Author Topic: Losing Weight in 2016  (Read 459466 times)

Geostache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #500 on: April 27, 2016, 07:20:46 AM »

@geostache- the sugar cravings are tough, huh? Let me know if you find something that works besides just going cold turkey. I have told myself that I'll just quit sugar so many times, but am always back to eating something sweet a couple of days afterwards.

There really is no other option for me. If I eat it, I crave it. I do best when I cut it out of my diet completely. I wish I had a better answer for you!

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #501 on: April 27, 2016, 07:33:07 AM »
What do you folks think about making rules around your eating?  I am not counting calories because I know I won't.  I am too lazy.   So I have made some rules around the circumstances that I eat that I have chosen because a) I will stick to the rules b) there is scientific evidence that it helps reduce the amount I eat and c) I don't feel deprived.

I have to write down everything that I put in my mouth.  (so that I really know exactly what I am putting in my mouth)
I have to eat off a dish sitting down.  (so I eat slower and can measure with my eyes how much I put in my mouth)
No juice  (don't want to drink my calories)
It must be very high quality food (no cheap rubber cheese - if I am going to eat it is is going to be the most delicious cheese a craft cheesemaker can make)

I may have to re-evaluate if I don't start to loose weight because I want to be a different shape again.  But this is what I am trying in the early stages of this process.

In a way I have some built in restrictions because I am celiac,  I can't eat most buffet food. But I work from home and there is too much food available and I can snack continuously.  I have three emergency carrots left in the stash....must go grocery shopping.

I think I read or heard that high fructose corn syrup interrupts our bodies natural ability to know when we are full.  Has anybody heard about that?

Bee21

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #502 on: April 27, 2016, 05:34:15 PM »
It is hard. I think breaking the snacking habit is the hardest. I can avoid junk food, but i still feel like eating constantly, especially if i am angry/stressed/ sleep deprived.

I can't go cold turkey, but i am getting to the stage when i can reduce things, or stop after 2 bites of something.

I did 4 weeks of intermittent fasting in january and it helped me breaking some of my bad snacking habits. Am planning to do it again in May. Somehow i learnt to manage hunger better those days.

Lizard, If you are a snacker i recommend counting the calories of the snacks you have. That might scare you into eating less. It definitely scared me. Eg a tub of my favourite youghurt=368 cal. A bag of pretzels=360. If i eat the pretzels and the yoghurt it is over 700 cals just in snacks. If i don't, i can lose a almost a kg a week.

RuntoFIRE

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #503 on: April 27, 2016, 07:33:46 PM »
@ Frugal Lizard: I like the rules you have set up. One thing I am trying this week is to keep my snacks at a consistent time. I know I am going to want to snack, so I just tell myself that I can snack at 10am and 3pm, and no other times. That helps me rationalize away the cravings that come in between breakfast and snack time and lunch time and snack time. I read that if you have a craving but tell yourself that you can have it (or a version of it) later, your craving lessens.

I recently discovered a book called Foodist by Darya Rose, which recommends the habits of eating real food, eating slowly, not depriving yourself but instead mindfully choosing the best version of something (like the cheese example), etc.. I recommend the book- it's helped me get a better, less stressful perspective on my eating. Whether that perspective lasts, however, is another story....

Good luck to all today!

RedmondStash

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #504 on: April 27, 2016, 08:17:15 PM »
What do you folks think about making rules around your eating?  I am not counting calories because I know I won't.  I am too lazy.   So I have made some rules around the circumstances that I eat that I have chosen because a) I will stick to the rules b) there is scientific evidence that it helps reduce the amount I eat and c) I don't feel deprived.

I have to write down everything that I put in my mouth.  (so that I really know exactly what I am putting in my mouth)
I have to eat off a dish sitting down.  (so I eat slower and can measure with my eyes how much I put in my mouth)
No juice  (don't want to drink my calories)
It must be very high quality food (no cheap rubber cheese - if I am going to eat it is is going to be the most delicious cheese a craft cheesemaker can make)

I may have to re-evaluate if I don't start to loose weight because I want to be a different shape again.  But this is what I am trying in the early stages of this process.

In a way I have some built in restrictions because I am celiac,  I can't eat most buffet food. But I work from home and there is too much food available and I can snack continuously.  I have three emergency carrots left in the stash....must go grocery shopping.

I think I read or heard that high fructose corn syrup interrupts our bodies natural ability to know when we are full.  Has anybody heard about that?

I like those rules too.

I find that the rules I can tolerate vary depending on variables I can't define. The rules that work best for me are much like yours, including writing down everything I eat, writing down all my exercise, and saying "no" to treats whenever I can without severe distress or cravings. If I have a serious craving, I can eat something really high-quality to sate it.

I don't exactly try to stay under a calorie limit, but I am aware through previous analysis of the caloric and exercise levels at which I lose weight, so I just keep that in mind throughout the day.

Right now, making mostly good choices on most days has been working well. But there are times when all the rules go out the window and I eat like a helpless idiot for a while. I've had to learn to let those times run their course and then get back on track.

