Author Topic: Losing Weight in 2016  (Read 459538 times)

rockstache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1550 on: March 17, 2017, 06:01:08 AM »
Nice going starbright! I rely heavily on hard boiled eggs and hummus with veggies for snacking. Salsa is a good one too. I find that the act of dipping makes me feel like I'm snacking but replacing the chips with cut up veggies keeps it low cal. Cauliflower is a favorite of mine because it goes with everything but celery, carrots, bell peppers are all good too.

wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1551 on: March 17, 2017, 07:44:31 AM »
Weight Log
12/6/16  ~265
1/7/17      256.4   
2/3/17      251.6
3/10/17    242.2
3/17/17    239.8 (-2.4)
Total: 25.2

Solid progress this week! Not all of that loss this week is from body fat - I watched my salt intake closely this week, so I expect some of that is water weight loss from lower sodium.

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1552 on: March 17, 2017, 07:48:38 AM »
wintertell you are seeing some great progress! congrats!

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1553 on: March 17, 2017, 08:24:59 AM »
Weight Log
12/6/16  ~265
1/7/17      256.4   
2/3/17      251.6
3/10/17    242.2
3/17/17    239.8 (-2.4)
Total: 25.2

Solid progress this week! Not all of that loss this week is from body fat - I watched my salt intake closely this week, so I expect some of that is water weight loss from lower sodium.

Wow, wintertell! Go, you!

wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1554 on: March 17, 2017, 11:00:48 AM »
Thanks y'all! I'm working on it! That was a big dip today, so it should be slower for the next week or so.

I was 255 at my wedding - gone
I was 245 right after grad school - hopefully gone
If I can get down to 235ish, I'll be back to the weight I was when I met my husband

Looking forward to hitting more milestones in the future, too. We'll see  : )

Izybat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1555 on: March 18, 2017, 08:28:27 AM »
Down another 1.4 today for a total of 18.6 lost since January 14. I'll take it!

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1556 on: March 18, 2017, 08:34:57 AM »
Down another 1.4 today for a total of 18.6 lost since January 14. I'll take it!

\o/

QueenV

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1557 on: March 20, 2017, 09:52:15 AM »
Congrats everyone!  Looks like people are making good progress!

Weigh-in:

2/20: 159.5
2/26: 158.5
3/4:   155
3/7:   154.5
3/12: 153.5
3/19: 153.5

No progress this week.  I know I did a little too much cheating recently.  It's time to buckle down again, I guess!  Also, I've been doing this for a month now, so I'm pretty excited I've stuck with it.


Runrooster

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1558 on: March 20, 2017, 11:50:41 AM »
Ive also finished a month, so it's a good start.  Historically I falter when the hot weather makes it hard to exercise, but the next two months of spring should be easy.

Week1: -3
Week2: -5
Week3: -6
Week4: -7

Onward and downward.

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1559 on: March 24, 2017, 09:03:52 AM »
Friday Weigh-In:

Start Date: Feb 24: 155.4 lbs
March 3:    154 lbs
March 10: 151.6
March 17: 150.6
March 24: 150.2

I'll take a .4 pound loss - I'm hormonal this week so am thrilled to see the scale stay the same rather than go up.

Successful finds for snacks included avocado toast on sprouted 7 grain bread, a sweet potato/bean dip with carrots and Yoplait Greek Whips. I'm not thrilled with the extra chemicals in the yoplait but I miss having yogurt and have a much harder time finding basic cultured milk yogurt here than I did in NC.

I wish I like hard boiled eggs, as so many people swear by them but I just do not like eggs (though I make myself choke down a scrambled egg a few times a week because my whole family loves eggs for breakfast).

Hope everyone else had great weeks! looks like everyone was trending down last week - good going all.

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1560 on: March 24, 2017, 09:06:17 AM »
StarBright, do they have Siggi's skyr where you live? It's basically Icelandic yogurt. It comes in whole milk, 2% and 0% fat versions delicious and full of protein. I have a blueberry whole milk one every afternoon!

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1561 on: March 24, 2017, 09:18:45 AM »
My local grocery is supposed to start carrying Siggi's and Noosa soon but I haven't seen them yet.

I was so spoiled in NC and didn't even know it. I lived in a small town there but never had any problem getting local, organic, "whole" foods. Ohio seems to have a very different food culture.

For instance my grocery doesn't seem to carry much full fat yogurt at all! It all seems to be  mostly fat free (which feels very ten years ago).

