I know it’s frustrating, but I think 1-2 pounds per week is considered the normal range of weight loss. Hang in there!
As for me, I’m doing well. Stuck with my calorie range every day for the last week.
I’ve been going for slow-burning carbs in the morning - oatmeal, buckwheat. I find that, and drinking tea, can get me through to lunch time.
I’m having ring weirdness this week. Is it possible to only have certain fingers swell and/or shrink at a particular time with weight loss?
I’ve found my fingers swell or contract at certain times of the day, after physical activity, and depending on the temperature in the room, so yours could be due to something other than weight gain or loss. My fingers have gotten generally thinner due to weight loss, but I had to lose maybe 20-30 pounds before it was noticeable, so I’d imagine the converse is true as well – unless you suddenly gained 20 pounds in a week or something, which is very unlikely, any swelling in your fingers is probably temporary.
I just had the strange experience of buying shoes a whole size smaller than what I had been wearing for years. I know that people who lose weight sometimes have their feet shrink on them, but I thought that was after significant weight loss, like 100+ pounds. I’ve only lost 40 pounds, and I’m a little incredulous about this. Maybe the two brands I bought practice vanity sizing.
I ate a ton on Thanksgiving and on Second Thanksgiving (Saturday, when more of my family came to visit), but I only gained one pound and I’m hoping that’s mostly water weight. I have a meeting with my dietician on Saturday and am 4 pounds over what I should be weighing by that date according to our plan. I’m hoping the next five days of asceticism should make up for the gluttony, and I know her scale usually reads about 2 pounds lighter than mine. 
It happens. I only lost 30–35 lbs. and my shoe size changed almost a full size. The extra weight elongates your foot, and being fat causes some level of edema that makes your extremities swell a bit. You get smaller feet and hands even though you have virtually no fat stores there. I started running barefoot sometimes, which changed my feet in other ways. I have a wider foot with a higher arch now, but they’re a bit shorter than when I was fat and out of shape.
Ring sizes do fluctuate too. I had to have my wedding ring resized two sizes down. Depending on the day or time of day it can feel a bit snug to almost too loose. I may actually have to get it sized down again since I was about 6–7 kg heavier then than I am now. Right now, as I type this, it’s pretty snug, so I have to work to get it off. If I’m dehydrated a bit, or whatever, I sometimes feel like it might slip off.
For some reason I can’t find you. Do you have a SparkPage?
I’ve also had problems with finger swelling when dehydrated.
My update - it’s been nearly two weeks now and things are going a lot easier. It’s a good thing I already established these habits in the past so in a way it’s like picking up where I left off. I haven’t resumed exercising yet… trying to start with one thing at a time.
I survived Thanksgiving with only 2400 calories. My only hard and fast rule right now is to track my calories every day. I have to accept I will be doing this the rest of my life in order to lose weight and keep it off. I have eaten within my calorie range every day so far, though some days were easier than others.
I’m sure I’m losing weight but I won’t find out for sure until another 2 weeks. I don’t want to get obsessed with the scale results so I am only weighing once a month.
Right now I am loving Bob’s Red Mill hot cereal in the morning. It keeps me full a long time and 1 serving is 150 calories. Oatmeal is also great.
So today’s problem is my belly. Ugh. Legs and ass looking great thanks to all the treadmill work, and I can fit into a size smaller jean—IF I could get them buttoned. So I see planks etc. for belly work, but there’s a problem. The right arm, where I broke the elbow will not hyper-extend, or “lock” . Try supporting yourself on all fours, except one of the four don’t really work. I’ve seen my therapist, and he has me on a regime of triceps work (never the biceps, bad for my injury), but the reality is the elbow will never lock up to help support me. The right arm just shakes like a dog caught peeing in the house. Even if I try supporting my self on my side, the right side is out. Suggestions?
DummyGladHands, that sounds like a problem worth pursuing with your physical therapist, or finding another one if he doesn’t seem to be giving you exercises that strengthen you enough.
How was everyone’s holiday season? How did you navigate any parties/feasts/cookie-baking-marathons you may have encountered?
I didn’t lose a pound in December – on the other hand, I didn’t gain a pound, either. My problem has/had been that I would eat well all day but then snack too much at night, just out of boredom. I wouldn’t go over my maintenance calorie level, but I came so close to it I didn’t lose any weight. The only time I felt like I was out of control was on New Year’s Eve, when I succumbed to the temptations of multiple home-baked desserts and ate so much I felt sick. Starting Jan. 1, though, I’ve been back on the wagon.
Okay, so I know it’s only been 3 days. But the last two days I’ve been very disciplined, sticking to my meal plan and taking a long walk each day. Yesterday, I took 3 separate walk breaks during the work day (my supervisor is gone this week and I’m alone in the office, whoo!) and walked a total of 75 minutes. My goal is to walk for at least 40 minutes every day this month. I have a meeting with my dietician on Feb. 2, and I’d like to have lost at least 6 pounds this month when she weighs me, so here’s hoping. I seem to lose weight so slowly even when I do everything perfectly.
