Is anyone else trying to lose weight? Post your successes/milestones here, and receive congratulations!
 

I lost 10 kilos last year... managed to keep it steady this year with minimal excercise and my sudden love of tofu...

I'm going to buy some inline skates in the next couple of days to continue with the weight-loss program..
 

Tofu--ugh! Nasty disgusting stuff! I'd rather be fat!
 

favourite simple recipe at the moment:

Either bake Firm Silken Tofu yourself, or find it pre-made. If you're going to bake it yourself, I reccomend covering diced cubes in egg-white and cornstarch, then rolling it in a marinade of soy, ginger, chillies and a bit of tomato sauce (that's ketchup to my American bretheren) then baking it till it's nice and tasty.

Once you've done that, cook some white rice till it's light fluffy and not clingy at all. I recommend jasmine or basmarti rice. 1 cup rice to 1 & 1/2 cups water. Bring to the boil, once boiling, stir briefly, cover, bring the heat down and simmer for 15-20 minutes without taking the cover off. You should have a nice fluffy rice that way.

OK, while the rice is cooking,

Chop 1 big onion into long slices along it's length.
Finley chop 1 or 2 garlic bulbs
Chop up 2 or 3 serrano chillies (or to taste)
1 can of chick peas
Chop squares of green capsicum (I think you call them bell peppers)
Chop up lots of mushrooms
Tear up fresh basil or oregano.

(You can also add any other veges, carrots can work well)

In a wok or fry-pan, heat a small amount of virgin extra-light olive oil.

Throw in the newly-made tofu and the chick peas.
It takes about 5-10 minutes for the chick peas to cook properly
throw in the onion and chillies
When the onion chunks are starting to come apart, throw in the garlic, let them fry for a while.

Once you think it's ready, throw in the rest of yoru veges, let them cook, but don't let the capsicum or carrots loose too much crispness.

Once it's almost done, add some soy sauce... although you can reall add anything at this stage.

I made a schechuan sauce that worked really well the other night.

Then just as you're about to serve, grab the torn-up basil (and perhaps oregano as well) and toss through.

Put the rice on the plate, cover with the veges and tofu...

it's really tasty - and I'm not even vegetarian!
 

Troubs: um, sure. Sounds great. Whatever works for you...
 

But yeah 10 kilos is a fair bit to lose... I was about 120 kilos, but I'm tall and broad so most people tended to think I was around about 96 - 100... But then, my weight goes to really freakin odd places, and I've got a great eye for dressing to conceal!

Actually, I first encountered tofu long before yuppies made it hip again. I had a friend when I was about 10 whose parents (and he) were vegetarian. I was invited to his house often, but I just had to find an excuse to leave when they started cooking dinner. That sickly-sweet smell was just too much for me!
 

Hell, I'm the clothing master, but I was swimming all last year.... I figure I'll look like a dick on the inline skates I'm buying tonight, but who cares - they're for me, not for the fashion-concious jerks swanning around in their designer lycra.

Take a good look next time you go somewhere where people jog... Bet you see lots of people bigger than you out there - but you never notice. Our eyes gravitate towards the beautiful, or failing that, the morbid. So no-one will see you..... at least until you join the ranks of the beautiful...
 

[This message has been edited by Anna (edited November 13, 2002).]
 

I needed to buy a new pair of jeans today—not really because I've lost so much weight, 10 pounds isn't really enough to make that big a difference yet, clotheswise; I just needed a new pair because all of my old ones were in bad shape. I didn't want to buy a pair that fit me great now and have it become too large before too long as I continue to lose weight. So I purposely bought them as snug as I could get away with without being indecent. Don't think fat old ladies in Lycra; this is nothing like that. I'm not talking about revealingly/obscenely tight, just not as loose as would have been most comfortable. It's interesting to see how the people in my life responded to my stated intention to do this. There was a lot of concern that I was going to buy a new pair of jeans, gain weight instead of continuing to lose it, and have thrown away the money I spent on them.

I'm not really in the business of testing the faith of my family and friends; it only makes sense that nobody is going to believe I'm going to lose the weight until they see me do it. It's just interesting to note. From my perspective, I have a calm certainty that I'm going to succeed, because I've found a plan I can live with. I lost a lot of weight this way once before, and kept it off for five years, so it's not a yo-yo thing. I only gained weight again when my life went through a series of drastic changes, and I was no longer in my old patterns of eating and exercising. Once I gained the weight, losing it again proved difficult for several years, but I now feel extremely confident that I can lose it again.

A pair of Wrangler jeans costs $15 at Wal-Mart. I don't think that $15 is too much to gamble on myself.

