The reason I started questioning my goal was because of an article on SparkPeople about how to select a goal weight. It said you are at your ideal weight when:
• Your weight isn’t causing (or putting you at risk for) any health problems
• Your weight doesn’t limit you from living the life you want
• You can accept your body as it is, without feeling uncomfortably self-conscious
• You can enjoy being in your own skin, without worrying too much about how you compare to others (or cultural ideals)
Those things are all pretty much true for me. I’ve gone from being a size 14 verging on 16 down to a size 8 or 10, depending on the brand. I’ve got a healthy BMI, and I’m in great shape. I want to be healthy, not skinny, and would rather be a buff size 10 than a “skinny fat” size 6. How I look at my body has changed and I’m having a bit of a hard time coming to grips with that and deciding what direction to take next.
I had been doing pretty well, but I’ve let the nibbles and tastes in. This happens every time I get close to goal and it gets difficult. Yesterday, I got a call at work that my son had an accident at daycare and needed 10 stitches in his head. Somehow, that made 8 Hershey’s Kisses seem like a reasonable choice, even though I know, "If hunger isn’t the problem, food isn’t the answer."
Today I am doing better. I need to re-energize my plan, though.
201, no change, still five down on the year though, still thinking optimistic thoughts about 175 this year. Still getting used to 34" waist being the comfy option when it was science fiction all through the 1980s and 1990s and all the more out of reach in the 00s.
I hope your son is okay, lorene. How did it happen?
Whoah, dude, I wasn’t posting that to try and bemoan anybody else’s program. Sorry it came across that way. To be fair, I’m just barely benching my weight, and am just barely at 150% of my weight on squats. I wrestled for a few years in high school, and have played rugby for about eight years now. I was in great shape in college, but I’ve definitely let myself slide.
I’m in decent shape now, but the muscle was already there from years of work. The next step is to try to get rid of my belly, which is ginormous, and the reason I posted my progress to this point. One step at a time, that’s my motto.
Up a pound yesterday, but it’s that time of the month so I won’t stress about it.
I think I need to start counting calories, though. I haven’t dropped in 6 months or so (w/o gaining back - and that was only 2 lbs). Last month the PMS munchies just never seemed to go away, and I’m not lifting as often.
Not very motivated right now.
Hello, everyone. I’m still plugging away–did my workout tonight after work. Three people at work told me they noticed a change in my, well, shape, I guess. About five and a bit pounds lost over January. To have it noticed is very encouraging.
Then I grabbed a notebook to write something in, and realised it was an old food diary from 2006 and I was 16 pounds lighter then–and miserable.
What’s the point? I thought. Look at me, trying then, yet again, and look where I am now. What’s the point?
Then I thought: the past is the past. You can’t go back and change it. You have to look forward and keep trying and never give up trying, whether it’s to lose weight, or anything else. There’s no point sitting in a puddle of self-pity and giving up.
So–onward with the future!
And back to the Sparkpeople website. I shan’t give up trying to figure it out, either!
My husband and I had a fight last night, and I cut a piece of the cake my daughter made for the Superbowl. I did eat about half of it, but then I realized I didn’t really want it. So I put it down. I’m doing a lot less eating to be eating.
I’m learning to do something else when I think I want food, AND I’m learning to stop eating when I’m not hungry. Learning the amount of food I need, and it’s a lot less than I used to think.
I made the goal I set for January, so I’ve reset for February. So far I have myself convinced that it doesn’t matter that even in the weight loss thread I’m the fat lady. I’m doing *something * and that’s what counts. I’ll get there.
Can you guys remind me I said this later, when I need it?
It was only jest Santo. I know you’re a bigger lad than me and you’ve had a longer/more consistent period of doing weights than me so would be amazed if I was in your weights category. Also, a rugby player I definitely am not. 
I’m very happy with my progress at the gym, as is my trainer. The level of activity I can do has increased very quickly and my physique has changed in quite a small amount of time, and I’m very pleased with that.
As of TODAY I am back to square one - the weight I was before I went to England for Christmas. While I was there I put on 2kg but it’s all gone now and I’m back to 70.4kg which is 9.2kg down, about 13kg to go to my goal. I am looking forward to getting to a round 10kg down, then halfway, then I’ll think of another mini-goal.
I’ve been doing my Leslie Sansone walking DVDs and a bit of cross country skiing with the kids at the weekends. I am also wearing a pedometer every day and am trying to add steps by NOT using the car, even though it’s snowy here. I am lucky because we have small shops, a bank and the post office within a few minutes walk so it’s not necessary to have the car to get most things done.
