Healthy Weight Loss

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

Back in October 2008 I decided to do something about my weight. Went to a doctor here in Charlotte who specializes in weight loss without surgery. He did the usual physical with bloodwork adding a few additional tests, i.e. Vitamin D, and an extensive interview covering family history, personal history and food habits.

Based on all of that he put me on a low glycemic index eating plan maxing my calories out at 800/day. Over the summer we renegotiated this calorie level and I can go up to 1,000 every few days but he still wants me to remain at 800 as much as possible. I know it's low but when I stick to the plan I really do get adequate nutrition and am not hungry. Sometimes I have to make myself eat and it's an event when I actually eat everything on my plate. Because of that some folks don't believe I didn't have the surgery.

As a result I have lost over 130lbs (50 left to go) and, according to my doctor, have decreased my chances of developing Type II Diabetes by 40%. In addition he diagnosed and corrected the really bad Vitamin D deficiency that had been causing me tremendous pain.

His recommended exercise is walking and he gave me a pedometer (it hates me) with the dreaded command of 10,000 steps/day.

As far as my eating plan, here's the short version of what he gave me:

Calories:
*800 per day;
*Don't drink them - NO sodas, alcohol, juices, cream/sugar, energy/protein shakes;
*Weigh/measure everything; and
*Write down EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

Meals:
*NEVER skip breakfast (ideal breakfast: protein, healthy fat, veggie or fruit, i.e. Fage 0% Greek yogurt plain with fruit and almonds avg. 305 cal. );
*Breakfast LARGER than dinner; and
*Breakfast - NO processed carbs (no cereal, waffles, toast, oatmeal)

Good Ingredients:
*Choose grilled/baked fish. chicken breast, pork tenderloin - serving is 3oz;
*Eat vegetables or fruit with each meal;
*Choose skim milk, fat free yogurt, fat free sour cream (calcium burns fat); and
*If it looks like God made it, it's probably a good choice.

Bad Ingredients:
*AVOID high fructose corn syrup;
*Avoid deep-fried foods (home stir-fry is OK);
*Cut out breads, potatoes, corn, rice, bananas; and
*Avoid salad dressings and mayonnaise.

General good choices:
*Trout, tuna, seabass, salmon, mackerel, clams, cod, crab, flounder, lobster, mussels, oysters. scallops, shrimp;
*Chicken, turkey breast, filet mignon, pork tenderloin;
*Yogurt, cottage cheese - fat free dairy;
*Almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts;
*Barley, chickpeas, beans, lentils, olives, coconut, soba noodles, salsa;
*Apples, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, lemon, lime, grapefruit, cherries, pears, pomegranate;
*Arugula, artichokes, asparagus, avocados, green beans, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, collards, greens, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, endive, escarole, mushrooms, onions, peas, Swiss chard, spinach, yellow squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini; and
*Green tea, white tea, black tea, water, black coffee - NO diet sodas or artificial sweeteners period.

wow, on the weight loss, congratulations - that's an amazing success story.. and so inspiring..and thank you so very much for all the tips as well..so very appreciated!! sincerely! ♥

[Miss Scarlett]

Originally Posted by sylvie

wow, on the weight loss, congratulations - that's an amazing success story.. and so inspiring..and thank you so very much for all the tips as well..so very appreciated!! sincerely! ♥

Thanks and you are most welcome. Not going to say it wasn't hard work but the food plan did make it easier.

[sylvie]

i can imagine it was hard work!
i started my healthy weight journey not long ago, and already feel a sense of accomplishment, just with the little steps ive taken - and it's not even being completely serious with myself about it yet.. i don't feel healthy, or i didn't... but now, i feel SO much better already and still a long ways to go..

the difference in energy really blows me away, as does the difference in attitude, the way i look at myself, and the way i am so much more at peace with the people and the situations in my life.. my stress level has lowered, my ability to deal with things and my perspective on everything has changed immensely..

all this with the small changes i've made, so i can imagine how you must feel after such an accomplishment.. so this passed week i've been putting all my ducks in a row, meaning getting myself on some sort of even flow, the healthy eating, the exercise, the changes in lifestyle i am making.. i need to work it all in together and not be doing just this or that.. then, i'll see results..