RuntoFIRE

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #505 on: April 27, 2016, 11:53:56 PM »

Right now, making mostly good choices on most days has been working well. But there are times when all the rules go out the window and I eat like a helpless idiot for a while. I've had to learn to let those times run their course and then get back on track.

@RedmondStash - I think this is a good strategy. You are not judging yourself for failing, you are being compassionate towards yourself when you do go off track and trying to stick to the program as best you can most of the time. I like that approach and will try to emulate it.

RedmondStash

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #506 on: April 28, 2016, 08:23:39 AM »

Right now, making mostly good choices on most days has been working well. But there are times when all the rules go out the window and I eat like a helpless idiot for a while. I've had to learn to let those times run their course and then get back on track.

@RedmondStash - I think this is a good strategy. You are not judging yourself for failing, you are being compassionate towards yourself when you do go off track and trying to stick to the program as best you can most of the time. I like that approach and will try to emulate it.

@RuntoFIRE -- Exactly. I view my poor eating choices as some weird combination of brain chemistry, sugar addiction, emotional roller coasters, and free will. I know it's always a choice, but there are days when my eating seems to be on autopilot to such an extent that I watch from the outside and marvel at the fact that I'm stuffing yet another doughnut into my face.

Basically, there are days when it's easy to eat well, days when it's harder, and days (or even just moments) when it's nearly impossible. I don't punish myself for the nearly impossible days, and I try to reproduce the situations that led to the easy days, so I can have more of them. My life is my laboratory. :)

Good luck to you!

senorpanqueque

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #507 on: April 28, 2016, 08:46:02 AM »
Hey all,

Just chiming in. Am down 15 pounds from 208 to 193, as well as 2 or so inches off the waist since beginning of March.

Good luck to everyone participating! Keep up the great work!

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #508 on: April 28, 2016, 09:27:34 AM »
I crafted a post, proofed it and then it disappeared into the netherworld.  Take 2 - and the power just cut out for 20 minutes - take 3.
Thank you all for the feedback.  You are all so helpful.

Elaine amj - how are you going?  Hope you are back your horse.
Redmondstash - have you tried to figure out what the trigger is to cause you to abandon your intentions and go "helpless idiot" for awhile.  It is probably hard to tease out the constellation of circumstances that leads you to loosing your focus but it would be very helpful if you could break the cycle.
RuntoFIRE - I will get that book from library.  I have been doing better about snacking when I have a protein serving at the breakfast.  I think that it takes longer to digest and keeps me from needing to snack for hunger reasons.  I am recognizing that a lot of my snacking has very little to do with hunger.  I snack because I am bored or stuck or don't want to start a task or have to do something that is hard or probably the hardest to admit - because I am insecure.  I work by myself so I get very little affirmation or opportunity to compare my skills to others.  I think I snack to fortify myself in case I mind find out that I am not the brilliant creative expert I pretend to be.  Seems super silly written down here but I need to fully explore what I do that has caused me to eat too much and not because I need the nutrition.  I want to get back to eating about eating.
Bee21 - The journal record has scared me away from snacking so I think you are right about counting the calories.  I did brilliantly yesterday - no snacking in the morning at all.  Then bam - saw six chocolate easter eggs in the cupboard on top of the can of beans I was needing for dinner prep.  Ate em all.  At least they are gone and there was only six.
Senorpanqueque - well done.

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #509 on: April 28, 2016, 10:02:14 AM »

Right now, making mostly good choices on most days has been working well. But there are times when all the rules go out the window and I eat like a helpless idiot for a while. I've had to learn to let those times run their course and then get back on track.

@RedmondStash - I think this is a good strategy. You are not judging yourself for failing, you are being compassionate towards yourself when you do go off track and trying to stick to the program as best you can most of the time. I like that approach and will try to emulate it.

@RuntoFIRE -- Exactly. I view my poor eating choices as some weird combination of brain chemistry, sugar addiction, emotional roller coasters, and free will. I know it's always a choice, but there are days when my eating seems to be on autopilot to such an extent that I watch from the outside and marvel at the fact that I'm stuffing yet another doughnut into my face.

Basically, there are days when it's easy to eat well, days when it's harder, and days (or even just moments) when it's nearly impossible. I don't punish myself for the nearly impossible days, and I try to reproduce the situations that led to the easy days, so I can have more of them. My life is my laboratory. :)

Good luck to you!


RedmondStash - I could of written this myself. 

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #510 on: April 28, 2016, 10:12:11 AM »
Well, I am down 2lbs again.  I say this gently as I am sure it is just water weight, but hopefully, I can keep this going in the right direction.

It really is amazing how much you can eat throughout the day and not realize it.  The other day, I thought I did pretty decent and when I sat down and thought about it, I was like uh oh.  I have a ton of stuff around, but realize I am just one of those people that cant keep things around.  Portion control is too hard for me. It works one day, maybe two, but then it goes out the window.