I don't know if starting a diet right before Halloween was smart or not--I'll decide after New Year's! So far so good, though. I was even good all of Thanksgiving weekend. So, at the very least, I've not put on weight during a typical weight-gain time. That's a pretty good thing all by itself!

::sends good vibes to flyby should he (she?) choose to start losing weight before the Holidays::

I'm afraid my weight loss stalled after Halloween. Darn leftover candy. I'm also finding it hard to keep plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables around the house when it's 30 miles to the grocery store. *sigh* But at least I haven't gained back what I lost, so getting going again won't be too discouraging.

Start a journal. Write down everything you eat. I've scoffed at this idea before, but let me tell you, it works.

My goal is to eat healthier. I want to eat more grains, legumes, fish, etc. So I decided to make myself accountable.

The way it's working with me is that I'd rather not stick that piece of chocolate in my mouth if I'm going to have to write it down. So..I don't eat the chocolate.

I only want to see good things in my journal. So in order to do this (without cheating), I have to only consume healthy, nutritious food.

So far, it's working.

*I started yesterday*
 

I'm finding that it's very easy for me to stay healthy on weekdays, when I'm so busy with work I don't have a chance to snack or have cravings. The challenge for me is on weekends and days off--like, oh, Thanksgiving! Also, things that I would put into my mouth without even giving it a thought, like bread with dinner or an afternoon snack, are much more of a threat than candy. Since I write everything down, though, I can't cheat in this way.

Joe

(I am eagerly waiting for the first person who doesn't know I'm dieting to notice. People who already know I'm dieting have commented that I look thinner, but when someone notices that you've lost weight all by themselves, that's a milestone! I'll be sure and post when that happens!)
 

Keep it up! The rewards will all be worth it.

I'm suffering from what I call my "depression weight". Once I started spiralling into the depression I began eating a lot of junk food.

Part of my recovery process is taking better care of myself, so I'm now starting my exercise program back up. Today I went to the store and bought nothing but good food - no cookies, no candy, no snack foods.

I can't make breakfast in the morning, the smell of food cooking before 10 AM makes me feel ill, so I bought some nutrition bars to eat for breakfast daily. That plus my daily multivitamin should ensure that I'm getting all the vitamins and minerals I need. Then, I'm starting back with my yoga and pilates and walking a mile in the evenings. Hopefully after the first six weeks or so I can up that to a mile and half and keep going until I'm walking about 3 miles a day.

I really like Jennifer Kries Method book and I use the elastic bands with my pilates work - they make it possible for me to stretch a lot further. Of course, if you dance, you're probably pretty flexible already.

Belle <-- not flexible
 

Then I hurt my shoulder, and couldn't exercise for a couple of weeks. I gained 6 lbs of fat back during those few weeks, but have lost five of them again. I've still got 10 lbs of fat or so to loose (and wouldn't mind gaining another few lbs of muscle). Hopefully I'll be there in a couple of months. I managed to get through Thanksgiving without putting on much fat.
 

Good luck Tammy, Porce, & Belle! Let us know how it goes!

(In case it's not obvious, I'm also using you all, in the sense that I'm talking about what I'm doing and thereby making myself accountable to you for it. So thanks for letting me use you, Hatrack!)
 

35 pounds in 4 months is a lot. I hope to lose 30 in four months, and it should be easier for me since I'm probably bigger than you. I've also often heard that it's easier for men to lose weight than it is for women; I don't know how true that is. It might simply go back to the fact that men usually weigh more to begin with, and so they can eat more and lose just as much.
 

He'll be mean in the sense that he won't let me slack off. He's a good guy and a great coach. That is why I am thinking about doing it. I need it.

I don't expect to keep up that rate of weight loss. Although, if I'm losing inches more than pounds, I really don't care how fast the weight comes off. I just want to be healthy and fit.
 

My wife and I have been doing this together, and she's gone from a size 8 to a size 2. Well, actually to a 0, but that was more that she wanted to loose, so she's been making a point to stuff herself with fattening but healthy foods--nuts, pumpkin seeds, stuff like that--and she got back up to a two. Her metabolism seems to have fired up to its 1996 levels though--she has to really work to put on weight.

It's kind of interesting to watch--she and I exercise about the same amount (I do heavier weights, but that's the only difference). I've got more fat than she does, when you factor out differences in size and gender, and generally look heavier, but I'm in excellent aerobic shape, have great stamina, and all that. She looks like she could run a marathon, but actually isn't in all that great of aerobic shape at all, and gets winded climbing hills and such. I have to work much harder to get rid of fat, and she has to work much harder to get into good aerobic shape. Odd.

