After reading through some of the posts, can I make a recommendation to those who are following WW and eating at the bottom of their range? Don’t be afraid to eat at the top of your range! I’ve been doing this for two and a half years now, and you will lose just as well, if not better, if you eat at the top of your range, especially if you’re exercising - don’t be afraid to eat your activity points either. The first time I was doing this, I actually stopped losing at one point - I was eating at the bottom of my range and exercising a lot. Once I added those points back in, voila - my loss picked up greatly. You earned those points, EAT THEM!
That was me accidentally posting as punha. Believe me he’s nowhere near overweight (although he’s not tall and gangly either). It’s me that needs to do the losing.
After doing well last year, I let myself slide back into my old shape again. I had myself checked out at the sports club this month and got measured at 20% body fat, so my goal is to eventually get that down closer to 10%, and not worry so much about what my weight is (currently 185, which didn’t change at all last year, despite going from 25% fat to 12% and back again).
Since getting out of the office is pretty unpredictable, I’ve started getting up early and hitting the gym in the morning. I do some lifting, alternating between upper and lower body, then swim for an hour or so. I’m also trying to cut down on meats and fried foods, and eat more fruits, veggies and grains.
As an added incentive, the gym is giving away 100yen coupons for every 100g of fat you lose between February and April.
Well, at weigh in on Saturday I’d lost two pounds for the week–a good start. I’m just pleased that I’ve been able to pass on the tempting sweets in the staff room. I know how you feel, fizzestothetop, because I’m a food addict as well. I figure if I’m going to do this, it has to be something I can do for the rest of my life so it can’t be any funky diet–atkins sounds great, but I just can’t eat like that for the rest of my life. Right now I’m just writing down everything I eat and all the exercise I get to track what I do–putting it in writing has made me more careful about what I eat. I’m cutting back and trying to cut out the crap I was eating throughout the day.
Someone early on in the thread had mentioned the Body for Life book and I want to thank that person. I got the book from the library and it’s a really interesting program that I think I would be able to do long term so I’m going to look into it more.
You guys are keeping me focused and inspired–thanks!
Weigh-in day for me. Lost 3 pounds and I’m thrilled! I’ve been away from the computer for 3 days and I’ve enjoyed catching up with this thread. Keep up the good work everyone!
Norfolk & Way, lady! I’ve seen you. You must be hiding that weight in an alternate universe.
And I remember exactly how you looked in that black dress at Jonathan Chance’s Halloween party. If you were over 200 then, it goes to show that it’s possible for a woman to wiegh that much and look sizzlin’ hot!
A reasonable approach, IMHO.
Things are going well on the weight loss front here. I’m down to 186.5 (started at 194, goal 172), and I’m having to pull my belt in a notch from where it’s been. And most of my jeans are feeling a bit loose.
I’m finally starting to get some exercise in. Between yard work and a hike on the Billy Goat Trail with the MAD Outdoors Club, I had a busy and physically demanding weekend, but it felt real good to get outside and get active.
Well, I cheated mercilessly this weekend, and I’m chalking it up to the last of spring break… I don’t party, I snack;) Anyway, I’m holding off on weighing until next week, I think… I really had too much chocolate almond ice cream this weekend!:eek:
Well, a lot of it depends on how tall you are, and how much activity you get outside of the office. As a rough estimate, multiply your body weight by 12 (if you’re fairly sedentary), and that’s about how many calories you would need to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight, then you need to subtract about 500 calories a day from that. But, unless you’re under 5’2", you should never, ever go below 1,200 calories a day. You can compromise your metabolism and your health by doing so.
BTW, I’ve lost 3 more pounds, for a total of 33. Yay!
I think this is one of those ‘It all depends’ things, really. I’m near the opposite extreme: I weigh myself every morning before getting in the shower, and every evening when I get home from work and change out of my office clothes.
If the scale goes up (or down) a pound or two on one weighing, I’m only going to regard the change as provisional, but if the pound stays, or stays off, for a few consecutive weighings, then it’s probably a real gain or loss.
I think it helps me see what the effect of different foods is on my weight, and I can vary my weight accordingly. If a particular food seems to make a difference in the scale readings, not just once, but seemingly every time I eat it, then that’s worth paying attention to. So I can see that, in my case anyway, my bedtime snack of peanut butter straight from the jar is fine, but if I replace it with a bowl of cereal, I’ll regret it when I see the numbers.
Also, if I’m slacking off and not watching what I eat, the twice-daily weigh-ins don’t allow me to go a whole week with the thought in mind that I’m really doing fine, and then abruptly find I’ve gained five pounds.
So weighing in frequently but systematically works for me. Different strokes for different folks.
For two weekends in a row, we have not been able to avoid the “dinner out with friends”. It seems inevitably it is a restraunt that does not have anything I can safely eat without seriously compromising my diet.
Of course, on Monday the scale points out with cold, emotionless accuracy the results. Gained 3 pounds since Friday morning’s weight…
I hate weekends…
(By the way, I weigh myself daily in the a.m. prior to shower - I need to for the diet software we use as it calculates metabolism and daily caloric amount each day)
I did however do 1 of 2 sets of measurements today:
Lost 1 1/8 inches from my navel measurements
Lost 1/2 inch from my waist
Lost 3/4 inch from my pubic measurements (around my butt at the twig and berrys)
Gained a 1/2 inch in the biceps
For me, working nightshift is a real challenge, because the ER crew always orders out and I can’t stand being around all of that good-smellin’ food! I usually bring something though, but I still get jealous!
Yeah, it’s hard when the coworkers want Chinese. Or when the drug reps bring Olive Garden. Or when a patient brings donuts. I just hide in my office all day with my celery stix. And close the blinds to I don’t see that 7-11 in the parking lot.
Well, the scale on Sunday showed I lost 8 pounds, but after my snack session watching the Oscars, it’s probably less! 8 pounds in about 6 weeks, not as much as I hoped but at least I am losing - maybe the slower loss is easier to keep off. 18 more to go!
Well, I may not be weighing myself regularly, but this morning I got up and put on a suit for an interview (yes, I should have tried it on earlier, but it worked out ok) and this sucker is loose - particularly the pants portion of it.
It made me feel good going into the interview, and helps keep me motivated. My jeans are looser as well, even just out of the drier.
