Losing Weight in 2016

[crispy]

6/4 - 150
6/11 - 149.8
6/18 - 150.4

Sigh...I hate seeing the scale going in the wrong directyion, but I am keeping focused. I have upped my exercise quite a bit and feel like I am making progress even if it isn't reflected on the scale yet.  I am still chugging along!

[elaine amj]

@Blissful Biker I like some alcoholic drinks well enough. I enjoy a glass of wine or something sweet once in a while. But recently I realized that I like juices/pop just as much, if not more. And alcohol adds extra calories and if I drink too much (I'm a cheap drunk), I detest the side effects. All in all, I rarely drink my calories these days. And hardly any alcohol. Mostly just water. And if I get the chance, Sparkling water or very watered down juice is a big treat.

@MomCents love the recipe! I bought some lentils recently but been too intimidated to try it. Will give it a shot!

Our fave here is Zoodles Lo Mein. http://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-zoodle-lo-mein-for-two/






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[MomCents]

@elaine amj Thanks for the zoodles recipe!  It looks great.  What a perfect thing to do with zucchinis in the summer!

[RuntoFIRE]

Hi all,

Glad to see the successes of the weigh ins, and to those that didn't see a loss this week, don't despair. Keep analyzing what you can do better and don't give up. I think I am the poster child here as my weight loss has been so slow.

I had a pretty eventful weekend with a really surprising scale read. I went on a boat on Saturday and had a bit too much to drink. I also couldn't resist a mini chocolate cupcake and some pringles, but I did stop myself at one a bite of a birthday cake. I am totally with you @FrugalLizard- if I can't have the most delicious treat then it's not worth having one at all. I put down the cake as it wasn't that good, but unfortunately, I had already indulged (it's hard to catch yourself in the moment and analyze whether the indulgence you're making is worth it!) As predicted, I was up on a scale after that day due to alcohol/water weight/etc. However, the following day, I went rock climbing in pretty brutal summer heat- it was not the smartest idea looking back on it, but it was a lot of cardio and I ate well and was down 4 pounds on the scale today! Basically, I think I got rid of all of the water weight I had been carrying since my trip back to the states. I was also good about not indulging as there was really no reason to do so.

Looking forward to some home cooking this week with no craziness. I am also excited to check out my community pool as it's getting too hot to run outside here.

[soccerluvof4]

Well today was my weigh in and basically am down 45#'s 6 for the month and 15 to go. Next weight in will be in a month. Should be interesting as I leave for 11 days for family vacation but I am pretty dialed in.

[elaine amj]

@RuntoFIRE That must have been SO awesome to see the 4 lb drop! Woohoo to getting rid of that extra water weight!!

@soccerluvof4 Congrats!!! You've been on quite a journey and its been paying off!

As for me, gained a lb over the weekend :( Eating out too much *sigh*

DH and I have been binging on date nights - which has meant a lot more eating out than usual. I made us yummy salads for dinner last night...then we went out for a concert (work contact gave me free tix). At 10pm, DH was munchy. Still trying to get him to eat enough so we went to a Vietnamese joint. Ate more than I should - a soursop milkshake (the Vietnamese make theirs with condensed milk and they are DELISH!) and a quarter of his noodle dish definitely tipped me over the edge.

This week's focus - cut back on the eating out!


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[ender]

5/1 - 188
5/7 - ??
5/14 - ??
5/21 - 186.2
5/28 - 185.8 (interpolated)
6/4 - 185.6
6/11 - 181.8
6/20 - 183.4


Well I guess it's still lower than two weeks ago.

[Geostache]

@Elaine AMJ: I hear you on the eating out. Our back-and-forth travel schedules have meant that meal planning has gone out the window. The greens are really piling up in the refrigerator! DH wanted to go to BBQ for Dad's day, and I really couldn't deny him. I ate some really delicious food, but tried not to eat until I was stuffed. Then it was froyo for dessert. Also, we had family visiting this weekend, and there was a lunch out on Saturday and a cookout Saturday night. I only ate half my lunch, but still overindulged in general.

MIL comes for a 3 week stay this Wednesday, and DH leaves for 15 day work travel on Saturday. MIL is here to help out with the kids and around the house while DH is away. Hopefully I can get our dining out habit under control while DH is gone!

[elaine amj]

@geostache Did you say fro-yo? My latest, most favorite obsession?! Mmmmmm...I just discovered them last week. Never bothered to try it before because I like hand-scooped and am not a big fan of softserve. I'm lucky there are no froyo places near where I work (only the most delicious handcrafted small batch creamy ice cream ever).

