@MichaelNKat Oh yes the diet is important too.
I have no sugar or gluten based carbs(allergic). I eat egg whites for breakfast since they are almost all protein, and I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables for snacks.
I think with weight loss I have to go from being stuck on one weight to the next step down, and so on. I have been ‘stuck’ on my full pregnancy weight, which is 50 lb above my goal. I have to work myself down another 8 lb to my next ‘plateau’ (if I would have seen the dietitian then, I would have learned how to ‘break through’ that plateau; I was exercising a lot that month but didn’t lose a lb - so got discouraged, and then the holidays came up.
I read somewhere that 80% is eating right and 20% is activity with weight loss. How does that sound @MichaelNKat ?
I told my GI doc about H wanting to be in great shape (better than his brother) for his boundary waters canoe/camp/fish trip with his brother and others - he laughed and said, yes guys are competitive. I was really surprised that H kind of let some lbs come on the last half of 2015 - but 1/1 he got serious.
I know I have to get more activity. I know I have to limit food intake. I battle fatigue with taking Tamoxifen, but it is what it is. I know if I was ‘healthy’ like I was 10 years ago, it would go ‘faster’ (even then, compared to others on this thread it was still pretty slow). I have a friend that worked with a trainer and lost 25 lb in 9 months - then she got discouraged and quit. I told her, if you would have kept on, you would have another 25 lb lost in the next 9 months, etc…
The March Consumer Report also had an article about scales, body fat scales. “The latest studies recommend using the scale every morning, after you empty your bladder and in the nude. Scale on a hard, even surface - no carpeting, no wobbly or tilting. Stand still, with your weight distributed evenly on both feet.”
After H’s doc visit on Monday, I had him weigh on our scale to see if our scale would be the same, and it was 
My weight at the GI doc on Tuesday also showed same weight as at home.
This was an interesting read. While yes, yolks have fat, they provide beneficial nutrients. http://paleoleap.com/an-egg-yolk-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away/
I was happy to read that, jym. I eat 2 eggs yolks included every AM.
My cholesterol is ridiculously low (and all the other associate numbers are good). My cardiologist told me eggs are fine and good protein for me.
I weigh after hitting the bathroom first thing every morning. SOSC, I definitely plateau about every 8-10 lbs. The more I lost, the longer I would plateau. It was very discouraging at times.
The nutritionist was at cardiac rehab yesterday and it pretty much turned into a therapy session while I was on the treadmill talking to her, tears and all. OTOH, I did 40 minutes without noticing…
@VaBluebird – I’ve actually come to feel quite good about the long slow slog of weight loss. I’ve developed so many good habits, and I’ve now kept the first twenty-five pounds off for 2.5 years, the next ten for one and a half (I slowed down that year while I was training for a long bike trip)…
@SOSConcern, the 80/20 “rule” is really just an illustration as opposed to a hard and fast “formula”. It creates a perspective to understand how important nutrition is to weight loss and management. Even Tour de France pro cyclists who burn 8,000 calories a day must have a very structured nutritional plan that provides sufficient protein for muscle rebuilding, carbohydrates for energy and fat for proper metabolic functioning while not eating so much that excess weight is added on.
Well, happily broke through the plateau, and am down 8 lbs. I have yet to start back logging in what I eat. I keep thinking about it, but haven’t yet. I used the Livestrong site in the past. Will have to see if I remember my password and log in. My Fitbit app on my iPad is misbehaving. Might have to uninstall and reinstall it. It claims to be doing “cleanup” but is just spinning. Anyone ever have this problem?
Well, I got into my livestrong tracker. I weigh less than when I tracked in summer 2015, but more. Than I weighed in summer 2013 and 2014. This isn’t surprising.
Question for those who know this stuff-- is there really much benefit to adding supplements like acai and maca to smoothies? My DS bought me that stuff and occasionally (like this morning) I put some in the smoothie. I figure it couldn’t hurt.
Forgot to add, when DS sent me the supplements (there were some others, I forget as I gave them to the contractor because I didn’t like the flavor) we noted that the Maca claims to be for… um… shall we say…“vitality”. We laughed about that!!
