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Spring weigh-in thread 2016

4K views 104 replies 4 participants last post by  Compilation146 Mr 
#1 ·
A thread for support, inspiration and commiseration for all of us watching our weight (in numbers or in sizes), whether we are wanting to see that number go up or go down-- a little or a lot-- or stay the same.

How you use this thread is up to you. Post your weight as often or as seldom as you like. Post your goals, your plans, your expectations, your hopes, your progress, your lack of progress, your setbacks, your frustrations and your victories.

The time period for this thread is roughly March, April, and May (we are not being precise here). We shall begin anew for summer in June!

As for myself, I will be checking in on March 1st. See ya!
 
#2 ·
I had planned on not weighing myself for February, but I did a little. It has stayed roughly the same, so I am pleased that I've become more in tune with my eating habits. After a lengthy cold that knocked me out for two weeks, I'm back in the swing of exercise and feeling better than ever.

I keep hoping that I'll see the bottom side of 131 by the end of this session. Maintaining is a victory in itself, but I could use a few more pounds off. I have no exact weight goal-- it's been so long that I've been down at this end of the scale. I do want to get a new scale, as my old family one, with the foot gunk of 50 years :p , is fickle and unreliable (and a few pounds too low, no matter how large the sack of sugar I put on it).

Spring is coming early to my corner of the world. The days are getting longer. The garden is beckoning. I am hopeful for this spring, for just about everything.
 
#3 ·
Starting my posts because it is a Monday.

My scale showed 132.5 today.

It's been a while since I shared my story, for people looking in on this thread. In 2010 I hit my highest non-pregnancy weight ever: 188. I am barely over 5'2". I lost 40 pounds over the course of several months. I started recording all I ate, for three weeks. I weighed everything and slowly reduced my intake, especially of the worst offending foods like butter and sugar (but I gave myself a treat of ice cream every day). I got used to yogurt and berries with no sugar, and even coffee without it. I hit a plateau at 148, and a year and a half later I was back up to 165. It was shocking how the weight would pile on in fits.

A year and a half ago, I managed to start my second round of weight loss, and have managed to lose another 30 pounds (15 of those "twice"). I've been able to maintain my weight at this current plateau, which I am thankful for, but it still sits heavily on my little frame.

I am hoping for a little more progress this session. I am doing my yoga and talking walks. I've cut out even more sugar and am pleased that my cravings for it have diminished (for now-- it always creeps up again, doesn't it?

So I'm more goal oriented this time. I need to eat even more vegetables and vegetarian dishes (sans cheese), and less meat-and-cheese centered foods.
 
#4 ·
Hello again ... i had several issues going in February and a very stressfull week end when i stuffed myself for some reason (upset, anger, too tired to devise a better strategy to deal with my anxiety ...etc ...) so right now ... 139 lbs definitely NOT the number i was hoping to post today .... am glad that at my tribal dance class there are ladies of all sizes ....it helps me keep sane in spite of the frustration of not yet reaching my goal .... again ....
 
#5 ·
Tribal dance class... I like the sound of that!

I overeat when I let myself get too hungry. I overeat on days I'm working, partly as a distraction but also because my work can be very physical and I go a little crazy with thinking of all the calories I'm burning.... 4000, right? :p It's hard when a weigh-in is on a Monday, the day after I eat about 3 days worth of food (seemingly).

The trick is in the balance, isn't it? Being able to have days where we reset our eating habits after allowing (I use that word loosely) ourselves to indulge. I'd love to be able to figure that out.

Right now there are about 600 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sitting in my house....
 
#6 ·
week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134

This morning I'm up a little-- no surprise after a huge workday. I'd say this isn't just a normal daily fluke-- I've been feeling a little heavier, probably leading up to my cycle. I hope. Trying to be mindful of whether I'm really hungry or not today.
 
#8 ·
I have been sticking to the high end, a trend that is ominous. Today I cut back on a few things rather than eliminate them entirely, and I ate an early, light dinner and am trying to get used to not going to bed with a full stomach again, which, after exercise, seems to have the largest impact on me.

I'm hoping to make it more than a one-day thing. Still piles and piles of cookies here. One more week and they will be gone.
 
#9 ·
Ugh. Just ugh. How did the first three weeks of March get so insane? I'm hanging in there, but barely. I'm missing my walks; I'm missing my yoga sessions. I feel... bleh...

week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134
week 3-- 134.5
 
#12 ·
week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134
week 3-- 134.5
week 4-- 133.5

Feeling a little more self-control very recently; I get to do my yoga this morning, and I have time this week for two walks and I'm going to make them very, very long.
 
