“whereas in reality the trip wires should be about 1 pound, 2 pounds”
That’s too small an amount. That could just be temporary water weight, time of month, etc.
I missed so much of this and it’s a great discussion! I love everyone’s input.
When I (re)started WW, I wasn’t sure it was going to work for me. The program had changed and now placed a heavy penalty on sugar. My go to frozen yogurt was going to use up too many points and those WW minibars (which aren’t so great anyway but are at least coated in chocolate) were no longer worth eating. And worse yet, at first I didn’t lose any weight! It took quite some time before I lost any appreciable weight and never did I lose more than 2 pounds in a week. Usually it was less than a pound.
The thing is, I was really motivated and eventually three things happened.
- I adjusted to a new way of eating. It's not as easy for sure because it involves planning and regulating, and yes, in all honesty, there are times when it feels like deprivation. It's not often and it's not extreme but I'd be lying if I said it was always easy. There are those moments.
- Those .2 and .8 losses added up and became visible. Success built on success and eventually I got where I wanted to be. In part because it was such a long process and because let's face it none of us is getting younger, I'm very motivated to keep my weight in a narrow range. I still go to meetings and I have a group that's become very close. IMO community is key. Accountability (stepping on that scale once a month) is a close second.
- I learned to find new foods that make me genuinely happy. Have you bagel lovers discovered the 2 ingredient dough version? (Fat free greek yogurt blended with self-rising flour and topped with egg wash and Trader Joe's everything but the bagel seasoning) They are amazing. I indulge in fruits that are expensive because they really do satisfy my sweet tooth: lilikoi (hard to find around here), cherries, cotton candy grapes. I buy small slices of exotic cheeses and savor them. I found a low point salad dressing that transforms plain old mixed greens into a culinary delight, lol. I look at recipes and try new ones all the time. I eat more mindfully and slowly and relish every bite of what I eat. I still eat the extra special treats but not with abandon.
The trap for me in the past has been that tendency to think, oh no, I’ve gained a few pounds this week. I’ll just take that off and then I’ll go back and weigh in. Thirty pounds later, I have sighed and gone back to try yet again. I am resolute that I won’t do that again. I have managed to maintain my weight loss for a year and a half. That’s a record.
Two things: don’t become complacent/stay vigilant. And if you fall off the wagon, get right back on with the very next meal.
I need to lose around 30 lbs to get to a healthy weight and just want to say I’ve been following this thread and am so grateful to everyone who’s posted here – you’re inspiring!
Excel/moving average weight is your friend. While 2 pounds in any given day means zip, two pounds gained over a period of 2-3 weeks is something that need action.
Friends have told me how lucky I am that my weight “never fluctuates.” Not true. But I watch it carefully and take action when it goes up. I only weigh 105 to 106 (I’m only five feet tall) and I weigh myself once a month. If I get up to 106.5 or higher, I immediately eliminate any “extras” from my diet – wine, most fats, any snacks besides fruit. Usually the next month I’m back down to 105-106 and I can relax a little. I’ve been in this weight range my whole life (except for a nasty period in college and a nasty period when I commuted over three hours a day). It’s second nature to me.
That said, when I have gotten up higher than where I want to be, it’s been absolutely horrible to try and lose real weight. (For me, at my size, “real weight” is ten or so pounds.) I admire anyone who can lose weight and especially anyone who can keep it off. I recognize how difficult it is.
I eat a huge bowl of plain yogurt and jam for breakfast, a meat sandwich for lunch, a small portion of protein for dinner (lots and lots of red meat, lots of chicken, and never ever any fish) with veggies and potatoes, and my snacks are almost always fruit.
Wow - 60 lb loss is impressive!
It took me well over a year to loose 20 lb, and that was with diet AND new running hobby. I had lost 15 of those pounds once before, around age 40, about 15 years ago. I didn’t want to try again until I thought I could change lifestyle enough to keep if off.
What worked for me:
- I joined a couch-2-5k (walk/run) program at a local park, which culimnated with 5k run at the end of 2 months. Since then I’ve run 5k a few times a week, weather permitting.
- logging food (and exercise) in MyNetDiary app on cellphone. I have continued to use it because I really like the nutritional breakdowns
- buying new clothes along the way (mostly at thrift stores)
Congratulations OP on your weight loss success! And thank you to everyone who posted many great ideas and tips. There is a lot of wonderful information on this thread. I joined Noom three months ago and have lost 28 lbs by following the program. I am still on the journey and excited about the progress I’ve made. My diet is mostly paleo with an emphasis on roasted vegetables. I am eating 1200 calories a day. Noom has a food logging component and also tracks your steps as well. The best tip I have is to make a detailed list of all the reasons you want to lose weight and become healthier, stronger and leaner. I reread my list often. The hardest part for me was making the firm commitment to do this - I call it the" Click Moment". I’ve also stopped thinking of food as comfort, entertainment or a cure for boredom. Instead, I consider it awesome healthy fuel. Period.
That may be one of the most depressing statements I’ve ever heard.
@cardinalfang, for some of us, being too heavy is even more depressing.
I’ve lost 45 pounds, and keeping it off is a very high priority for me. I mostly agree with the statement about food being healthy fuel, although I do choose foods I prefer from within the healthier categories. I don’t see any reason to force myself to eat tuna when I prefer salmon or apples when I prefer oranges.
But I’m certainly not going to eat an eclair or an order of spareribs instead of the salmon or the orange. That’s the first step toward sliding back from a size 12 to 2X.
I luse the MyNetDiary app for tracking food consumed/calories. I used it about 4 years ago to drop 18 pounds. But my mistake was to NOT keep weighing myself on a regular basis and of course the weight crept back on. As I age my metabolism is definitely slowing down. So two years ago I used it again and while I was able to lose weight, it took me twice as long. But again I failed to learn from my past mistake and stopped weight myself on a regular basis and here I am again back where I started.
So hopefully the third time’s a charm and that this time I don’t stop staying vigilant once I reach my goal weight. It is nice that the MyNetDiary app has my history all the way back to 2015 when I first started using it.
I’m a big fan of MyNetDiary app for tracking calories and exercise. The free version is adequate, with an incredibly diverse list of fresh foods, processed foods and restaurant foods. I have the Pro version because I like the weekly average tracking. (I think it is only $3.99?).
I’m watching my weight creep up because I simply like to eat more than I can and maintain my ideal weight. Sigh. It’s always a struggle for me.
It’s truly the food. And yes, no sugar (except fruit) and no simple carbs (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, alcohol or any soda/drinks). Protein, fruits, veggies and cheese. Lost 30+ pounds in less than 12 months and still going. No exercise outside of normal daily walking (living in a city). Weight loss is individual but sugar is always the enemy. However once you commit it’s not hard. And I never starve, eat until you are full.
Not meant to be depressing at all. I still love and enjoy food. But I am keeping food in its proper perspective so I can continue on a wonderful journey of becoming healthy, lean and strong.
While playing around with my NetDiary Pro app last, I realized there is a nice chart with historic average (you pick chart period- 7 days, 30 days etc). It groups by “macronutrients” - carbs etc. Ha… I sort of wish it did not group “alcohol” calories. I do make attempts to limit alcohol - for example, last night during a very long happy hour with friends at a brewpub I tried 3 different beers, but each one was a 5 oz glass.