Healthy Weight Loss

nycfem · 08-06-2011, 09:58 AM

I'm finally caught up on this thread. Woohoo!

I thought I'd do a general check-in

Today I'm 192, the exact weight I was this time last year. And while I'd like to lose, I'm terrifically excited about maintaining! Maintaining is so very much work in and of itself!

In June 2007 when my mom had her heart attack, I started keeping my daily journal (by hand), and every morning I would write at the top of it, "I have lost X pounds since my mom's heart attack." As of today, I've lost 51 pounds since my moms heart attack. It feels really good to see that, even if most of the weight followed shortly after the shock of seeing her all hooked up to machines, having quadruple bypass surgery.

While my weight hasn't changed this year, I did drop a size, from a 22 to a 20. I'm an endorphin junkie, and yesterday exercise-biked two hours while simultaneously lifting weights throughout. I am very "ADD," and I love doing multiple things at once. I always stretch for half an hour after to calm down and avoid any soreness.

The bingeing continues to come up an average of slightly less than 7 days total per month. When I binge, it's like out of a movie, just a complete loss of control and so very unhealthy. I have had job stress that has been a big contributor. Tracking my binges and noting triggers helps me. Sometimes it feels like nearly everything is a trigger, the bad and the good! My dear friend Sylvie and I email privately from time to time, sharing our innermost feelings on this (big help!), and I also look at some online forums.

My goal is to solidly get into the 180's. I have been finding that when I am in the low 190's, I relax and allow myself to slack off. When I near 200, I go into high gear of being very controlled, and back and forth.

My reasons for weight loss: on blood pressure meds, pre-diabetes, and knee problems.

My methods for a healthier lifestyle: journal food, emotions, and exercise, and keep various statistics on my habits. I try to eat about 3 400 calorie meals ("breakfast, lunch, dinner" and 3 200 calorie snacks), with a very loose estimation of calories (rarely measuring). I try to eat every 3-4 hours. I exercise a minimum of 4 hours per week. The foods/drinks I am completely abstinent from always are meat/chicken/fish (for factory farming ethics reasons since being a teenager) and all caffeine, including chocolate. I weigh myself every morning.

I have a few triggers coming up, in addition to ongoing job issues. Next Sunday for a week we have our yearly vacation to the beach. Need I say more? Then, the weekend after, we have a wedding out of town. Need I say more? The latter involves having had to drop out of being a bridesmaid because I didn't fit in the brand name, tight, form-fitting, red dress (All the other bridesmaids, including the one whom I was quickly replaced with, are in the size 6 range.). The wedding is an old college friend of mine who was lesbian identified for many years but is now marrying a man. It's going to be quite a weekend.

Thanks, as always, to everyone for the feeling of group support that warms me in this thread.

*Anya* · 08-06-2011, 10:53 AM

I read Nina's post about the good place she is in regarding the ability to take one bite of pie or buy it and give it away. That is truly wonderful!

I have been known to buy a pie (prior to this journey I started 2 &1/2 years ago) and would never be able to stop at one bite. I would tell myself I would eat one slice-all the while knowing I never would stop at one. I would have one slice with crust and them would delude myself that if I only ate the filling out of the rest of the entire pie that it was "just fruit". I could finish that sucker in less than a day.

That is why I know one bite, for me, is no different than an alcoholic telling herself that "one drink won't hurt me, I can stop at one".

I can't afford to even test myself with one bite of pie or cake. I am done for if I do.

I have never even admitted that anywhere- to friends or in cyberspace. Scary but good to say it.

Hugs,

girl_dee · 08-06-2011, 10:56 AM

For those who are interested in this stuff, Believe me I don't always do this BUT there is some sort of scientific proof that a craving is satisfied with 3 bites, so I try to remember that when I want something, (doesn't always work) and I tell myself ok 3 bites after that my craving is officially gone and I am just having it for the sake of having it.

Thinker · 08-06-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

I'm finally caught up on this thread. Woohoo!

I thought I'd do a general check-in

Today I'm 192, the exact weight I was this time last year. And while I'd like to lose, I'm terrifically excited about maintaining! Maintaining is so very much work in and of itself!

Damn! No doubt! I think this is amazing, J!!