so these last couple of days off, ive been doing exactly that.. i want a success like yours.. =)

[sylvie]

just curious.. i know salad dressings aren't good, but what do ya's use to give flavor to a salad ? lemon juice ? something else?

salad dressing is a downfall i've mine i need to cut out, i cant use a very lil with a salad because i cant seem to stretch it for the whole salad lol!

so was looking for ideas =)

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by sylvie

just curious.. i know salad dressings aren't good, but what do ya's use to give flavor to a salad ? lemon juice ? something else?

salad dressing is a downfall i've mine i need to cut out, i cant use a very lil with a salad because i cant seem to stretch it for the whole salad lol!

so was looking for ideas =)

I try to eat a lot of salad, and despise lo-cal dressing (except for a very few).

One trick a nutritionist friend taught me is to order your dressing on the side.

Then, don't pour it on your salad, or even dunk your bite of salad in it. Instead, dip your fork in the dressing, then pick up your bite of salad.

Somehow, doing it that way makes the dressing the last thing to leave the fork, and deposits it right on your taste buds.

It seems like you have plenty of dressing on your salad, but you'll find that you only actually eat a teaspoon full or so.

Every once in awhile, I forget...but when I do it this way I'm always pleasantly surprised at how little dressing I can use and still enjoy the salad.

[Miss Scarlett]

Originally Posted by JustJo

I try to eat a lot of salad, and despise lo-cal dressing (except for a very few).

One trick a nutritionist friend taught me is to order your dressing on the side.

Then, don't pour it on your salad, or even dunk your bite of salad in it. Instead, dip your fork in the dressing, then pick up your bite of salad.

Somehow, doing it that way makes the dressing the last thing to leave the fork, and deposits it right on your taste buds.

It seems like you have plenty of dressing on your salad, but you'll find that you only actually eat a teaspoon full or so.

Every once in awhile, I forget...but when I do it this way I'm always pleasantly surprised at how little dressing I can use and still enjoy the salad.

Great idea Jo! Thanks for sharing this. If your salad is in a bowl that has a secure lid you can measure out a TBSP, snap on the lid and shake it up. It works but can be messy...especially if the lid isn't secure.

[nycfem]

I like to mix a little yummy dressing with apple cider vinegar (very good for ya) or some other type of vinegar (like balsamic) or even one of the not as good low cal/no cal dressings.

Originally Posted by sylvie

just curious.. i know salad dressings aren't good, but what do ya's use to give flavor to a salad ? lemon juice ? something else?

salad dressing is a downfall i've mine i need to cut out, i cant use a very lil with a salad because i cant seem to stretch it for the whole salad lol!

so was looking for ideas =)

[nycfem]

Sylvie, that's impressive that you lost 80 lbs in two years. How did you do it? I ask because I love to consider and attempt to incorporate some of other people's successful strategies towards health and well-being into my own bag o'tricks . Thank you in advance, Jennifer

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Sylvie, that's impressive that you lost 80 lbs in two years. How did you do it? I ask because I love to consider and attempt to incorporate some of other people's successful strategies towards health and well-being into my own bag o'tricks . Thank you in advance, Jennifer

*takes a deep breath* lol!!!
i was happy for the weight loss, but - it wasn't a good way.. this was some years ago, and my doctor found me out and stopped me.. i had a lot of stress in my life, and was in a very dark spot .. i'm also an emotional eater, which didn't help.. i dealt with the stress by binging & purging... sometimes just binging, and often just purging... not proud of that fact and caused me more problems than anything.. it's been what feels like a long road to overcome that... i worked myself to just binging for awhile, and then gained my 15 lbs back... almost instantly... i maintained that weight for awhile, but then the last couple of years, have gained even more of that weight back and that is because of my lack of eating healthy, my occasional break down and binge nights and of course, my emotional eating, diet soda habit i picked up and no exercise.. also, my mind was so messed up, i had days of binging, that i would beat myself up and have days of no eating at all, as a punishment to myself..

