Witchy Weight Loss and Support--Fall Edition

[witchygrrl]

Since no one else has taken it up, I'll post! Of course, I haven't weighed myself in a month and I need to take measurements, but I will. I do know that my black dress pants are a little looser this morning, but in the worst way possible: I now have the dreaded "gap in the back." LOL! As you were, ladies...

[Valerie.Qc]

subbing...

[redveg]

Morning mamas

I haven't forgot about you all. Just when I thought I was over the flu, it's back I guess I got moving around too soon.

My weight gain wasn't as bad as I thought, only 2 pounds not so bad. I guess I just feel angry with myself for my lack of control at times. I am back in with both feet!! As soon as I can get off the couch that is

Subbing too

[Aubergine68]

Hey, Valérie! Witchy! Everybody!

Good to see you here Inge, but please don't worry about weight loss till you're feeling healthy again! Just hang out with us

ETA my intro/goals to keep them on the first page

Who am I? I'm a mom of 3 children, school and preschool age, in my early 40s. I run a home daycare, homeschool my oldest, I'm a student, and have a busy family. The home daycare/homeschooling is actually going to work for me because I can build (mild) exercise into my day with the kids.

Goals? I am still trying to lose my baby weight from #3, although he is almost kindy age! I want to no longer be officially overweight, to be healthy and fit and to support my kids and my dh, who was just dx'd with Type 2 Diabetes I want to buy a pretty dress and feel good about wearing it! I want to have fun, to dance again.

I was about 196 pounds at my highest, about 183 last June, 181 when I got serious about exercise in August, and 175.5 now. 159 pounds will put me at a bmi that is no longer officially overwieght for my height, and I think 145 will be an appropriate final target weight, but I am open to being happier at a higher weight if I am fit and strong at that weight. So, 20 pounds down, about 30 to go.

How I'm going to get there? Will continue working on developing my yoga practice, swimming with my family once a week, hooping, exercising, walking, time outdoors, eating a low carb, no processed food, gf diet, weighing every day, not eating in the evening. My dh is very concerned about belly fat, which I certainly have enough of, so I want to give Yee's Abs Yoga for Beginners another go. I am going to try growing sprouts and salad greens indoors to supplement my diet and ease the $ cost of all this fresh food in the winter. I am tracking my diet and will post a food diary here if I feel I'm stalling in the weight loss.

Statistics?
Here are my measurements from August 16, to today, Sept. 23:

calves - were 15.25 inches now 15 inches, -.25
thighs - were 25.25 inches now 23.75 inches, -1.5
hips - were 45 inches now 42.5 inches, -2.5
belly button - was 43 inches now 38.5 inches, -4.5
narrowest part of waist - was 34.25 inches now 33.5 inches -.75
bust - was under/over - 35.5/40 now 34/39, -1.5/-1
bicep - was 13 inchesnow 13.25 inches, +.25

1 weighed approximately 181 (didn't have a scale that day), today weigh 175.6. So I've lost 5.4 pounds, and 11.75 inches in that 5 weeks.

[mary3mama]

Yay! Here it is!! This new thread and this beautiful new season (at least in this hemisphere?)

I adore Autumn!!

I'm in a stabilizing/maintaining phase of the hcg (diet) protocol. So I'm not losing right now...but it is just as it is supposed to be and I'm maintaining. In a bit over 2 weeks we'll make our 3rd interstate move in 2 1/2 years (blech) and I'll be able to do another 'loss' round with the hcg.

I endeavor to be LOADS lighter by spring.

[_ktg_]

YAY for starting our next season!! Thanks Witchy for starting up the thread... I got lost in paperwork yesterday, as this project at work will be the end of me.

I'm going to come back with an official re-intro and update some stats to see what progress has been had (weight, & measurements). Most exciting for me - buying clothes in a L size instead of XL !!

I hope everyone had a happy Mabon & Aubergine I owe you a response re: gluten intolerance.

Here we go to onwards to Samhain!!!

P.S. Happy first day Maia! and Yes you can do anything for 23 days!!!!