In June 2007 when my mom had her heart attack, I started keeping my daily journal (by hand), and every morning I would write at the top of it, "I have lost X pounds since my mom's heart attack." As of today, I've lost 51 pounds since my moms heart attack. It feels really good to see that, even if most of the weight followed shortly after the shock of seeing her all hooked up to machines, having quadruple bypass surgery.

While my weight hasn't changed this year, I did drop a size, from a 22 to a 20. I'm an endorphin junkie, and yesterday exercise-biked two hours while simultaneously lifting weights throughout. I am very "ADD," and I love doing multiple things at once. I always stretch for half an hour after to calm down and avoid any soreness.

I could never bike that long. So impressive!!

The bingeing continues to come up an average of slightly less than 7 days total per month. When I binge, it's like out of a movie, just a complete loss of control and so very unhealthy. I have had job stress that has been a big contributor. Tracking my binges and noting triggers helps me. Sometimes it feels like nearly everything is a trigger, the bad and the good! My dear friend Sylvie and I email privately from time to time, sharing our innermost feelings on this (big help!), and I also look at some online forums.

My goal is to solidly get into the 180's. I have been finding that when I am in the low 190's, I relax and allow myself to slack off. When I near 200, I go into high gear of being very controlled, and back and forth.

I love how clear you are about all of this and how well you know yourself. Knowing this is possible....hearing you talk about it.....inspires me to focus more. Thanks!

My reasons for weight loss: on blood pressure meds, pre-diabetes, and knee problems.

I wish you the very best and am cheering you on.

My methods for a healthier lifestyle: journal food, emotions, and exercise, and keep various statistics on my habits. I try to eat about 3 400 calorie meals ("breakfast, lunch, dinner" and 3 200 calorie snacks), with a very loose estimation of calories (rarely measuring). I try to eat every 3-4 hours. I exercise a minimum of 4 hours per week. The foods/drinks I am completely abstinent from always are meat/chicken/fish (for factory farming ethics reasons since being a teenager) and all caffeine, including chocolate. I weigh myself every morning.

Do you notice much fluctuation? If so, do you find yourself reacting much to the changes? ...or have you gotten to a place where you are better able to take it all in stride?

I have a few triggers coming up, in addition to ongoing job issues. Next Sunday for a week we have our yearly vacation to the beach. Need I say more? Then, the weekend after, we have a wedding out of town. Need I say more? The latter involves having had to drop out of being a bridesmaid because I didn't fit in the brand name, tight, form-fitting, red dress (All the other bridesmaids, including the one whom I was quickly replaced with, are in the size 6 range.). The wedding is an old college friend of mine who was lesbian identified for many years but is now marrying a man. It's going to be quite a weekend.

The part I put in bold made me feel pretty gross just reading it. I admire the hell out of you for going, J. I hope it ends up being a really good time for you guys.

Thanks, as always, to everyone for the feeling of group support that warms me in this thread.

I'm up there in red.

nycfem · 08-06-2011, 12:47 PM

Thinker asked about whether I notice fluctuations much in weighing myself every morning. Usually my weight stays within 2 lbs of whatever I weighed the day before. Sometimes I will get a big drop from exercising or a big gain from bingeing.

What I find helpful about it is that if I notice that I've, say, gained 3 lbs when the day before I've exercised and ate decent portions of healthy food, I then go back over my journal and try to look at what might be going on. Sometimes I find that I had a high sodium food, and so I then try to reduce that (good for my high blood pressure). I've been paying much closer attention to the sodium in everything. "Healthy" meals at restaurant chains can have thousands of mgs of sodium! Calories are not just the problem. Stepping off soap box.

On the flip side, if I binge, a lot of the weight is simply from sodium, so the nice part is that a lot of it comes off quickly once I start back to cooking healthy meals.

Once per month (and I think we all know when) I tend to retain water more as well as eat more, so I have to just sit with that! It's never fun to see the scale go up when trying to lose weight, even if we know why.

I was helped by advice from Shadow's Papa on the "Getting in Shape for the Reunion" thread. The advice was to not think much about five pounds up or down. Do I follow that rule perfectly? Certainly not, but it helps me with perspective, since a few pounds up or down is normal.

