Congrats on all these wonderful weight loss stories. I wish I could lose weight. I get so incredibly frustrated to hear stories like a friend who recently lost 35 lbs that he’d put on when his wife started eating more for her pregnancy. He started walking about three miles a day and watching what he ate.
I wanted to pull my hair out. Three miles a day? That’s it?! Sheesh. I get 6 HOURS of exercise a week. SIX FREAKIN’ HOURS of exercise, and all I’ve done for the last six years is get bigger. I have all these nice beautiful muscles I can’t see (except in my legs and butt; I have little fat on my legs or butt). I think I even have ab muscles, but I have no idea because all my damn weight is centered around my middle, which is an absolutely wonderful place to have extra weight if you’re a woman. You should try it sometime.
Being an simple-minded optimist, I decided to give it one more go before I try a pay system to lose weight (probably WW). I decided to forego sweets on every day of the week except Sunday (call it the year round Lent diet). No cookies, candy (except breath mints), ice cream, cake, pie, etc. When I want something sweet, I eat a piece of fruit, or maybe something not so healthy like a cereal bar or Pop Tart. I try not to do that too often, though, and just stick to the fruit. It’s been two weeks now, and I enjoyed a single-dip sundae one Sunday and some chocolates and two single-serving packs of mini Chips Ahoy last Sunday. I even avoided the sweet snacks during our all day D&D session this Saturday. No small feat, I’m tellin’ ya.
I can’t tell if it’s working or not, but I like to think it is. It’s just not fair to hear of these stories of people who drop weight so easily because they just started taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or some such nonsense as that. I’m healthy, dammit. So why can’t I also be thin?
I lost fifty pounds last year when I changed my diet. I didn’t even know I’d lost the first twenty.
What helped the most was that I had to change my whole attitude. It’s not about the weight anymore, it’s about my health and well-being, and that’s sufficient incentive to be a good girl. If I want junk food, I will eat it in small amounts. If I can find an acceptable substitute that’s healthier (like yogurt for ice cream), I’ll do it. Since being pregnant, I’ve learned to reach for fruit instead of candy, and I’ve been much better off for it.
The biggest benefit of losing all that weight was that I got healthy enough to get pregnant and have Aaron. And because my eating habits had improved so dramatically, I didn’t have a really bad weight gain (I gained ~40 lbs, but I’ve lost more than half in the two-and-a-half weeks since I delivered). My knees have improved to the point where I don’t need regular pain meds. And I look and feel much better than I did when I weighed 280.
My favorite benefit of losing :eek: 55 lbs? (from prepregnancy weight, a year and a half, total, including the pregnancy)
No more peeing when I sneeze. I’d just noticed that when they came out with the study of nuns and urinary incontinence, showing that vaginal birth has nothing to do with it (the nuns had the same rate of UI as other women) - weight, depression, and repeated UTIs were the risk factors. So, I lose weight, I stop having to cross my legs when I sneeze. YAY!
The most annoying benefit? Sending the same coat back, twice, because my weight loss was outpacing their shipping speed. Ordered one size for xmas, it was too big when I got it. Selected the correct size (again), by the time it arrived, it was too big. Decided to return it and NOT get a new coat until my weight stopped dropping.
People keep asking what I’ve done. Not a lot, or a huge amount, depending on how you look at it.
I’m still staying generally with low-glycemic-index foods. That is, avoiding wheat and processed foods, avoiding some types of fruits, loading up on the oatmeal, rye, and barley. Use multi-grain or oat-based breads. Avoid potatoes. Try www.glycemicindex.com (University of Sydney site) for a nice searchable database - check out which foods you eat are pushing your bloodsugar through the roof! I had to do this diet while pregnant because of a high glucose tolerance test (on the 1-hr version - I was fine on the 3-hr with this diet).
Nursing. Hooray for those 500 calories a day dumped straight to the baby.
No milk products - not even traces. Unfortunately, baby is allergic to dairy (breaks out in hives, bloody diarrhea, etc.), so I am off dairy completely. Not even most margarines (they have whey), most snack foods (cassienate), even my favorite salt-and-vinegar potato chips have milk in them (go figure). My ped would rather I modify my diet than put an already-proven-to-be-allergy-prone baby on formula. I agree. So, I’m off dairy. And my skin cleared up, my feet shrunk one and a half sizes (they’re now smaller than they were in HIGH SCHOOL!), and it has helped me stick to a better quality diet. It is extra helpful for cheating, because if I cheat, a baby suffers - MY baby. And when he suffers, everybody suffers along with him (he screams for two days when I get dairy in my system). Interestingly, I now only occasionally crave dairy foods. And when I have done dairy challenges, I’ve found the stuff doesn’t taste as good as I remember.
