<p>Congrats mathmom and eptr!! I have GOT to get back on the wagon and I need your help, ladies. I bought myself a magic bullet juicer thing for about $20 (coupons and sale price brought it down to that) and have made some green smoothie drinks, but I discovered, between the fruits and the protein powder and green superfood stuff I put in, its kinda high calorie! I would like to lose 10 lbs in 10 weeks (DS’s engagement party is coming up!), and don’t know if I can pull it off. I am going to try to get back into exercising and have GOT to get back to sticking to a 1200 cal diet. I am tracking on livestrong. Help!</p>
<p>I could never survive on a 1200 calorie diet every day - though I could imagine doing it once or twice a week. I decided in 2009 that I would change my eating habits for good. I knew that as I lost weight that I’d lose more and more slowly and that’s certainly been the case. For me by far the most effective thing is to bump up the weight bearing exercise. I liked to do some kettleball swings, squats and push ups every day. I’m talking a couple of sets - ten minutes max. It gets my heart rate going and it wakes me up. </p>
<p>As for you jym, I’ve seen your photos, you look great now!</p>
<p>Hope you had some protein in your lunchtime salad or dinnertime soup EPTR - cutting out the white carbs is good, but don’t leave protein behind! Protein based snacks are also a thumbs up (mozzerella stick, hummus and raw veggies, trail mix of nuts and dried fruit, etc.)</p>
<p>For the juicer, I suggest 1/2 c - 1 cup fruit, plain whole milk yogurt, ice and maybe a small spoon of jam for sweetness. Add a little liquid to desired consistency.</p>
<p>10 pounds is a lot in 10 weeks unless you’ve very recently put on that 10 lbs. And if you starve yourself, you’ll just put it back on once you start eating again. How about 5 pounds in 10 weeks and then keep it off?! :)</p>
<p>jym, I like smoothie type things as well. One thing I quickly learned is that all protein powders are not created equal when it comes to the calorie counts. I use the EAS Lean (you can buy it at Target) - 90 calories. Put it in your blender with water, ice and berries (or frozen berries) and it’s not bad. The women who started Blueprint juices also have a book with recipes for making your own juices/smoothies that is helpful in controlling the calories. Google search might also take you to some online recipes, and I recall finding some on My Fitness Pal as well. </p>
<p>1200 calories is tough. Something that really helped me was coming up with some well defined meals that were easy to prepare and I could eat regularly. So I eat one of three things for breakfast each day. I actually found that varying my calorie counts on a daily basis made it easier for me to lose weight and keep it off than rigidly holding myself to 1200 daily. </p>
<p>You can do it! Drink lots of water and like abasket mentioned, make sure you’re getting plenty of protein. Cutting protein and fat, in my experience, made it much harder to stick with an eating plan. </p>
<p>For me 1200 kcals is setting myself up for failure; 1500 is much more manageable. I also drink a lot of smoothies. I just looked at the EAS Lean. If my math is correct I can get more protein from 100 kcals of nonfat greek yogurt (18g vs 15g). The ingredients in the yogurt are all things I can pronounce and it has more calcium. I peel and freeze bananas, berries in season, and buy Trader Joe’s frozen mangos for my smoothies. I usually blend a banana, another fruit (fresh or frozen), .75 c greek yogurt (16g protien) and half a cup of Knudsen Just Cranberry juice. If it is too tart I add a little stevia. I’m glad we’re headed into warmer weather, when comfort foods (often heavy meals) are not so tempting.</p>
<p>I am just back from a long stressful weekend at my elderly parents’. Running on the flatland was a pleasure but didn’t make up for the marginal food choices. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone.</p>
<p>I am short, and 1200ish calories is doable (have done it before and adjusted after a few days). 1500 cal is what I go up to when I have just a few lbs left to lose.</p>
<p>I am in my gym clothes and plan to go work out (had a meeting this morning and read all about the new tweaks to the common app, should anyone care). I looked at the protein powder I have , and realized that the calorie count (110 cal) is for 3 tbl (24 gm of protein), so its not as bad. I’ve been putting in 2-3 tbl.</p>
<p>I dislike yogurt, and am not a milk drinker, so need to get protein and calcium in other ways. I love cheese, and will eat the lowfat babybel, jarlsberg, etc. </p>
<p>I have a dress for the party I want to fit into. I had an event last year and wa at that weight. I’d really like to be back there.</p>
<p>Having something you want to wear is a real motivator! </p>
<p>Jym, if you add the weight bearing exercise, you may like your shape after losing just 5 lbs.</p>