[Frugal Lizard]

I survived without too much damage to the scale numbers by working like a dog in this crazy heat.  I pushed a garbage can of water to my allotment garden and then weeded the whole thing.  I watered all my plants in my home garden (using mostly a watering can from rain barrel water.  I washed the walls and ceiling in the kitchen to prepare for painting and then painted with DH.  The whole family went to help spread mulch in our park to help the plantings we have planted over the last five years for 90 minutes in unbelievable heat.  We also went to see an old friend and went to a Malaysian restaurant and a fair and I had a root beer (we did walk for 2 hours)  We cleared some stuff from her house and did the weekend clean of our house.  Last night at Father`s day bbq I ate mostly vegetables because the roasted cauliflower, grilled asparagus, fennel and dill salad and the pickled beet salad were so damn tasty but there was ice cream for dessert and I wanted some.  I am holding at 130 this morning so hopefully with no more sweet drinks this week I can continue on my slow but steady descent to my number - 120 pounds.  I am so close to halfway and I was hoping to get there before this Thanksgiving.  So I still feel like it is realistic without a huge sacrifice to me.


So happy to hear from many of you keeping accountable to yourselves.  I find that each of your posts makes me cheer for you and strengthens my resolve to keep up, or catch up or cheer you on to keep trying.

[Geostache]

@geostache Did you say fro-yo? My latest, most favorite obsession?! Mmmmmm...I just discovered them last week. Never bothered to try it before because I like hand-scooped and am not a big fan of softserve. I'm lucky there are no froyo places near where I work (only the most delicious handcrafted small batch creamy ice cream ever).

Oh, I said it! It's an all-too-short walk from most of the restaurants we frequent. It's summer, and it's hot, and it's way too tempting of a walk.

@Frugal Lizard: You're making slow and steady progress! Doing all that work is helping, I'm sure. Making small changes that you can stick with is important and what it's all about.

@RuntoFIRE: Any suggestions for summer cooking? I usually love cooking, but am finding with the hot weather and the late sunsets, I'm more interested in playing outside with the kiddos. The idea of spending 45 minutes to an hour in the kitchen at night isn't as appealing as it is in the winter. And unfortunately, by the time the kids fall asleep, it's 9:30 pm, and I don't want to start cooking then, either!

[Cookie78]

My week started out pretty good and determined... then I made more rhubarb oatmeal cookies. I have been so hungry for a little over a week. Not hungry like normal hunger, it's certainly psychological. And it's so strong there is a real sense of panic that comes with it. (While heating up soup on Saturday I devoured a banana because I just couldn't wait one more minute for the soup to heat up in the microwave.) But eating something often just seems to make it worse. I haven't eaten to the point where I'm stuffed and bloated, but I'm starting to wonder if I just don't have the ability to feel stuffed and bloated at the moment. I started to wonder if something new is wrong and it occurred to me that it may be a side effect of the medication I'm on. Not sure what to do about that.

The good news is that I finally started an exercise program last night. Just a simple beginner one since I have lost sooooo much strength over the last 2 years, but it's a start. Worked up a sweat, I can feel it in my legs this morning, and looking forward to getting back in shape. :)

Monday check in:

Jan 4 Starting weight: 160
Jan 11 weight: 156
Jan 18 weight: 155.2
Jan 25 weight: 156.8
Feb 1 weight: 155.2
Feb 8 weight: 153.2
Feb 15 weight: 151.6
Feb 22 weight 152.6
Feb 29 weight 152.2
Mar 7 weight 149.4
Mar 14 weight 149.4
Mar 21 weight 149.6
Mar 28 weight 149.2
Apr 4 weight 151.2
Apr 11 weight 151.4
Apr 18 weight 152.0
Apr 25 weight 152.2
May 2 weight 150.4
May 9 weight 148.8
May 16 weight 149.2
May 23 weight 149.4 (extrapolated)
May 30 weight 149.6
June 6 weight 148.4
June 13 weight 150.4
June 20 weight 151.0
Goal weight: 130
[/quote]

[MicroSpice]

Welcome to all the newcomers - you've made a great decision to join in on this thread.

Well, a hiccup in the road: I came down with whatever upper respiratory thing my kiddo had, and was out of commission Friday thru today. So no workouts. But, my eating was under maintenance, even though I was ravenous from hormones. I also learned that just because four glasses of Chardonnay will fit in your daily calories (100 cals for 5 ounces!), it doesn't mean you should HAVE four glasses of said Chardonnay. Oy.

I will report with a weigh-in tomorrow. I don't know that I was keeping a regular schedule on here before, but maybe Tuesday is a good day. The weekend slip-ups have worn off and it gives something to shoot for the rest of the week.

@Cookie78 - Lots of meds can cause an increase in appetite. Not sure what to suggest, other than drink LOTS of water and eat LOTS of fresh veggies to help curb the hunger. And if all else fails, sleep. :-)

[Cookie78]

@Cookie78 - Lots of meds can cause an increase in appetite. Not sure what to suggest, other than drink LOTS of water and eat LOTS of fresh veggies to help curb the hunger. And if all else fails, sleep. :-)

I have been drinking an amazing amount of water, but I haven't been eating as many veggies as usual. Looking forward to my garden starting to produce so I can snack on fresh veggies out of habit. Until then that's something I can certainly try to do better.