I am thankful for this thread.  It keeps me trying.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #511 on: April 28, 2016, 11:06:41 AM »
Basically, there are days when it's easy to eat well, days when it's harder, and days (or even just moments) when it's nearly impossible. I don't punish myself for the nearly impossible days, and I try to reproduce the situations that led to the easy days, so I can have more of them. My life is my laboratory. :)

I agree - I am learning to be kind to myself when I go off track into a crazy binge. I have a feeling it's going to happen every now and then. Rather than going all crazy beating myself up (and potentially going into a downward spiral), I'm going to forgive myself and move on. And remember that I've had many, many, many easy days and those will return again if I can just be patient and stay the course.

@Frugal Lizard I'll be honest, it's been a struggle. Monday was an awful blowout of epic proportions. Tuesday was better, but still ate more than I wanted. I dragged myself back on track on Wednesday, eating relatively properly all day. I was still so munchy after dinner though and that was hard to control. I nibbled a couple of small things for under 60-80 calories and managed to stop (although DH and DS did intervene a little). Last night I was thinking about how much work I have to do to make up for Monday and felt myself starting to spiral down again. At that point, I decided I am going to give myself a clean slate and forget about Monday. The binge was too big to make up for and I will drive myself crazy trying (mentally, I do better with occasional larger meals and treats. The deprivation mentality sends me into a tailspin). I'm just going to move forward and stay on my usual eating routine for the rest of the week. Normally I like to end the week with average net calories of 1230/day. I'm now planning to end it overeating by about 1200 calories. So what? It means my loss is slowed by less than half a lb. Really not a big deal.

On the good side, I spent the last 2 hours arguing with myself over the cookies in the office kitchen. I even input one cookie into MFP to see how bad a hit it would be. Then I walked there, fully intending to return to my office with a cookie. My boss happened to be there and again brought up my awesome weight loss. I told her I was dying for a cookie and she convinced me I could do without it. Made myself a giant cup of black coffee and went back to my office...cookie-less.

@senorpanqueque CONGRATULATIONS!! a 15 lb loss is fabulous! We love to hear awesome successes here :)

@alleykat Awareness about eating is huge in this. Being real and finding a technique that works for you and your personality is so critical. And sometimes - you just need that magic something to click in your head. Nobody else can do it for you. We're all here cheering you on!!
« Last Edit: April 28, 2016, 03:16:41 PM by elaine amj »

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #512 on: April 28, 2016, 02:30:03 PM »
Elaine amj - I was hoping you weren't struggling in silence too much.  Glad to hear you are back on your horse.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #513 on: April 28, 2016, 05:47:09 PM »
@Frugal Lizard Thanks for checking on me :) :) This journey is so full of ups and downs. But I will NOT waste months of hard work just because of one stupid binge. I want a healthier me and will keep my eye on the goal.


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RedmondStash

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #514 on: April 28, 2016, 06:22:02 PM »

Right now, making mostly good choices on most days has been working well. But there are times when all the rules go out the window and I eat like a helpless idiot for a while. I've had to learn to let those times run their course and then get back on track.

@RedmondStash - I think this is a good strategy. You are not judging yourself for failing, you are being compassionate towards yourself when you do go off track and trying to stick to the program as best you can most of the time. I like that approach and will try to emulate it.

@RuntoFIRE -- Exactly. I view my poor eating choices as some weird combination of brain chemistry, sugar addiction, emotional roller coasters, and free will. I know it's always a choice, but there are days when my eating seems to be on autopilot to such an extent that I watch from the outside and marvel at the fact that I'm stuffing yet another doughnut into my face.

Basically, there are days when it's easy to eat well, days when it's harder, and days (or even just moments) when it's nearly impossible. I don't punish myself for the nearly impossible days, and I try to reproduce the situations that led to the easy days, so I can have more of them. My life is my laboratory. :)

Good luck to you!

RedmondStash - I could of written this myself.

:)

@elaine amj -- I'm sorry it's been hard for you lately. I've had some unexpectedly bumpy days recently too. It's really hard not to get discouraged, but I do believe it's possible to achieve our goals, and I do believe support helps. Good luck to us both.

RuntoFIRE

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #515 on: April 28, 2016, 07:54:35 PM »
I'm just going to move forward and stay on my usual eating routine for the rest of the week. Normally I like to end the week with average net calories of 1230/day. I'm now planning to end it overeating by about 1200 calories. So what? It means my loss is slowed by less than half a lb. Really not a big deal.

On the good side, I spent the last 2 hours arguing with myself over the cookies in the office kitchen. I even input one cookie into MFP to see how bad a hit it would be. Then I walked there, fully intending to return to my office with a cookie. My boss happened to be there and again brought up my awesome weight loss. I told her I was dying for a cookie and she convinced me I could do without it. Made myself a giant cup of black coffee and went back to my office...cookie-less.


Elaine amj - congrats about not taking the cookie- that's huge!
Can I ask about your plan to eat 1230 net calories a day? That sounds pretty low to me. I am not judging - just want to understand how you came to that number. Is that something you can sustain over the long term?