[LionessMom]

i am gettting used to wearing a large instead of an xl too. i like it. i had a 13 lb loss but gained back2 lbs. oh well. i ate a bunch of bunny grahams bc they were so awesome. lol. grains really do me in. gotta watch that again. doing pretty good with dairy except when i make Hhamburger helper. i lurve that stuff. i have been buying annie's skillet meals and they taste awesome. it is the last thing i need to switch for my family. i laready do mainly meat and veggies. just need to switch their fav convenience foods to organic stuff. they like most of it so far. except the potato chips. for some reason thhey dont taste the same. well duh. they are just potatoes and nothing extra. lol. so i have to eat what i give the kids. i had to make sure iit tasted good. and i gained 2 lbs. haha.

[Indigo73]

Hiya all. I know I have been quiet but life is just INSANE, school, work, DS school/sports. But I do read and I have plans just need to get use to new schedule, to get up early, to get out and do. I am getting there. I feel different even if I don't see the difference, so I guess that is what matters.

[Maiasaura]

Thank you, ktg!

Gawd, I feel full, y'all.

185.4 yesterday morning. I assumed I'd gone up because of really unhealthy eating, and over-eating, for the past week or so, but then surprise surprise, I was at 182.4 this morning
Oh, well, not complaining!

I should be gaining a couple of pounds between today and tomorrow, and then Saturday morning I start the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD). That's when, first thing in the morning, I am going to weigh/measure/take photos.

I'll keep y'all posted on my progress. I'm hopeful, but scared to be hopeful! This gorging on all this high-fat food seems so counter-intuitive.

[Aubergine68]

I posted my intro and stats on my first post -- could wish to be losing weight faster, but I'm not unhappy. I think hooping does make a difference in the belly/hips!

I'm not buying clothes atm, but am starting to feel comfortable in my size L again and my XL clothes are flopping on me a bit now.

Hi Mary, kt, Indigo, Maia!

I'm going to start stalking you hcg ladies - I am not sure it is for me, but really wondering if it is rightfor dh. He only has about 20-25 pounds to lose to get back in a normal weight range, not that much for a guy, but it is *all* that dreaded, unhealthy belly fat. It almost seems that with the blood sugar issues he's been having over the past year, the belly has gotten more pronounced? Any recommendations to get that particular problem gone would be welcome.

Thanks for sharing info about going gf - please do share your experience, ktg! And thanks so much, aweyn, for elaborating on low stomach acid. Considering we both crave salt and had that conversation about drinking pickle brine a while back, you really got me wondering. I don't remember the low stomach acid conversation on this thread at all -- maybe I was on vacation? Or my brain hiccoughed? I googled symptoms for low stomach acid, and they do seem to explain a lot.

My confusion about having a gluten intolerance is how suddenly it came on, so I looked back at other changes in my diet lately. I have been eating about half a grapefruit a day (blended with ice and other fruit, pith and seeds and all) and enjoying it a great deal. Research tells me that grapefruit is helps with excess stomach acid and makes the system alkaline. Also that grapefruit seed oil has antibiotic properties and can make the system need probiotics to balance out....so maybe I'm creating a low stomach acid problem/digestive problems with grapefruit overdose ....

I got another bout of cramping after oatmeal (which was fine on Sunday). Tried a shot of acv before I remembered that acv makes me nauseous....so I think it may have helped but the cure was worse than the disease.... Or maybe I am not going to be able to tolerate oatmeal either? I know many gf people cannot....I will try master tonic or pickle juice, or lemon juice, which I *can * tolerate next time I get the cramping to be sure.

So I'm going to discontinue the grapefruit for the time being and also stay off wheat and oats for the time being. I'm actually kind of excited about going gf, now, I'd hate to give it up now And if it is the gluten that I had trouble with first in a low stomach acid situation, then maybe I'm borderline intolerant anyway.