Strangely since early this morning I haven't been feeling hungry much at all. Hopefully the last week or so was an anomaly. If not I may have to start tracking hunger to see if I can figure out what's going on and come up with a plan of attack.

[RuntoFIRE]

@RuntoFIRE: Any suggestions for summer cooking? I usually love cooking, but am finding with the hot weather and the late sunsets, I'm more interested in playing outside with the kiddos. The idea of spending 45 minutes to an hour in the kitchen at night isn't as appealing as it is in the winter. And unfortunately, by the time the kids fall asleep, it's 9:30 pm, and I don't want to start cooking then, either!

@Geostache - I was super proud of what I made for dinner yesterday- basically a salad with tomatoes and olives, with black beans added in and a fried egg on top. On the side, I cut up a sweet potato, drizzled it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary from the garden, and grilled it in the microwave to make "french fries." It was delicious and I just may make the same thing tonight.

Happy to report that in the past week, I have had one one slip up with sweets- that day on the boat - otherwise, have been staying sweets free!

Oh, and my scale went back up after Sunday's crazy effort, but I was expecting it to :( Slow and steady does it, I guess.

[alsoknownasDean]

Original weight: 116.3kg
Last week's weight: 116.1kg
Current weight: 115.8kg
Goal weight: 90kg

Slow and steady I guess. Doesn't help that the weather has been shit so I've been riding less.

[MicroSpice]

Weight Progress:
- 1/10: 133 pounds
- 2/22: 128 pounds
- 3/25: 123.6 pounds
- 4/28: 124.4 pounds
- 5/17: 123 pounds
- 5/26: 125.6 pounds
- 6/6: 128.8 pounds
- 6/21: 125.6 pounds

Goal Weight: 110 pounds

So I'm back to the weight I was before I left for my girls' trip - mostly water weight, I think. That said, we have a family trip coming up in two weeks, and I really don't want to ride that roller coaster again. It should be somewhat easier - I have far more self-control around my husband and mother-in-law than I do with my girlfriends. Peer pressure, I guess. Plus, I try to share meals out with my toddler to save money and prevent food waste, so I should be eating a bit less in that case.

I'm trying to be patient, but it's difficult sometimes. Oddly, since changing my MFP calorie goal to maintenance levels (1490), I've been logging within 50 calories of 1200 almost every day. So maybe - in addition to the the exercise I'm now doing - that will cause a shift, or create one of those loss whooshes I hear so much about - I've never had one!

[RuntoFIRE]

@MicroSpice - I feel you, I really feel you. But don't give up. As long as you don't give up you have won in the long term, even if it doesn't look like it in the short term. That's the only way I stay sane these days.

[RedmondStash]

You know log rollers? They stand on top of a log in the water, and they run, their feet spinning the log, and as long as they keep running and don't slip, they stay on top of the log?

That's what this week feels like. I'm doing well, it's getting easier to say no to dessert after dinner, I'm eschewing the chips and candy at work. It feels good.

But I've been here before, and I know a slip is coming eventually. I'm enjoying this while it lasts, but I'm realistic about how this journey has lots of ups and downs, and not all of them are fully under my control.

Please keep posting, all, victories and difficulties alike. It helps to other people's journeys, especially when the slipping starts. You folks are quite inspiring.

[elaine amj]

I love clothes and have a closet full of lovely items that are starting to fit a bit better.  I did some buying a couple of years ago when my business started to improve and I was going to more meetings and more frequently so I couldn't keep wearing the same blazer.  Now I shop the sales at a store at our mall that has a reputation for older ladies wear.  They carry a lot of Canadian made clothing and in among things my mother would wear there are some really well made funky things that suit my style.  Best yet is that many of the older ladies don't like them so they are greatly reduced when I buy them.

Forgot to ask - which store is this? I usually shop in thrift stores but once in a while will buy something new. My favourite has been Smart Set for officewear that actually is cut for curves. Going thrift store shopping this weekend and will be hunting for Ann Taylor's Loft line!

@Cookie78 Could last week have been that time of the month? I find I get hit with hunger pangs and feel bloated about 1-2 weeks before. Apparently, it's pretty common.

@Microspice: Congrats on your 4 lb whoosh!! (I'd say that counts!) Given that you had so little to lose, I doubt you'll get a whoosh. In the meantime, slow and steady. I'm so glad that the mental thought of switching to maintenance has been helping you so much. Remember, we've been at this for months now so it is highly likely you were in need of a mental break. 1200 cals is tight! And just think - if you hadn't done anything for the past 6 months, you'd still be at 133 lbs...if not more! So it's been a very productive time, even if it feels like you haven't gotten far in the last little while.