Now, my next task is to increase my fitness - I’d like to swap off the remaining 10 lbs or so for some muscle.
Oh, and last bonus - I can once again carry my older son into the house when he falls asleep in the car. And he’s gotten heavier since I stopped being able to do so, not lighter!
Deadly Accurate, I feel your pain when it comes to laying off the sweets. I have a lot of weight to lose and secret I have is to drink a lot of water, especially if I want some junk food. I have a glass of ice cold water and usually the craving passes. I feel a lot better and even my sinuses cooperate. I’ll have to try cutting way back on dairy.
I lost 100 pounds last year. I did it by correcting my insulin resistance with meds, following a low carb/los fat diet, and walking practically every day. I know what you guys mean about the clothes–I had to replace everything I owned, down to and including my undies and bras.
Recently, I have regained about 10 pounds. Unfortunately, it is happy fat, which is the fat you get from eating ice cream with your sweetheart. Hard to fight happy fat.
Those of you who carry your weight around your middle, crave sweets and carbs, and get really, really sleepy after meals might want to read about insulin resistance. If you think you fit the profile, it might be worth getting your insulin level checked. It made all the difference to me. I had dieted for years and didn’t lose at all. When I got my insulin under control (it was 5x normal), the weight dropped off.
I actually recently had my blood sugar level checked, out of fear that I might be diabetic, and everything checked out normal. I only get sleepy after heavy meals, and my sweet cravings are dropping. Mine are purely psychological/habit-related. Bored? Eat something sweet. Watching a movie? Need that bag of candy and a drink. I have to fight it, just like a cigarette smoker has to fight it when the psychological reasons for smoking hit (such as going to a bar and seeing others smoke). Fortunately, it’s not as hard as I heard quitting cigarettes is.
I think I may be noticing some small measure of weight loss, but it’s too soon to tell. Maybe in another month I’ll actually be able to tell a difference.
Here’s my advice after losing 45 lbs to hit my goal weight (6’, 175 lbs)…
(That all of this is in my experience should go without saying.)
Exercise is important, but it is not the most critical part of ongoing weight loss. Before becoming dedicated to my goal, I used to exercise my fair share, but I wouldn’t lose weight, I’d gain. Once I got serious about it, it was easy to see why. 40 minutes of running for me at my beginning weight of 220 would result in about 600 calories burnt. Going three times a week, I had a net of -1800 cals from exercise. My basal metabolic rate would burn about 2000 cals/day. Add that in and I burned roughly 16000 calories a week. Now, not watching what I ate, I’m sure I could’ve eaten near 3000 calories a day. So for a week, I had an excess of 5000 calories, which equates to almost a pound and a half of body weight.
The lesson I learned was that it was absolutely necessary for me to track and count every calorie that went in my body to ensure that I was maintaining a healthy deficit every week. I built a spreadsheet that tracked this data for me and even predicted my weight loss based on the data I entered. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw over time how closely it predicted my actual results.
My experience showed me, after many many failed attempts, that weight loss (again, for me) is not a mystery. It’s not impossible. It is a predictable, achievable task, if you have the dedication to see it through. All in all it was an edifying experience.
I never had a plateau of any sort and, really, while it was challenging, it was not the most difficult thing I’d ever done. I would do it again, but hopefully I won’t have to.
Too bad I had just bought three business suits before starting my quest… I look like I’m playing dress up in my father’s clothes now. Such problems!
I started walking today. I got up at 6 am with my husband, woke the kids and put them in the stroller. I was only out for 20 minutes because my back started to hurt, but it’s a beginning. It’s wonderful to hear the success stories. Best of luck to everyone!
I just started Atkins last week and I’ve already noticed some changes. I tried on some old pairs of pants and found that they all fit again (one was a bit snug, but felt better than it ever did before). I also went to the gym last night and found myself sweating a lot more than usual; I must be able to burn more than I could when I was eating a lot of carbs. (I had the same problem as a lot of other people: I’d be exercising 4 times a week, but the fat was never coming off.)