Troubadour,

I'll definitely be trying that receipe--thanks for passing it on. Tofu (and other soy products--I've completely eliminated cow milk from my diet, replacing it with soy milk) has become my primary source of protein over the last 5 months or so. For the most part I've been poaching it in tamari, with a bit of dark sesame oil, and eating that, along with steamed greens (usually kale or collard greens) over brown rice. I typically season it with more tamari and ume plum vinegar. It's quick, easy, and incredibly tasty, but I have been going through tamari at a pretty startling rate. I've played around with other ways of cooking tofu, but this is the best I've found so far.

I've played around with tempeh a fair amount--tempeh reubens are incredibly good. The saurkraut and the tempeh compliment one another well. Other than that, though, I haven't found any tempeh receipes that have really grabbed me.
 

Since the end of March, I've lost over 50 lbs...nearly 60 now. That has been 4 sizes...from an 18 to a 12 (which is almost too loose already).

Hasn't made me a lick more graceful, however. I'm still a stupid klutz.

Regarding people noticing...

Some of the people in my office began commenting about 2 months ago finally, as some of the weight loss became more noticable in my face and chest. (We shall not discuss in a public forum what the change in my bra size has been, but it's quite noticable. ) Most of the comments have been very kind, congratulatory, and encouraging. One woman though was quite odd. She was VERY enthusiastic when she finally noticed (just two weeks ago). She went on and on and ON about how proud she was of me. That's strange, since she's never once been anything but cordial-yet-icy with me, as I'm not nearly up to her social standards. On top of that, the following day, she was walking by with a coworker from our parent company, and I walked past them on my way to my desk. I had just sat down when this woman dragged this other woman back to my cube, telling me to stand up so that this second woman could see. This woman from our parent company certainly has met me once or twice in the past four years, but it's not like we know each other. The woman in my company then went on for a few more minutes about how great it was that I'd lost the weight, and how proud she was of me. This second woman frankly looked embarrassed. I was slightly mortified, and was unsure of how to react. The whole thing was weird.