@RedmondStash keep on spinning that log!! And don't stress about the slips....they're just blips on the road. In the meantime, enjoy the current good feelings. It's so nice when it feels easy!

As for me, I was super excited this morning. I finally hit a new low of 131.8 lbs (previous low that I hit a month ago was 122.2 lbs). It made me consider going back to logging or active weight loss, but to be honest, I'm LIKING maintenance and I've been surprisingly successful at it. I thought I would slowly creep upwards but in the larger picture, my weight has crept downwards since switching to maintenance 3 weeks ago. It's rather nice not weighing all my food and logging it. This also makes me more confident that I can sustain this for the rest of my life.

[Frugal Lizard]

Elain amj - The store is Zacks.  I don't think they are a big chain and my 90 year old gramma will be the first to say "they have lovely things".  It might be a shock compared to the thrift store but I used to have a designer clothing habit so I might be too acclimatized to high prices.  If you get something that fits really well and it well made -you will feel marvelous!

[Geostache]

Whelp, my weight is maintaining a few pounds heavier over my lowest weight to date. I'm not so happy about the gain, especially since I want to go the other way. I'm overwhelmed with CSA produce, so that has forced me to plan some really healthy and delicious meals. Hopefully that will help me get back on track! I have returned to my morning smoothie routine in an attempt to get in more fruits and veggies.

Last night's dinner was a kale and garlic scape tabboleh with a mizuna, beet, and orange salad on the side. It was awesome! Tomorrow is weigh-in day. I'm not expecting any miracles on the scale.

@Elaine AMJ: Congrats on the slow and steady loss! Sounds like you needed a mental break most of all, since it's been easier for you to attain. That's great news!

[elaine amj]

@Geostache Is your problem too much snacking, too large portions, or too many meals out? Perhaps figuring out and then habit hacking to targer the main issues will help. I know for me, it is my snacking. If I can keep that to a reasonable level, then I can keep the weight down. So I am pushing myself to gravitate towards fruits as snacks and reducing the number and amount of snacks - keeping busy helps with that!

[MicroSpice]

Thanks for the encouragement, all. Starting to not feel as hopeless, thanks to some non-scale victories.

I have gone to 2 fitness classes this week, and have another scheduled for tomorrow. I went to circuit training today and it kicked my butt! But it was fun, and I'm totally going back next week, even though that means I will be beet red for approximately two hours following (it's the German in me, what can I say?).

The scale moved down a little bit this morning, too, even after a sodium-laden dinner last night. I'm hopeful. And I can't believe there are all these calories available to me since switching to maintenance! I mean, I do want to lose weight, so I try not to eat ALL of the calories, but it's nice to know that if I stay under them, I won't gain weight. Just a weird mental shift for me.

@Geostache - Please come cook at my house! Holy moly. I mean, ManSpice is a good cook and all, but he hasn't made anything quite that exotic in a while. Thankfully, he is FINALLY cooking on the grill tonight. I bet some of your hardier CSA veggies would be delicious on the grill. Going to go drool all over myself now ...

[Geostache]

@Geostache Is your problem too much snacking, too large portions, or too many meals out? Perhaps figuring out and then habit hacking to targer the main issues will help. I know for me, it is my snacking. If I can keep that to a reasonable level, then I can keep the weight down. So I am pushing myself to gravitate towards fruits as snacks and reducing the number and amount of snacks - keeping busy helps with that!

By and by, it has to be too many meals dining out. I've been really bad at getting in the kitchen lately. That and the work travel hasn't helped at all. I'm home now until vacay in August, so that should help with the work travel, at least!

@MicroSpice: The CSA is definitely forcing me to get creative on the cooking front! We've been ignoring the bounty (see my above comment to @Elaine AMJ), and as a result, our refrigerator is piling up with greens!

DH is leaving for travel for two weeks starting Saturday, but my MIL is in town to help me out with the munchkins. She'll also cook whatever I put on the weekly meal plan, so it's a total bonus! This week's meals, in addition to last night's yumminess, includes:

Chicken, napa cabbage, shiitake mushroom, and nian gao stir fry
Grilled steak & potatoes with chimichurri sauce, sauteed greens
Chinese chicken salad (using our green onions, sugar snap peas, and savoy cabbage)
Chinese style steamed halibut with sauteed bok choy

[RedmondStash]

Do you folks ever find that salads end up much higher in calories than you expected? I feel like my best low-cal meals are meat, veg, and starch. Salads seem like they should be great, and I use a vinegar-only dressing (and sparingly), but even with a careful homemade salad, somehow I end up eating twice as much in calories just to get full. And then I get hungry again an hour later.

Maybe salads aren't so great after all.

[Frugal Lizard]

Today is weigh in day for me.
4/15 - 138
4/22 - 137.5
4/29 - 137
5/5 - 136
5/12 – 135
5/19 – 135
5/26 – 134
6/02 – 132
6/9 – 130.5
616 – 129.5
6/23 – 129.5

Goal : 120 lbs.

