I’ve miraculously lost 1.5 pounds overnight! 
I’m just dehydrated, I’m sure, but it’s still nice to see.
Well, I’ve been lazy and I’m back up to the 145 I was at when I started SparkPeople a few months ago. I was so happy when the scale started juuuust dipping under the 140 mark, and then I blew it with Christmas cookies and laziness. Mostly laziness, because, as others have said, after tracking my intake on SparkPeople, I’ve sort of changed my diet and a lot of the bad foods just don’t tempt me. I actually crave soups and veggies.
Unfortunately, my exercise bike seems to have crapped out on me, so I’m short on options. Running is no good because I have bad joints, and I can’t really afford a gym membership. So… I’m walking and taking stairs where possible, and doing small weight/resistance band stuff in the living room, and I guess that will have to do until I can afford to get a new bike, or until it gets warm enough for me to take serious walks outside. I had a stability ball somewhere, maybe I can find it and start using it.
ETA: Ivylass, you look fabulous!!
Do we have a SDMB group on SparkPeople? Should we set one up?
I weighed myself at the gym this morning and was saddened to see that I have not lost anything in almost 2 weeks of South Beach. Now, I do know I am retaining lots of fluid due to TOM issues (you can’t drink 96 ounces of non-caffeinated beverages and not notice that you’re not getting a return on your investment, so to speak), but still. Makes me :(.
I am back tracking on Sparkpeople, though, to see where my issues lie. Time to be patient and persistent, I guess.
Hello all,
I’m only trying to lose about 7 lbs. I’ve been working out on the elliptical machine almost every day for 2 weeks and doing strength training twice a week.
I’ve been doing all this exercise as well as eating fewer calories a day. So far I’ve lost one pound in 2 weeks.
I just felt like venting:
Ohmigod, it’s such a slow process! And the elliptical machine is so boring! I’m going to get on that elliptical machine today after I finish writing this even though I don’t want to.
None of my friends are dieting or exercising, and most of them are overweight and don’t care. So when I have dinner with them, they bug me and say, “You don’t need to lose weight.” But that’s because they are overweight and weigh more than me so of course they don’t think I need to lose weight because in order to accept the fact that I’m making a good decision for myself would mean they have to acknowledge how fat and sedentary they are. It’s annoying. I understand why they do it, but it’s still annoying. One of my friends is over a hundred pounds overweight, and I’m sure to her it’s odd that I’m trying to lose weight since I’m only around 7 pounds overweight.
Phew! I’m done. Now I feel better. Got to hit that elliptical machine.
I usually read when I’m on the elliptical. And don’t worry about the weight loss…break out the tape measure. It’s possible with your strength training you’re adding muscle, which weighs more than fat but take up less room.
All you can do with the nay-sayers is smile and ignore them. If they’re not supportive, don’t share your goals with them.
Discodancer, one of the things that surprised me when I started dropping a lot of weight was that a significant number of overweight friends were very dismissive about it and spent a lot of time telling me that I wasn’t eating enough and that I was too thin. I could understand their discomfort because it’s always hard to see someone succeed where you are failing but I got a bit resentful and started thinking some less-than-charitable thoughts about jealousy and lack of motivation. Some work acquaintances became very distant once I hit my goal weight. On the other hand, my biggest cheerleader was 100 pounds overweight too. I know how crappy I felt about myself when I was that heavy so I try to be tolerant and understanding about it and I just ignore them when they make sneering remarks about how I’m obsessed with my weight.
I gained about 15 or 20 pounds back over the last 4 years and now I’m in that phase of having less than 10 pounds to lose too. It takes forever at this weight and age and it’s hard not to get frustrated when I remember the time when I could lose 2 pounds a week by eating twice what I do now. It’s still better than being at the beginning of the long haul and it takes a lot more strength and willpower to get going at first than it does for us, I think. At least it did for me.
Hi everyone,
I’m in a great mood because I followed ivylass over to SparkPeople and I’ve become an active member there. (I have points - I have gifts)
We now have a team within a group. SDMB on Sparkpeople. http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individual.asp
ivylass has consented to be our fearless team leader.
Come and join us. It’s fun AND it works. And it’s FREE!
I’m down 4.5 pounds since the beginning of the year. (I know that’s too fast, but I’m assuming a lot of this is the extra weight loss you get at the beginning of starting a new diet/exercise plan.) Am pleased.