#14 ·
week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134
week 3-- 134.5
week 4-- 133.5
week 5-- 133.5

Slightly higher today, not unexpected after indulging in a giant (veggie-filled) grinder and beer last night. Today I'm trying to focus on veggies and fruits, because the carb-craving is out of control and it never satisfies, does it? Or hardly ever? It just escalates and escalates. So I'm resetting, or trying to reset, my appetite at least today and hopefully for three, but that includes being back on caffeinated coffee for a while. My breakfasts have simply gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. I can't afford that at my age!

I'm back to running, but trying to find balance in my exercise. Not doing my huge yoga routines every morning I have time-- some mornings just a quick routine followed by a 16-minute run. I'm trying to fit that into the mornings I have to leave for work, but my ass is lazy in the mornings, so no success there (and not too upset about it). Later sunsets mean more time for walks when I can fit them in.
 
#15 · (Edited)
March has been a rather mixed bag for me ...
emotionnally i feel a little bit better . but am back at 137 lbs, so not at all where i was hoping to be !!!
have been reading the latest Mosley book (the 8 weeks blood sugar diet ...)
am not diabetic (not that i know of) but am interested in research on the subject because i have this ongoing battle with sugar/that can trigger candida (usually athlete's foot ... but other localisation that would be TMI to mention ....) for which the various doctors i've been to do not seem to know much about/do not appear to be competent treating ... besides my present medical treatment (chemotherapy ... again ....) during which my gut is not happy at all .... AND i belive all my issues are linked one way or another .... the vicious circle being that i eat when i'm upset ... whereas i now believe that i should eat LESS in order to get better physically (but what can i use to replace the soothing effect of food ... meditation ? prayer ? ... am not very good at that yet ..)

so .... am presently trying to navigate all of this ... plus i discovered that i can have "fake food" in form of powder 100% re-imbursed (because of my present condition) for the next 4 weeks & have asked for a prescription & received my order ... i tried with 4 packets per day but i think it's a bit too much and am now trying to cut down to 2 pakets + one meal of veggies + fat per day ....

basically, what Mosley advises (he trained as a doctor but then went on to work for the BBC, making various documentaries putting various medical theories to the test ... like testing on himself and other volunteers ... ) is a 800 calories per day diet for 8 weeks, with real food if at all possible (protein + veggies + a little fat, but hardly any carbs) .... but some people have done it with "fake food" and both groups have apparently been able to both loose a good amount of weight in 8 weeks AND reverse a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes ... which seems a rather interesting result (which doesn't make much money to any specific company if you use real food and calculate calories content yourself ....)

What i should be looking for actually is a free to download podcast from the internet to help me "belive" that i have eaten enough when i cut down my "new for the present" intake to 800 calories per day ...

conclusion ... my new goal for April & May is to get to 125 lbs ... then a final goal of 120 lbs ....
i AM going to be on stage end of June for a end of year dance gala, baring all of my mid section ... (but then i have been doing those galas for a few years by now, when much more padded .... so that is not such a powerful incentive in fact ...)

What kind of distance do you run in 16 minutes ?
I like fast walking .. wish i was able to get into a routine of leaving home very early (before needing to be there for the school routine for DD2 ...) to do just that for a set time or set distance ... am not sure what to aim for in fact ....
 
#16 ·
Oh boy. 800 calories is what my mom's doctor got her started on when I was 14 and THAT is what started me on the anorexia experiment and all the food dysfunction I have-- which really isn't bad in practice, but mentally it grates at me every day. But that was as an impressionable kid, but still <shudder>

But anyway, that sounds extreme, but if you have other reasons for trying it beyond weight (which it might backfire on you-- I'm hungry on 1600 calories!) then the best of luck to you, especially the medical issues.

I'm not sure how far I run. It's not very far. One mile? I do 4 trips up and down our (very long) driveway, kind of more in sets than in a steady jog. I vary my pace, loosening my stride in places, keeping it slower in places. If I add more time (after I walk one round) then I will add more sets and keep the walking break. I'm hoping to add another 15 minute set of 4 trips after a rest.

The short distances more often can be better than longer distances less often, I find. When I do my long yoga, I have one pretty intense section (around 5-6 minutes) that gets my heart pounding and breath heavy, and I find that it helps when I don't run for a while to ease back into it.
 
#17 ·
Buying two boxes of Lu brand Petit Écolier (those biscuits with chocolate on top) wasn't a great idea... but otherwise doing okay. I feel the extra, regular exercise start to have an effect on the way my body feels, and it's a good sign when I head into my cycle on the lower end of the scale, and well past the accompanying carb-overload cravings I get just before.
 
#18 ·
week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134
week 3-- 134.5
week 4-- 133.5
week 5-- 133.5

week 6-- 134

But it feels better than the 134 from two weeks ago. More exercise, more eating on the earlier side of the day. I just feel better, so yay. Not disappointed... too much.
 
