<p>I gained 0.4 pounds from last week, which I find remarkable what with Christmas goodies and having my exercise regimen interrupted.</p>
<p>We’ll have to see what happens next week…another week of disrupted schedules and a big birthday dinner/cake to boot!</p>
<p>I can’t say that I’ve ever done the cleansing thing…but I can say that what has worked for me is to track what I eat on MyPlate on the Livestrong.com site. By putting in my weight loss goals, the website gives me a net calorie daily goal. I then try to meet the goal by eating right things and exercising. It turns out that healthy foods have much fewer calories than sugary, carby foods. </p>
<p>Healthy living is a thousand little choices made every day…</p>
<p>Performersmom, I fast occasionally when it just feels as if my whole digestive system could use a rest. I’ll just have tea and maybe diluted cranberry juice (I like it warmed up). One or at most two days. Just every now and then. I don’t feel deprived, I feel kind of liberated from worrying about cooking and menu planning for a bit. </p>
<p>Sometimes my DH and I will just eat grilled fish for three or four days with vegetables and rice, fruit for dessert. Just take a rest from red meat, basically. </p>
<p>I’ve also felt really good just doing all liquids every now and then, smoothies, juices, teas for a day or so. It really shrinks the stomach.</p>
<p>On Dec. 16, I weighed the all time low of my adult life. We hosted two big family meals. I skipped all bread,potatoes,desserts. I did eat a 6" Subway sandwich and Bojangles cajun roasted chicken bites w/pinto beans on the road trips going to and fro. When I got home I was up 1.5 pounds fr. the all time low weight. Over the next few days I dropped .5 lb.
Christmas day was fairly harmless. Had a small square of breakfast casserole,oatmeal and fruit for our brunch. Refrained from all “goodies” except nuts/fruit/yogurt.</p>
<p>So now, here I am on the last day of Dec. and still a lb. up from the all time low of two weeks ago. DH and I have been walking a lot…10 miles over the last three days. </p>
<p>I’m beginning to think the all time low was some sort of weird dip because the weight I’m up to now is pretty much what I’ve been for the last six weeks. I have no answers.</p>
<p>The good news is that we took S2 out to eat for his b-day last night and even though I ate a cup of creamy she crab soup and ate every bite of my chopped salad with rare ahi tuna, my weight is still the same this a.m. I can live with that.</p>
<p>DH had fish also while the 22 yr. old b-day boy wolfed down a big steak.
DH and I agreed last night that since we have pretty much given up red meat all together, we don’t even miss it. Never thought I’d hear those words out of his mouth!</p>
<p>I learned what happens when you don’t exercise and go off your eating regimen due to travel and deliberate lack of willpower - we made it to our rental house after four days on the road - set up the Wii fit and am up just under 3 lbs. I am perfectly willing to attribute part of that to the fact that the Wii is on a different carpet now and may register differently ;). </p>
<p>But I freely admit part of it is also due to the shared malt and fried at Hodad’s yesterday. Definitely part of it came from NYE dinner at Island Prime last night - great meal and worth it. No regrets for singular experiences. We did take a nice long walk along Sunset Cliffs yesterday, danced a bit out on the deck at the restaurant when the fog lifted and the San Diego skyline became visible, and I put in 20 minutes on the Wii fit this morning (starting the new year right!). And we’re going out to Cabrillo Point soon.</p>
<p>Thanks, sewhappy. I picked up some cleansing stuff from Whole Foods (teas, powders) to cleanse the Liver and to kill Candida/Yeast, which can exacerbate the ol’ sweet tooth. Who knows if it will be palatable or a help!</p>
<p>Just read the NYTimes mag cover article “Do You have to be Super-Human to Lose Weight?”- describes my experience to a T- that I have to be a perfectionist/obsessive to “keep the weight off”- story of my life! {Eat way less, more healthy, fewer cals than others for same results, lose no more than a pound a week no matter what I do when I am on the 1000-1500 cal high protein/no processed or dairy or sugared/daily exercise routine. I have it in writing, so shoot me!}</p>
<p>The article is basically depressing, but it does make me feel that I am not insane or self-deceptive about my experiences with weight… Interesting timing for this article, however- not sure it is the best thing to publish on New Year’s day, the top choice for Day One of a weight loss resolution.</p>
<p>Gotta get my food and activity diary started now. And time to pound down another huge glass of H2O.</p>
<p>Here’s to a great group of hard-working and supportive group trying to lose weight together! Good luck, all, and thanks for the inspiration.</p>
<p>Just checking in to say hi. I’m not going near the scales for another few days:). I have to say, I read that NYT article and I thought to myself, “Wait, I’m not overweight and I STILL have to pay that much attention to my eating etc.” In other words, what she described as superhuman efforts sounded like the way I live my life normally. Not that I don’t believe it’s harder to lose weight when you’ve been heavy, I do. But just that if I ate what Americans seem to be expected to eat every day, I’d weigh something like 50 lbs more than I do.</p>
<p>To me the key is that I get more endorphins from eating well, even from feeling a little hunger here and there, than I do from eating a lot. So what feels good to me might feel like deprivation to another. Why is that? Very good question. My mother fed us lots of lean protein and fruits and vegetables, is all I can think. </p>
<p>Now my family culture did not lead to a natural avoidance of drinking too much:). That I have to work at.</p>
<p>Alumother-
That is so weird… I too grew up eating little starch except a little cereal in the AM and bread for sandwiches. We never had rice, potatoes, stuffing, rolls, etc. on our dinner plates. Rarely had dessert. I do have a sweet tooth, but did not indulge much until I had kids. I do not drink- just not interested.