RedmondStash- I totally feel you on the bad days. There are days when I am my own worst enemy in the food game. I tell myself I can't have something but then I take it anyways. Or I am the one to suggest getting snacks or an unhealthy lunch, or ice cream, etc. when a bunch of us are deciding what to do, fully knowing that the others would not have suggested the unhealthy options. I don't know what's driving that behavior at all, it's like a have a little petulant child inside me that just wants all the treats now, now, now! I realize that making peace with myself will definitely have to come first.

As for this week for me, I feel like I am strengthening my workout habit. I even got up at 5am on Thursday so that I'd have time to work out before I had to be in at work at 7am for a call (I normally take calls this early at home a couple of times a week, but couldn't do it this time). I've also gotten to the point where cooking is more automatic, and I feel better after eating a meal that I cooked vs. going out. The scale is cooperating too and since I posted here a few days ago I am down by 1.33 pounds (I weigh myself daily as a check in).

I am traveling this weekend and will try my best to keep splurges to a minimum. We'll see how that goes.

brett2k07

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #516 on: April 29, 2016, 05:06:33 AM »
So I haven't posted here in about a month. We hadn't really been working out, so progress has been literally zero. I won't bore you with the excuses. Good news is, we've worked out 5 out of the past 6 days. I think we're going to stick with it this time. The good news is that I've been able to maintain my weight since the beginning of the month. It did start to climb back up a little over the past two weeks, but I'm back at 224 as of this morning. Here goes nothing.

Beginning: 226
3/18/16: 226.4 (+0.4)
3/25/16: 223.0 (-3.4)**
4/1/16: 224.0 (+1.0)
4/8/16: 224.0 (0.00)
4/15/16: 224.5 (0.00)
4/22/16: 225.0 (0.00)
4/29/16: 224.0 (0.00)

Geostache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #517 on: April 29, 2016, 07:09:06 AM »
@Elaine: You aren't alone in the struggle. Hang in there and don't give up! You've come so far, and have made a lot of progress.

What does everyone think about doing a May challenge? Something like sticking to your plan (whatever shape that may take) for the month May? The reason I ask is because we're nearing the end of the month, and it seems like we've all been hitting a proverbial wall in one sense or another. I could use a good swift kick in the pants, and having you all keep me honest will be a big help.
 
Thoughts? @Elaine? @alleykat? @Redmonstash? @Frugal Lizard? @Bee21? @RuntoFIRE? Anyone else? Are you all in?

Today was weigh in day, and it's safe to say I've hit another plateau. This time, it's not because my body is refusing to give up the weight. It's because I have been indulging in way too many sweets and not tracking as religiously as I have in the past. I'm up 0.4 lbs.

01/01/2016: 182.8
04/08/2016: 155.2
04/15/2016: 156.8
04/22/2016: 156.2
04/29/2016: 156.6 (+0.4)

Total loss: 26.2
Goal: 140



senorpanqueque

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #518 on: April 29, 2016, 07:22:18 AM »
I'm in.

I'm playing in a weekend hockey tournament (street, not ice) at the end of May, and one of my goals is to be one of the guys on the teams with the best endurance. Another 10 pounds down wouldn't hurt either.. ;)

RedmondStash

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #519 on: April 29, 2016, 07:42:06 AM »
What does everyone think about doing a May challenge? Something like sticking to your plan (whatever shape that may take) for the month May? The reason I ask is because we're nearing the end of the month, and it seems like we've all been hitting a proverbial wall in one sense or another. I could use a good swift kick in the pants, and having you all keep me honest will be a big help.

Sure, why not? I'm in. Maybe focusing on staying on track instead of on weight loss will help me through the plateau I seem to be on.

Go, team, go! :)

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #520 on: April 29, 2016, 08:27:34 AM »
Count me in. This challenge will be perfect for the month of May.  Now, I need to think of what is reasonable.

Also, I will add walking at least 3 times a week.  I can never stick with exercising for some reason and need to.  I have also made some goals as part of the strengthening thread on here and I am determined to achieve them. I still have time.

For those that lost a substantial amount of weight and just hit a wall, I agree with all that has been said, don't give up or see it as a fail.  Seasons change, stress levels increase, life happens....

One trick I want to share with all of you, and if someone here brought it up or shared it previously, forgive me, I don't remember where I read it, but I think it is a good one and one I want to start to incorporate in my meals.  It is simply to just drink lots of water during the meal. It will get you fuller faster.  I know for me, I do have a drink of something, lately it has been nothing but water, but I don't really drink a whole lot as I am eating. So, this trick gets you fuller faster so you wont eat as much.   I am going to try this tonight and see how it goes.

Looking forward to the May challenge.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #521 on: April 29, 2016, 08:43:48 AM »
Im in too

Weigh in today
4/15 - 138
4/22 - 137.5
4/29 - 137

my plan:
Write down everything I eat in my food journal
No eating at the counter or out of the container or from the buffet
Sit down with food served on dishes in the dining room - no tv on
Serve food in the kitchen buffet style
No cleaning off the kids plates
No juice
No pop
Only really good food
2/3 of meal to be veg or fruit
No snacking at the computer.