Not as good a week for me.  I am working more hours out of the office and that is wreaking havoc with meals – I am having to pack a lunch and am surrounded by temptation to buy something. It is hard to lug all I need for the whole day with me on public transit.  And I get home after 6 and am beat and everyone is starving so dinner prep is not the happy pleasure it usually is.
Redmond Stash – salads can really vary in nutrients and fiber and calories. Not all greens are equal.  Regular lettuce is very empty of nutrients so you need to add spinach, kale, collards, mustard, rocket, arugula and others to get some nutrients and serious fiber that will take a longer time to digest.  I never feel that those baby greens are satisfying – they are tasty but I don`t think they are fiber dense until they are more mature.  One of my tricks to making the salad less caloric is to dress the greens first with the smallest amount dressing.  It is really easy to put too much sugar and salt into a dressing as well.  I have used up all the flavoured vinegar I made last summer so now I am seasoning with Dijon mustard and a dash of maple syrup (that I made myself).   The bonus items in the salad (tomatoes, cukes, slivered almonds, pepitas) go in on top of the dressed greens.  I find this way I use way less dressing.  If I had cheese – it can really up the calorie count, I put a small amount on top, grated so again it is just a flavouring, not a main ingredient.  And I never use cheap cheese. 

[elaine amj]

My cobb salads are typically 400-500 calories...so yes, a very high cal meal for me (I usually keep my lunches around 300-350 cals). I know its because of the stuff I like to put in it. My fave "toppings" alone add up to 350+ calories. Half an avocado, 60g of chicken/pork, a hard boiled egg, and my fave poppy seed dressing. Throw in another 100+ cals of fresh greens and its a lot. I just tend to consider it a high cal way for me to enjoy my greens! I know I can cut back on the cals (just bought a mango balsamic vinegar, and can replace the chicken with a couple of thin slices of deli meat to keep my carnivore happy). But I figure I enjoy it, it helps me to LOVE eating salad, and I'm getting lots of fresh raw veggies into me. So its mostly worth the cals.

[elaine amj]

Friday weigh-in

Jan 1 2016: 154 lbs....Jan 8 2016: 153.2 lbs....Jan 15 2016:149.2 lbs....Jan 22 2016: 148 lbs....Jan 29 2016....147.4 lbs
Feb 5 2016: 145.2 lbs..Feb 12 2016: 142.8 lbs..Feb 19 2016: 140.6 lbs...Feb 26 2016: 140.8 lbs
Mar 4 2016: 139 lbs....Mar 11 2016: 138 lbs.....Mar 18 2016: VACAY......Mar 25 2016: 136.8 lbs
Apr 1 2016: 137.8 lbs..Apr 8 2016: 136.8 lbs....Apr 15 2016: 135.8 lbs...Apr 22 2016: 134.8 lbs...April 30 2016: 133.6 lbs
May 6, 2016:133.6 lbs.May 13 2016:134.6 lbs...May 21 2016: 137.6 lbs..May 26 2016: 132.2 lbs
Jun 3, 2016: 133.6 lbs.June 10 2016:133.8 lbs..June 17 2016: 132.2 lbs.June 24 2016:131.2 lbs

22.8 lbs lost
GOAL WEIGHT: 130 lbs (Stretch Goal 120 lbs)

Am I actually back to LOSING?! I was in shock when I saw the scale this morning! Especially since I had a large serving of cheap, crappy chocolate ice cream last night! (I know - not really Foodist-friendly, but it sure tasted GOOD). I was looking at my stats for the past 6 months and while I feel like I haven't made much progress since March, things are actually happening.

Jan: lost 6.6 lbs
Feb: lost 6.6 lbs
March: lost 4 lbs
April: lost 3.2 lbs
May: lost 1.4 lbs
June: lost 1 lb

I'm pretty tempted to get back to weight loss mode, but will play it by ear. Today, I turned down a sushi lunch offer to eat zoodles at my desk. I do have some high cal meals ahead for the next 3 days though. Plus, starting next weekend, we go into summer vacation mode with camping plans nearly every weekend. I have 5 camping trips booked over the next 8 weekends!! I don't want to stress much when I am trying to prep easy camping meals.

I'm not going to make this too hard - I don't want to get frustrated. Eat light, stick to my regular veggie-based meals during the week, and keep up with the regular walks. I'll see if I can drop another pound by next Friday before I hit the road and head for the forests.

I was thinking about what has made the pounds start dropping again...I've started back my regular lunchtime walks. The intense cycling really didn't do anything for me weight-wise since I always ate all the calories back to sustain the riding. Also been keeping pretty busy in the evenings (still have tons more organizing to go in the house).