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1562 on: March 24, 2017, 09:21:42 AM »
My local grocery is supposed to start carrying Siggi's and Noosa soon but I haven't seen them yet.

I was so spoiled in NC and didn't even know it. I lived in a small town there but never had any problem getting local, organic, "whole" foods. Ohio seems to have a very different food culture.

For instance my grocery doesn't seem to carry much full fat yogurt at all! It all seems to be  mostly fat free (which feels very ten years ago).

Our Target carries Noosa - maybe check there?

I completely agree about the fat free yogurt. I switched from 0% to whole milk Siggi's and find it infinitely more satisfying and filling.

Izybat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1563 on: March 25, 2017, 10:22:25 AM »
Well, I lost 4.2 lbs this week, though I would recommend the method to anyone. (I was extremely ill this week and missed 3 days of work.) However, those 4.2 lbs helped me bypass two goals. I'm now down more than 10% of my starting weight and also more than 20 lbs since I started on January 14th.

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1564 on: March 25, 2017, 10:27:15 AM »
Well, I lost 4.2 lbs this week, though I would recommend the method to anyone. (I was extremely ill this week and missed 3 days of work.) However, those 4.2 lbs helped me bypass two goals. I'm now down more than 10% of my starting weight and also more than 20 lbs since I started on January 14th.

Poor Izybat! I hope you're feeling better now.

wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1565 on: March 25, 2017, 04:23:15 PM »
Weight Log
12/6/16  ~265
1/7/17      256.4   
2/3/17      251.6
3/10/17    242.2
3/17/17    239.8 (-2.4)
3/25/16    242.6

Slid backwards this week - Less movement because my plantar fasciitis flared up really bad. Working on stretching the feet and will resume activity tomorrow. Onward and downward!

QueenV

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1566 on: March 27, 2017, 12:30:47 PM »
Weigh-in:

2/20: 159.5
2/26: 158.5
3/4:   155
3/7:   154.5
3/12: 153.5
3/19: 153.5
3/26: 154
3/27: 152.5

Progress this morning after my weight has been up to 154 or 154.5 other days this week.  Yesterday I recorded the 154 result in MFP and then checked again this morning and I was at 152.5.  No idea what it means as I doubt I dropped 1.5 pounds overnight.  I've been discouraged all weekend at the higher numbers but feel better today as I'm hoping there's an overall trend downward?

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1567 on: March 29, 2017, 08:36:40 PM »
I've been quiet for a while - but glad to open the thread today and see some nice successes!

@begood Have u thought about making your own yogurt? I make mine in my Instant Pot and its pretty satisfying knowing I don't have to add any extra ingredients - just milk and a couple of spoonfuls of leftover yogurt (as a starter).

@QueenV That is likely the "whoosh" effect. Its very normal to hover around the same number for a week or two and then "whoosh", a big drop. You've lost a lot in only a month!

The last few months have been a struggle weight-wise. Frustrating that after starting serious weight loss in January...all I've managed to do is GAIN weight, adding on 3-5 more pounds! It's been one step forward, two steps back.

Something finally clicked about 1-2 weeks ago though and I've finally started losing consistently again. This morning, I clocked in at about what I started with in January. So back to having 10 pounds to lose.

It's not yet easy. Most nights I fight intense cravings and often think I will give in. Thankfully, more often than not, I have been able to not give in.

The one night I did have more than I should...didn't really end up affecting me. My theory now is that the body takes a while to adjust to what we do to it. So even though I believe in Calories In, Calories Out...it takes several days for the body to change direction. One bad day/meal has very minimal effect on things. And similarly, one good, low cal day does not mean a lower number the next morning. But if u stick to something, your body figures out what u are doing after a few days.

I wonder if I gained weight SO quickly in December and again these last couple of months is because I kept switching back and forth so drastically between low cal and high cal days with no consistent pattern? Even intermittent fasters have reasonably consistent patterns whereas I was just all over the map.

Anyway, that's just a pattern I think I am seeing after over a year of almost daily weigh-ins. Anyone else see the same patterns?


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begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1568 on: March 30, 2017, 04:48:16 AM »
elaine amj, I can definitely relate. The "pattern" I notice is that on weekends, I have less control over what's coming my way - whether that's a social plan with friends, or my husband or daughter want to go out to eat, or whatever. So my weekend days tend to be, on the whole, less predictable and higher calorie. I've about decided that's okay, because it doesn't seem to have affected my relatively steady progress. So perhaps my body is factoring in that unpredictability? *shrug*

For those nighttime cravings... can you have a little bit of whatever you crave earlier in the day? Then you can say to yourself, "Hey, you had that, remember?" I try to do that with chocolate, which affects my sleep if I have it late in the day.