Alleykat:  think your water drinking at dinner is bang on.  I have water on the table but don't always drink the whole glass.  Going to monitor that.


Geostache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #522 on: April 29, 2016, 09:23:57 AM »
Great! Here's to a good, on-plan month of May!

Here is my on-plan challenge:

- Stick to the clean eating principles, but allow myself one "non-clean" meal a week
- Drinks one night a week only
- Edited to add: No soda! I only drink diet soda anyway, but I know it's not good for me. So I'm cutting it out!

Here is how I'm going to accomplish this:

- Meal plan and stick to what I plan on making
- No impromptu/spontaneous dining out
- Make snacks that I will actually want to eat

This is what I was doing back in January, and I felt a lot better! My waistline and wallet liked it better too. I'm going to officially start on Sunday, May 1st. In the mean time, for the next two days, I'm going to focus on eating well and not going overboard on anything in particular. I've made my meal plan (runs Saturday- Friday) and will get all the yummy stuff for the meals I'm planning this week.

Best of luck to everyone!
« Last Edit: April 29, 2016, 02:13:58 PM by Geostache »

rockstache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #523 on: April 29, 2016, 10:53:44 AM »
Elaineamj, I love that you are just overlooking your binge day and moving on. That is so so hard to do, but really the only proper response to keep things on track. Also congrats on resisting the cookie. Your willpower muscle just got a wee bit stronger!

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #524 on: April 29, 2016, 01:53:53 PM »
Thanks everyone! i feel like I have crossed another hurdle and the last couple of days have been easier. Very glad I let go of the guilt over the binge - it's made a big difference in my day.

And YES - I am IN for the May challenge!!!

Like @senorpanqueque, I have an event to train for. I just registered (today) for a 100km bike ride (60 miles for you Americans :) ) in the beginning of June and I HAVE TO START TRAINING seriously! This is my 8th year doing the ride, but also the latest I have ever started training. We had some awesomely beautiful days in March, but now we have miserable and cold weather. It usually takes me 5-6 hours in total to ride this and I am very nervous this year. My friend and I agreed that if we are not ready by then, we will scale back to do the 50km ride. I know healthy, nutritious eating AND losing some pounds will make this ride easier on my body so I have to be serious about this. A bit nervous abut carving time out for training as my DH is not going to be able to train with me this year. My bff is doing the ride and we plan to train together. Hoping we will both be as available as we plan!

My May challenge will be to stick to my 1230 net calorie plan on MyFitnessPal. Also, I am challenging myself to use extra calories on more nutritious fruits/veggies with some empty calorie junk mixed in.

Love reading everyone's plans for May!

@alleykat That water hack is super useful and I have used it many times. I also do herbal teas/black coffees at my desk as something hot sits in the stomach longer. The best part is - water is SO good for our bodies!!

Can I ask about your plan to eat 1230 net calories a day? That sounds pretty low to me. I am not judging - just want to understand how you came to that number. Is that something you can sustain over the long term?

I am only 5ft tall - so I agree this would be unrealistic for someone taller. This is what MFP's calculator gives me when I ask for a 1lb/week loss (pretty slow) as a slightly active person and based on my analysis of my daily weight for the past 4 months, it has been pretty accurate for me (there was a 4 week stretch where I lost EXACTLY 1 lb a week LOL!). I eat back ALL my exercise calories even though I know the number is slightly inflated. That said, I am pretty sure I am more active than I told MFP so this balances out the overestimation in exercise calories.

1230 net works out to about 1300-1400 cals a day in practice. I also track over a week, which balances some higher cal days with lower cal days. When i start biking seriously, I will be burning 400-800 cals each ride and will be eating all that back.

It actually feels good and overall sustainable - when I am on track with eating healthy overall. It's when I start consuming junk and binging that it is not enough calories. When I am eating healthy to plan (about 80-90% of the time), I am sometimes too full to eat all my allotted calories! (Crazy, I know) I have been learning to cook a lot of veggie based dishes that are very nutritious AND yummy (thank you skinnytaste!) so that has helped a lot. 
« Last Edit: April 29, 2016, 01:56:30 PM by elaine amj »

NeverLost

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #525 on: April 29, 2016, 02:26:16 PM »
Gosh, I posted yesterday and it looks like it didn't save :(

Anyway, I am down another 1/2 lb this week so I think that's my thing.  Elaine- Thanks for the myfitnesspal tip!  I am going to try it and see what I think.  I hope it's not too high maintenance.  I have a feeling it's going to show me that I am on track, then I blow a bunch of calories on a couple glasses of wine or something lame. I too am short, 5'1 and it gave me a goal of 1200 calories/day. 