Food diary so far: 1 bowl super oatmeal, 1/4 cup mixed nuts, 2 homemade hamburger patties, 1 slice cheese, 2 cups cooked carrots and broccoli, 2 large pickles, 1 tbsp acv (shudder), 2 coffee w/milk and sugar - dinner - grain free coconut curry w/veg.
Well, enough about me Nice to have a thread to put all this here!

[mary3mama]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

I'm going to start stalking you hcg ladies - I am not sure it is for me, but really wondering if it is rightfor dh. He only has about 20-25 pounds to lose to get back in a normal weight range, not that much for a guy, but it is *all* that dreaded, unhealthy belly fat. It almost seems that with the blood sugar issues he's been having over the past year, the belly has gotten more pronounced? Any recommendations to get that particular problem gone would be welcome.

For a typical guy, 20-25 lbs is an easy loss in one round of hcg. That is it would potentially be lost that quickly (3-6 weeks) but then the stabilizing and maintenance phases would need to be completed successfully to keep the weight from piling back on (that's another 6 weeks.)

Have you read the ebook Pounds & Inches? If not, I'd suggest it, it's a free download (lemme know if I should post a link again.) It speaks about specifics like blood sugar imbalances.

[_ktg_]

My journey (still!) on going gluten free

Well like Witchy, I had lots of poo issues and woes. It was terrible - gas, cramping, and etc. It was not healthy by any means. I also had a wicked dermatis like breakout on my elbows and the tops of my feet. Raised red bumps which sometimes itched or not. I asked my MD about it, and tried to do a lot of research of what it was. I finally found a picture and it was called Dermatitis Herpetiformis. Seriously it was scary how much the picture was exactly like my elbows.

Finally - I do have hashimoto's thyroiditis combined with my way awesome hypothyroidism and its common to be gluten intolerant & hypo too.

Now I'm not 100% sure I'm gluten intolerant, and I am keeping it in the back of mind I could have just been experience a yeast overgrowth as I have always had a huge whitish patch on the back of my tongue. So for now - I feel better being mostly gf and on a reduced carb/sugar diet. I'm giving myself 1 year to work this experiment out and come up with a conculsion. I can tell you the rash on my elbows and feet - practically gone!

Instead of ACV - another test for low stomach acid is the beet test. I saw it on another thread in H&H (I think leaky gut) and basically you eat a raw beet (yum!) and if your urine comes out red, its a sign of low stomach acid

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

1 weighed approximately 181 (didn't have a scale that day), today weigh 175.6. So I've lost 5.4 pounds, and 11.75 inches in that 5 weeks.

That is AWESOME!!! woohoo!! ! *highfive*

[spughy]

Hello everyone! I am back from Hawaii and it is definitely feeling like autumn here today. I got up this morning to sprinkles of rain and as I was making breakfast I thought "wow, my feet sure are cold" and then I remembered that there were these things called "socks" that one could use when that happens. I haven't worn socks - except for running - for about 5 months. Now I have my nice stripey smartwool socks on and my feet are happy.

And I am overall pretty happy because despite gorging on fruit and not being terribly concerned with sugar (hello, Yogurtland) in Hawaii AND not exercising at all except for swimming/floating around looking at fish, I managed to lose a pound while I was away. So I am at 153 now. I took my measurements this morning and they are unchanged from previous - maybe even a bit up? but I used a different tape measure that's stiffer than my sewing one and I'm still feeling a little bloated from travel, and the necessity of eating starch for a day to counteract the fruit excess, so I'm going to wait until my sewing tape measure reappears as I tidy and then do it again in a few days. OMG, you guys - the fruit... how could I say no? Pomelos, mangos, papayas, assorted random citrus, bananas, melons, mangosteens... so good. I only eat locally and in season, so I guess it's good to gorge now and then. We're transitioning now, here, into squash, kale, cabbage, turnips, chard, apples, pears and soon nuts. Right now that all sounds SO good! I will do kale and bacon for dinner tonight with chicken, and potatoes for the rest of the family. Today I'm not very hungry - I had a few concord grapes and two hardboiled eggs for breakfast, a nice salad with the last of the nectarines and some chevre, and a few slices of sausage for lunch.