I have not tried making yogurt! I have a CrockPot so maybe I will look up a recipe. Thanks for the tip!

swick

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1569 on: March 30, 2017, 09:19:46 AM »

The last few months have been a struggle weight-wise. Frustrating that after starting serious weight loss in January...all I've managed to do is GAIN weight, adding on 3-5 more pounds! It's been one step forward, two steps back.

Something finally clicked about 1-2 weeks ago though and I've finally started losing consistently again. This morning, I clocked in at about what I started with in January. So back to having 10 pounds to lose.

It's not yet easy. Most nights I fight intense cravings and often think I will give in. Thankfully, more often than not, I have been able to not give in.

...So even though I believe in Calories In, Calories Out...

Anyway, that's just a pattern I think I am seeing after over a year of almost daily weigh-ins. Anyone else see the same patterns?


elaine amj, I don't mean to pick on you, and really I don't have the right since I haven't been very active in the thread, although I have been following all of your journies and cheering you all on.  I figured out pretty early on in the thread that I had to do something very different and jump off the perpetual dieting cycle following the same old advice that kept me yo-yo-ing, fat and sick.

I use to believe all the same stuff, calories in, calories, out, it was just a matter of tracking, it is just a matter of having will power, calorie counting is the way to go etc.

I realize we all have different paths to the same goal and what is right for me might not be right for you, but it seems like you are struggling so much and as the bolded parts above, it doesn't seem like it is really working, and there are a lot of other people on this thread who seem to be bouncing up and down and having the same struggles.

I've basically been on one diet or another since I hit puberty. I've gained and lost hundreds of the same pounds over the years, I've been in a constant state of worry/thinking/feeling like crap/guilt spiral about what I put in my mouth. But You keep the same beliefs and doing what you always do, you will get the same results, over and over and over.

Calories in, calories out, I've come to realize, is a catchy, overly simplistic bullshit line that doesn't do anyone any good. It doesn't hold up to any of the recent science on nutrition, addiction, or HOW those calories are metabolized in the body. Food, medicine, everything, is broken down in our bodies the same ways. How they are broken down matters, how the energy is utilized or stored matters, what by-products are created from the different foods we eat matters.

Eating "Low-fat" and "low-calorie" anything that comes in a package is not going to help us. Eating sugar substitutes that still feed our psychological addiction for sweets and still mess with our biochemistry and saitey signals isn't really going to help us. Calorie counting and "cheat days" may help give us some surface control, but they aren't going to do anything long term about "why" we eat the things we eat.

With sugar being 10x as addictive as cocaine, do we think we have the will-power to have it and it is fine if it is in our calorie allowance? I use to think that way, but I was wrong and it leads to the same cycle of giving in, and feeling guilty and thinking I was a horrible person who had no will power. Rinse and repeat, and feel a little worse about myself every single time.

Dopamine release, tolerance, addiction, psychological cravings, physiological cravings, emotional humer...none of these are considered or addressed by a strict "calories in, calories out" mentality. "A calorie, is a calorie, is a calorie regardless of if it comes from steak or soda" That is the phrase that comes from the nutritionists lobbyists from the sugar/beverage industries. If they are recommending it, maybe we have to look twice.

Calorie reduction, tracking everything and the mental cycle that happens when you try and fail all can lead to some pretty unhealthy eating patterns that you can slip into without even realizing it. I have a friend who works in eating disorder recovery and she treats people who developed eating disorders mid-life and almost all of them were originally overweight, chronic dieters who slipped into unhealthy patterns after trying the usual and accepted weight loss methods - mainly calorie reduction, tracking, weighing everything etc.

Sorry, this became a long-winded rant. and I don't mean it to. I think seeing our patterns in a different light is important. All our beliefs need to be on the table for examination, especially if they might not be working for us. They might work for you and if so, awesome. All I know is I needed something different.

elaine amj

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Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1570 on: March 30, 2017, 09:21:20 PM »
@swick i agree in many ways that there are a lot of underlying issues around weight and that there are so many issues around "why" etc etc.