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #526 on: April 29, 2016, 02:31:38 PM »
Gosh, I posted yesterday and it looks like it didn't save :(

Anyway, I am down another 1/2 lb this week so I think that's my thing.  Elaine- Thanks for the myfitnesspal tip!  I am going to try it and see what I think.  I hope it's not too high maintenance.  I have a feeling it's going to show me that I am on track, then I blow a bunch of calories on a couple glasses of wine or something lame. I too am short, 5'1 and it gave me a goal of 1200 calories/day.

I have been very pleased with MFP. I like the system and the approach. I have gone through a few humps, but when I look back over the past 4 months and close to 20 lbs down, I am impressed with overall, how easy it has been. You'll find you can fit in a glass of wine here or there pretty easily after you get used to the system. A glass of wine is surprisingly not all that many calories in the grand scheme of things. i like the community there and the constant reminders that CICO is really - rather easy and makes complete sense.

Another suggestion - slow down your goal in the beginning to ease yourself in. At most, set yourself at 1 lb a week. If you need more MFP tips as you get going, let me know. There's ways to refine what you input to make it more accurate/efficient. For the beginning, just jump right in and start logging. The system tries to make it as easy as possible.

NeverLost

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #527 on: April 29, 2016, 02:41:14 PM »
Thank you.  I actually think I put 1 lb a week in for my goal.  The problem is I'm not super active.  Desk job, so I think that is why it gave me 1200 calories.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #528 on: April 29, 2016, 05:10:11 PM »
@TealBlue Yep - at 5'1 and sedentary, u'll get the standard 1200 since that is the lowest the program will allow. Just remember that it is net so eat at least half any exercise calories (half was too little for me - I got pale and tired). It might be hard until u settle in and then it typically gets easy. I spent time hunting for low cal but filling recipes and that helped a lot.

And remember to give yourself at least about 3 weeks to analyze any changes to your program. I love using daily weights and a trending app since I can see clearly the actual effects of my program on my body. I don't believe anything without 3 weeks of data though. Hard to be patient sometimes.


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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #529 on: April 30, 2016, 12:46:35 AM »
Geostache, I'm in too. I think this is just what the doctor ordered. My plan is to stick to no soda & daily weigh ins. That's been working well. For the challenge I'll add tracking all food, and make it a point to report in here more frequently.

Bee21

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #530 on: April 30, 2016, 02:43:21 AM »
Ok, i am in for may.  My focus is snacking and portion control. Plus 2 swims 2 40 mins gym sessions. I will also do fasting once a week.will weigh in and report tomorrow.


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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #531 on: April 30, 2016, 03:29:00 AM »
A little over a month on the slow carb diet. A bit repetitive, but at least I gain some efficiency with making the same meals for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I usually just make some sort of chili for my whole weeks lunch in the slow cooker. So far pleasantly surprised with the results.Typically have a cheat day on Saturday, although I had two last weekend.
March 28 194.1
April 4 185.4
April 11 182.9
April 18 186.3
April 25 182.1
April 30 176.5
So far about a 9% (-17.6 lbs)  reduction in weight. Probably could be doing better with my working out, but my knee has been bothering me, due to overexertion.  Goal is to get back to about what I was college/just post-college 165-170.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #532 on: April 30, 2016, 06:43:06 AM »
@mdharmandm That's a gigantic loss in one month. Only about 5-10 lbs to your goal.


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elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #533 on: April 30, 2016, 08:36:23 AM »

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

20.4 lbs lost
GOAL WEIGHT: 130 lbs

I am in shock. As u all know, I've had a rough few days. But I still dropped 1.2 lbs since last Friday. Admittedly, I was eating out a lot so guesstimating all my calories. Clearly, I was overestimating and not doing as badly as I thought. Wow. So glad I didnt let myself get all depressed and spiral downwards (I was tempted) but put it behind me and went back on plan. Goes to show an occasional binge doesn't mean I have failed. What I do the other 95% of the time makes more of a difference. 

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #534 on: April 30, 2016, 08:42:34 AM »
Way to go, elaine amj!

Goes to show an occasional binge doesn't mean I have failed. What I do the other 95% of the time makes more of a difference. 

I absolutely believe this. One binge, averaged over a week of normal eating, loses a lot of its power.

Weigh-in day:

3/12: 162.6
3/19: 161.8
3/26: 159.6
4/2: 160.2
4/9: 158.4
4/16: 158.4
4/23: 158.4
4/30: 157.6

Looks like I've finally broken out of that plateau. I'm pleased, especially because some health stuff has reduced the amount of exercise I can do.

My plan for May is, paradoxically, to go easy on everything. Go easy on exercise; don't overdo it. Go easy on desserts; try to see if I can outwait the cravings. Try to eat only certain snacks, like yogurt, berries, carrot sticks, and occasionally nuts. Try to stay under a certain calorie range on average, but go easy on myself if I don't. :)

I am trying to make it my goal to eat and exercise a certain way, rather than to lose weight. Eventual weight loss will be a nice side benefit of sticking to my eating plan, but even if I hit another plateau, I'll still win if I maintain the plan. I do better at weight loss if I don't focus on it.