@jym626 The supplements don’t do much for you in the weight loss region. If you add them to your diet to make up for some deficiencies then they are good.
In addition to a good diet I recommend Phenocal. My best friend used it because he had to lose weight for a competition class and lost 40 pounds and is now at 143 with 13% body fat. This was over the course of 2 months of a small caloric intake and high intensity workouts 6 days a week.
Cardio 4 times a week with the tabata method. Stretching and all over workout 2 times a week followed by 500m worth of sprints in the pool.
His caloric intake was around 1100-1200 a day and he was losing 4-5 pounds a week.
Breakfast was always an egg fried in olive oil(they just taste better like this!)
Lunch was usually a sandwich with the inside part of the bread removed. It was some deli meat and a cheese with lettuce.
Dinner was along the lines of a small chicken breast with a salad(no dressing).
Healthy eating is very important, watch the documentary on netflix called “Fed Up”.
Stay away from soda and high sugar foods since the insulin your body makes will just store them as fat.
100 calories of a soda vs 100 calories of an almond, soda turns straight to fat and almonds don’t…because sugar breaks down a lot easier while the almond has a lot of protein and fiber.
The supplement industry is about as unregulated as it gets. As a general matter there is no way to verify the purity and concentration of what’s in the bottle. There are some voluntary “certification” organizations that are attempting to bring credibility to the industry. In addition, for many supplements, the “science” behind the claims made is sparse to say the least. The only guarantee you have with most supplements is that you will have very expensive urine! Instead, I would focus on eating real foods, unprocessed and fresh, with lots of fruits and vegetables that cover greens, reds, yellows and orange as well as lean meats, poultry and fish from sources that are hormone and antibiotic free.
LOL, @SeniorStruggling- this thread isn’t the “high intensity” crowd! 
I am off to the gym. Will do my little workout and go bet some fresh fruit. I didn’t consider the supplements as for weight loss-- just vitamin/antioxidant type supplements. That phenocal is intriguing, though.
@MichaelNKat - what are your favorite macro numbers? I know some people say 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat. I do a little better to bring the carbs down to 30%, and up the protein. Easier said than done though.
Apologies, but the phenocal looks like another “as seen on tv” type fad supplement. But thanks for the info!
@jym626 AHAHAH, I know how that is. My mom is like that.
https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/weight-loss-reviews/phenocal.html
Here is consumer health digest breaking it down.
5 pound weight loss in a week is very hard to achieve, I am sure that with moderate activity and cutback on calories you could achieve 1-2 pounds a week.
Also everyone should look at intermittent fasting as a possible option. Basically eat all your calories for the day in a 4 hour window.
I read this. http://weightlosstested.com/index.php/product/view/phenocal_increasing_energy
I am glad the high intensity stuff works for some, and fasting works for some, but speaking for myself, I am just aiming for a comfortable, healthy nutrition and exercise plan that is a basic lifestyle approach for me. And now I am too late for the gym-- will have to do the elliptical.
I see so much on intermittent fasting . . . I will say that if I don’t eat after 6 pm I do better losing weight.
@jym626 At the same time I don’t think that a lot of people reviewing supplements really stick to a nutrition plan.
If you don’t eat right results will be little or not there at all.
There is no magic pill for losing weight, but there are some that enable you to do so better.
My friend lost 5 pounds a week while taking them, I am sure he would have lost a ton with the workouts we were doing, but it shows that diet and exercise are just as important as what you are taking.
I personally have used nds tonalin censor because it is ncaa approved.
I used it while taking muscle building supplements(kre alkalyn, or buffered creatine) to lose weight and gain muscle.
I haven’t used weight cutting stuff for a while, but I used to be a little chubby and did it to get into better shape while working out.
I’d encourage you to read back through this thread, Seniorstrugglig… You’ll note that most posters, who large more likely of your mom’s ilk, are looking for healthy, balanced nutrition and exercise plans. There is an exercise thread where many of the more dedicated athletes post.
I agree that limiting or d/ding eating after a certain time at night is a good idea. I’ve known some who have tried “cleansing” or “fasting” approaches, and they seem to yo-yo.