to finish this thing once and for all. My tricks so far have been NO carbs, NO dairy, and NO candy. If I need to eat something, it’s protein or fruits/veggies. Also, for snacks, I’ve become addicted to Quaker popcorn cakes instead of chips- only 35 cal. each and oh so tasty. And plenty of water or diet soda- no juice or anything with sugar.
Since I would usually overeat at night, I’ve worked that into my schedule- so I eat very small/light meals during the day, when I’m not as hungry, and then a meal around 10pm- that way, I’m eating healthy and PLANNED calories at night, when otherwise I would be eating crap. And then, after a meal, I’m not so apt to eat junk b/c of a full stomach. It’s my saving grace.
Just a suggestion on the taking measurements idea: Use the “Centimetre” side of the tape.
- The increments are smaller, you’ll see numbers go down faster
- A lot of “ideal” measurements are in inches (get your mind out of the gutter!
) - Like the 24" waist or 34"-24"-34" “perfect” figure. Don’t try to convert the centimetres to inches and you won’t end up comparing yourself to what you think you should be. I know that sounds insane but it’s worked for me!
I also like to treat things like a science project. Line graphs recording weight lost, inches lost, length of time it takes to swim 1km, etc are easy to make in Excel. I feel like the Bionic Woman in R&D stages when I have fancy computer printouts! 
And since I’m here… 168/166/125
amarinth, I will email you some of my more common lunch/dinner menus. I have no problem with posting it here, but I’ve a feeling there’s a high ratio of participants to whom they would not apply. Expect an email later today.
I want to join, too. I’ve been doing Atkins since last Spring. I really needed to lose weight, and also needed to cut refined sugar out of my diet on the advice of my neurologist, because of severe migraines.
I know Atkins takes a lot of bashing on the board, but I’ve had great success with it. I feel great; better than I have in years. My migraines have practically gone away (also with the help of a daily drug), and I have more energy and feel wonderful.
I don’t drink soda, or eat any root veggies (they’re high in carbs). I have to really watch my sugar intake - my neurologist has decided I have a bad reaction to it. If I indulge and eat something with a lot of sugar, I can tell within an couple of hours. I get a headache and feel sick.
We were on vacation between Christmas and New Year’s, and I ate like a pig, but I only gained 2 pounds. I weighed myself the day we left, and then again the day I came back. I was terrified that I was going to have gained more than that.
I also got an exercise bike, one that is a recumbent type. I can sit back rather than lean forward. I love it. I can read a book and pedal for a long time.
I bought a bunch of new pants. That was great. Two pairs were 16s and two pairs were 14s. I also bought regular jeans for the first time in years. And they actually look pretty good.
Since everyone else is doing it … 250/198/140.
I would appreciate it if you could email it to me, too, or post it. Thanks!
I still have to make regular dinners for my husband and kids, and it’s sometimes hard to come up with fresh ideas for just me.
240/205/150 (I’m 5’5" BTW)
I’ve lost the 35 on Atkins (like some others, I do eat fruit). I have tried just about everything, and it’s the only one that works. I went off around Thanksgiving, and I gained around 10 pounds (at one point I was 195). New year, new start.
Happy weight loss, everyone!
BiblioCat, I don’t mind emailing you as well, but I don’t know how Atkins appropriate my ideas will be, because I do use whole grain pasta, flour, etc. This stuff is off the menu for Atkins. I do use some low-carb recipes from a book that a friend gave me. The book is “500 Low-Carb Recipes” by Dana Carpender. It’s a great book, and it’s not real pricey on Amazon. You might want to look into it.
Wow, look at all of the successes-so-far! Keep it up, guys!
My bloat is gone, and I’m down to 197 this morning. That puts me at 59 pounds down. Wish me resolve - the Ukranian step-mom will be here in a couple of hours, and will probably make me perogi and cabbage rolls.
Like zev I’m in the maintenance mode of things. And like him, I’m about 5 pounds over my goal. (ugh, December was rough)
So I’m using the new year mentality to get myself back on track, and get myself back UNDER my goal. Thankfully I spent the past 2 days with my dad and his wife - my dad made WW Lifetime in August, and his wife will (hopefully) become a Lifetime member when they weigh in at their meeting this morning. So I’m feeling a little bit re-energized.
<b>norine</b>, that does sound like a good idea. However, I’m not trying to cut out carbs, or even eat low-carb. It’s just that currently carbs have to be about 95% of my calories in a day. I want it to get down to maybe 50-70% or something. Sugar and starchy foods are definitely my weakness.
Ok, I’m going to post here to help give me some motivation.
I’m training for a marathon (March 7 in LA; I do a 12-mile long run on Sunday (woohoo!)). I am also still unable to fit into most of my clothes (I gained 10 pounds when I switched birth control pills in June). Even with all the exercise I’ve been doing, I haven’t lost the BCP weight. Well, I lost some, and then I went to my mom’s house for Christmas and ate way more than I usually do. Damn holidays.
Anyhow, the cookies and other junk in my house are gone now, and I have resolved that my jeans WILL fit. I can’t really diet because I need the energy for running. What I can do is cut out the junk (no crackers, no candy, no cookies, no fudge, no more holiday goodies). I already eat as much whole-grain as possible (whole wheat breads, pasta, tortillas and wild rice), and I can’t cut out things like juice/gatorade because my muscles need the simple carbs for recovery. But I WILL fit into my clothes again. My goal is to do it by the marathon, so I have 2 months to lose that last 7 or so pounds sitting on my hips and thighs.
142/142/135, medium frame and 5’6. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot to most of you guys, but for me, these pounds are really hard to lose. Before the pill switch I’d been 135 for about 2 years and I think I look good there. I don’t need to go any lower than that (pictures of me at 120-130 I look too thin). The biggest temptation for me will be work. I get so much free food and snacks at work (the consultants are always bringing stuff in). I already drink 2-3 liters of water at work every day, and I have to tell myself every time there’s something yummy at the front desk, I’m going to drink my water instead. I think I’ll also start bringing carrots and celery or an orange for a mid-morning snack, rather than raiding the candy jar. No need for those empty calories when I need all my calories to be fueling my runs.
I can do this!
So is it actually a FREE 90 day membership just for going to the store and getting weighed, no catches???