#19 ·
Hello there .... have not yet stepped on the scale (am still bloated from lots of meds infused in me on Friday a week ago ....)
.. but i got round to walk a fair bit over last week end
was away with no computer, just got round today to calculating how much i walked ...
so, last Sunday i walked at least 9 km, and on Tuesday i walked a bit more than 7 km ...
and that was NOT fast walking, on the longer walk i had a heavy bag to lug around, and on the second walk, i had set out with a shorter goal and just changed my plans as the afternoon went on ....

you are right, 800 cal is not much & not quite enough ....
i just wish i was less of an emotional eater !!!
 
#20 ·
With the meds affecting your body, it probably is best if you focused on exercise instead. I could tell quite recently that my slightly-up weight was really more than slightly up because of the way my clothes fit, and that's due to the decrease in my exercise. It really helps us feel better, hold ourselves better, every thing better.

I like to focus a lot on "core" development-- abdomen and side waist strengtheners and hip strengtheners. We focus a lot on our mid-abdomen, but lower abdomen and the muscles along the sides and even our back are essential for completing this. Add in hip strengtheners, and even just standing around I feel taller, my walks feel taller, my runs feel taller. I rise up instead of slumping into my hip sockets (yes! really!) and along my spine. I just feel better all around. I have a series of yoga poses that help with these. I recommend that everyone who wants to lose weight and feel better about their bodies also does something to work on these areas, because their overall impact on how we feel is disproportionate to their actual physical effect. It is so motivating.

I've been trying to be less methodical and ("lower-case") ocd about recording weight and exercise information, but while being attentive to these things can be healthier for the body, I kind of feel like it's a pathos of the mind that keeps me so hyper-focused on the details. But at the same time, it's a lifetime of learned mental behaviors that have created how I think, and I can't imagine that it will change all that much or any time soon. I can't beat myself up over every little quirk. So, yes, I weigh myself now every *other* day (rather than every day), record my exercise and these things are ritual to me.

Warm weather seems to have reset my appetite and I don't feel those cravings when I know damn well I'm not hungry. That's nice, because in short order I feel better and the scale seems to reflect a more proper weight, if that makes sense. Not like I'm losing weight, I'm just losing that extra pack that comes with eating for the sake of eating. However, I can take advantage of the decrease in cravings and get on with maybe another round of weight loss? I'd really love another 10 pounds off to start. That shouldn't be all that hard?

Recently my barriers have been computer time. I've been writing a lot, to myself and to a friend-- important stuff, definitely-- and next thing I know the morning is gone and I have a choice to do my long yoga or get on with my chores for the day, and these last two days it's been chores. Which is good, but I'm feeling the results of my choices on my body. I'm a slug in the mornings, though, and I tend towards torpor.

This morning I need to get out the door by 11am. I'm going to try to get my "short yoga" (around 5-10 minutes) and a 15-minute run in.
 
#21 ·
got motivated late afternoon for nipping in town and getting myself some new "proper" walking shoes
now planning to walk 2 x 2.5km tomorrow morning (to a shopping center and back, i tore off a few special offers off a flyer ... and definitely not getting there by bus !)
= hoping to walk more in the afternoon (at least 6 km if i can ....)
another motivation is that i slept very well last Sunday night ...

totally agree with you about posture ....
 
#22 · (Edited)
week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134
week 3-- 134.5
week 4-- 133.5
week 5-- 133.5
week 6-- 134

week 7-- 132.5

A day early. Finally feeling back to normal. Better than I did at this same weight at the beginning of the challenge. For some reason (warm weather?) the munchies and carb cravings seem to have disappeared. For the time being, I am sure, but I'll try using this change in metabolism to my advantage.
 
#23 ·
well, things didn't turn out as expected over the week end & i didn't get round to walk as much as i intended ...
now hoping to step on the scale tomorrow morning ...

DH has put on a lot of weight as he worked abroad, he's now above 30 of BMI & asked me to cook Harcombe style meals for him, he's going to step on the scale next Friday (he's got about 18 kg to loose, about 40 lbs ....)
 
#24 ·
week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134
week 3-- 134.5
week 4-- 133.5
week 5-- 133.5
week 6-- 134
week 7-- 132.5

week 8-- 134

Well, drat. No real complaints. I think it was a week of some very good food and not much chance for long walks.
 
#26 ·
week 1-- 132.5
week 2-- 134
week 3-- 134.5
week 4-- 133.5
week 5-- 133.5
week 6-- 134
week 7-- 132.5
week 8-- 134

week 9-- 134

I actually hit higher this week. That stretch of diminished appetite kinda sorta *ended* :p I'm trying to very slowly work my portions back down without feeling deprivation (mostly) and getting my activity up again. It's nice that the morning after a work day the scale is lower that it has been. I eat a lot when I work, and I let myself eat a lot when I work. Unfortunately appetite does not increase symmetrically with activity. We tend to exercise a little more, and then eat *a lot* more. This incremental reduction has worked in the past.
 
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