A question: Do any of you experience fatigue as a side effect of weight loss? I'm trying to figure out whether my increased exhaustion has to do with making my body work harder by burning off fat.

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #535 on: April 30, 2016, 11:30:55 AM »
RedmondStash
Looking good.  Re fatigue:  Are you making sure you are keeping your iron levels up? I fight iron deficiency because of being celiac and fatigue or dull headaches is the sign I am low in iron and B12.  Maybe you are cutting too much of a certain type of food.  Or maybe a sugar, caffeine withdrawal sympton?  I know when I am tired I crave coke.  Have to keep telling myself - almost a 1/4 cup of sugar and half a day of splitting wood - and I don't have any wood needing splitting....

Elaine amj - don't you be getting into being your own worst enemy - you are doing amazing.  Your bike ride is going to be so much easy without those groceries riding up the DVP with you.

I am feeling good about this challenge.  Think it is going to be a habit cementing month.

Bee21

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #536 on: April 30, 2016, 04:11:37 PM »
You guys are doing great. Keep posting those diminishing numbers. Very inspiring.

I start at 84 kg. ( too lazy to figure out the pounds). Heck, i have to lose 10 kg just to get to the upper end of the healthy BMI.

The good news is, weekend biat trip has been cancelled due to bad weather. No cheese and wine and i get to go to the gym. Yay.on the other hand, hb will be in a bad mood all day an unbearably sulky, so i'll have to keep those emergency carrots handy,

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #537 on: April 30, 2016, 05:05:53 PM »
RedmondStash
Looking good.  Re fatigue:  Are you making sure you are keeping your iron levels up? I fight iron deficiency because of being celiac and fatigue or dull headaches is the sign I am low in iron and B12.  Maybe you are cutting too much of a certain type of food.  Or maybe a sugar, caffeine withdrawal sympton?  I know when I am tired I crave coke.  Have to keep telling myself - almost a 1/4 cup of sugar and half a day of splitting wood - and I don't have any wood needing splitting....

I'm sure, yes. I've got some weird health issues that create fatigue anyway; it's just gotten worse since I started the weight loss. Was just curious if anyone else was experiencing fatigue related to their weight loss. It might well be due to something else. I'm careful to keep tabs on my various mineral & vitamin blood levels, and they're all normal.

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #538 on: April 30, 2016, 06:00:47 PM »
I am ready for tomorrow.  I will weigh myself in the morning and start logging it here.

My plan is just portion control and drinking more water with my meals.  Also, I will only have a junkie snack once a day -limited at that.  So, if I have something for lunch, I won't have any at dinner.  Trying to balance out my day. Something I will adjust if I see it isn't working.  I want to make a real effort in May.


RonMcCord

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #539 on: April 30, 2016, 06:23:59 PM »
Jan 4:175lbs.
Jan 28:169lbs.
Feb 27:162lbs.
Apr 1: 157lbs.
Apr 30: 151lbs.

6 pounds away from my target weight!

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #540 on: May 01, 2016, 05:26:17 AM »
Starting 156
4/30 - 153
5/1 - 153

Goal-140.


Bee21

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #541 on: May 01, 2016, 05:12:08 PM »
My scales are weird. Am down to 83 kg.

Anyway. Day one was mixed, went to the gym (40mins), main meals were reasonable, small portions, but we decided to have a movie afternoon ( =2 glasses of wine alternated w soda water, dips and crackers, plus the carrots and bell peppers came out when i realized that i am on the verge of overeating).

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #542 on: May 01, 2016, 07:30:14 PM »
@bee21 good for u for stopping and pulling out a healthier alternative!


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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #543 on: May 01, 2016, 07:55:23 PM »
First day of challenge went well.  Next two days are going to be harder - we just took out our kitchen sink after supper dishes were done.  This is the only time we have to prepare for the Tuesday countertop install.  I shopped in preparation for this two day stint and made arrangements to have dinner at my folks tomorrow night.  We washed a lot of fruit and I have a bunch of precooked leftovers.  We can use the dishwasher. I got out some of the camping gear for the food prep.  The rest of the month should be a piece of cake after the next two days.

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #544 on: May 02, 2016, 07:58:25 AM »

January 4: 153.0
February 1: 147.2
March 7: 140.2
April 4: 135.8
May 2: 134.8

Well we went on vacation for a week in April and I ate everything in sight. Oh well, that is behind me now, and I am moving on. I'm glad I was able to recover enough to still make it an overall downward trend for my monthly track. This month I will make up for it...hopefully.

Cookie78

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #545 on: May 02, 2016, 08:04:22 AM »
I'm back in the game! Back down nearly 2 pounds this week. Started counting calories again this week and sticking with the plan and it's been beneficial so far. Had one indulgent day on Saturday because of a friend's birthday party, but it didn't impact the weight loss too much.