<p>The kettle balls and such I am not into, but you can do holding planks to wake up your core, and you can do those while watching TV or nearly meditating. I do them while watching my singing shows, especially when my non-favorites are performing. The simplest plank is like a push up, but you can rest on your forearms and clasp your hands and hold for 30,60 of more seconds, increasing a little each week. You will feel it in strange places around your ribs and hips and stomach.</p>
<p>^Everyone is different. Planks just make me want to shoot myself no matter how many distractions there are! I’d rather do a push up any day! I do do planks, but not every day! </p>
<p>I’m joining the thread again. I went off the rails because my son’s mental illness was stressing me out. He’s doing better now that classes are out. I’m going to South Africa ten weeks from Thursday, so my goal is to lose another 10 pounds. I had to stop running in February due to an injury, but I’ve been given the go-ahead to start up again, slowly.</p>
<p>The physical therapist said my running form is poor. That was no surprise to me! But he went further and explained that my knees kind of collapse in together, and if I strengthen my hips and core, I will do better. Part of my difficulty is just genetic, but I can make things better. So I will start doing clam shells, planks, and crunches. I hope it helps!</p>
<p>Snowflake,
You’ll have to translate that into English for me :). I did an hour at the gym today. 35 min in the bicycle ( watched an old episode of sex and the city) and then about 25 min of assorted machines. I usually use the treadmill but decided to bike today. What weight bearing stuff do you suggest? Oh, another goal I have a few weeks before the party is our 30th anniversary. I was in much better physical shape then but weighed only about 7 lbs less than I do now. Another goal. </p>
<p>Jym, if you are already doing weights then you are already doing weight bearing exercises. The planks are a simple way to get started. </p>
<p>MaineLonghorn … I have similar hip issues you have and have been doing clamshells and other hip strengthening exercises for 6 weeks. It has made a huge difference and yesterday I finished my first 5k race of the trail running season. Before that I couldn’t run a half mile without straining my iliotibial band that connects my hip to my knee.</p>
<p>Not doing free weights-- am doing the machines things at the gym. Is that good enough? What are clamshells?</p>
<p>ML- our goal is identical-- 10 lb in 10 weeks. Am happy to have a diet buddy!!</p>
<p>I started this a month or so ago and lost about 4-5 lbs but didnt stick with it. So I am a pound from where I was then, and 9ish lbs from my goal. </p>
<p>Timed out… My goal is to get back to where I was last summer, which is 9 lb from where I am today. My ultimate target is 10.5 lbs, but I’ll aim for the former first.</p>
<p>My goal is also to get back to where I was last summer, you know, when I was buying those nice new clothes? For me it’s really a matter of self-control. I’m still down 35 pounds from where I started three years ago and I’m finally holding rather than increasing. But there’s been plenty of times where I could find no reason for an increase or decrease - didn’t seem to be tied to my diet or exercise. I think my body has ideas of its own!</p>
<p>Thats fabulous that you are down 35 lbs!!</p>
<p>I looked back at my livestrong weight graph over the past 2 1/2 years. I am 10 lbs down from my absolute high, but still 5 lbs up from where I stayed at a generally stable weight (give or take a few) for a very long time (around 18 mos) and back to where I was 2 mos ago. Still have 8 to go to get to where I was at my low last year. Last time it took 3 mos to get these 8 lbs off.I haven’t weighed this much in 2 years and I am mad at myself for gaining it back. </p>
<p>For those of you who have lost a lot of weight, this probably sounds insignificant, but it is very hard and after the first few that come off fast, ,the rest is slow and requires a lot of discipline, staying around 1200 calories. I am sharing all these #s as a sort of confessional, to try to keep me honest. Being short, these seemingly few lbs make a big difference.</p>
<p>Plan to get to the gym today and will look up all those things (planks, clamshells, etc). But I’ll probably do treadmill and a few machines.</p>
<p>Marilyn and ML, and snowflake and everyone else on this journey, we can do it! What are others doing??</p>
<p>Just reporting that I am now back at where I was last Friday just in time for Memorial Day Weekend parties! I am sooo close to a five pound party. Maybe tomorrow…</p>
<p>Yay mathmom!!</p>
<p>Oh, I just saw your comment about photos-- I think you are looking at last year’s photos. Thats my goal!</p>
<p>I hear what some of you are saying with regards to the last 5-10 lbs being the hardest. I suppose it would happen faster if I didn’t ever have a glass of wine, or some popcorn, or whatever other vice that jumps in my mouth. I am being extra disciplined about avoiding sugar and chips, and I am running again, but at 50, those pounds like to stay in the unfortunate places where they land (my legs … Not just my thighs).</p>
<p>I at least am glad that I am healthy, but it is hard not to miss the younger body that had a six pack and nice legs!</p>