Lots of Lose - May 2011

[claybear]

Anyone else want to join me in a continued journey to lose a larger amount of weight in 2011. I began at New Years at 256 pounds and today I am 227 pounds. The last couple of weeks I have not gained or lost anything - sort of staying in the same space. I would like to see myself continue to go down though, so I need the ongoing support to make that happen!

Anyone else in?

[butterfly_mommy]

I'm in! I need to lose about a hundred pounds. I am 5'5" Officially started out Apr 4, 2011 at 249.2 (But am pretty sure I was about 255 around Christmas) to weigh my self and try to eat better and less and exercise.

I had blood work done in march and my fasting blood sugar was just above normal, my cholesterol was high my LDL was high my HDL was low. Oh and my liver is "slightly fatty". Explains why I was felling so yucky. Anyway it was a HUGE wake-up call. I do not want to be sick, I want to be around for and play with my 3 year old. I also want to be a good role model for him. My DH is big too, he is 5'10" and weighs in at I think 320 know and is slowly gaining :(. I have gained 70 pounds since I met my DH 15 years ago and he has gained 80 pounds. I am so scared my son will be heavy :( He is and always has been in the 97% for weight and 80% for height and he looks good, and has a healthy relationship with food.

Ok sorry for the long story :)

I am currently reading A smart woman's guide to weight loss by Lorna Vanderhaeghe.

[butterfly_mommy]

Hello,

Happy Mother's day!

Ok so Sunday mornings are my weigh in day. I am 241.6 lbs today. down 1.2 pounds from last week. slow but steady is my motto :)

[candipooh]

Hi all. I am looking for some buddies. I started thread about South Beach Diet but no one has joined me,lol. How much weight would you all consider to be "a lot" to loose? I need to find a home to help me on my journey. They say that finding support is an essential part of weight loss. 

[claybear]

I was not great last week but still holding steady at about the same place - 227. I am hoping to get back on this and really would like to get myself down to the teens.

Good work mama! 1.2 pound loss is great!

[butterfly_mommy]

Claybear - holding steady is ok, better then gaining :) Sometimes I think our bodies need to pause when losing weight but if we keep at it then the weight will come off. 

Candipooh  - I don't know what I officially classify as a lot but for me I need to lose about 90 lbs or so and I am sure most would agree that that is a lot :)  I am not entirely sure what the South Beach diet looks like. Is it something that is sustainable for the rest of your life or is it something you use as a kick start? yes I agree that support is definitely required in losing and maintaining weight loss.

I head a great quote that resonates with me "Being over weight is hard, losing weight is hard, maintaining weight loss is hard. Chose your hard"

One of the things I struggle with is making my son too aware of weight loss. He has noticed that I do weigh my food occasionally and measure it out and sometimes he wants to weigh his food but I haven't let him, I told him that he is healthy and so he can eat what his body wants but that mama is trying to get healthier so I need to weigh my food. I hope that was the right thing to say. 

[candipooh]

South Beach has three phases. The first one is pretty restrictive. Very very low carb.Not even fruit. It lasts 2 weeks. Phase two you add some good carbs but in moderation. Phase three is the 'rest of your life' eating which focus on good carbs, lean meats, lots of veggies. It looks like a very do-able life time eating plan.

I have 50 pounds to loose which a lot when you short like me,lol.

[triana1326]

So I fell off the weight loss wagon last month when I was busy coordinating our town's Earth Week celebration. I gained weight back and have been holding steady at my orginal weight, just fluctuating back and forth by a pound or two a week. So as of tomorrow, I am making a promise to myself to get back on track and start over again. I would start today (queue grand excuse now) but I was gardening all day yesterday and I can barely walk, let alone bike and do my DVD. My leg muscles were so badly used yesterday with all the bending over, lifting, and stretching that it hurts a lot just to move.

So here's my plan - go back to my Reset diet (protein shake, bar, shake, bar, shake, with unlimited fruits and veggies allowed). Start tracking again - my exercise, water intake, vitamins, and food journal. Choose one activity to do each day for 30 minutes - walk, bike, or DVD. Stop telling myself that I deserve to eat and drink whatever I want just because I have been dealing with a bunch of stressors in my life lately. Reward myself with non-food things, like...well...here's where I stumble. We don't have the money to do much, I'm not a fan of mani/pedi type of things, and I have NO time for myself. Any ideas on rewards?