It's weird, but I kinda miss when I used to spend 2 hours most nights cooking. I've been doing much simpler meals in the last little while and typically spend around an hour now. I think I miss the fun of trying out new recipes and techniques. And cooking with DH. Hmm...I think I miss that the most. Hopefully he'll be back in the kitchen again soon. He's done his treatments and has been getting his energy back.

[MicroSpice]

@elaine amj - What a great victory! How are you feeling about being so close to your goal, especially since you haven't been in active weight loss mode recently?

Nothing new to report for my daily check-in. Went to yoga today, and have been eating mostly well this week. DH was going to grill last night, but he got rained out, so we improvised. HOWEVER, I am getting some of that ribeye tonight, and it's already accounted for in my food log. I think I'm going to have a small snack here in a few minutes so I'm not ravenous tonight, and it will all fit in! It's kind of cool - even my Fitbit is cheering me on for being close to having five days of active exercise this week.

We're going to a friend's house tomorrow, and she is the best cook and a constant bartender. I'm going to have a hard time. :-( Tips or tricks?

[elaine amj]

@Microspice Its weird - I'm excited to be so close, but on the other hand, really don't want to go back to weightloss mode to lose that last pound. So it feels a little deflating. I keep thinking it really only would be a little bit of work - but finding myself resistant to going back to weighing and logging.

That said, it it amazing to find myself shrinking. I am still very lumpy so this isn't the end of the journey yet. 

About your visit to your friend, my hacks are to skip breakfast, eat a light lunch and then give myself about 1000 cals for dinner. Look for lower cal drinks and ask her to cut it heavily with sparkling water.


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[elaine amj]

Weighed in at 130.8 this morning!!!!!!! HAPPY DANCE!!!!!! Was 131.2 yesterday and now I have hit the magic 130!

Of course this isn't going to last. Hitting a sodium-filled Chinese buffet for lunch today. My son is going for a full day shopping trip with me to a slew of thrift stores and grocery stores. Hopefully we will have a nice day together :)

Last night I hit a local thrift store - found I am between a sz 4-6 now. Sz M tennis skirts were falling off me and the small FIT! Insanity.


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[RedmondStash]

Weigh-in day:

3/12: 162.6
4/2: 160.2
5/7: 157.4
6/4: 157.8
6/11: 158.0
6/18: 156.2
6/25: 155.8

I'm really pleased. This is the trend I was hoping for: slow and steadily downward. I don't care if the number bumps up a bit now and then, as long as the trend is down.

Fingers crossed that I can keep this up.

@elaine amj: Congratulations! That's fantastic. It's great when hard work pays off, and you really stuck to it.

My cobb salads are typically 400-500 calories...so yes, a very high cal meal for me (I usually keep my lunches around 300-350 cals). I know its because of the stuff I like to put in it. My fave "toppings" alone add up to 350+ calories. Half an avocado, 60g of chicken/pork, a hard boiled egg, and my fave poppy seed dressing. Throw in another 100+ cals of fresh greens and its a lot. I just tend to consider it a high cal way for me to enjoy my greens! I know I can cut back on the cals (just bought a mango balsamic vinegar, and can replace the chicken with a couple of thin slices of deli meat to keep my carnivore happy). But I figure I enjoy it, it helps me to LOVE eating salad, and I'm getting lots of fresh raw veggies into me. So its mostly worth the cals.

That's a good way to think about it. I just have to get it out of my head that salad=low-cal.

[crispy]

Great job, everyone! It looks like we are all losers this week!

I weighed in at 148.6 this morning which is down from 150.4 last week. I knew the scale would eventually reflect the work so I am pleased. I have been dealing with PMS this week so I have been craving sweets. I did eat a few sugary things, but I tracked them and kept exercising.  Definitely glad to be heading in the right direction!

[ender]

5/1 - 188
5/7 - ??
5/14 - ??
5/21 - 186.2
5/28 - 185.8 (interpolated)
6/4 - 185.6
6/11 - 181.8
6/20 - 183.4
6/26 - 184.0


Wrong direction. :(  Haven't biked as much the past few weeks. Also have been stressed out since we're buying a house. I think I'm going to make it so that I hit 10k steps every day this week, I've also been... doing worse on that.

[elaine amj]

@RedmondStash @ crispy Congrats - its been a successful week for both of you!

@ender You can do this!!! When I stopped bike riding, I correspondingly stopped eating as much food. (I eat a lot when I bike) For me, that actually helped with the weight loss. Are u still eating the same quantities as what u ate while u were biking?


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[Geostache]

Oy. Well, I was down 0.4 pounds at weigh in on Friday. But after a weekend of cookouts and high-sodium foods, I'm up quite a bit this morning. I am clearly not capable of maintaining without tracking, so it's back to tracking for me! I brought lots of veggies and fruits for my food today, and I am committed to staying away from the microwave popcorn that has been my go-to snack as of late. Time to get this weight loss train going again! I'm also giving up the diet soda, as it wreaks havoc with my hunger signals.