Overall I like the whole foods movement and agree with cooking from scratch, eating nutritious food, avoiding added sugars, etc etc. I just can't get overly militant about it myself (don't worry - I do cook for a husband who is very against sugar and I put a lot of effort into cooking him meals with almost no sugar. Eg he flipped out tonight looking at the nutritional label for agave syrup! He makes it even more challenging since he has started restricting fruit too. Thank goodness sweet potatoes are still on his OK list)

Part of my issues is seeing so many food trends come and go. One day carrot juice is the most amazing cure all. Then the next guru says that it is bad for u. I find it too hard to dig through all the claims so I am pretty sceptical about everything (especially when I have to peel 10lbs of carrots a week for hubby's juices). My mom has tried just about every alternative weight loss trend out there and amazingly enough, still fervently believes in every single one.

At the core though, I have seen straight calories being the main thing to determine someone's weight. Whether they get there through Whole 30, Intermittent Fasting, juicing, high protein, low carb, high fat, etc etc.

Pure calorie counting worked amazingly well for me last year. My problem was succumbing to various emotional pulls and turning to food for comfort. And then letting that become habit again. Which comes back again to how right u are that I never really addressed "why" I eat. Food for thought (pun intended lol)


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Izybat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1571 on: April 02, 2017, 05:50:29 PM »
Lost another 1.6 lbs last week for a total of 24.4 gone. Loving the progress!

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1572 on: April 03, 2017, 07:19:44 AM »
Lost another 1.6 lbs last week for a total of 24.4 gone. Loving the progress!

Yay, Izybat!

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1573 on: April 03, 2017, 07:57:45 AM »

Friday Weigh-In:

Start Date: Feb 24: 155.4 lbs
March 3:    154 lbs
March 10: 151.6
March 17: 150.6
March 24: 150.2
April 3: 149.4

A little late this week on the weight but still down even after the weekend so Hurray!

@Izybat, @runrooster, and @QueenV! Well done!

@elaine amj - Glad to see you back. Your DH's low sugar thing sounds exhausting - especially if you are the one preparing the foods. As I'm gently navigating with my DH around watching what I eat (but he has crazy caloric needs) I'm struck again by how our food intake really isn't just about us but also our families and the people we share a food environment with.

I know there are plenty of people (especially on the MFP boards) who espouse the idea that it is all on the individual losing weight and using their will power and we shouldn't inflict our food choices on family members who don't need to lose weight,etc. But that just seems insane to me (and also like a recipe for failure). I feel like working within our family food parameters is something that must be tackled for sanity's sake.


@swick - I agree with you generally and kept a whole foods diet for the last decade that kept me in the same 5 pound range with ease. However, an extra 7 pounds in whole foods this year also shows me that you can eat too much good food. I've always avoided CICO because I'm prone to be too controlling and nudge into disordered eating territory. BUT I'm currently doing CICO for the first time in about 15 years (in addition to eating whole foods) to get me back to a healthy BMI. We'll see how it goes.

@begood - I found Noosa at Target but didn't buy it because the sugar seemed really high. I'm going to keep looking for Sygii's or try making my own.

Runrooster

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1574 on: April 03, 2017, 11:21:34 AM »
Week1: -3
Week2: -5
Week3: -6
Week4: -7
Week5: -9
Week6: -11

I'm counting calories but the easiest way to do that is to stick to a healthy diet.  I do include fruits and use normal sugar in my tea. I eat the same basic diet most days, with one day of pizza.

rockstache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1575 on: April 04, 2017, 02:16:41 PM »

First Tuesday of the month check in:

2016
January 4: 153.0
February 1: 147.2
March 7: 140.2
April 4: 135.8
May 2: 134.8
June 7: 133.0
July 5: 132.2
August 2: 130.2
September 6: 128.8
October 4: 124.6
November 1: 124.6
December 6: 123.4

2017
January 3: 127.8
February 7: 122.8
March 7: 123.0
April 4: 123.0


Well. Here we are again. No loss, but no gain. But I haven't tracked (at all really), and I've eaten most of what I wanted, besides giving up alcohol for Lent. So I guess I'll just keep plugging away.

wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1576 on: April 07, 2017, 07:29:38 AM »
Weight Log
12/6/16  ~265
1/7/17      256.4   
2/3/17      251.6
3/10/17    242.2
4/7/2017  235.8 (-6.4)

Total Loss: 29.2 lbs
Total Percent: 11.02%

I'm in the middle of a big drop the last couple of days. I've been eating well, but not anything different from previous weeks. Maybe less salt? Anyway, it's been a huge drop this week - We will have to see if it fluctuates back up any.