On the other hand, I've got a number of semi-close friends who haven't said word one to me about it, some of whom I see often, others whom I recently saw for the first time in many months. I know that some of them no doubt simply don't want to be rude. (Hey, you look fabulous! Boy did you look awful before!) But surely there's some sort of middle ground, especially amongst friends, for being able to comment on a significant weight loss in someone.

~~~Lead

That does sound like an uncomfortable situation. Some people just have no clue. However, at least it was occasioned by a good thing!

As far as close friends noticing...I guess people who see you the most have a hard time noticing because they see you everyday, and the change is gradual from that perspective. I know when I lost a lot of weight before, my best friend never noticed until his mom pointed it out.

And I do have a hard time taking a compliment well. A good complement for me is "congratulations on losing weight." "You look SO MUCH BETTER NOW!" strikes the wrong chord in me, though I will act outwardly gracious.

belle: i like ashtanga vinyasa yoga and i am not sure what sort of pilates i do, but i do exercises my dance teacher has me do in private classes and at home to help keep my center super strong. i really wish i could afford the classes, it is great for every part of your body.

i also highly reccomend a book called Stretch and Strengthen, i need to ask my teacher for the author again.
also, the New York City Ballet Workout is a GREAT workout book/video/dvd that will help you increase physical grace and lean/lengthened muscle tone. it is geared towards people with or without dance experience.

dance classes are a fun way to mix up a workout regimine, and even if you feel you completely lack rhythm or grace you would be surprised at how much you'll improve if you stick at it for at least three weeks.

[This message has been edited by porcelain girl (edited December 03, 2002).]
 

My daughter was interested in the NYC ballet workout - I might have to look into that.

Natalie, my oldest, does Pilates and consistently has had the strongest back in ballet class. I was trying to fit in a Pilates workout today with the twins in the same room. That was entertaining. Seeing them on the floor trying to imitate me.
 

It was for a good cause though. We had a luncheon at work...and...it was a good kind of luncheon. I couldn't possibly put down EVERYTHING I ate at that luncheon in my journal...it would have turned in to a 'two pager'.

Back to normal....no more cheating.

::gives Tammy a stern look::
No more cheating!

 

This is what I get for doing a football coach's off season training. I don't do all the exercises he has (I don't plan on playing football next season) but the lifts I do do are quite...sufficient. I hope I can keep motivated.

My boyfriend lost 150lbs and has kept it off for 4 years. He works out at the gym and runs stairs on a regular basis. He really helps me stay motivated. I only wish we were in the same state so that he could spot me. I work out in the weight room alone and sometimes that scares me. There are times when I can't finish a set because I'm scared I won't be able to get the bar back above my head (or to be more precise...complete the rep).

Anyhow, I'm babbling now. So, I should expect less weight loss now that I am lifting weights, yeah? Will I notice a change in my measurements?
 

You'll start noticing big time in about three months. You just have to get through that "training the body to do what you want it to do" phase which is ever so frustrating.

(Good to see you, Leslie. )
 

I've also learned something...snow makes me hungry.
 

Porce--I'll have to work on stretching. Which is better: stretching before, after or both? (I'm new at this...) What kind of stretches are best?

I like this thread.
(Thanks, Ralphie. It's good to be seen. )
 

Stretch before and after. I don't know how heavy of a work out you do, but I know I can stretch for a good 15 minutes before hand. The good ones are the ones you feel. They don't hurt, but you can feel them.
You should hold any stretch for 20-30 seconds, otherwise you might as well not have bothered. And don't bounce what you're stretching! You can really hurt yourself doing that.
Afterwards, do I nice warm-down, and then stretch out all the muscles you worked on for another few minutes. How long? How long do you have?
Generally, the more you stretch, the less it hurts the next day.

Does that help at all? I hope I'm not making it sound like you have to add 30 minutes of stretching to your workout, because that isn't the case.
 

Go all you losers of weight! hahaha
 

All you guys that want to do free weights make sure to start small, even if you can do a lot more. Sure you'll look like a wuss for a few weeks, but hey you just started deal with it. If you start small you'll know how to do the excercise correctly. When I was younger I almost threw out my back since I decided to try and rep 500lbs for the dead lift, I'd only been used to 350 so I sorta killed myself ( I was 17 at the time so sue me)

Make sure to keep your blood sugar up. I used to have a bad habit of eating nothing for the first part of the day then working out like a mad man and passing out. As much as I found it funny, its actually rather dangerous. From then on everyone called me Jay the Juicer as I was forever drinking apple juice when I lifted weights.

You shouldn't be able to do squat with the muscle group you worked out the day after unless you've been at it for a long time, and even then you should be really sore. Too many people work till it hurts a little bit and stop. Personally for me the idea is to push weights until I feel like crying or run until I can't talk right. Its sort of funny when I drink a bunch of caffeine the night prior and drink no water then run 6 miles. I'm a blabbering idiot at the end.

If you want to start running watch out. You should go see if you have high arches, normal arches, or flat feet so you can get the correct shoes. I tend to be a moron and run too long with a beaten up pair of shoes and put a lot of strain on my ankles ( well that and my running in boots ). Make sure to have good rest periods when you first start and make sure to get lots of calcium. Your muscles will grow faster than your bones and you'll get stress fractures if you push yourself too much as remember you can run ten miles before you can take ten miles. I've personally messed up my ankles a little bit doing that.

Don't smoke or drink alcohol. Once I stopped drinking I felt soooo much better. I have a pal who stopped smoking, his run time actually got worse at first, but now he is improving. Smoking 3 cigarettes before a long run like all my pals is not a healthy thing to do. Not to mention the fact that you can smell alcohol at the end of the formation sometimes during Monday morning PT.

Personally I'm not big on dieting to lose weight. I feel if you can't build up your body to just burn off the fat you shouldn't be that thin. Though I suppose not everyone has half the time that I get to do stuff like that. I've always thought that women with some muscle tone looked a lot better than all the Christinas in the world.