[claybear]

I am back on board. Got on the scale this morning at 227 - same place I have been for a month (which is 29 lbs of loss since I started the journey in Jan). I am trying Eat to Live again - worked really well for me in the past. It is not something I would do forever, but I like it for 4 weeks as a way to jump start (and then do calories and workout).

Jan 1:        256

May 23:     227

Total Lost:  -29

next goal:  219 (back in the teens!)

I would like to be at 224 by next week. I think 3 pounds in a week is a good possibility if I am committed and stay with the food and the working out. I will let you know!

[momonthebeach]

Hey all! I haven't been very good about checking in here regularly but wanted to share my success. I have now lost 30 pounds since the middle of Jan:)!! I'm trying to enjoy it although it is a little depressing since I still have so long to go. 216 feels an awful lot better than 246 did though! It seems like it takes forever when it's only 1-2 pounds/week but when you get 4 months out and are down 30, it's pretty exciting! Looking forward to the next 30! Hope you are all doing well!

Katie

[butterfly_mommy]

Hey everyone,

Ok so my last weigh-in (on Saturday as we were away on Sunday) was

Current 238.2 lbs

so down 11 lbs since Apr 3, 2011

Candipooh- south beach plan sounds pretty reasonable (although I would have a hard time going 2 weeks without fruit :) I went 3 days and it was a treat to eat fruit again.

Triana- I to have to stop myself from eating whatever I want when feeling stressed out/over worked. I am trying to do other activities instead like knitting (which keeps the hands busy) breathing and walking when feeling stressed. I also tell myself then even though I think it will help me to feel better to eat 4 choc chip cookies it actually wont it will not take away the stress and only add to it as then I feel guilty and powerless. As far as non-monetary rewards how about a nice bath away from the children, a nap, borrowing a good book from the library and sitting and reading for an hour or so away from the kids, asking your partner to watch the kids or finding another mama you can trade childcare with so you get some alone time to pamper yourself.

claybear and momonthebeach - you guys are doing great! I know it is slow going but you both are an inspiration. Remember that weight loss and lifestyle change is a process.

As for me I went home to my parents home with my DH and DS for the long weekend (in Canada) it was my nieces birthday and I had already decided that I would have cake at the party. Well we get to the party (swimming party) I swim a few laps. play in the water and then it is food time. I was very disappointed to see that my mom had brought store bought mini cupcakes :( which were full of trans fat and chemicals and well I wanted real cake. Anyway I didn't get my cupcake and I felt denied and that set me up for unhealthy eating. Also being at my parents house was huge triggers for me. I tried but did not stay on plan for the 3 days we were there (although I didn't binge so that was good and I didn't go completely crazy :) Back on plan today and hoping my weigh in on Sunday will not be too bad.

[claybear]

I have three really successful days in a row and I am feeling great about that. I have worked out every day, which is awesome and makes me feel really good even without the weight loss benefits and I have been eating really well. I am doing a bit of a body flush right now with a modified Eat to Live kind of diet (nothing formal - just eating fruits, veggies, and beans basically and nothing much else for a few days). There is so much amazing produce right now, so that has been lovely. Today I had watermelon. cherries, blueberries, strawberries, spinach, snap peas, lentils, tomato, banana, and lettuce. Yum.

Hoping that how good I feel is reflected on the scale too but also just feeling thankful for feeling great!

[GearGirl]

I would like to join this thread. I have hit what I think is rock bottom, and I hope that is a good thing. I was avoiding the scale because even though I have needed to lose the same 30 pounds or so for a long time I wasn't gaining. Well, my clothes were tighter, I was starting to try to cover up instead of dress, and finally I made myself get on the scale and I was shocked. I have never weighed this much unless I was at the end of one of my three pregnancies. This is what I weighed when I gave birth to my first child, and I was hugely pregnant, I got the twins comment all the time! So, this was 2-3 weeks ago, and I have lost 10 pounds so far. I know the first 10 are pretty easy, and I can see a slow down already, but I have never been so motivated. I have about 25 pounds to lose to get to a place that is pretty average for me, and then another 25 pounds to get to a good weight where I am not fat at all. So, 50 pounds in all, 10 lost, so 40 pounds left. I really hope I can continue feeling like I do now where I am almost desperate, no food is as important as dropping this weight. I know 50 pounds is not as much as some have to lose, but here in Northern California it might as well be 200 pounds, I am always, always the fattest person in every room. At a size 12-14 I can never shop in local boutiques, and I am a good 5 sizes larger than pretty much everyone around me. I would be happy to be curvy, but I am not pretending that my muffin top is curves, it just isn't, it is fat. Weight loss is hard, but feeling like crap about myself and always being the fattest person in my family, at my kids school, everywhere is even harder. I am motivated and need to stay that way! I am trying to get myself fully behind eat to live as a lifestyle change, and I really can't wait to lose weight.

