Healthy Weight Loss

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Daktari

Don't forget if you're building lean muscle mass then you could well remain the same weight or heavier.

That's very true. Plus there are natural horomonal fluctuations to consider too. I have crazy fluctuations the week of, the week before and the week after so my only 'true' reading falls in the remaining week.

I'm not unhappy with my progress. Not all all. I am eating much healthier again, feeling better, and actually thinking about what I'm putting into my body and what the results will be from it (sluggish, tired, energized, stuffed, full enough, etc) now. My body is responding appropriately according to what I eat, what exercise I'm getting and my general in/output of calories.

I just wish it were as easy to come by as it was when I was getting to the point I was at before. *grin*

[Joness]

Was introduced to this eye opening documentary made in the US. Absolutely blew me away was shocked to see what a money maker illness and bad health is. Here is a link to a trailer of the movie:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/food-matters/

I did eat healthy anyways before watching this and exercise regular but after seeing this realised that I needed to up my intake of vitamins and minerals it reassured me the importance or steering clear of conventional medicines especially when they were not completely necessary.

Green Tea all the way :-)

[girl_dee]

No bread or bread products in over a week,,,,!!!

[Andrea]

Today I achieved a weight goal I have been working towards for at least a year. It has been slow and often disrupted by life, but I made it. Along the way, I have learned many healthy living things about food and exercise, and I will never go back to treating my body badly the way I once did.

Yippie for me!! Doing the Snoopy happy dance and wiping happy tears from my eyes.

Hmmmm..... Is this important enough to wake my honey to share? LOL

Tomorrow I will set my next weight/health goal. Happy, healthy living to you all.

[Gemme]

Congrats, Andrea!

I haven't met my goal but I'm close and within a reasonably accessible range of doing so. Thus far, I've dropped about 18 pounds. It doesn't sound like much, but on my 5 ft 1.5 inch frame, every ounce shows. I feel soooo much better too and find myself, 7 out of 10 times, reaching for a healthier option than I would have a few months ago. I've done it without depriving myself; a sure way for me to fail, so I'm stoked about that too.

All good things!

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Congrats, Andrea!

I haven't met my goal but I'm close and within a reasonably accessible range of doing so. Thus far, I've dropped about 18 pounds. It doesn't sound like much, but on my 5 ft 1.5 inch frame, every ounce shows. I feel soooo much better too and find myself, 7 out of 10 times, reaching for a healthier option than I would have a few months ago. I've done it without depriving myself; a sure way for me to fail, so I'm stoked about that too.

All good things!

Damn, girl, 18 lbs! I had no idea. You don't talk much on the exercise thread about what you are eating. You need to clue us in. I didn't even realize weight loss was a significant part of ahy you were working out. You lost that fast and all with hard work. Congrats!

[Hollylane]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Congrats, Andrea!

I haven't met my goal but I'm close and within a reasonably accessible range of doing so. Thus far, I've dropped about 18 pounds. It doesn't sound like much, but on my 5 ft 1.5 inch frame, every ounce shows. I feel soooo much better too and find myself, 7 out of 10 times, reaching for a healthier option than I would have a few months ago. I've done it without depriving myself; a sure way for me to fail, so I'm stoked about that too.

All good things!

Goodness...You better believe that is a lot to lose, and to be proud of!



Congratulations, you have now lost more than the average weight of a turkey! That is awesome!

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Damn, girl, 18 lbs! I had no idea. You don't talk much on the exercise thread about what you are eating. You need to clue us in. I didn't even realize weight loss was a significant part of ahy you were working out. You lost that fast and all with hard work. Congrats!

Thanks. It wasn't fast at all, though. It's taken me 3 months. After my last birthday, I started getting serious about my health again.

A store chain here, Stop 'n Shop, has some pretty nifty pre-made salads in their deli section. The ones that I usually get are the health salad, the broccoli salad and a Greek pasta salad. The last one's not necessarily 'healthy' eating with pasta and a heavier sauce so I don't get it as frequently as the other two. Mainly, it's the health salad I love and I haven't found it anywhere else and I don't find it at every Stop 'n Shop either, so when I find a store that sells it regularly, I stalk them.

The health salad contains small seeds, finely chopped nuts, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, raisins, dried cranberries, diced red onion and a very light sauce. It's basically all I need on a daily basis....protein, veggies, fruit and something to make it stick.

