# The 2006 Weight loss club

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 30, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789 "2005-12-30T23:04:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![roshia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6bbea6/32.png) [@roshia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roshia)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/101 "2006-01-06T13:27:28Z")

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So we check in with pounds lost on Fridays or Saturdays, right? I’m down by about four, but some of that’s probably water weight. Still, my clothes are fitting a little bit better, so yay for me.

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**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/102 "2006-01-06T13:45:36Z")

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What’s the protocol here on reporting more frequently, or on marginally weight-related issues?

For example, the other day (my first day on this thread) I made it w/o any intake past 8 p.m., which for me is pretty good. And yesterday I felt remarkably full after not eating very much, which again was unusual. I would have mentioned those things (and more) here, but I didn’t wanna turn this into mindless chirping about me, glorious me, either.

What do you all think of a daily or weekly report? In this thread? In a separate thread? Nowhere?

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/103 "2006-01-06T14:07:28Z")

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> [@pseudotriton ruber ruber](#):
>
> What’s the protocol here on reporting more frequently, or on marginally weight-related issues?
> 
> For example, the other day (my first day on this thread) I made it w/o any intake past 8 p.m., which for me is pretty good. And yesterday I felt remarkably full after not eating very much, which again was unusual. I would have mentioned those things (and more) here, but I didn’t wanna turn this into mindless chirping about me, glorious me, either.
> 
> What do you all think of a daily or weekly report? In this thread? In a separate thread? Nowhere?

I can’t speak for the others, but I think that anything that helps you make it is a good thing. If trumpeting your successes daily helps you, I say go for it. I \*have \*wondered though whether I should start a new thread each month, so that the threads don’t get too large.

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**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/104 "2006-01-06T14:22:22Z")

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A new thread on the 1st of each month might be a good idea - then new people won’t be put off by a 13 page thread and maybe they’ll join in

As for me, I thought about not reporting my actual weight and just saying “good week” or “bad”, but that just feeds into my denial. If I see the numbers in front of me, and you all see them, too, I can’t hide, I can’t pretend I weigh less than I do. Besides - I’ve come a long “weigh” in 2005 already. I consulted with a surgeon in Jan’05, a nutritionist in Apr’05 and had the band installed August 1st 2005. Since then I’ve lost some, and plateaued (that looks weird. is it “plateau’d”?) and lost and gained the same 3 pounds over and over because I was sloppy in my program.  
So now it’s January, and I will stick to plan. so here goes. the first number is my weight as of last January’05, since that’s when I started the journey, the middle number my current weight, and the last my current goal. As I get closer to it, I may move it further away.  
397 / 328 / 175

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/105 "2006-01-06T14:31:05Z")

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New thread each month seems like a good idea, for the reasons **anyrose** gave. As for what to post – whatever you want to share that helps you with your weight-loss experience. I’m not posting a lot, but I’m reading the thread regularly. I’ve been having an okay week – definitely cut back on my snacking, having fewer snacks and lots less sugar. I’ll weigh myself Sunday morning, but don’t expect dramatic effects, if any.

I’m going to continue to not post specific numbers, because I’m not comfortable doing so.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/106 "2006-01-06T17:22:44Z")

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I’ve been exercising and watching what I eat ince December 27. It’s been discouraging. Down a half-pound, down another half-pound, up a half-pound, down a half-pound… On Wednesday I had errands to run, so I didn’t exercise. And friends were coming over. The three of us ate a steak that weighed nearly 2½ pounds. And I had some cheesecake that had been in the freezer since the 30th, after one of my friends got it out. And I had a beer. Ouch.

I didn’t weigh myself yesterday, but I resumed my exercises after the single ‘day off’. And I got all Atkins-y an’ shite. Breakfast was two scrambled eggs with onions and a dash of Tapatio, and the bit of meat the size of my thumb that one of my friends had strangely left on the carving plate. About 1100 I had two cups of ham hocks and collard greens, leftovers from New Year’s Day. Mid afternoon I had ground beef with mayo. Dinner was a salmon filet with Very Very Teriyaki. Plus the usual two pots of tea in the morning and water throughout the day.

This morning I was down three pounds from a week and a half ago. _Finally_ I’m seeing results! I think I’ll stick with the Atkins regimen for a while. I lost 20 pounds on it a few years ago without exercise. I’ll continue the daily exercises, and increase them as my endurance increases.

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**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/107 "2006-01-06T18:44:28Z")

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> [@Helen's Eidolon](#):
>
> Actually, I absolutely adore juice. My boyfriend once accused me of loving apple juice more than him.

FYI: While I’m sure he’s lovely, I love apple juice more than I love your boyfriend. 😉

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**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/108 "2006-01-06T18:44:39Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> I’ve been exercising and watching what I eat ince December 27. It’s been discouraging. Down a half-pound, down another half-pound, up a half-pound, down a half-pound…

Long-term weight loss plans often produce results like this. In Weight Watchers, people lose weight the first 1-2 weeks, then mebbe gain .5, then plateau for a few weeks, etc. _Over time_, people who stick with the plan lose weight. A _lot_ of weight. But the key is sticking with the plan, and going back to it every single time you “go off” it.

I could spend some time listing all the advantages of Weight Watchers here, but you can also go to [the WW site](http://www.weightwatchers.com). So far, everything that WW has said has turned out to be true.

The bottom line is, I’ve lost 61 pounds since last March. People around me are amazed, truly. I’ve really never seen anything like it in my life. And

_I also have confidence that I can keep the weight off permanently._ Of course, that might mean staying on the program the rest of my life, but I can live with that. I’ve had other experiences in my life that have taught me that relying on some external help is worthwhile.