Feeling pretty proud of myself. I'm very close to getting into a 18/20. I've been in the 22/24 range for most of the past 5 years. It's amazing that I'm still in the same size after almost 30 lbs! I was right on the verge of having to bump up a size, though, when I started.

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1577 on: April 07, 2017, 08:04:24 AM »

Wintertell, Rockstache and Runrooster - YAY!!!


Friday Weigh-In:

Start Date: Feb 24: 155.4 lbs
March 3:    154 lbs
March 10: 151.6
March 17: 150.6
March 24: 150.2
April 3: 149.4
April 7: 148.2

We are having a celebratory meal this weekend and I plan to embrace it: Roast chicken, lemon pasta, Caesar salad, champagne, derby pie - I will eat as much of it as I want!

Also- since losing has been far easier/quicker than I anticipated (using MFP I've lost the same amount in 1.5 months that it took me 6 months to lose last year) I'm thinking of taking a break and doing maintenance for a month or two when I get to 145. If I feel like trying to lose 5 pounds after that, I'll give it a shot but may also just be content at 145 (which has historically been my "happy since it takes little effort" weight). But all in all I'm hoping my body sort of "resets' itself at 145 and I don't want to mess it up by going below that to a number that is harder to maintain for me. Does that sound nuts?


wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1578 on: April 07, 2017, 08:09:00 AM »
Star right, that doesn't sound nuts at all! I'd like to settle at a healthy weight range that I can maintain without much effort but still allows for  the things that bring me joy. If that means Mexican food on occasion, then so be it. If 145 is your happy weight, then embrace it. Especially if you like the life you live at that weight - since that it was supports its maintenance anyway.

wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1579 on: April 07, 2017, 08:12:30 AM »
Also, a weight that is attainable isn't always the same as a weight that is maintainable. And what you want to settle in and maintain, right? Try settling in for a couple of months and then see if there are things you want to do that you can't as a result of the weight you are maintaining. If yes, then sure, keep on losing 😁

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1580 on: April 07, 2017, 09:01:22 AM »
Also, a weight that is attainable isn't always the same as a weight that is maintainable. And what you want to settle in and maintain, right? Try settling in for a couple of months and then see if there are things you want to do that you can't as a result of the weight you are maintaining. If yes, then sure, keep on losing 😁

exactly! I'd probably look a lot better at 135 - but it takes effort to maintain it. Whereas, at 145 I'm in the healthy BMI range, and i look fine (but not great) but it has historically taken little to no effort to maintain it. I want to reset at "NO EFFORT" :) I'm happy to be lazy and not look perfect, but to be healthy.

I think I'm also paranoid about getting to a "low" number and setting off a cycle of Yo Yoing - I've spent my life watching my mother hit low, but non-maintainable numbers and then spend the next two years going up and then down again. I'd rather stay higher than optimal, but not YoYo.

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1581 on: April 07, 2017, 10:16:05 AM »
A little slower, but still steadily going down, for my April nutritionist visit:

September 2016: 189
February 2017: 172
March 2017: 169
April 2017: 166

Goal weight: 157


elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1582 on: April 07, 2017, 09:17:14 PM »
@rockstache Look at it this way - u are maintaining your pre-holiday weight :)

@wintertell that's awesome that u are progressing so steadily! You are probably going through a "whoosh". Do u use any type of weigh trends? I use the trendweight app and it really helps to show the overall pattern.

@Starbright That's what I did last year - I got tired of dieting so I switched to maintenance thinking I could switch back to losing easily. That proved much much harder. If possible, do your best to keep the momentum going for another few pounds. That will give u a bit of a "safety" zone. That said, I would be thrilled to drop 10lbs and get back to the "reasonable " weight I was last year. Not skinny...but it worked.

I have been checking in only sporadically. Happy to report that weight loss has been going well for 2-3 weeks now, which is the first decent stretch since I started again in January! I am still being lazy about MFP but being rather strict about intake in general has helped and I am losing about a half pound a week, even with indulging a fair bit on weekends. Finally a wee bit less than my beginning of January weight (so annoyed that I gained instead of losing!).

And of course, I had to add a new setback. I messed up my shoulder swimming laps a couple of weeks back. Rotator cuff injury with a few weeks of therapy ahead. And man, it hurts! Plus I am babying it like crazy so it can heal ASAP. On the good side, I can still walk (although I just saw a podiatrist for plantar fasciitis and will get new orthotics in a few weeks) and I can still bike. No badminton AND no canoeing though (just when canoeing season is about to start).