I am DETERMINED not to get derailed again.
Girlfriend, please. We’re *all *the fat lady here. You are NOT alone. And you didn’t finish the cake, realised why you were eating it, and made a change in your behaviour that’s a positive step towards better health and feeling good. And you made January’s goal! Internet high-five?!
Thirdwarning, ditto what Savannah said. There are lots of people here that lost over a hundred pounds, and some that need to, and some that need to lose just a bit but we can all be ‘the fat lady’ in our heads sometimes. Every step that you take counts toward progress, and in the end it will be your hard work and determination that you’re the most proud of and not your new body anyway. Look at it this way - just posting in this thread is a big step, especially since you can hide your weight issues online.
I found a baba ganoush recipe that tastes great (if you like spicy eggplant) and has only about 50-60 calories in a quarter cup. It’s perfect for dipping veggies in.
1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tahini
2 oz lemon juice
Directions
- Prick holes in the eggplant and roast for 40 - 60 minutes at 350 or until the egpplant collapses and feels soft.
- Scrape out the insides of the eggplant and put in food processor. Add other ingredient and blend. You can add any other spices that you like.
I’m going to log off and work out RIGHT NOW!
We’re all the fat lady, even if we’re men, or if others look at us and don’t see fat. We’re trying to lose weight, so we think there’s room for improvement; fat to lose.
I’ll remind you that I used to weight a whole person more than I do now. I felt the way you do. Now I’m almost to my lowest weight and I’m still in the mindset of “I’m doing something and that’s what counts”. Small steps, my dear. You will get there.
Thank you, all. Most of the time I’m feeling pretty good about the general progress. I had a quite unexpected personal crisis back in August, which has led to more growth and cleared up some issues that I didn’t even realize were there.* Not so strangely, I guess, mental and emotional healing has led to better physical well-being. I have a long way to go, but at least for now I don’t feel like it’s impossible. I have a mental image of myself as I want to be by the end of the year, but right now I’m setting monthly and even daily goals.
*Right around the time Broomstick had the trouble with her leg. That somehow makes my analogy for what happened in my mind and heart. Stuff I didn’t know was there.
Oh, good! It’s often hard to gauge tone of post, I’m glad I wasn’t inadvertently being an asshole.
Awesome, dude! That’s the best, IMHO. Seeing gains in ability makes it that much easier to gain the motivation to go in next time, for sure. It’s amazing the kind of progress one can make in the first three weeks, and in the first three months when starting an exercise regime. It’s also awesome when that progress doesn’t stop after that.
I just tried to PM you but you’ve run out of space in your inbox - stop being so damn popular!
Always remember: If in doubt then Illuminatiprimus is joking. 
I’m still slightly jealous that you can bench/squat/deadlift more than my entire bodyweight but there you have it. It sounds like I’ve got less excess to burn off so I’ll be using my six pack to its full potential before you. 
Hey now! Just because you can’t see my six pack doesn’t mean I’m not using it to its full potential!
PMs cleared.
Sometimes being jealous of someone is enough of a kick in the butt to get us moving. I know last year, seeing both my SILs lose weight made me 1)Feel bad about myself 2)See what I could do about it.
And here I am!
Dude, I can squat 40 whole pounds (that’s, um, 100% of my 6-year-old’s bodyweight) and am super impressed with myself. Then again, I’m a chick. But still. A month ago I couldn’t even squat with the damn bar, so this is progress.
Speaking of progress, I lost 4 pounds in the month of January. This is the slowest I’ve ever lost weight when following a weight-loss program, which actually I think is a good thing. I did initially lose 5 pounds very quickly in the first week, but then promptly “gained” it back when I started lifting. So I’m not counting that initial weight loss, as I am pretty sure I didn’t lose 5 pounds of fat in 3 days.
I am working on adding in exercise to my daily routine, as well as doing high-impact aerobics 3x/week and lifting 3x/week. I am feeling way better than I did at the beginning of January and am constantly trying not to feel frustrated that the weight is not coming off more quickly. I did recently start taking tape measurements of my waist and hips, and have lost an inch off my hips and half an inch off my waist in the last 1.5 weeks, so that’s a good thing.
Hanging in there. Happy I made it to February without quitting!
When you’re doing strength training, it’s best to put away the scale and break out the tape measure. Congrats on your progress!