I'm glad to see everyone's progress. Y'all are kicking butt and taking names!

[crispy]

Oy. Well, I was down 0.4 pounds at weigh in on Friday. But after a weekend of cookouts and high-sodium foods, I'm up quite a bit this morning. I am clearly not capable of maintaining without tracking, so it's back to tracking for me! I brought lots of veggies and fruits for my food today, and I am committed to staying away from the microwave popcorn that has been my go-to snack as of late. Time to get this weight loss train going again! I'm also giving up the diet soda, as it wreaks havoc with my hunger signals.

I'm glad to see everyone's progress. Y'all are kicking butt and taking names!

I have to track or else I just go completely off the rails.  I wish I could eat intuitively, but I gain weight whenever I try.  I just like food.

[elaine amj]

@geostache you are learning so much about your body! Its cool that u recognized that diet soda is affecting your body's hunger signals

I have resigned myself to Mon-Tues being higher weigh-ins. I'm up by 1.4 lbs today since Friday. Rather inevitable after weekends for me. Like @rockstache said - water, water and more water!

Today, I am escorting a visitor through the area for work. It basically means eating, eating, eating all day. I am just going to enjoy it. Good thing I threw in a short stand up paddleboarding session!!

@crispy tracking did miracles for me. I always believed in counting cals but tracking was always too much hassle. And I thought it was rather pointless. I completely credit weighing my food and logging on MFP for my weightloss.






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[Cookie78]

What a week. Weight has been bouncing all over the place varying more than I've ever seen before. I weigh myself at the same time of day under the same circumstances and it is relatively stable, or if there are spikes I can pinpoint what causes them, like really salty meals the night before. But this week I went from 151 to 149 back to 152.4 in the span of 4 days.

I spent all weekend in a canoe course working my ass off. The amount of upper body strength I could feel building in my muscles was exciting, and on Saturday evening, extremely painful! I skipped my body weight workout yesterday because I was physically exhausted, but I'd been working out all weekend, so not too worried about it.

I was a little upset this morning to see my weight spike up from 149.0 to 152.4 today for weigh in day, but then I read this

@Cookie78 Could last week have been that time of the month? I find I get hit with hunger pangs and feel bloated about 1-2 weeks before. Apparently, it's pretty common.

and realized my weight always spikes up a couple pounds the day before time of month. Thanks for the reminder. It could certainly help explain the hunger issues too.

 

Monday check in:

Jan 4 Starting weight: 160
Jan 11 weight: 156
Jan 18 weight: 155.2
Jan 25 weight: 156.8
Feb 1 weight: 155.2
Feb 8 weight: 153.2
Feb 15 weight: 151.6
Feb 22 weight 152.6
Feb 29 weight 152.2
Mar 7 weight 149.4
Mar 14 weight 149.4
Mar 21 weight 149.6
Mar 28 weight 149.2
Apr 4 weight 151.2
Apr 11 weight 151.4
Apr 18 weight 152.0
Apr 25 weight 152.2
May 2 weight 150.4
May 9 weight 148.8
May 16 weight 149.2
May 23 weight 149.4 (extrapolated)
May 30 weight 149.6
June 6 weight 148.4
June 13 weight 150.4
June 20 weight 151.0
June 27 weight 152.4
Goal weight: 130

[MicroSpice]

@elaine amj - You are a freakin' rock star, Chinese buffet or no. :-)

@Cookie78 - You're better off today than you were in January, and I bet you're be even better in a week or so, too. That period is a real PITA. I'm starving right now, and want to eat all the things, and didn't get to yoga because of a work meeting, but we can do it. Fight the good fight!

@crispy - I, too, have failed at "intuitive" eating. I have to track and rationalize with myself on a pretty frequent basis. My lizard brain is strong.

This weekend wasn't too bad. At least, nothing of note showed up on the scale. If anything, I'm maintaining. But I did eat some emotions with ice cream yesterday - at least I put it in a bowl and had a small dinner as a result.

And I am feeling really anxious today. I think it's because of last night's Game of Thrones finale. Anyone else? (You know I don't pay for cable - we use the mother-in-law's HBO login, ha!).

[Frugal Lizard]

I think I am doing ok except for two little slip ups over the weekend - having a root beer and a coke. I have been slogging on the renos and hauling water to the garden and mulching and mowing in this unbelievable heat.  I think I have meals down but have to get back on track with the snacks when we are out.  It is perfect patio weather and lots of invitations to hang have been flying around.  I am also working out of town this week and the temptation to snack on the train or in the car is extremely strong.  Think I am going to have to get out the notebook and track again.  I will not be changing directions at this halfway point in my quest to my old size. 