[PJsmomma]

Can I check in sometimes? I have 40 more lbs to lose but I've lose 142 since Jan 2010.

I am so not the expert but I know I can offer encouragement and thing I've learned.

My book suggestion is The Beck Diet Solution: How To Think Like A Thin Person it's not a diet but attacks our horrible thinking. Really really great info!

[butterflylover]

I'd love to join this thread. I have been overweight my entire life. I live to eat. Bored? I eat. Stressed? I eat. Anxiety? I eat. I've finally decided to change my life so I can be around for my child and I'm feeling so horrible being so overweight. I'm 5'2" and approximately 270 lbs. I need to lose 140 lbs to be in the healthy range for my height. I just started working out at a gym a few weeks ago and I do 30-60 minutes of cardio 5 days per week and muscle strengthening every other day (weight machines). I haven't change my eating habits too much yet. I am one of those eat 1 huge meal a day at dinnertime and then eat all night people. I need to stop eating. I am also an insomniac which doesn't help my overeating. I would like to eat more fruits and veggies and less carbs. I'd love to be a vegetarian but I just don't have the time to create that type of diet right now. My mom is in Weight Watchers and has had tremendous success but the thought of counting points and measuring food makes me break out in hives. :) I'm so stressed for time right now I barely have time to sleep. I guess I need to start reading a few books to see what would be best for me. 

[SweetSilver]

I have had so much success this last year, nearly 40 pounds.  I have been steady between 150 and 146 for 4 months (a victory in itself).  I am petite, 5-2, so I could lose some more, though i haven't been this size for 15 years and don't know what is a healthy weight for me anymore.  I was amazed at how springy I felt.  I thought my joints were getting old, but discovered that so much had to do with being nearly 190 pounds.

     i would like to see some more progress towards a healthy weight, more motivation to exercise and eat better.  That bread and butter over there on the counter calls to me morning, noon and night!  I also want to be able to encourage others that you can get there.  Yes, slow and steady has been the key, and no sudden changes, either.  

      I have grown up with a terrible relationship with food.  First, it wasn't there, never enough.  Then for some reason I decided that 100 pounds wasn't skinny enough in high school, then in my twenties I went on road trips and was lucky to eat a full meal in a day.  Then I settled down with a job and a husband and I ballooned.  Eating was a good thing, nay a great thing!  Then I gained and gained and never managed to drop any of it until now.  Plus, ever since our oldest was born, I hunch over and shovel in food like I have 3 minutes to eat (back then I was lucky to get 2!).  I have no manners left, and now, no excuses now that my daughter is 6 1/2.  Sigh! still some seriously bad food habits.

     "French Women Don't Get Fat" really motivated me, because I do not stick to enforced routines and rules (I can barely remember to take a full round of medication for 2 weeks!), though I managed the 3-week food diary at the beginning (much like Weight Watchers).  

[wendyland]

HI!  I haven't been on MDC in awhile.  I've been hanging out at marks daily apple this month.  I'm glad to see a lots to lose tribe.  I have roughly 100lbs to lose.  Sounds daunting in print.  

I started a primal 30 day challenge almost 3 weeks ago.  I first 5 days were hell, but it's getting better.  I've had a few slip ups, but I'm doing well.  I was initially cutting out grains, dairy, and sugar. I now allow a tiny bit of dairy (I didn't eat much before) and a little bit of sugar here and there.  This is the first time in my life that I feel in control of what I'm eating.  I used to do calorie counting or weight watchers, but I'd never last more than a week before I had raging hunger.  I've lost roughly 8 lbs this month.