If you’re losing weight, thinking about losing weight, already lost a bunch of weight, or just want to be supportive, check in!
I’ve taken up running, via the Couch to 5K program, and it’s really kick-started my weight loss efforts. I’ve lost 10 pounds since starting, which is about 1/6 of what I need to lose to get to my goal. People are starting to notice that I look different, which is really gratifying.
I will put in a plug for SparkPeople, which is a (totally free) site that lets you track fitness and calories and discuss with other people, etc. It’s been very helpful and motivational for me. We have an SDMB group there.
I mentioned elsewhere that I saw the doc on June 2 and he and his nurse both made a lot of noise about how much weight I had lost. Then he told me to lose 20 more.
So far, since then I’ve lost 14. I did it by counting calories. I got a scale and weigh all my food and keep a spreadsheet.
I suspect that for the next 3 week I will stop losing. A coworker is coming in from the UK and there will be some social eating and some stress eating, no doubt. If I can get through it without gaining in the next 3 weeks I’ll call it a win. Then when he leaves I’ll go back to trying to lose.
I’m still maintaining (yay me!) and we have an SDMB team over at Sparkpeople, with about 30 or so members. I fully credit Sparkpeople with my weight loss. I always knew that Eat Less + Exercise More = Weight Loss, but I never had a way to quantify that before I found Sparkpeople.
Oh, and from reading MsWhatsit’s blogs over there, she is kicking some serious running ass!
I just joined both sparkpeople and the SDMB group. We’ve just begun a fitness initiative at work: I’ve now lost 5 pounds just with improving my diet and exercising. I’ve got a whole lot left to go (200+) but I can do it. I’ve been walking and hitting the treadmill and Bowflex at work, and doing Dance Dance Revoluition and Richard Simmons Sweatin’ to the Oldies workouts at home.
I had a big scare a few weeks back: I did a blood test and found out my blood glucose was elevated. Now, I’ve never had a BG above 120 before, so this scared the crap out of me. As you guys know, our daughter has type 1 diabetes and my husband just got diagnosed with type 2 in January. I immediately gave up Coca-Cola, and my BG has returned to normal. I had gestational diabetes with our daughter, and that’s the only other time it has been elevated. Then the fitness initiative started at work, and I immediately jumped on board.
It’s been a real rough few months for me. I’ve been suffering through a major depression, and the only thing I cared about was my family. That is now lifting, thank God. But I have a long way to go.
Welcome, Juliana! I had severe postpartum depression after my third baby, and I know how that feels. I went on antidepressants for about 9 months after the delivery, and am now off of them, but I will say that starting a regular exercise program has had some noticeable mood-lifting effects for me. I hope it does the same for you.
I’m also a type 2 diabetic, so I feel you on that one, too. My blood sugar has improved overall since I started running, although weirdly it is often quite elevated immediately after a run. I say weirdly because back when I was pregnant, I would find that brisk exercise usually dropped my blood sugar. But now it’s having the opposite effect. Weird. My fasting glucose has dropped quite a bit, though.
I have found personally that if I can stick with a program for about 4-6 weeks, then it becomes habitual and is a lot easier for me to continue. So my advice is, tell yourself that no matter what, you won’t go off the program before (set arbitrary time limit here). Then when you get there, set another time limit. This worked for me, anyway. And of course SparkPeople is a huge help. It really helped me see clearly how important the dietary part of weight loss is, when I realized that walking for two hours burns off like… half a large-size bagel. Easier to just not eat the damn bagel in the first place. I now laugh grimly when I hear other people say things like, “Oh, I had an extra two cookies at lunch, I’ll just walk it off on the treadmill later.” Yeah, bud, I hope you have a lot of time to spare, because you’re going to be on that treadmill until the gym closes.
Sorry for the digression, there. Like I said: Welcome!
Juliana, a journey of 200 pounds starts with the first one, so you are on your way! It will help you immeasurably with your emotional health as well as your physical health if you do lose weight. Well, if you are like me that is. I like myself better, I have more energy and don’t wake up tired, which affects my attitude and reactions to things during the day, and of course there is less of that “fat-ist” attitude to be encountered in public, too. Good all round!
It seems to take a while for self image to catch up with actual image though. I’m still surprised when I look in a mirror.
Since last October I have lost 40 lbs and there’s between another 10 and 20 to go. I’m not aiming at super skinny, just healthy and able to move without creaking.
I do it by counting calories (I use The Daily Plate) and trying to up my exercise though that has taken a nosedive recently because I’ve gotten too busy again. I’m heading into the summer holidays and am hoping to have more time to move for the next month. Another week to go!
I joined Weight Watchers in April and have lost 25+ pounds. I had some bloat gain last week, but the scale has really dropped since, and weigh-in is Tuesday, so I may even be close to 30 pounds lost. If so, I’ll be at my lowest weight since 2006, the last time I lost a substantial amount of weight. I’ll also have crossed over into the “overweight” BMI class from “obese.” (A bit weird to think, “Yay, I’m overweight!”)