Good for you!
I decided before the holiday season that I was going to eat what I like and party hardy. Yeah, well, I gained 10 pounds. I am hoping some percentage of that is water weight.
So, back on track the last three days. Exercising. Eating good things and less of them. Hopefully, I can get back to where I was pretty quickly.
This is my motivation as well. It’s either lose weight or get a credit card, because I’m not trying to walk around with muffin top for much longer.
Good plan - I use my scale a lot and I notice my weight fluctuates as much as 3 lbs from the beginning to end of the day! It’s enough to drive a person crazy…which explains my behavior. 
You plank with your arms straight out? I always learned to plank supporting myself with my elbows and forearms on the ground, with the elbows directly under the shoulders and body totally straight. Can you do that with your injury?
If so (or for anyone else else who might be interested)…a great thing to do for your abs/core muscles in addition to regular planks is a side plank, where you start out in a plank then shift your weight to one arm and extend the other arm toward the sky or put your hand on your hip, turning your body sideways. If you are really ambitious you can do a few sets dipping your hips towards the ground. It’s a good way to prevent back problems, too.
My other favorite ab/core workouts:
Core rotations -
This article calls it a “Russian twist,” which I have decided I like much better and will use to refer to the exercise formerly known as core rotations. I also just hold a regular dumbbell, one end in each hand, instead of whatever that contraption is. You can also do this one sitting down.
I don’t know if this one has a name, but another great, really efficient little move is to sit down with your legs out in front of you, put your hands behind your head then lean back a little while you raise your legs up so they make some kind of acute angle with the floor originating from your butt. Then cross and uncross your feet in front of each other. (without having them touch each other). Do it until you can’t anymore, then take a break and do it again. Lather, rinse, repeat. You’ll feel that the next day, I promise!
Hi. I wanted to pop in and add my voice to the supportathon. I figure the more people I’m checking in with and “beholden” to the more likely I am to stick to my goals.
I’m using Weight Watchers Online, just started this week and am impressed with how much they’ve updated it. I used it (and meetings) years ago and lost 20 lbs I didn’t see again till I got pregnant. Now I’m waaaay heavier then I’ve ever been. I figure if the baby is almost a year old it’s probably time to let go of the baby fat. Not to mention the stuff I’ve been carrying around since pregnancy #1.
I don’t want to sound like every one New Years Resolver, but I actually do feel like I’m ready to make the changes I need to make this work. So good luck to everyone, I’ll be checking in.
Hi everybody!
The holidays were hard and very emotional for me but somehow I still managed to lose a couple pounds. I’ve still got some frozen cookie dough in the freezer and I’ve been able to only eat maybe 1-2 cookies per day (within my calorie limit) but I volunteer at a museum and they need some baked goods dropped off later this month, so most of the cookies are going to go away!
I’m a bit frustrated this week as exercise hasn’t been where I want it to be, partly due to time and partly due to issues with my knee. This has made me very apprehensive about weighing myself in the morning.
Today, though, I’m either going snowshoeing or to the Y for a long walk and maybe some time in the pool.
Good luck to everyone at the start of this new year!
Reported the spam (didn’t eat it, gross and too many calories )
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Reported this one, too.
This past holiday season, I was able to learn from the year before. I didn’t eat everything in sight, but I did take some time off to enjoy myself without getting crazy tracking. I made sure that I ate good meals and kept the goodies to a minimum. And, once the whole thing was over, I went right back to it. All of the crap is gone from the house and I’ve got no car (long story) and a bad knee, so what I’ve got to eat is what I’ve got in the house. That’s helpful in getting rid of the weight that I gained.
And, next Monday, I start a job where I’m working on the third floor (hurray for walking up and down stairs!), and where there is an in-house gym that I can use (hurray for in-house gyms!), albeit for a fee each month. I’m going to compare the cost of the work gym with a family membership at the YMCA, though; the work gym is only available to employees while the three of us can go to the Y.
But my damn knee is getting in the way. I went through physical therapy in October, and that helped for a while, but it still hurts. It’s an old soft-tissue injury, so there’s probably not much that can be done for it aside from bracing it and not doing anything stupid. Grr.
I sucked at life over the holidays. I’ve pretty much been off since the beginning of November (with maybe a few “good” weeks inbetween) and put back on 18 of the 60 lbs I lost.
But it’s not a race. If I lose 50 lbs a year for 3 years that’s cool. I think my original goal was 80 lbs the first year but I keep tweaking it lol
I’m back on track for 3 days now too. But I’m not being crazy about it, like “starting over.” Definitely taking a “I am back to NORMAL” stance. Because I need this to be the normal.
Good on everyone who was mindful during the holidays! No dobut it was worth it to not come back in January as a whale!