I'm quite worried as I am competing in an adventure race (biking, hiking, canoeing) in late June. My physiotherapist said I should be better by mid May.

Every cloud has a silver lining though, right? My teens have been very concerned about my injury. My daughter helps me dress and even braided my hair this morning! (I had to grit my teeth through the pain and redo it lol) and my son mopped the whole house tonight. All in all, both have been super helpful so I can avoid using my shoulder as much as possible.


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Izybat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1583 on: April 09, 2017, 08:13:01 AM »
All week I was expecting not to lose weight this week, since every time I stepped on the scale (which I do daily) It showed me staying the same. Randomly however, when I actually went to weigh in for real on Saturday, I lost a pound. I'll take it. 25.4 lbs total lost!

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1584 on: April 09, 2017, 08:33:17 AM »
All week I was expecting not to lose weight this week, since every time I stepped on the scale (which I do daily) It showed me staying the same. Randomly however, when I actually went to weigh in for real on Saturday, I lost a pound. I'll take it. 25.4 lbs total lost!

Yay, Izybat!

I weigh in once a month, at the nutritionist's office. I think of it like my investments: checking every day sets me on a mood roller coaster, so instead I just stick to the plan and check in monthly instead. ;)

Izybat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1585 on: April 09, 2017, 05:44:18 PM »
I think I'm one of the rare people whose weight doesn't tend to fluctuate all that much. Maybe a pound or two, but usually far less than that. Weighing in every day doesn't usually make me depressed, it just usually keeps me accountable. This why, if my weight is up, I can assess why I think that is and make adjustments if necessary.

rockstache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1586 on: April 09, 2017, 07:13:20 PM »
I'm like that too Izybat. And I don't get discouraged, I actually like to use it as a bit of a check. That way I can catch the weight gain (when it happens) before it gets too crazy.

wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1587 on: April 09, 2017, 07:16:00 PM »
I both my Fitbit and MyFitnessPal to look at the trends. I try to have the Avg Weight for the Week at least be less than the previous week! I also have a graph in my Google drive. Anyway, this was  a much larger whoosh than normal - I think because I was eating really well consistently.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1588 on: April 09, 2017, 08:59:16 PM »
@izybat That's awesome!!! Congrats!!!

@wintertell Trendweight syncs with fitbit (and is the only reason I have a fitbit account) so it could be a much easier way for you to track trends. Even better, it generates a nice graph for u :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

rpr

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1589 on: April 10, 2017, 07:26:58 PM »
Date          Weight
1/1/2017    130
2/28/2017  133.6
3/10/2017  132.2
3/16/2017  131.0
4/10/2017  135.6

Once again, travel gets to me. Been traveling for work these last three weeks. Zero formal exercise and lots of eating out. Heavy breakfasts, heavy lunches and even heavier dinners. Have walked a fair bit and that probably helped somewhat. Have to get back on the saddle again.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1590 on: April 12, 2017, 09:38:10 AM »
@rpr Traveling for work - especially for such a long period of time is definitely hard! I have such a hard time resisting the lure of free food. I think I NEED to learn the concept of "enough". One small slice of decadent cheesecake is indulgent, delicious, and enough. I don't need 3 to feel satisfied (so not there yet!).

I've been doing ok. I do need to reframe my attitude towards food though. Last year, I went with the mindset that as long as about 80% of my intake was nutritious, I was good with about 20% junk. Right now when I eat anything I classify as "junk", I'm triggered to raid every piece of "junk food" in sight, both at my office and at home. That's just not a healthy mindset so I'm going to work on that.

I am still not logging seriously on MFP, but have been somewhat ok about eating approximately 1200 calories a day. Not counting exercise (50 min roundtrip bike commute 3-5 days a week and 30-60 min walks 2-3 times a week) has helped with some of the extra eating on the weekends and the fudge factor with my eyeball estimates. If I stick with this, I know I will continue losing. Logging on MFP would help me be a lot more precise though so I'm trying to get the motivation to do it again.

I'm also spending more time on the MFP boards as I find that keeps me more "in the zone".

rpr

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1591 on: April 12, 2017, 03:16:49 PM »
@ elaine amj -- Thanks. It is definitely hard. I see what you mean by the free food aspect. The room rate had breakfast included so I gorged on it. One butter croissant was not enough, I had a second croissant but this one was chocolate filled ;) Plus, lunch was covered as well. It is not surprising that I gained about 4 lbs in 3+ weeks. I must try harder to be more conscious about what I eat especially when traveling.