Some people find weighing themselves every day to be too much. For me it helps keep myself on track. I like the concrete aspect of starting out the day knowing where I am.

jelli · 08-06-2011, 03:19 PM

jelli · 08-06-2011, 03:50 PM

Reuben-esque Cabbage Wraps

PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 1 wrap): 160 calories, 6.5g fat, 937mg sodium, 9.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 5g sugars, 17g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4*

Classic sandwich flavors in a super-low-calorie package -- can you afford NOT to try it? BTW, if you don't see packaged turkey pastrami, check the deli counter...

Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage (you won't use it all!), carefully cored with a knife
4 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese
1/4 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing
1/2 cup sauerkraut
8 oz. sliced turkey pastrami (about 24 slices)

Directions:
Place the head of cabbage in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for about 4 minutes, until the outer leaves begin to loosen.

Once cool enough to handle, remove cabbage from the bowl. Gently remove 4 whole outer leaves from the cabbage, and place them back in the bowl. (Reserve the rest of the cabbage for another use.)

Add 2 tbsp. water to the bowl with the cabbage leaves. Cover and microwave for about 2 minutes, until leaves are very soft.

Lay 2 softened cabbage leaves side by side on a clean dry surface. Place a cheese slice in the center of each leaf.

Evenly top each cheese slice with 1 tbsp. dressing, followed by 2 tbsp. sauerkraut and 2 oz. pastrami (about 6 slices).

Wrap each cabbage leaf up burrito-style, folding the sides in first and then rolling the cabbage up from the bottom around the filling. Place seam-side down to serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, for a total of 4 wraps.

If you like, microwave cabbage wraps for 1 minute, or until hot. Slice in half (or not) and enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

jelli · 08-06-2011, 03:58 PM

Surprising Snacks Under 200 Calories!

There's more to 200-calorie munching than plain old snack bars...

Zazzle up half a cup of fat-free cottage cheese with some no-calorie sweetener, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Top with a cored and cubed medium-large apple, sprinkle with extra cinnamon, and enjoy!

Double-0-Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Bowl
PER SERVING (entire recipe): 182 calories, 0.5g fat, 429mg sodium, 32.5g carbs, 5g fiber, 24g sugars, 13.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2*

Prep: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda or Truvia)
1 drop vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1 Fuji apple, cored and cubed

Directions:

Place cottage cheese in a bowl with sweetener, vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well.