Pullups , chinups, etc are all cool excercises if you can do them. The fact is I know too many people who don't have the upper body strength to do more than one or two of them. I'll be honest when I started Basic I could do two or three. Now its a lot past that, but I won't brag as I'm some people will see this as bragging enough as it is ::laughs::

Most of all to me the peak in physical fitness is the super foot. You should be able to walk 12 miles without a single blister. Yeah so I'm a dork about that. Though in all honesty make sure that whatever you do that its fun. MY idea of fun is doing ten pullups every time I walk into my bathroom and to do 50 of whatever excercise whenever I leave and come into my room. I'm simply retarded like that, find something that you enjoy and will smile. Plus the greatest thing in the world is to keep track of your progress. Its great sometimes to look how much you've changed and improved. Its a lot like looking at stories you wrote when you were younger. : )

I'm still in the planning stages of things here. I can certainly start eating right and exercising now, but need to figure out my goals and set a real routine. My problem is that what I want might not sit well with that little thing called "reality". For my goals, I'm going off of when I was in the best shape of my life. Luckily that happens to be post kid-I don't know what I would do if I were trying to envision myself going back to what I looked like when I was 15.

Anyway, if I want to go back to that long forgotten figure, I'll need to drop at least 15 pounds, and if I'm being honest with myself it's more like 20. And I'll have to blast away about 4 inches from the hips, and 2 from the waist. That seems like a lot to me. Quite scary. I guess it's possible, but it seems like my whole frame has changed in the past three years or so. I hit 20 and got all wonky. I guess it's fat, though-I don't imagine I can pass this off as growth.

Anyway, I'm going to the store tomorrow to get back up supplies and good food. Trading in the Chunky Soup and cold cut sandwiches for lean cusine for lunches at work, and in general eating like my little turtle. Getting happy new tapes for working out at home. Woo hoo. Have been planning to get the kid into swimming lessons-perhaps they have something for mommies as well.

Anyway, you'll hear from me in a week. Good luck to everyone who's in this with me, and congrats to those who have already succeeded in meeting their goals.
 

I've gained almost 20 pounds since last summer, i was 112 and i'm now roughly 130. It's not happy.

But i'm going to start eating better and (not running, cause its COLD out there, sheesh!)maybe doing Pilates, although so far they've seemed ineffectual...*shrug*

We'll see, wish me luck
 

How's it going, guys? Does the fact that this thread keeps dying mean I'm trying to lose weight alone?

Troubs? blackwolve? dkw? Narnia? Anna? flyby? Tammy? porce? Belle? Noemon? aretee? Lead? ladyday? Leonide?

Are you still with us?

[brag]In two months, I haven't broken my diet one single day![/brag]

Still haven't had anyone whom I haven't told I was dieting comment, but 15 pounds is not a lot when you're as overweight as I am (was). I'm thinking that in the next couple of months it should become more apparent. The jeans that I bought at the beginning of this month are snug, but not uncomfortably so. My wife says they look good on me.

The past few weeks have been tough. The rush of enthusiasm from starting has worn off, but I'm not yet getting the validation of people noticing. But I've been good! When I get frustrated at what a long road I've started upon, I try to calculate what fraction of the way to my target weight I am, and when I think I'll get there.

It's not really that long a road. I've spent years wishing for a quick fix...if I'd spent that time gently changing my habits, I'd be in better shape already! But it does feel like a long time, sometimes.

Blackfox, I would agree with you if we were talking about starvation. But what I'm talking about is training myself out of unhealthy eating habits and into healthy ones. I just celebrated with ice cream...but I haven't cheated. What I'm relearning is moderation. When I was in college and grad school, I didn't work at staying in shape, and I enjoyed the foods I ate, but I stayed skinny. Somewhere along the line, as my professional and family life changed, my own attitudes toward food slowly did. I was eating out more, and the quantities were bigger, and the desserts more tempting, and, where I used to be satisfied with getting a taste of something I enjoyed, I started needing to feel full of something I enjoyed. What I'm doing is relearning my old habits. In the past two months, I have found myself being more and more able to leave some food, to put less on my plate, and I have found myself not really fighting temptation because I'm not really being as tempted by food anymore.

I don't want to be so fatalistic as to say, "Oh, well, maybe I just shouldn't be thin." I'm seeing the results of that in my father now. He had quadruple bypass surgery three years ago, and we give thanks for every day we still have him. I want to watch my grandchildren grow up.

Anyway, this is a weight-loss ENCOURAGEMENT thread, so SHOO!!

I don't agree, by the way, that there's any one right way to lose weight. Everybody I know of who has successfully lost and kept off weight preaches their own particular method as though it's the only way. I think each person's life is different, and each person who struggles with weight does so for different reasons and with different problems. I think much frustration comes from saying, "Well, Oprah says I have to do it this way, so I won't even bother with anything else, and if I can't succeed this way I'll just give up." I think people who need to lose weight need to keep trying until they find the method that suits their issues, their needs, and their personalities.

The only thing I think is a certainty is that there is no shortcut, and that determination is pretty much required.

[This message has been edited by Icarus (edited December 21, 2002).]
 

I've got a nasty cold and it seems like I should have lost at least 10 pounds just in snot and phlegm, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the scale any.

Before the cold kicked in I was still sort of stalled - didn't gain any back, but stopped losing. I think that means it's time to concentrate on increasing exercise. When I get to the point that I can go two minutes without blowing my nose, I'm gonna give that a try.

Congrats again!
 

The last time I was on a set of scales, I had lost more than 60 lbs. Gauging by the way my clothes fit (or in most cases these days, don't fit), I'm somewhere around the 70 lb mark by now. I don't own a set of scales, and don't want to -- I have no desire to follow my weight fluctuations too closely.

Well, I got to enjoy the fun of walking into the party in a clingy dress on the arm of a hot guy. In the course of the evening I received quite a few comments about how great I was looking, received more complimentary comments passed along by a good friend, and got hit on twice. All in all the evening was a huge boost to my ego.

So, I just wanted to share, and figured this was a good spot. I shall now return to preparing to leave town to visit family.