Junk food poses a challenge as well. At home it is easier as I avoid buying them completely. But at work it is a different matter as often there is stuff that is definitely not good.

Regarding, MFP, I find the logging part reasonably useful. This is the one definite way I know to be focused on what and how much I eat.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1592 on: April 13, 2017, 07:46:09 AM »
Well, last night, in my quest to add junk food to my life, I ate a handful of Munchies snack mix. My DH was horrified and I told him why I was doing it. He's not a fan, but made no further comment. Afterwards, I was still full after dinner and contemplated taking out my frozen mangoes (my usual after dinner snack). Amazingly, I didn't feel any strong cravings for it (OR for anything else!) and I ended up skipping any further after-dinner snacks.

This morning, we had an Easter Egg Hunt at work. My boss is a hoot and sets up an Hunt for us in the office. He stays late the night before and covers the office with chocolate and treats, some scattered all over the floor and plenty scattered in various nooks and crannies - including an elusive golden bunny (the finder wins a $50 gift card!!). Anyway, I now have piles of chocolate to add to my office. I decided I would add a small chocolate bunny and a rice krispie square to my breakfast. BUT, I will eat my breakfast first (a banana and 1 homemade energy bite). I'm going to go over my calories a bit today but I spent half an hour bending and standing (VERY good workout - got me sweating!) to collect all this chocolate so I must have burned at least 1 bunny's worth of calories!

I'm really hoping this strategy will work - it's nice not to feel guilty about treats.

wintertell

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1593 on: April 13, 2017, 07:58:38 AM »
Well, last night, in my quest to add junk food to my life, I ate a handful of Munchies snack mix. My DH was horrified and I told him why I was doing it. He's not a fan, but made no further comment. Afterwards, I was still full after dinner and contemplated taking out my frozen mangoes (my usual after dinner snack). Amazingly, I didn't feel any strong cravings for it (OR for anything else!) and I ended up skipping any further after-dinner snacks.

I'm really hoping this strategy will work - it's nice not to feel guilty about treats.

Sounds like the concept of "buffer foods" might work for you. Or maybe this is your buffer food?

A friend of mine purposefully builds in treats throughout the day, like Werther's Hard Candy, so that it replaces other junk food that would be a poorer choice. Then, it never feels like you are deprived and you can stay on plan. For me, it was Greek yogurt with the sweet toppings for a couple of months. For others, it is that Halo Top ice cream that has all of the protein in it so you stay full longer. Or individually wrapped chocolate?

The suggestions below are really healthy ones, but I have seen people do it with treats, in the example above. They normally reserve some calories just for this so they stay on plan long term.

https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-add-a-buffer-food-to-your-diet

http://vitals.lifehacker.com/buffer-foods-help-curb-cravings-and-keep-your-diet-on-1788415798?utm_content=buffer44d0c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

begood

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1594 on: April 13, 2017, 08:52:30 AM »
Well, last night, in my quest to add junk food to my life, I ate a handful of Munchies snack mix. My DH was horrified and I told him why I was doing it. He's not a fan, but made no further comment. Afterwards, I was still full after dinner and contemplated taking out my frozen mangoes (my usual after dinner snack). Amazingly, I didn't feel any strong cravings for it (OR for anything else!) and I ended up skipping any further after-dinner snacks.

I'm really hoping this strategy will work - it's nice not to feel guilty about treats.

Sounds like the concept of "buffer foods" might work for you. Or maybe this is your buffer food?

A friend of mine purposefully builds in treats throughout the day, like Werther's Hard Candy, so that it replaces other junk food that would be a poorer choice. Then, it never feels like you are deprived and you can stay on plan. For me, it was Greek yogurt with the sweet toppings for a couple of months. For others, it is that Halo Top ice cream that has all of the protein in it so you stay full longer. Or individually wrapped chocolate?

The suggestions below are really healthy ones, but I have seen people do it with treats, in the example above. They normally reserve some calories just for this so they stay on plan long term.

https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-add-a-buffer-food-to-your-diet

http://vitals.lifehacker.com/buffer-foods-help-curb-cravings-and-keep-your-diet-on-1788415798?utm_content=buffer44d0c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Thanks for those links, wintertell. I hadn't heard of the "buffer" concept before, but it makes sense and it's kind of what I've been doing without realizing it had a name. I have turned away from my biggest trigger foods - donuts and cake - with more ease than I expected because I have not limited dark chocolate (60% cocoa or more). But I'm trying to cut out even more sugar, and that's one place to do it, so this week, I replaced my Dove dark easter eggs (where eating one makes me want another, and another... and some days I get most of my fat from chocolate...) with Ghirardelli 100% cocoa unsweetened baking chocolate.