I love seeing how well you are all doing.  Even a small loss or holding steady is still better than adding gradually over the year.  We are all going to get there - from she who wore a MEX pant and jacket that I bought five years ago on excellent sale to a meeting today.  I have to say I felt great in it.  (btw it was 35C on the car thermometer when I was driving home from the meeting and the linen suiting felt so good) 

[alsoknownasDean]

Original weight: 116.3kg
Last week's weight: 115.8kg
Current weight: 115.4kg
Goal weight: 90kg

Hooray. Hopefully I'll be able to concentrate more on it once work stops being super busy (peak season for me).

[Frugal Lizard]

Rockstache - thanks for sharing the article.  It does make a very good point.

did ok today away from my home office and on the road for a very long day but I was starving when I got home and ate cheese - lots of cheese.  Thinking about sweet after dinner snacks so I am avoiding upstairs near the kitchen.

[elaine amj]

@rockstache LOVED the article! And the idea that a plateau means u are no longer a beginner.

Yesterday and today haven't been good. Snacked all day long due to a work thing (that involved multiple tastings of food, wine, beer, and whisky. Plus some ice cream). I was feeling ok about it though. But when I got home at 11pm, the hunger pangs hit badly. I tried a light snack. Then another heavier snack. After that, nothing else would do but a full meal at 1am!!

Super sleepy today as a consequence. Brought a salad for lunch and spent forever debating between eating it and going out. Finally I took it out of the fridge to eat. Tried a new combo and sadly, it was bitter and gross. After a few bites, I put it away and spent $18 total on all u can eat wings. *sigh*

I'm still emotional tonight so dinner is also bigger than normal. At this point, I can't bring myself to care. I'll get back in the game another day. (i'm blaming the fact that my TOM is a week or so away - been yelling at DH about the stupidest things too lol)


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[Geostache]

@rockstache: I'd like to also chime in on the plateau article. It's a good way to think about it!

@Elaine AMJ: I'm with you on the hormonal-induced apathy. I'm finding that my motivation is definitely cyclical, coinciding with TOM. Coupled with the PMDD, and the desire for anything not good for you, and it's a terrible combination!

DH being away is getting to me way more that I thought it would. DCs are full of separation anxiety, and practically nothing less than being attached to me at the hip will do. It's straining my patience, and can't be making my poor MIL feel good (since she's here to help me out and see the kids). I'm tired, depressed, and at the end of my rope. And today is only day 4 of 15! I'm hoping the kids' anxiety about dad being away will calm a little bit. As a result, my eating habits are far, far worse than they've been since I started this journey back in January! Agh. I've got to find a way to get it under control! 

[ender]

@RedmondStash @ crispy Congrats - its been a successful week for both of you!

@ender You can do this!!! When I stopped bike riding, I correspondingly stopped eating as much food. (I eat a lot when I bike) For me, that actually helped with the weight loss. Are u still eating the same quantities as what u ate while u were biking?

I think I might actually eat less when I'm biking, or at least better food.

I tend to eat too much as a result of stress and biking reduces stress. Part of why it's important for me to bike to work, I guess :-)

[MicroSpice]

@elaine amj - TOM is a real PITA. I ate a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos on Tuesday. Just out of control. I logged it and I moved on, and hoped that the next day would be better (it was).

Forgot to report here on Tuesday and Wednesday, so here it is:

Weight Progress:
- 1/10: 133 pounds
- 2/22: 128 pounds
- 3/25: 123.6 pounds
- 4/28: 124.4 pounds
- 5/17: 123 pounds
- 5/26: 125.6 pounds
- 6/6: 128.8 pounds
- 6/21: 125.6 pounds
- 6/30: 124 pounds

Goal Weight: 110 pounds

Finally feeling like I'm making some headway! I'm nervous about our upcoming vacation, though. I know I can control my eating much better this time around because of my travel companions, but I'm certain there will be water retention no matter what. I would be ecstatic if I maintained on this trip. We shall see.

And a nice little NSV - DH told me yesterday that he can see the definition in my waist again. The gut is going to be a tough thing to get rid of, but I'm happy that someone else is starting to see some changes. Oh! And instead of going to a FREE baked potato bar at work yesterday (it sounded amazing), I went to yoga class. Major win.

[RonMcCord]

Jan 4:175lbs.
Jan 28:169lbs.
Feb 27:162lbs.
Apr 1: 157lbs.
Apr 30: 151lbs.
May 31: 148lbs.
June 30: 144lbs.

Finally. 

[oneday]

My latest irregular report: Have continued to weigh daily and write down what I eat. I still struggle with making good choices, but for now l'm still seeing losses, since my weight is still pretty high. As time goes on, I'll have to be more strict (make better choices more often).

My weight is almost exactly what it was at the last update, which is about a 5 pound loss.  However, it's been bouncing up & down within about a 3-pound range.

I'm content with that for now, as it shows that I have developed at least a little bit of discipline, I think.  Still, I'm anxious to move on to the next, lower level and see some different numbers on the scale.