My goal is to get down to about 180 lbs for my 6’ 1" frame. I’ve got about 20-25 lbs to go, so wish me luck!
I’m working on losing weight while I’m away at college. Firstly, the campus is set up so that you have the option of walking or taking the bus. I’ve walked everywhere so far. Secondly, the university has an athletic center that’s free to students, so I’m taking advantage of that. I’ve been walking around campus a lot and I’ve been using the stairs instead of the elevator to get to my 6th floor dorm room more often than not. While I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that I’m not nearly as hungry as I used to be, and this is a good thing because I’m responsible for making my own meals and buying my own food. It’s only been about 4 days up here and I can already feel a difference in my midsection… I carry myself a bit taller and I don’t feel like I’m hauling around as much weight. I’m either getting stronger, losing weight, or a little bit of both… I hope this lasts.
I’m really encouraged to hear these stories, because starting just two days ago, blahblahblah…
I’ll see how it goes; willpower will be my weak point. It’s like there’s an evil Rocketeer inside me, saying, “Why not two sandwiches?”
I’ve figured out that if I can manage to drink diet pop, it’s like 600 calories less a day. Easier on the pancreas, too… And pickles are only about 30 calories for quite a large pickle; you eat them slowly, too, which is good. I’d eat celery, but 20 years ago, on a diet, I got sick and tired of celery and I can barely stand it.
I suppose it’ll be a long road, but I’m feeling more optimistic than ever. So wish me luck!
I’m doing the WW thing and it works great if you stick to the program (water, journaling, portion control, veggies, and exercise). I had lost 74 pounds and gained 3 back so I’m at 71 pounds. I do heavy cardio exercise at least 4 hours a week. I’m currently stuck at about 195 and need to get down to 180. I think the current problem is with my mental state, lots of curve balls so I’m reverting to bad habits. Find balance grasshopper!
As far as the Op goes; the nicest feeling benefit I’ve had in losing weight: Actually being looked at and smiled at by some of the fairer sex.
Keep up the good work, and remember, sometimes it’s a good thing to see less of your friends.
Diet tips that helped me lose 5 kilos just recently:
Laying off the sweet things is hell. The first move is to cut out fatty sweet things (fudge, chocolate) and stick to things like boiled sweets that last longer because you can suck them slowly.
The next move is to switch the sweet things for dates. I did this - it’s amazing what a good substitute a really sticky date is for a toffee. They are high in sugar, but also have fibre and various other nice, natural nutrients.
Then - and this is a few weeks down the line - swap the dates for prunes. You won’t eat as many, and if you do, they’ll pass straight through. They’re sticky, sweet and tangy (I was lucky enough to grow up in the post-prunes-&-custard generation so didn’t have an innate horror or them - if you do, start thinking of them as “dried plums” instead) and very very good for you in moderate amounts.
Eat loads more soup - especially vegetable and clear soups - tomato soup tastes amazingly “rich” even made without cream, as do things like pumpkin. Soup really fills you up and you look forward to it much more than salad.
Treat yourself to healthy restaurant eating-out meals - such as Thai food. Go for fish and seafood options, chicken - avoid obvious traps like battered and fried breadcrumbed things - and with salads get the dressing on the side as a lot of restaurants LOAD it on.
Season your food better. Use spices, chilli, vinegar - flavoursome things that make a meal more enjoyable. Getting hooked on chilli reduces your cravings for sweet things (I found so anyway). That said - don’t overdo it on the salt.
Set yourself a “panic” time frame - ie you will be good for two months, or six weeks, and then you will have not a mega-binge, but a few days with the odd bar of chocolate, maybe one feast-out at your favourite restaurant. It may slow things down, you may gain a couple of pounds that week, but long-term you will still lose, and it won’t seem such an endless punishment.
Because above all that is what a diet can feel like - a punishment for being fat/overweight, which is a miserable enough state anyway. So make your focus on putting good things into your body - a nutritious banana, a fresh tomato, a lean piece of fish - concentrate on the cleanness and pureness and naturalness of the food - and start trying to see processes and sweet/fatty/starchy thing for what they are - often a taste-bud-addicting chemical soup of E-nasties that you can and should wean yourself off.