that's why it's so crucial now that i do this the right way.. i do well with not binging, purging and have really pushed passed that 'stinkin thinkin' pattern i had... i really excel on days that i'm eating healthy and days i'm exercising... i want to lose that weight all over again, but the proper way so that way i get it off and keep it off, by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.. it's almost like retraining my brain, (sounds strange) .. been a long journey for me to get this far, especially to even feel worthy of doing this for myself..

and it's extremely hard for me to admit this stuff, especially in a forum, lol.. but, one thing i've learned is by doing so, is keeping it real for me, helps me strive for better , i try not to be ashamed of what i was doing but to be proud of how far i've come with it.. i do admit i've had a few stressful nights over the years that i've punished myself by binging, but now, if something brings me that down - i distance it from my life as much as possible, i recognize it as something toxic for me..

wow, did i write a book or what...
i'm so sorry, once i get goin' sometimes i find it hard to stop, lol..
so sadly, that weight loss i achieved, i no longer see at all.. i've gained it all back over time, but i continually keep myself motivated to get on track and do everything possible to do this the right way, and be healthy because not only do i want to lose it and keep it off, but i want to make healthy choices because i love life, and the people in my life enough to wanna stick around.. heh...

wish i had an inspiring awesome weight loss story for you, lol.. *sad sigh* =(
now i'm going to walk away from the pc abit, because while this allows me to edit, i'm probably going to try and delete this post somehow because i get all paranoid about sharing this part of me - but its a good thing for me to put it out there like this.. for more reasons than one..
♥

[Miss Scarlett]

Originally Posted by sylvie

i can imagine it was hard work!
i started my healthy weight journey not long ago, and already feel a sense of accomplishment, just with the little steps ive taken - and it's not even being completely serious with myself about it yet.. i don't feel healthy, or i didn't... but now, i feel SO much better already and still a long ways to go..

the difference in energy really blows me away, as does the difference in attitude, the way i look at myself, and the way i am so much more at peace with the people and the situations in my life.. my stress level has lowered, my ability to deal with things and my perspective on everything has changed immensely..

all this with the small changes i've made, so i can imagine how you must feel after such an accomplishment.. so this passed week i've been putting all my ducks in a row, meaning getting myself on some sort of even flow, the healthy eating, the exercise, the changes in lifestyle i am making.. i need to work it all in together and not be doing just this or that.. then, i'll see results..

so these last couple of days off, ive been doing exactly that.. i want a success like yours.. =)

Apart from quitting smoking, this is the hardest thing I have done. But it can be accomplished.

I will tell you that it took a long time for me to stop seeing the old Miss Scarlett in the mirror. 99% of the time I don't see her. But occasionally I don't recognize myself because I expect to see the old me. The new battle is to stop thinking like her and I am winning that battle too. My doctor warned me about this when we started on this journey.

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

Apart from quitting smoking, this is the hardest thing I have done. But it can be accomplished.

I will tell you that it took a long time for me to stop seeing the old Miss Scarlett in the mirror. 99% of the time I don't see her. But occasionally I don't recognize myself because I expect to see the old me. The new battle is to stop thinking like her and I am winning that battle too. My doctor warned me about this when we started on this journey.

i can relate..
i still cant look at myself in the mirror..
let me rephrase, hmm.. i look at parts of myself in the mirror, but never really LOOK at myself in the mirror.. does that make sense? i hope so lol..
over a 2 year period i little over 80 lbs.. i gained about 15 lbs back. after losing that weight though, i still seen the old sylvie too.. heck i still do..

my biggest battle in all of this is overcoming an eating disorder.. although i am doing very well, the urge to binge & purge comes easily when i stress a lot.. so between the weight i want to lose, and the guilt over the binging ive done over the years, it makes for a very disappointed syl.. looking in the mirror is accepting that reality, it's hard..

i'm so glad you are winning that battle, i 'need' to win that battle as well.. i've a ways to go yet, but i'm taking the steps to ensure i do this the healthy way, maintain it, surrounding myself with tons of positive support and i'm not looking back thanks to people like you! =)

[sylvie]

Ohhh great ideas on the salad dressing girls, TY !!!
it's really funny to me how we can find ways to trick our mind like that LOL..
& those ideas i bet will work, i will do exactly that.. i always do go for as low fat as i possibly can..

i've been considering making my own dressings too..
i should do a recipe search, i did a search the other night for homemade salsa, which looks yum and i cant wait to try!