~~~Lead

Congratulations!

I need to remember to write in the darn journal...so that I can keep myself honest.

It's just so easy to eat junk/fast foods. Eating healthier does take much more of an effort.

I've not given up yet. I'll do better!

[This message has been edited by Tammy (edited December 30, 2002).]
 

Yeah, still with the crew on this one. I've been slack with end of year busy-ness, and despite everyone commenting on how much weight I've dropped during the year (many of my closest friends and family only see me once a year) I'm comitted to the process of losing a lot more.

My plan for this is simply to get good at rollerblading, go for more jogs and continue the healthy eating regime I've been enjoying so recently of late - and which is responsible for my keeping the weight down when not exercising.

Plus I intend to go out a lot more this year, and dance the night away - which is worth about a week of jogging!
 

I think that I need to readjust my focus.

I focus on getting us all fed, in the most efficient way time wise. I need to shift that focus to quality. That's not easy for me. It takes alot of consideration and planning prior to the fact.

I've checked out a few books at the Library. Books that focus on saving time, and others on eating healthy.

Here we go......
 

A while back some people commented on whether or not it was wise to begin a weight-loss plan before the holidays. Having now weathered my wife's birthday, Christmas, New Years, and our anniversary, and having not only NOT gained weight, but actually LOST weight, I have to say that before the holidays is the best possible time to start, because if you can stay on it, then you are that much further ahead than if you first gain weight, and then try to lose it and more. (WITALS: new 'net abbreviation for "Wow Is That A Long Sentence!")

Anyway, Yay!

 

My goal this year is to perfect my tummy...*eyes stomach, irritated*

-pH
 

First of all I want to say LOUDLY. CONTGRATS LEAD, YOU LOOK AWESOME!!!!

I know I need to lose 10-15 lbs. It is hard for me because this first winter in the Chicago area I haven't been able to be outside like I was even down in Oklahoma. I have been coming home from work at night and sitting on my butt watching TV. I know I need to become more active, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly how. The Pilates stuff sounds interesting but we have no floorspace in our tiny apartment. My bf bought a piece of excercise equipment that is like Chuck Norris' home gym but it just doesn't appeal to me. And we have no room when he sets it up but are reduced to clambering from furniture item to furniture item without touching the floor. The dogs manage to weave in and out but they are considerably smaller. I have genetically bad knees, so I should do low impact activities. But, due to an injury, I am unable to swim, which is my favorite sport because it requires one to move one's neck to breathe and will give me migraines in short order. But I need to do SOMETHING... I'm open to ideas if you have any.

I noticed something rather strange though. My boyfriend totally cut out soda/caffine (we are die hard coca-cola drinkers) to help him lose weight. For him it has made a drastic difference. But for me if I don't have the caffine and sugar combo I don't have any energy (and I have gone without Coke for several months as an experiment to see if my metabolism would come back). I have started drinking it again recently, and my energy level has gone back up, which is also why I am now feeling motivated to start excersising. Do any of you know if this some sort of metabolic paradox?

AJ
 

Went on the scale this morning, and i have gained 20 pounds since last summer. This is due to my failed attempt to quit smoking and, of course the fat filled holiday season. Bleh, I feel pretty lousy.

Today I will start my new workout regimen and diet. I've always found that cutting down carbohydrates of any kind melts the fat off.

I am SO lazy, and live to eat delicious foods. Reading this thread is making me motivated.
 

I want to lose at least 12 pounds. I haven't been in the 130s since 7th grade! I'm going to post my progress here. I need to be accountable, and telling others about my goals will help me with that.

I pledge to take my vitamins and eat balanced meals. Most of all, I want to feel energetic while I lose weight. This is my main goal.

Thanks for your support!
 

One thing I've been working on is my water intake. I've been chugging the water.

Chug that water!
 

I'm not sure if it's due to the weird stomach stuff and the exercise and diet, or a combination of the three.

At any rate, I had breakfast with a nurse friend of mine the other day and she said, at first, "You've lost weight."

I said, "Most likely."

We went on to talk about other stuff.