One 80 calorie section lasts me a whole afternoon because a wee bit goes a very long way. It has the texture and taste of chocolate but it's bitter. It has 0 grams of sugar, so I'm giving it a try this week. *shrug* I can always go back to Dove dark, but for now it's working.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1595 on: April 13, 2017, 10:11:04 AM »
One 80 calorie section lasts me a whole afternoon because a wee bit goes a very long way. It has the texture and taste of chocolate but it's bitter. It has 0 grams of sugar, so I'm giving it a try this week. *shrug* I can always go back to Dove dark, but for now it's working.

That's awesome!

I've been doing substitutions - but sometime nothing but the junkiest junk food will do. And for some reason, trying to switch EVERYTHING to its nutritious counterpart was just triggering me to eat all.the.things. So we'll see how this 80% nutrition, 20% junk works for me.

I'm proud to report that after eating the chocolate I set aside (and logged) to eat this morning...I had not the least temptation to raid the giant basket of chocolates in my office! Normally, one piece of chocolate means 10 pieces. So far, so good. One day, I'd like to get the the point where a juicy, delicious orange gives the same satisfaction as the most forbidden of junky treats!

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1596 on: April 13, 2017, 11:47:30 AM »
I haven't logged in for awhile because I was out of town for a bit.

Weigh-in:

2/20: 159.5
2/26: 158.5
3/4:   155
3/7:   154.5
3/12: 153.5
3/19: 153.5
3/26: 154
3/27: 152.5
3/31: 150.5
4/3:   154.5
4/10: 152

I weighed myself right before and right after my trip and was definitely up after several days of mostly eating out.  Not too surprising.  I'm working on getting back down again!

rpr, like you I have a really hard time eating healthy while traveling.  It seems like everything at a restaurant has twice as many calories as the same item if I made it at home!  I'm not sure why that is, are restaurants frying everything in butter? 

I think this month is going to be a challenge as we have a lot of events coming up - Easter this weekend, a fancy gala thing for my husband's work the following weekend, and an overnight trip for my birthday the weekend after that.  I'm working on keeping my calories down during the week, but we've done some eating out in the last two weeks so it's time for me to be more disciplined again!  I'm finding that tracking with MFP really helps me avoid all the empty calories though!

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1597 on: April 13, 2017, 12:05:07 PM »

I think this month is going to be a challenge as we have a lot of events coming up - Easter this weekend, a fancy gala thing for my husband's work the following weekend, and an overnight trip for my birthday the weekend after that.  I'm working on keeping my calories down during the week, but we've done some eating out in the last two weeks so it's time for me to be more disciplined again!  I'm finding that tracking with MFP really helps me avoid all the empty calories though!

I think it helps to remember that these social things are a part of your life....and will be popping up regularly for the rest of your life. Coming up with a strategy that works for the rest of your life will help you live it and maintain.

I maintained easily for months last year. But then in November started "Trying to Diet". I gained 10 pounds in 2 months. I am starting to feel I sabotaged myself with all that diet thinking and restriction which lead to bingeing.

You CAN do this!!!

rpr

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1598 on: April 13, 2017, 01:10:22 PM »
@ QueenV -- The important thing is the long term trend which is good in your case. 

Indeed, in my situation it was literally true that the restaurants were either frying in butter and/or olive oil with huge dollops of cheese thrown in for good measure. Plus there was plenty of drinking as well, wine mostly.

Also I agree with elaine amj, that in the short term, there are things that will come up and we appear to be sabotaging ourselves. But have to get back on that horse again.

QueenV

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #1599 on: April 13, 2017, 02:47:13 PM »
elaine amj and rpr, those are good points. I do keep thinking about that, that I have to find a way to make this sustainable. There will always be events and gatherings and special occasions and I wouldn't want to stop doing them!  I'm fine restricting treats for a small amount of time but I don't want to give them up for the rest of my life, you know? Plus my ultimate goal is to create new habits around food. I don't want to "diet" I want to develop a new way of eating. I think I'm on my way, I seem to have "reset" how many calories I need to feel full. And I've discovered that increasing fat and protein helps me feel full longer so I'm not feeling the need to snack as much.

Thanks for the encouragement!