Breakfast and lunch, on working days, are pretty routine. Breakfast is high fiber oatmeal with chopped pecans and walnuts and blueberries mixed in and it's cooked in fat free milk. I drink a small glass, maybe 4 oz of oj with it. Lunch is a frozen lunch. Either Smart Ones or Healthy Choice something or other, 300 calories or less. I have a couple of small sides with it...usually fresh fruit (grapes are my fave) and either a container of pear applesauce or mandarin oranges. What I have depends on my frozen entree. If it's acidic already, I chill on the oranges, for example.

Those are very structured meals and are easy for me. Dinner is the wildcard. I cook more than I go out. Luckily for me, I'm happy to eat something until it's gone, even if it's 2-3 nights in a row. For example, last night I had turkey bacon with a little Greek pasta salad and a big tossed salad. The night before, I cooked a thin steak and cut it up and made a steak pita with a whole wheat pita, pepperjack cheese and a smidge of steak sauce. Tonight, it'll be steak again (I do love my red meat) but I'll saute some mushrooms with it in a sauce and have a big salad. Basically, I try to hit the major food groups and I try to not go overboard on the fat and unnecessary stuff that I won't taste in the final product.

Some days, though, I want ice cream. I just choose the best ice cream that I can. I have a crazy intense sweet tooth and root beer barrel candies and Tootsie Pops seem to be enough to take care of that when it crops up.

I don't skip meals. I always eat breakfast. I try to drink as much water as I can in the morning and at work because I only want soda with dinner. I drink water after dinner as well. I'm active either with my workouts or doing manual labor at work during the day. I listen to my body more now. Before I stuffed my face until the emotional urge to eat was over. There are certain foods that I just enjoy the feeling of eating...it has nothing to do with nutrition or hunger at all. By that time, my stomach is too full and uncomfortable. I take longer to eat now, so my brain registers that I'm eating and I've had enough. When I do get cravings, I try to talk to myself to find out if it's a random, meaningless craving that maybe a commercial initiated or if it's something I really and truly want.

No one's perfect and I've still had more sweets and junk than I would care to eat but when I am driving home and I pass by Burger King (I used to work there many moons ago and still love the smell of the broiler in the air), the smell gets me once in a while but most of the time, it's now a fond memory versus a Pavlovian response.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Hollylane

Goodness...You better believe that is a lot to lose, and to be proud of!



Congratulations, you have now lost more than the average weight of a turkey! That is awesome!

Gobble, gobble!

[DapperButch]

Hey, Gemme, thanks for the info on your eating. Sounds like you can really balance eating healthy and enjoyable.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Hey, Gemme, thanks for the info on your eating. Sounds like you can really balance eating healthy and enjoyable.

I try. I fully expect to gain a couple pounds back during the Reunion though. Being off routine, plus not having my usual staples handy, plus going out the whole weekend....it'll be alright though.

You hit the nail on the head. It's all about balance. Some days I wobble, some days I fall.

[Elijah]

I'm back on track and off the sugar...also, have entered therapy in hopes of having sleeve surgery in 6 mos. One of the conditions my therapist set fourth in order to approve it was that I am to eat like I would post surgically for the next 6 mos.

I won't lie, it sounds daunting. So far, so good. I am down 4 pounds since Thursday, when I started.

It's really interesting what we (as Americans) think a normal portion is. This morning I was making an omelet w/ 2 turkey sausage links, 1 egg, mushrooms, red onion, spinach, and 1 slice of muenster cheese. After just these few days, when I looked at that portion, I had to cut it in half.

I consider that a small victory.

I hope everyone is well.

Elijah

[Nic]

Originally Posted by Elijah

I'm back on track and off the sugar...also, have entered therapy in hopes of having sleeve surgery in 6 mos. One of the conditions my therapist set fourth in order to approve it was that I am to eat like I would post surgically for the next 6 mos.

I won't lie, it sounds daunting. So far, so good. I am down 4 pounds since Thursday, when I started.

It's really interesting what we (as Americans) think a normal portion is. This morning I was making an omelet w/ 2 turkey sausage links, 1 egg, mushrooms, red onion, spinach, and 1 slice of muenster cheese. After just these few days, when I looked at that portion, I had to cut it in half.

I consider that a small victory.

I hope everyone is well.

Elijah

Congrats on your victory Elijah! Hope you reach the goals you determine for yourself.