I’ve been “shopping in my closet” and wearing clothes that haven’t seen the light of day in years. (Channeling Bette Midler from The First Wives Club: “It’s better than new – it’s old!”) My former “so-tight-I-can’t-even-get-them-on jeans” are now slightly loose. I’m going to have to go shopping in the fall for SMALLER JEANS! At my fattest I was wearing size 20-22 in tops and 24 in bottoms; now I’m wearing size 18 in tops and 18-20 in jeans, and today I tried on a dress that I wore to a wedding 10 years ago, and with shapewear I think I could pull it off. It’s a size 16. And people are commenting that I look thinner.
I still have about 50 pounds to go (about 40 to reach my WW goal, but I’d like to hang 5-10 pounds below that), and it’ll be a while before I lose the pudge in the tummy, which is my worst figure flaw (I could live with the huge ass, even, if I didn’t have the gut). With luck, I’ll be there by Christmas.
This is just so awesome! My 19th wedding anniversary is this week, and I think I’m gonna wear that little black size 16 dress to dinner.
Welcome, Juliana! If you do nothing else over at Sparkpeople, use the Nutrition Tracker to log your food every day. There’s a lot of resources and information, so it can be a bit overwhelming. Go slow…you can do it!! Also, set up a SparkPage when you can so we can friend you.
I’ve been dieting in accordance with my doctor’s advice for three days and I’m already depressed about it. I cannot imagine avoiding the food I love like this forever. I have to do this for my wife’s sake, my daughter’s sake and most of all my own sake, but I’m hungry and miss the foods I like.
How this is going to work, I don’t really understand.
Are there actually foods that you’re forbidden to have, ever? The thing I love about Weight Watchers is that it’s true, nothing is forbidden. You just can’t have mass quantities of rich things every day. You can save up your weekly points to splurge on something sinful now and then. I had a small dish of chocolate mousse (12 points, or half my daily allotment) at my class reunion yesterday – because I had saved this week’s extra points for that event and eaten conservatively the rest of the week. You can also eat more if you get more active, by earning points for each physical activity you do.
You’re doomed to fail if your “diet” is not something you can be happy with over the long haul. One of the WW “rules” is, “Don’t eat anything you don’t like.” Sure, you have to work on enjoying lighter and healthier foods, but you don’t have to eat fat-free everything (yuck!) all the time. Lighter choices where you can make them, smaller portions (often just a taste is enough to satisfy), and less of the richer things. But you shouldn’t be hungry all the time; you need to eat more filling foods then: veggies, fruits, whole grains, skim dairy products, lean protein. I’m sure you know the drill.
Over the last three months, I’ve adjusted to my change in eating habits, and some days I even have trouble eating all of my points (we’re not supposed to skimp!).
I’ve lost 30 pounds this year. I am very happy with this; I am unsure how much more I need to lose. It was a combination of walking, eating less, making healthier choices, and a positive mindset. It is really that simple, apparently.
But ever since I discovered my progress I have begun eating more junk, as if my subconscious mind does not like me losing weight. I am trying to regain control; I am hopeful that I will.
I agree with Scarlett. RickJay, it sounds like the program you’re on is doomed to failure, frankly. I mean, I am basing this just on the way you yourself are talking about it, but any program that makes you feel depressed or like your life is changing permanently in a bad way, does not sound sustainable to me. Have you tried something like Weight Watchers or a support program? I am currently eating between 1300 and 1700 calories per day, exercising, an have lost 10 pounds in the last 7 weeks, and I feel that I am currently eating better than I have ever eaten in my life. I have cut out a lot of the buttery, greasy foods I used to eat, but I’ve replaced them with other foods that I love just as much. I made a turkey chili with beer the other day that was TO DIE FOR even though it was lo-cal. I would make this recipe whether I was dieting or not.
You have to find good foods that you love to eat that fit into your dietary plan, whatever it is. Whatever you do has to be sustainable, permanently.
That being said, I really do feel like the first couple weeks of any program are the hardest. If you can get through that, then you’re on the way to forming a new habit, and oftentimes after the first couple of weeks, your cravings and feelings of deprivation subside. At least that has been my experience.
otherdreams and Scarlett, congrats on the weight loss!
I am currently looking forward to hitting 197 pounds, which will mark 25% of the way to my goal. I was 200 on the scale this morning, so I’m hoping it will be in the next couple of weeks.
I’m not going to second guess your doctor, but I lost weight while eating pizza, hamburger, potato chips, and all the other so-called “bad” foods.* What helped me immensely was portion control. Instead of dumping the bag of chips onto my plate I weigh out one ounce. I have only two slices of pizza and have a good big salad on the side. Sparkpeople says it’s not a diet, but a lifestyle change. Diet implies you do it for awhile until you lose weight, and then stop. Guess what happens when you stop?
*That wasn’t all I ate, but I didn’t give up anything.
I was always a thick-crust pizza person. But the points are outrageous. I’ve learned to eat thin-crust pizza (with veggie toppings) because guess what? This way I can still have pizza. Like ivylass does: a slice or two with a big salad.