Top with apple cubes, and then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING

````````````````

Grab 4 ounces of extra-lean turkey slices and wrap it around 4 dill pickle spears. Crunchy, protein-packed, and you've got about 60 calories to spare!

Fill a bowl with 2 cups of strawberry slices, and top it off with a half-cup scoop of fat-free vanilla ice cream. HUGE and DELICIOUS!

Spread a wedge of The Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese over 2 slices of Wasa Light Rye Crispbread. Top with 2 oz. lox-style smoked salmon and a few cucumber slices. So good and only about 165 calories!

08-06-2011, 10:53 AM	#2
Anya Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Lesbian non-stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Committed to being good to myself Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Coast Posts: 8,258 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,306 Thanked 40,445 Times in 7,285 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	True confessions I read Nina's post about the good place she is in regarding the ability to take one bite of pie or buy it and give it away. That is truly wonderful! I have been known to buy a pie (prior to this journey I started 2 &1/2 years ago) and would never be able to stop at one bite. I would tell myself I would eat one slice-all the while knowing I never would stop at one. I would have one slice with crust and them would delude myself that if I only ate the filling out of the rest of the entire pie that it was "just fruit". I could finish that sucker in less than a day. That is why I know one bite, for me, is no different than an alcoholic telling herself that "one drink won't hurt me, I can stop at one". I can't afford to even test myself with one bite of pie or cake. I am done for if I do. I have never even admitted that anywhere- to friends or in cyberspace. Scary but good to say it. Hugs, __________________ ~Anya~ Democracy Dies in Darkness ~Washington Post "...I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions ... The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." UN Human Rights commissioner

08-06-2011, 03:19 PM	#6
jelli Member How Do You Identify?: Femmilicious Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: And you said I wasn’t your type!!! Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: SC Posts: 836 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,758 Thanked 1,079 Times in 377 Posts Rep Power: 16588549	__________________ “Sometimes we make the right decision; sometimes we make the decision right.” “Every conflict is a lesson in self-discovery for both of us. Sometimes it's only hindsight that makes it worth it. For you, I would do it all again.“

08-06-2011, 03:50 PM	#7
jelli Member How Do You Identify?: Femmilicious Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: And you said I wasn’t your type!!! Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: SC Posts: 836 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,758 Thanked 1,079 Times in 377 Posts Rep Power: 16588549	Hungry Girl(HG) - recipe Reuben-esque Cabbage Wraps PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 1 wrap): 160 calories, 6.5g fat, 937mg sodium, 9.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 5g sugars, 17g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4* Classic sandwich flavors in a super-low-calorie package -- can you afford NOT to try it? BTW, if you don't see packaged turkey pastrami, check the deli counter... Ingredients: 1 head green cabbage (you won't use it all!), carefully cored with a knife 4 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese 1/4 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing 1/2 cup sauerkraut 8 oz. sliced turkey pastrami (about 24 slices) Directions: Place the head of cabbage in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for about 4 minutes, until the outer leaves begin to loosen. Once cool enough to handle, remove cabbage from the bowl. Gently remove 4 whole outer leaves from the cabbage, and place them back in the bowl. (Reserve the rest of the cabbage for another use.) Add 2 tbsp. water to the bowl with the cabbage leaves. Cover and microwave for about 2 minutes, until leaves are very soft. Lay 2 softened cabbage leaves side by side on a clean dry surface. Place a cheese slice in the center of each leaf. Evenly top each cheese slice with 1 tbsp. dressing, followed by 2 tbsp. sauerkraut and 2 oz. pastrami (about 6 slices). Wrap each cabbage leaf up burrito-style, folding the sides in first and then rolling the cabbage up from the bottom around the filling. Place seam-side down to serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, for a total of 4 wraps. If you like, microwave cabbage wraps for 1 minute, or until hot. Slice in half (or not) and enjoy! MAKES 4 SERVINGS __________________ “Sometimes we make the right decision; sometimes we make the decision right.” “Every conflict is a lesson in self-discovery for both of us. Sometimes it's only hindsight that makes it worth it. For you, I would do it all again.“

08-06-2011, 03:58 PM	#8
jelli Member How Do You Identify?: Femmilicious Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: And you said I wasn’t your type!!! Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: SC Posts: 836 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,758 Thanked 1,079 Times in 377 Posts Rep Power: 16588549	Surprising Snacks Under 200 Calories! Surprising Snacks Under 200 Calories! There's more to 200-calorie munching than plain old snack bars... Zazzle up half a cup of fat-free cottage cheese with some no-calorie sweetener, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Top with a cored and cubed medium-large apple, sprinkle with extra cinnamon, and enjoy! Double-0-Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Bowl PER SERVING (entire recipe): 182 calories, 0.5g fat, 429mg sodium, 32.5g carbs, 5g fiber, 24g sugars, 13.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2* Prep: 5 minutes Ingredients: 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese 1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda or Truvia) 1 drop vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided 1 Fuji apple, cored and cubed Directions: Place cottage cheese in a bowl with sweetener, vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well. Top with apple cubes, and then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING ```````````````` Grab 4 ounces of extra-lean turkey slices and wrap it around 4 dill pickle spears. Crunchy, protein-packed, and you've got about 60 calories to spare! Fill a bowl with 2 cups of strawberry slices, and top it off with a half-cup scoop of fat-free vanilla ice cream. HUGE and DELICIOUS! Spread a wedge of The Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese over 2 slices of Wasa Light Rye Crispbread. Top with 2 oz. lox-style smoked salmon and a few cucumber slices. So good and only about 165 calories! __________________ “Sometimes we make the right decision; sometimes we make the decision right.” “Every conflict is a lesson in self-discovery for both of us. Sometimes it's only hindsight that makes it worth it. For you, I would do it all again.“