Hard road, going off sugar. Can be addicting stuff. The woman I'm dating quit using (her term for it) sugar last December. She talks about learning to understand portion sizes also. Apparently she hadn't thought about it until she saw her roommate eating a box of Mac and Cheese and a pint of ice cream for dinner every day. Don't know if it's the key for everyone but she's lost 60 lbs with modest exercise, no sugar and portion control in 9 months. No gimmicks. I dropped 35 lbs about 6 years ago and another 10 last year and portion control is the only reason I had success keeping it off. Don't think I have the discipline for no sugar but if I wanted to lose more, I'd try it.

Glad you're happy with your changes.

[Zimmeh]

After losing my job in July, I went on a binge eating fest. So I have probably gained a few unwanted pounds as a result. Now that I have a job that requires you to be on your feet and is fast paced, I am hoping to loose the weight. I have also been playing the Wii Sports and Just Dance 3. The company that I work for at the airport, gives us a $6.50 credit towards lunch everyday. I have been using it to purchase salads from Chik-Fil-A; our only healthy place to eat. When I work on Sunday and Chik-Fil-A is closed, I got to Quiznos and get a flatbread sandwich with Chicken and Pesto on it. I find it is very hard when I get home from work and I want to *veg* out on the couch and eat every damn sweet in my house. I bought some fresh fruit instead of candy, but the week before *mothernature* hits, I crave sweets! It was so much easier six and a half years ago to lose my original weight of 60lbs.

I am looking forward to losing fifteen pounds! I am signed up with WebMD.com to log my food on a daily basis and I have not done that in awhile. Come Sunday, I am going to start logging my food again and hoping this crazy funk that I have been in goes away!



Zimmeh

[girl_dee]

Good for you Zimmeh!


SInce the Reunion i have been struggling... i crae bread and sugar like nobody's business

i feel so fluidy and swoooshy...

Also since i bought my house i don't walk my dog around anymore..

i am gonna start walking for lunch, the heat is finally going down

[Miss Scarlett]

Gosh, it's been a while since I've posted in here.

Where to start...the problem with not being able to eat is history. It took some doing but I was able to gain nearly 7 lbs.

That sounds odd but my WL doctor explained it was necessary because I was malnourished and my electrolytes were approaching dangerous levels. No more drinking that nasty Pediasure and (equally nasty) Pedialyte every day. No more being "threatened" with another treatment which would have been extremely unpleasant, not to mention socially awkward.

The super short explanation for my not eating - extreme stress.

Every day I thank G-d for the people who never gave up on me.

My WL doctor; so sweet, wise and gentle. A very patient and understanding man but tenacious as all get out! LOL

My friends who cared enough to intervene. Without them life would have been completely unbearable but they kept me afloat in those stormy seas. I am forever grateful to them.

And then there's my Beau. Whose strength, understanding and loving, unconditional support, even during my darkest hours, was simply amazing. He witnessed me at my absolute worst and yet stayed by my side. Not out of some need he had to rescue me but because, as he put it, "You're a wonderful woman who I want in my life. I want to grow old with you."

Now that everything is back on track it's time to start moving forward with my weight loss, though at a much slower pace. This is frustrating (those 7 lbs really bug me) but the healthy way to go and I need to keep that in mind.

[Miss Scarlett]

Sugar is so darn addictive! Did anyone see the story in the news the other day about Oreos being more addictive than cocaine?

[girl_dee]

Yes i read that on AOL... i am not surprised and it's why i don't keep them or stuff like that in the house.

[Zimmeh]

I had two pieces of German Dark Wheat press with lite peanut butter on them for breakfast.

Late lunch: Grilled chicken sandwich with only pickles.

Dinner: Depends on what time I get off from work.

I power walked up a flight of escalators today.

Zimmeh

[*Anya*]

I thought that since many of us lose our way in terms of sticking to healthy eating over the holidays; it might be a good time to resurrect this thread.

My way has been lost. Not permanently, however.

My daughter was over our house last weekend, with my oldest daughter and I was bemoaning the weight I have gained since I have been with D.

My youngest daughter called them "happy pounds".

Uh, no.

I am personally very happy with my love, my job, my life: but not the pounds I have picked up.

I am working on portion control again, very seriously. That is always my first step.

I am back to at weight management as a critical part of my health.

Healthy Weight Loss has always been a great thread and a big help for me.

How are you doing?