I also love cheese and crackers. It used to be some rich sort of snack crackers and a tub of cheese spread. Now I have 10 sesame rice crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow light cheese. Turns out that this is just as satisfying because all I really wanted is something crunchy and something cheesy to spread on it. 2.5 points, doesn’t break my bank.
And you have to experiment with “light” products. Some are fine, and some truly suck. Light Boursin cheese? Yucko. Skinny Cow mint ice cream sandwiches? They’re the bomb, and only 2 points. I have one almost every day. If you can find Arnold Sandwich Thins, they’re awesome. They’re like a thin bun, come in multigrain and whole wheat, and have a nice texture. 1 point each, instead of 4 points or more for two slices of regular bread or a regular sandwich bun. And you really only need something to put your sandwich filling on, right? Why blow all those calories on just the bread?
I love “real” bread too. We get those parbaked baguettes, two in a pack. We bake them ourselves at home, and 1/4 loaf is 3 points, and 1/2 loaf is 5. Add a 1-pt WW cream cheese serving, a point or two of my favorite smoked salmon spread, and a 4-oz. glass of wine (1.5 points), and I’ve got a decadent evening snack for 9 or 10 points. A bit of a splurge, but if I budget for it by eating lots of low-point veggies during the day, and maybe going for a walk, or using my weekly points, I can afford it. No deprivation necessary.
I started cooking some WW recipes here and there, and they’re actually a lot like what we’d already been eating. The main thing is watching your ingredients, and portion control. I often add extra veggie ingredients to up the portion size for no extra points: asparagus, tomatoes, or zucchini in a stir-fry, a bag of baby spinach in a pasta sauce, etc. All essentially “freebies,” 0 points.
I’ll be interested to hear more about RickJay’s new “diet.”
Food scales are a HUGE help. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one to do the job, either. We’ve gotten used to using a food scale because of our daughter: we have to weigh, count and measure everything she eats because her insulin intake is based on her carb counts. We don’t put a lot of restrictions on her, but we do try to make sure that 95% of her carb intake is a healthy carb intake.
RickJay, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about you. If you’re already depressed about your diet, something is wrong. Life is not all sacrifice: there has to be some enjoyment to it. Can you go to anyone for a second opinion?
I heard on some TV documentary that the two biggest (legal) pleasure triggers for humans are sex and food. (Now I remember, it was a story on meth, and the reason it’s so addictive so quickly is that it overloads the pleasure center in the brain, much more than food or sex.)
RickJay, please let your doctor know you are not happy with this “diet” and ask him if there are alternatives you can explore. Now, I understand if you’re gluten sensitive you have to avoid bread, is that the case here?
I read The End to Overeating, and that has helped me think about food like I think about cigarettes. (Which I quit two years ago and accept that I can never have just one.) I’m thinking in terms of food rehab, and finding a way to eat that I can sustain over a lifetime.
I’ve lost 6 lbs in three weeks. I’m focusing on getting at least 25 grams of fiber per day and avoiding processed food. I don’t eat food I don’t like. I have to like it and it has to be within the parameters I’ve set. Subway veggie sandwiches are my fall-back lunch. An ounce of pistachios with an ounce of dried cherries is a great snack and I find I’m not hungry for, like, two hours after. I have to force myself to go to lunch.
Weight Watchers doesn’t work for me. It’s my personal perception of starting with points and then getting them taken away all day long. I know, but I can’t get past it. It seems to work better for me to add UP to 25 grams of fiber a day.
I’m using SparkPeople, too, and will join the SDMB group.
I’d love to get down to 128, but I’ll be happy at 140. Right now I’m at 193.
niblet_head, I think you have a really good philosophy. I have started many diets in the past where I was able to maintain the diet and the weight loss for about two months, but then the feeling of restrictiveness and of not ever being able to eat enough, or eat what I wanted, would wear me down and I’d give in and binge and never really get back on the program again.
This time around, what I am doing is sustainable. I am eating good food. I am eating it in quantities that are sufficient to satisfy me. I am just eating less of it, and I have made substitutions. I decided that I don’t care about butter that much, so I’ve switched to olive oil, and I’m using way less olive oil than I used to. I count calories, and I just make sure that whatever I eat fits into my target range for the day. Once I realized that eating a huge plate full of lean meat, brown rice, a little pan sauce, and a ton of vegetables was about the same caloric load as a tiny portion of meatloaf? It makes healthy dinner planning a lot easier. And anyway, we still have meatloaf, and it’s good meatloaf too, but we substitute ground turkey for ground beef, and I am careful about portion sizes.
I have found that I don’t even want to indulge myself with high-carb treats anymore, even though I could work them into my daily calorie plan if I wanted to, because I know that when I eat something with a lot of processed carbohydrate in it, it gives me gigantic carb cravings for hours afterward. It’s easier for me to just avoid that stuff entirely. I am finding that I feel so good from exercise and healthy eating that I don’t even miss it that much. It might be related to me being diabetic, but eating a bunch of carbs at one time makes me feel foggy and lethargic, like my brain isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. I feel more clear-headed these days.
One last note after that giant brain dump, the scale this morning read 197.5, which means I have reached the 25% mark on my way to my goal weight. I will now allow myself a small: Woot.