BTW, WW meetings are free to lifetime members. You become a lifetime member once you reach your goal weight and stay at it for 6 weeks.

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**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/109 "2006-01-06T18:47:42Z")

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I can not agree more with 633squadron. I started WW March 1/03 and by February '04 (it may actually be before that, but I got pregnant in February and stopped tracking my weight) had lost 70 pounds. That’s including about a month more or less off the program while I was home for a visit, and off for the Christmas holiday. I also exercised 3 times per week.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/110 "2006-01-06T19:32:08Z")

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Still only doing 30 sit-ups, 15 push-ups, 40 reps with the weights, ten minutes jogging, and five minutes cool-down (i.e., walking around). Total time including a respite before jogging: 30 minutes. Now it’s time to shave and shower, and get on the 2.5 km walk. I’ll have some meat when I get back.

Question about Atkins: Is it okay to eat broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc.? How about onions? I want to stay \<20g/day on the carbohydrates.

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**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/111 "2006-01-06T19:33:41Z")

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Count me in. I’m looking to lose about 25 pounds to look not fat, 40 or so pounds to be ideally healthy.

I think the biggest thing for me is that I need to have zero tolerance with my impulsive cravings. That “just one” will almost always lead to “just one more”, and every yummy food will _always_ be a “special treat”. I intend not to even begin down the path to temptation anymore.

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**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/112 "2006-01-06T19:52:51Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Question about Atkins: Is it okay to eat broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc.? How about onions? I want to stay \<20g/day on the carbohydrates.

Absolutely. Remember real butter, but avoid stuff like Cheez Whiz as toppings…

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**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/113 "2006-01-06T20:16:19Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Still only doing 30 sit-ups, 15 push-ups, 40 reps with the weights, ten minutes jogging, and five minutes cool-down (i.e., walking around). Total time including a respite before jogging: 30 minutes. Now it’s time to shave and shower, and get on the 2.5 km walk. I’ll have some meat when I get back.
> 
> Question about Atkins: Is it okay to eat broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc.? How about onions? I want to stay \<20g/day on the carbohydrates.

You really should read the book in order to follow the diet.

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**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/114 "2006-01-06T20:39:55Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Question about Atkins: Is it okay to eat broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc.? How about onions? I want to stay \<20g/day on the carbohydrates.

Yes, on the green veggies. The onions should be minimal because they have a higher sugar content. I ate tons of broccoli and green beans when I did Atkins. A drizzle of real butter and a sprinkle of salt and they were very tasty.

A big salad every day for lunch is good. Romaine, spinach, field greens or even iceberg lettuce.  
Add a chopped hard-cooked egg, some cheese (not too much; it’s high in fat), some sliced cucumbers, a few cherry tomatoes, and some chopped meat (like turkey or tuna) and it’s very filling. Kraft makes a line of low-carb & low-fat dressings called ‘Light Done Right’ that are very good. The Three-Cheese Ranch is my favorite.

As **GingeroftheNorth** said, read the book. And get a carb & calorie counter book. Both helped me a lot when I did it. Staying under 20 grams a day is really only for the first two weeks.

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/115 "2006-01-07T02:07:11Z")

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OK. I started at 240 and am down to 238. (Actually, I started at 330 two years ago, but I prefer to start here.)

I had a pretty good week, very little sweets. I started working out and have progressed to 10 minutes of stairs. My target is 25 minutes 5 days a week.

Today I was horrible. I had sweets all afternoon. Mostly because I was bored and depressed. No matter. Tomorrow I start right back in.

Congratulations on completing our first week! Way to go everyone. Good luck next week. 🙂

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/116 "2006-01-07T02:25:27Z")

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Fellow diet club members – do not go read my “Eureka” thread – I just rediscovered a kind of cookie I haven’t seen in 30 years. I’m trying not to get too nuts here – I did eat a regular dinner before I had any – but I did eat ten of them. (Hell, that’s one cookie for every three years since the last time I had any…)

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**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/117 "2006-01-08T01:58:07Z")

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Well, I did crap this week. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. I didn’t exercise once (other than the usual laundry, shopping & cleaning) and I paid zero attention to what I ate. I don’t know if I gained weight, lost weight or stayed the same because I never even weighed myself last week when you were all getting started.

Sigh.

I hope it’s not gonna be that sort of year… Anyway, I did weigh this morning, so I can be better this week. I weigh 139, so I have 14 lbs to lose. I didn’t exercise today and won’t tomorrow, but I will next week. And I wrote my points down today (Weight Watchers) and stayed within my allowance.

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**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/118 "2006-01-08T03:58:12Z")

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Well, I swam once this week, but with the new job and commute, I’m still trying to develop a routine. I spent most of today running errands and lugging around several large boxes of books, so I’m not without exercise.

I brownbagged brekkie and munch to the office, because there’s no pace to eat in the vicinity. That will probably be a good thing overall.

Weigh in for the week is 241; -97 since surgery in June, and 36 lbs from my surgeon’s goal…

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**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/119 "2006-01-08T05:30:13Z")

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I too did crap this week. Ate crap and exercised not at all.

I am bummed, but at the same time am starting anew on Monday with a fresh outlook and plan.

Wish me luck!

Anyone like me that feels they need more support is welcome to start an email back and forth with me.

I can always use the help and try to be encouraging!

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2006-weight-loss-club/337789/120 "2006-01-08T06:01:33Z")

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I didn’t feel like exercising today.

But I did anyway, and I’m glad.

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