THEN she said, "Okay, you've lost a lot of weight. You aren't turning anorexic on me are you?"

Me. "God no. I love food."

I also carry myself differently and wear clothing that fits better, too. I suppose it's because I have confidence in my body.

Am still working to get those toned guns by my wedding, though.
 

That seemed odd, and I had no answer, since I have no deadline or end-goal. But it left me wondering if I looked especially bad today.

 

I'm hoping to lose another 10-15 pounds, but I'm not really concerned about it. I am pleased.

--Pop
 

I've lost 20 pounds since Halloween, and I thought that was pretty drastic! 27 since Thanksgiving.... ::shakes head::

<--- feels unworthy
 

quote:

---

I no longer feel man-boobs shaking when I'm driving on a rough road.

---

What in the world do you drive Papa Moose? A jackhammer?
 

AJ

 

*does dance of joy*
 

Ok...I'm calming down now..lol.
 

Yay dkw--I think. "To fit into my good black suit before my next funeral." Try not to celebrate too obviously at the funeral, 'kay?
 

woo-hoo.

Although who can say how I'll be tomorrow after all the chocolate I've eaten today...
 

--Pop
 

I've been eating these fruit smoothies for breakfast, they are soo yummy. You just put a whole bunch of frozen fruit in the blender, put some milk it. I love them.
 

However.

At the end of October, beginning of November I bought new pants in size 14.

Friday night I bought pants for my interview.

Size 9/10.

It's pancakes I miss, though.

--Pop
 

The only problem I'm going to have is when he gets all slim and trim, I'm going to have to start counting.
 

AJ(who managed to make it to work inspite of her headache, only by consuming large amounts of ibuprofen and muscle relaxants)

*sigh* Here we go again....

--Pop

 

AJ
 

::kicks self::

Stupid Icarus.

I have a much smaller appetite than I used to. I regularly have leftovers after meals. I find myself craving fruits and vegetables, and healthier foods in general. My pants are starting to fit quite loosely, but I'm waiting as long as I can before I buy new clothes, since I still have a long way to go (about another 60 pounds). I have been extremely healthy this year as well. Coincidence? Who knows?

Thanks for all of the encouragement so far...

[This message has been edited by mackillian (edited February 25, 2003).]
 

::wants to compliment you, but is afraid of seeming to flirt on a board his wife frequents::

<-- has no wife to worry about.

 

Anyway, it was nice to see a slightly lower number on the scale.

Now, if only I could figure out a way to get in a bit more exercise...

**Ela**
 

I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but I want to build some muscle and tone. I knew I was doing well when I found I could easily zip my hip boots, even though I hadn't lost more than a pound or two, by the scales.

And now I can benchpress my boys.
 

So, how is everyone doing?
 

And I've determined that I prefer Tony Roma's baby back ribs (with Carolina Honey BBQ sauce) to Chili's baby back ribs. But Chili's has that deliciously decadent dessert....

--Pop
 

quote:

---

And I've determined that I prefer Tony Roma's baby back ribs (with Carolina Honey BBQ sauce) to Chili's baby back ribs.

---

Well duh.

I'm doing well...33 pounds or so lost so far.

But I had the farthest to go of anyone on this thread, so it's really just a drop in the bucket.
 

I'm not weighing myself - frankly I don't want to spend the dosh, since all the meat I'm eating has blown out my monthly budget outrageously...

But after a week, it seems to be working, I've got more energy, I'm clear-headed and alert for the first time in god knows when, I'm dreaming (what's with that!?!??! I haven't dreamed properly in years, and suddenly all night every night is dreams...) and I just noticed yesterday that my jeans are starting to get a bit loose - in fact, checking my normally spot-on belt, it seems I need to create a decent-size new notch in my belt.

So it seems to be working. yay!

(and good for you, Icarus!)
 

I agreed that I had lost but said I wanted to lose more. I feel I need to exercise more to lose weight and have the muscle tone I'd like to have.

My doctor thinks the only way to lose weight is count calories.

Never catch me doing that!!

**Ela**
 

Ela, counting calories is a very easy and flexible way to lose weight. I've lost over thirty pounds so far doing it, and not found it at all difficult. And unlike a lot of other weight-loss plans, the physics behind it is sound. The only reason people find it hard is that they start something that is too strict to stick to. I'd be happy to talk to you about what I'm doing, if you're ever curious.
 

Counting calories just seems burdensome to me. I try to eat in moderation, and avoid too many fats and sugars.

**Ela**
 

I've lost about 80 pounds with my version of the Atkin's diet a couple years ago. Instead of counting my carbs, I just make sure to cut most of them out of my diet. No more rice, bread, or sugar based products. I do allow myself fruit though, which is a big no-no in the Atkin's diet.