I doubt I will make it to the gym before the weekend as I have a LOT of cleaning to do - my sister stayed at our place while we were away to look after the pets and apparently cleaning was not part of the deal! Off I go to vacuum then...

Oh, Aubergine - have you looked at Dr. Michael Eades' site? I think he has some good stuff on abdominal fat. He's a low-carber, so if that doesn't fit with your lifestyle or whatever, maybe it won't be so helpful - you know, ymmv and all. I do recall reading that low-carb combined with some kind of varying exercise - like crossfit - is best for men with a belly, and low-carb is definitely good for blood sugar issues.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

I have been eating about half a grapefruit a day (blended with ice and other fruit, pith and seeds and all) and enjoying it a great deal.

So...what, it's like a grapefruit smoothie? That sounds like it would be awesome on my new diet coming up. I'm supposed to have grapefruit. I used to love it as a child, but haven't really cared much for it since. I bet it'd be great like that, blended up with stevia.

Note to self: write that down!

Originally Posted by _ktg_

another test for low stomach acid is the beet test. I saw it on another thread in H&H (I think leaky gut) and basically you eat a raw beet (yum!) and if your urine comes out red, its a sign of low stomach acid

Ktg, that's silly-- everybody's pee comes out red from beets. Everybody I have ever known, anyway. Ever. Matter of fact, moms I know have to warn their kids so the kids don't freak out and think they've peed blood!

I. Am. Stuffed. To the gills. Haven't eaten in 2 hours, now, but ate nearly the whole time from 9:30am to 11, and then noonish to 3pm. I'm so done. I just finally pooed again, and so thought I had room for more, but nope. Finished up my iced coffee with heavy cream and I'm stuffed again. Tried to eat a bit of chocolate, but :Puke

[Maiasaura]

Just realized what time it is...I slammed some water and set the timer for 30 minutes, then I'll dose again with the hcg, then set the timer for another 30.

It is SO HARD for me not to sip on water for a whole hour!!

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by Maiasaura

Ktg, that's silly-- everybody's pee comes out red from beets. Everybody I have ever known, anyway. Ever. Matter of fact, moms I know have to warn their kids so the kids don't freak out and think they've peed blood!

Oh now I feel silly

ETA: so I googled a bit and it seems to be an unusual test, but some folks did comment that they eat lots of beets - and no red pee ever. Red poo yes, but not pee. .

Other tests include - drinking a 8oz glass of water with a 1/4 tsp of baking soda and timing how long it takes you to burp. Normal is 1-3 minutes. Longer means you have low stomach acid. Also taking supplemental HCL with meals.

[Aubergine68]

Apparently, it is actually not that common to get red pee from beets?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeturia

[aweynsayl]

aubergine, that is so interesting about the grapefruit. i dont have any solid info, but my "gut" (ha) tells me that there is some mineral in the water where we were that my body really does not like. because every time i've visited there, i've had problems, and the only thing i could think was water. that, and stress. which is a huge "cause" of low acid, suposedly. and when i think about the stress of this whole last year.....

oatmeal, i know, is hard even for some who dont have problems with other "gluten".....

my fall goals are to focus on fitness. yoga and swimming, specifically. you know how i commented that doing yoga in my new living room made me feel all luxe? well, i realized that must be like my main key for enjoying and doing exercise on a regular basis.... because this morning i realized that a good part of what i love about going swimming is how BEAUTIFUL it is there. the parking lot is lined with hedges, and there's grass and big trees (all of which are exceptionally rare in my town). plus, i have wonderful views of the mountains from the pool. even the drive there is nice. this goes, interestingly, back to my TM~ which focused a lot on spa-ness and beauty.... i might even think of what other ways i can bring more beauty into my daily life-- which helps me Feel Better. plus, anything i can do to focus on beauty makes me feel better about our being here... which helps all around. so,swimming, yoga, beauty, and general happiness.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by _ktg_

Red poo yes, but not pee.

Oh, I think you're right. Now I feel silly
So sorry!

aweyn,