08-06-2011, 09:58 AM	#1
nycfem Moderator How Do You Identify?: femme sub Preferred Pronoun?: Baby Grrl Relationship Status: Attached Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 6,795 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 52,990 Thanked 21,425 Times in 5,101 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	I'm finally caught up on this thread. Woohoo! I thought I'd do a general check-in Today I'm 192, the exact weight I was this time last year. And while I'd like to lose, I'm terrifically excited about maintaining! Maintaining is so very much work in and of itself! In June 2007 when my mom had her heart attack, I started keeping my daily journal (by hand), and every morning I would write at the top of it, "I have lost X pounds since my mom's heart attack." As of today, I've lost 51 pounds since my moms heart attack. It feels really good to see that, even if most of the weight followed shortly after the shock of seeing her all hooked up to machines, having quadruple bypass surgery. While my weight hasn't changed this year, I did drop a size, from a 22 to a 20. I'm an endorphin junkie, and yesterday exercise-biked two hours while simultaneously lifting weights throughout. I am very "ADD," and I love doing multiple things at once. I always stretch for half an hour after to calm down and avoid any soreness. The bingeing continues to come up an average of slightly less than 7 days total per month. When I binge, it's like out of a movie, just a complete loss of control and so very unhealthy. I have had job stress that has been a big contributor. Tracking my binges and noting triggers helps me. Sometimes it feels like nearly everything is a trigger, the bad and the good! My dear friend Sylvie and I email privately from time to time, sharing our innermost feelings on this (big help!), and I also look at some online forums. My goal is to solidly get into the 180's. I have been finding that when I am in the low 190's, I relax and allow myself to slack off. When I near 200, I go into high gear of being very controlled, and back and forth. My reasons for weight loss: on blood pressure meds, pre-diabetes, and knee problems. My methods for a healthier lifestyle: journal food, emotions, and exercise, and keep various statistics on my habits. I try to eat about 3 400 calorie meals ("breakfast, lunch, dinner" and 3 200 calorie snacks), with a very loose estimation of calories (rarely measuring). I try to eat every 3-4 hours. I exercise a minimum of 4 hours per week. The foods/drinks I am completely abstinent from always are meat/chicken/fish (for factory farming ethics reasons since being a teenager) and all caffeine, including chocolate. I weigh myself every morning. I have a few triggers coming up, in addition to ongoing job issues. Next Sunday for a week we have our yearly vacation to the beach. Need I say more? Then, the weekend after, we have a wedding out of town. Need I say more? The latter involves having had to drop out of being a bridesmaid because I didn't fit in the brand name, tight, form-fitting, red dress (All the other bridesmaids, including the one whom I was quickly replaced with, are in the size 6 range.). The wedding is an old college friend of mine who was lesbian identified for many years but is now marrying a man. It's going to be quite a weekend. Thanks, as always, to everyone for the feeling of group support that warms me in this thread.

08-06-2011, 10:56 AM	#3
girl_dee Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Femme Preferred Pronoun?: dee Relationship Status: Hitched up Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Livin’ the Dream Posts: 24,079 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,560 Thanked 54,829 Times in 13,908 Posts Rep Power: 21474874	For those who are interested in this stuff, Believe me I don't always do this BUT there is some sort of scientific proof that a craving is satisfied with 3 bites, so I try to remember that when I want something, (doesn't always work) and I tell myself ok 3 bites after that my craving is officially gone and I am just having it for the sake of having it.

08-06-2011, 12:47 PM	#5
nycfem Moderator How Do You Identify?: femme sub Preferred Pronoun?: Baby Grrl Relationship Status: Attached Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 6,795 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 52,990 Thanked 21,425 Times in 5,101 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	Thinker asked about whether I notice fluctuations much in weighing myself every morning. Usually my weight stays within 2 lbs of whatever I weighed the day before. Sometimes I will get a big drop from exercising or a big gain from bingeing. What I find helpful about it is that if I notice that I've, say, gained 3 lbs when the day before I've exercised and ate decent portions of healthy food, I then go back over my journal and try to look at what might be going on. Sometimes I find that I had a high sodium food, and so I then try to reduce that (good for my high blood pressure). I've been paying much closer attention to the sodium in everything. "Healthy" meals at restaurant chains can have thousands of mgs of sodium! Calories are not just the problem. Stepping off soap box. On the flip side, if I binge, a lot of the weight is simply from sodium, so the nice part is that a lot of it comes off quickly once I start back to cooking healthy meals. Once per month (and I think we all know when) I tend to retain water more as well as eat more, so I have to just sit with that! It's never fun to see the scale go up when trying to lose weight, even if we know why. I was helped by advice from Shadow's Papa on the "Getting in Shape for the Reunion" thread. The advice was to not think much about five pounds up or down. Do I follow that rule perfectly? Certainly not, but it helps me with perspective, since a few pounds up or down is normal. Some people find weighing themselves every day to be too much. For me it helps keep myself on track. I like the concrete aspect of starting out the day knowing where I am.