From that 80 pounds I lost, I've gained about 20 of it back since summertime. I've been eating whatever I want, and blame the downfall on my trip to Europe. Europe is not an easy place to diet in. This weekend, I had to dig through my closet to find my bigger clothes. I decided enough is enough. I am back on the low carbs diet, and so far since Saturday I've shed 3 pounds! I realize this is probably water weight i've lost, but it's very motivating to see the numbers go down.

Have any of you tried the 'carb solutions' chocolate bars? They are so yummy, and are low in carbs and taste just like chocolate. You can find them at Trader Joe's. I'm convinced I can stick to the diet because this chocolate bar exists.

edit: stupid spelling

[This message has been edited by NdRa (edited March 11, 2003).]
 

--Pop
 

[This message has been edited by Nick (edited March 11, 2003).]
 

The hardest thing about counting calories was just having some place to keep track of what I ate. I used to carry around a little notebook, like we used to use for writing down homework assignments when we were kids, before they came out with these huge planners. Problem was I would get tired of carrying around a little notebook everywhere, so I would leave it, forget it, lose it, and otherwise fall off of the wagon. When PDAs came out, I knew that would be the solution for me, but I didn't want to have a bunch of devices on my belt. So I waited until they came out with a PDA that was also a cell phone. One device that could serve so many purposes! Sure, it was expensive, but so far I've lost thirty pounds, and I'm well on my way to losing the 90 or so pounds I needed to lose. My father never won his battle of the bulge, and he's had a quadruple bypass and angioplasty and early retirement to show for it. I want to be around to watch my grandkids grow up. This device is helping me, so it's well worth the price I paid.

The cool thing about counting calories (coupled with a diet that is moderate instead of severe) is that my habits are gently changing before my eyes. I am seeing myself crave healthy foods because they are actually more satisfying. I am starting to fill up sooner than I used to, and to have leftovers. If I set some strict and unnatural regimen, then even if I didn't quit along the way, I would probably gain all of my weight back as soon as I was off the diet, because my underlying habits would not have changed. But I'm changing what my body considers satisfying, and I think that has the potential to bring me longer lasting good health.

Perhaps coincidentally, or perhaps not, I've been healthier this year than I've been for years. ::knocks on wood::
 

I've been putting off buying new clothes as long as possible because I'm still losing more weight, but today I'm wearing a shirt that is one size smaller than most of my shirts (two sizes smaller than some of my shirts). It's an old shirt, and I had begun to wear it less and less because it was getting too tight. Today it fits me great, better than all of my looser shirts do.

I think a lot of people from work haven't yet noticed how much weight I've lost because I wear really baggy clothes now. Big people like to wear baggy clothes to fool themselves into thinking nobody can see how big they are, but I am also finding that when your clothes are too baggy, it actually seems like there's more hiding in there than there really is.

AJ
 

So yeah, last weekend I tried on gowns. The size 10 fit me, except for my shoulders (I have broad shoulders. Apparently the muscular shoulders are my genetic gift :rolleyes . Couldn't zip it all the way up. My friend kept saying "Suck it in!" and I kept replying "I can't suck in BONE!"

Pshht. Damn gowns.
 

I've read once (sorry I can't back it up with the source) that one usually can't lose more than 10-12 % of their weight from the beginning of dieting in one go; then they hit the plateau. Does it agree with your experience? Would it satisfy you as the final goal?

BannaOj (and others)- size 12 isn't the same in US and in UK, is it? (British 12 = German 38 = French 36). *sigh* I tried some things on in the US and still can't work it out (so I won't be surprised if you don't know the answer too ).

Oh, and I've lost 6 kilos since the end of January.

edit: No, I think it = French 40. Jeez, it IS complicated.

[This message has been edited by Kate Emily (edited March 12, 2003).]
 

I have already lost more than 10% of my body weight, I have not felt any loss of energy (actually, I believe I have more energy), and I have been very healthy. I don't seem to be hitting any sort of plateau.
 

I'm only about 1/3 of the way.
 

I don't count every single calorie too but I believe that general awareness in that matter is the only way to lose weight... For example, yesterday inpired by Hatrack I tried root beer for the first time in my life, but remembered to sweat off those additional 170 kcal at the gym...

And I seem to recall having heard once that some particular vegetable had "negative calories," in that it took more calories to eat it that the item contained. I wish I could remember what it was.
 

Also, I'm trying to work out more, I officially join this thread.

Hobbes
 

Hobbes