Thanks, for the supportive words, Karyn and Ivylass. Losing even a little weight is tough. It’s probably going to take me until March or April to lose the weight.
I just finished working out on the elliptical machine, and I’m glad I did it.
Just a note to all of you beginners: Try to do different cardio for each workout. Your body (and mind) gets bored easily, and this can cause you to lose motivation but not weight. Try a different machine or different program on your machine of choice. Don’t just hit Quick Start and go for 20 minutes, put a bit of work into it.
I also really, really recommend doing High Intensity Interval Training (as previously mentioned). It’s as easy as 20 seconds on (on being HARD effort), 10 seconds off, over and over. I usually do at least 3 sets of eight minutes.
And ivylass, the word you’re looking for is ‘dense’. A pound is a pound, but a pound of muscle is more dense (and takes up less room) then fat.
Also a reminder for the more advanced folks: don’t do a high intensity exercise one day and try to follow it up with a big gym visit the next. Yesterday I did a 45 minute advanced bootcamp class and then taught a 45 minute spinning class right after. I went to the gym today with the intention of doing a 5 mile run and about 20 minutes into it, I just could NOT do it. I did weights and elliptical instead.
Don’t overtrain!
I can’t find the team/group whatever thingie on Spark.
Okay, I am back! I posted to these threads a while back, but had fallen “off the wagon,” so to speak. Actually that’s putting it mildly. Its more like, “I fell off the wagon, it rolled into a ravine and then burst into flames.”
Anyway, I am back to keeping track of calories! My husband and I made a resolution to only eat out twice a week, so that should help.
Current weight: 161.4
Next Goal: 155
Hi everyone!
FYI, everybody: Weight Watchers has re-named their plans.
The “new Momentum program” is the old points-counting program, with strong recommendations to eat from the old Core foods list (though it’s just a recommendation).
The new “Simply Filling” program is the old Core program.
At least, this is what I gleaned from a five-minute lookover.
Enjoy!
I signed up for the new group on Spark. It feels kind of good to get back there; I’ve been neglecting it for some time.
As was expected, I gained a couple of pounds over Christmas/New Year’s. I also had a sinus infection last week so that kept me out of the gym one day. I’m still below 165 though, so I’m not overly concerned. We’ll see how things shake out after that time of the month. I’m also starting back on weight training today after taking the month of December off.
ETA: I’m vsquist at Spark for anyone who would like to add me.
Try searching for SDMB in the Sparkteam Section under the Community dropdown menu.
I had a hard time searching for it, too. I just went to ivylass’s Spark page and followed the link from there.
I joined the new Spark team! I measured myself today and so far my total loss since one year ago is 30 pounds, at least 7 inches off my waist. I am now less than four pounds away from my goal weight of 150. I only wish my body were stronger and healthier at this point, but I’m still amazed and I know I can always get healthier moving forward.
The thing I love about this is that I’ve learned to get beyond the either/or mentality. Either I failed or I succeeded, either I won or lost, either I’m fat and unhealthy or skinny and healthy. The beauty is in the shades of grey, the feeling that no mistake dictates the ultimate outcome. I’ve made plenty of mistakes this year and had plenty of relapses, but I’m still making progress!
I just joined the sparkteam as well! I’m Two_Ravens over there. I couldn’t find it on the search either. I wonder if there is a problem.
45 minute row, 474 calories according to the machine, or 459 according to Spark.
Upper body, abs and obliques weight training. Just increased weights right before Xmas, and I’m still doing well there, even after taking almost two weeks off from the weights.
I am moderately grumbly that the rowing wiped me out, and yet still burned at least 50 fewer calories than the same time spent running. Sigh.
Also, not that I have the money, or will anytime soon, but I was down in the Lakeview neighborhood last night. The building that used to house my photography school was torn down and replaced with the Lakeview Athletic Club some years ago. And they have a climbing wall! And they don’t charge extra to use their equipment! And they’re actually close enough to my normal stomping grounds that I actually might go semi-regularly! I have a feeling I’d enjoy climbing a hell of a lot more than weight machines… I’d actually be doing something, instead of just repeating motions over and over.
Naturally they are not forthcoming on their website re: their membership fees (come in for a tour! and a hard-sell sales pitch). But hey, maybe that means I can talk them into a lower fee in exchange for a restricted membership, since the climbing wall is all I want.
Anyway, kind of a pipe dream at this point, but maybe in a year or so…
Rowing is one of the best workouts you can do. Good job!