I think that the lady in the before and after photos who is so successful in the NYT article also had a very hard time in her youth with her weight. It describes how as a teen the doctors thought she was cheating on her diet. She tried to lose, was pretty unsuccessful, then gave up and steadily gained, despite a reasonable diet. She ended up quite obese, but has changed her life since her kids grew up, and basically she spends 90% of her time dealing with it, just to maintain a slightly obese weight…</p>
<p>D1, only slightly overweight, but a very very intense year-round athlete who eats/drinks nothing extra at ALL because keeping her weight down is such a struggle, was in TEARS after reading the article. I has to talk to her for about an hour to calm her down.</p>
<p>The article was remarkably unscientific, except for the (fascinating) discussion of the Columbia studies of twins and their genetics and their responses to different diets… There are many other possible explanations, which may be tied to some of the genetic variations discussed: thyroid, adrenals, estrogen, testosterone, GABA, insulin…</p>
<p>Not mentioned were the studies by Dr Robert Lustig of UCSF that point to lots of changes in the insulin of obese people- making them store, feel hungry, crave carbs, etc. I have no idea whether this change in the insulin response persists even after obese people lose weight, and wither some are born with this… I hope he and the Columbia docs get together for some more research together!</p>
<p>As someone who was put on her first diet at age 9 by her dance crazed mom I think I’ve experienced about every pitfall of losing weight and keeping it off. No real answers. I would spiral between about 110 pounds to 125 pounds throughout my teen years and at height of 5’5" the 125 was really fine but my entire family would treat me like the New Year’s blimp! So my whole sense of what was a appropriate weight was very distorted.</p>
<p>College was more craziness. Lots of crazy diets. Up and down weight. I got so sick of my weight being a big source of stress in my life.</p>
<p>The whole thing for me sort of stabilized with my first baby at age 32. I guess I didn’t fit the mold. Everyone I knew got fatter with pregnancy and stayed fatter. I gained moderately with pregnancy and then the pounds melted off and I stabilized right where I should be – about 122 pounds. I breast fed and that helped. But really I think it was just focussing on a baby and being busier beyond anything I’d ever experienced before. Also, becoming concerned about meals and nutrition for the “family” vs just “what am I going to eat today?”</p>
<p>I do think hormones play a role in weight. And I think we tend to feel hungry when our lives are out of whack. For me, it seems to be very important to get breakfast and lunch right and to make those meals no-brainers. Kind of monotonous, but I’ve learned what works over the years. Then if I’m in good form by dinner it is easier to follow through on track. </p>
<p>The Times article was annoying on a lot of levels.</p>
<p>Swdad1: Congrats! I hope to say something similar a year from now. I have lost 10 lbs so far in my journey and have about 40 lbs to go. The last week I have maintained but it is time to step it up now that the holidays are over and so are the parties with so much food.</p>
<p>Current weight watchers weight is 170.2 but I think it will be down a few at my next weigh in. My goal weight is between 120-130. I had never been heavy until after age 30 so hoping I can get back to my former self. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and depression at that time. </p>
<p>Today is birthday of good friend which is always the official end of our holiday. Instead of our normal dinner out, her daughters have planned a huge surprise party. I think I will be ready to back on the wagon after this party. Time for my January resolutions. (I make them in Jan., in July for my birthday, and in sept which always seems like the new year to me–former teacher.)</p>
<p>Mindful eating is at the top of my list. I need to be aware of what I am putting in my mouth. Is it worth the aftereffects of more pounds, blood sugar reaction, etc.? I plan to get back to daily recording via livestrong.</p>
<p>Drink more fluids. I tend to get dehydrated and need to remind myself to drink.</p>
<p>Move more. I did pretty well with my planned exercise (I did over 1000 minutes of exercise per month for the past 12 months) but I sit too much in between. I bought a Fitbit after reading about it on CC because I had problems with regular pedometers and have found that I take under 5000 steps per day. I will add a thousand steps a week until I reach my goal of 70,000/week. If I can’t get outside for extra steps, I will use my WiiFit for short bouts of step aerobics.</p>
<p>Finally, I will accept the fact that weight loss for me is complicated and not get too hung up on the scales. With metabolic syndrome and late menopause, my hormones are fighting me. Even without the loss on the scale, I feel so much better. I am extremely fortunate to have the time and money to work with a personal trainer who helps to keep me on track when I get discouraged. I have the diabetes counselors to give me information and emotional support. And, I have added CC’s Weight Loss for Dummies to my list of tools. Thanks, guys, for the shared stories and encouragement.</p>
<p>sewhappy - I too rely on breakfast and lunch. Breakfast too just break my fast, lunch with LOTS of protein as the main meal of the day. If I don’t, I find myself wandering, lost, through cupboards of crackers and freezers of ice cream.</p>
<p>I have been up and down and up and down all my life and no more but not like whats going on today. I am vegan and with a few friends who have joined me it is a miracle. I am not totally bought into no anything but I live and eat as a vegan most of the time. I am losing weight at about 2 pounds a month. I am now into my skinny stuff. I don’t have to work at it anymore. I just eat grains, beans and fruit and veggies. Like I feel, it is a miracle. Six months and counting. For the first time in my life, I am free. It is wonderful. And my blood tests are magnificent and blood pressure for a 65 year old, they “ah” at it. But you have to give up all the “crap.” Am I born again? I think so.</p>
<p>I’m sitting in front of a bowl full of Pamala, Lady Day, and French milk chocolates given to us by friends a week ago, but I have no desire to eat any. I’m craving a Greek salad! But I’m out of cucumbers. :(</p>
Goin’ for a walk now.</p>