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by sylvie

just curious.. i know salad dressings aren't good, but what do ya's use to give flavor to a salad ? lemon juice ? something else?

salad dressing is a downfall i've mine i need to cut out, i cant use a very lil with a salad because i cant seem to stretch it for the whole salad lol!

so was looking for ideas =)

102 Healthy Salad Dressings

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by sylvie

Ohhh great ideas on the salad dressing girls, TY !!!
it's really funny to me how we can find ways to trick our mind like that LOL..
& those ideas i bet will work, i will do exactly that.. i always do go for as low fat as i possibly can..

i've been considering making my own dressings too..
i should do a recipe search, i did a search the other night for homemade salsa, which looks yum and i cant wait to try!

Risky Behavior and food and being Out of the Closet. I think I must be an out of the closet eater..... I can lose 20 pounds and gain 10 back with NO problem.

I am learning a new thing about myself since writing down when and what and why I am eating. I have learned in the last month of NFL Football, and enjoying the friends, games and the folly, I can eat minimally of all the bad stuff. :Chips, Dips, candy. I can say No Thank You when the bowl is passed along with MORE>

BUT by damn it triggers me into buying chips and fat free and or sugar free chocolate pudding on the way home and lying to myself that I CAN & will control the portions...I will eat just the 14 chips (I think that's what WW book said: I loaned it to a friend who wants to do WW) Hell, I snacked on it the car on the way home, and went wow.this is crazy thinking. Like it doesn't count in the car, or while in line at the market, or standing as I unpack the groceries.

I learned it can't be in the house, the car, or at work: no matter how much I am losing and exercising, I just can't risk the old triggers and behaviors. I know when I am in my head space and pensive about life, love and what is next, I fill that space with trigger foods and CRAVE DIET COKE AND POTATO CHIPS.

I am learning that I stopped drinking, and other risky activities many years ago, I never smoked, but trying to watch the fats, the carbs, the calories, the stuff I enjoy on my taste buds for a second is a REAL risky behavior. Pre-diabetid, high cholesterol, high BP.

I realized that I cleaned and tossed out wilted veggies and fruit from the fridge to put out in today's trash, and the recycle can had empty potato chip bags and chocolate jello containers.

Today is a new day.....let's see if the new pedometer will tell the truth. and the cortizone shot in my heel I got for plantar facitis last night will help. Going swimming for 30 mins, then ... shower and off to work.

Gee , this was like making a food diary. Glad I had somewhere to to tell my sfor today...I my name is Tommi , and I struggle with food, I think today will be one day better.

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by sylvie

over a 2 year period i little over 80 lbs.. i gained about 15 lbs back. after losing that weight though, i still seen the old sylvie too.. heck i still do..

that was supposed to read, i LOST over 80 lbs.. i'm tired, i should be in bed right now LOL that's my story and i'm stickin' to it!

[Andrea]

I love to eat naked salads. It is amazing how good they taste without the dressing.

Andrea

[Miss Scarlett]

Originally Posted by sylvie

i can relate..
i still cant look at myself in the mirror..
let me rephrase, hmm.. i look at parts of myself in the mirror, but never really LOOK at myself in the mirror.. does that make sense? i hope so lol..
over a 2 year period i little over 80 lbs.. i gained about 15 lbs back. after losing that weight though, i still seen the old sylvie too.. heck i still do..

my biggest battle in all of this is overcoming an eating disorder.. although i am doing very well, the urge to binge & purge comes easily when i stress a lot.. so between the weight i want to lose, and the guilt over the binging ive done over the years, it makes for a very disappointed syl.. looking in the mirror is accepting that reality, it's hard..

i'm so glad you are winning that battle, i 'need' to win that battle as well.. i've a ways to go yet, but i'm taking the steps to ensure i do this the healthy way, maintain it, surrounding myself with tons of positive support and i'm not looking back thanks to people like you! =)

(((((Sylvie))))) I can relate having fought my way back from bulimarexia in my late 20s. Not going into the details here. We can talk about it off the thread if you want to, just PM me.