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
Goal weight: 130

What does everyone think about doing a May challenge? Something like sticking to your plan (whatever shape that may take) for the month May? The reason I ask is because we're nearing the end of the month, and it seems like we've all been hitting a proverbial wall in one sense or another. I could use a good swift kick in the pants, and having you all keep me honest will be a big help.

I'm in for this. I really just want to stay within my calorie range each day. The hard part will be sticking with it on vacation and without cell phone for tracking later this month.

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #546 on: May 02, 2016, 08:21:19 AM »
It's good to see everyone's progress! Yesterday was a fail/win in my books. I took shrimp out to thaw to make a really tasty on-plan dinner.. only to find that the shrimp were still frozen by dinner time. So, we went out for dinner instead (fail). However, I got a really tasty dish that was on-plan and only ate half of it (win) and stayed within my allotted calories for the day.

Today, however, is a different story. We had to take my son to the ER last night with a frightening cough/breathing problem. So, the kids and I slept in, and I stopped for breakfast on the way to work and got a soda. Total fail. Ah well. Just one instance. I'm not going to let it derail me. While my breakfast wasn't the healthiest, I logged it and will still keep to my plan for the rest of the day. I'm looking forward to my planned, veggie-packed dinner tonight!

This challenge is tough for me, but I knew it would be. Keep going everyone!

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #547 on: May 02, 2016, 08:40:59 AM »
@Frugal lizard In awe of your forward planning skills. Great job!

@redmond stash Keep your eye on the goal - you can do this! On a side note - I hope your son is doing ok.

@StarBright No good advice as I have become a short order cook (something i've avoided for years). DH is also on a very limited diet due to health restrictions. We eat mostly the same food, but I add on little extras to mine sometimes. On top of that, he's trying to gain weight (while I'm aiming for the opposite - ACK!). The kids definitely don't eat our veggie foods. This was how Saturday night's dinner ended up:
1) ground pork cutlets for the kids
2) cutlets made with mashed taro root and chickpeas for DH, fried in plenty of oil (for the extra cals)
3) mashed taro root with white potatoes for me (no frying) topped with some ground pork.
They were all variations of the something similar - but yes, it took as long as it sounds to get dinner on the table. I've been getting exhausted and DH hates seeing that so yells at me to keep things simple. Given that we are ALL trying to eat healthier (with our various likes/dislikes/limitations), it does take time. I've made some attempts towards batch cooking - but find I am usually even more tired of cooking on weekends. It has a lot to do with me though - I like getting excited about cooking so constantly want to try new recipes. I try for simple, but when cooking from scratch, even simple takes a long time.

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #548 on: May 02, 2016, 08:57:59 AM »
Also- question time: How do you deal with eating healthy grown up food while also having toddlers? Prekids we ate a lot more fish and veggie meals (like several times a week). I can't get my two and four year olds to eat that sort of food regularly and not fuss at the table. I'm a big believer in only cooking one meal and not offering alternatives so I've noticed our  weekly menu has a lot more compromise food than it used to. For instance, I generally have at least one pasta meal a week and also usually some night where we also have some sort of sandwich. Do I just suck it up and prepare two meals? FWIW I can only deal with dinner complaining three nights a week at the most :)

I try to incorporate something I know my kids will eat into every meal. If I'm making fish, I'll cook rice or some other grain with it. They tend to eat grains no matter what kind they are - quinoa, rice, barley, etc. We also take a very laid-back attitude at meal times. If they don't eat dinner, then that's ok. But they also know that if they ask for food later, they're given the same food again. If pasta is on the menu, I will pseudo-cook two meals. I'll make the pasta for the DH and kids, and make zoodles for myself. Or, I'll forgo the noodles altogether and serve myself a big plate of broccoli and put the sauce and meatballs directly on that. I think it's all a matter of what your kids are used to, and your expectations for them. If healthy meals are on the menu regularly, they'll get used to it, and theoretically, the complaining should decrease over time.

@Elaine: I think your comment to Redmondstash was meant for me. :-P I'm definitely keeping my eye on the prize. My son is ok. He was diagnosed with asthma when he was 11 months old, and we keep a close watch over him. Last night he woke up coughing and was having difficulty breathing. We gave him his albuterol treatment, but if we have to give more than one back-to-back, we've been instructed to take him to the ER immediately. We packed up the whole family so that he could continue his breathing treatment along the way to the hospital. The dr diagnosed him with croup. Fortunately, we were only there for an hour. But it was enough to throw everyone's schedule off, and the kids thought it was play time once we got home (at 1:45 in the morning).

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #549 on: May 02, 2016, 09:10:53 AM »

Also- question time: How do you deal with eating healthy grown up food while also having toddlers? Prekids we ate a lot more fish and veggie meals (like several times a week). I can't get my two and four year olds to eat that sort of food regularly and not fuss at the table. I'm a big believer in only cooking one meal and not offering alternatives so I've noticed our  weekly menu has a lot more compromise food than it used to. For instance, I generally have at least one pasta meal a week and also usually some night where we also have some sort of sandwich. Do I just suck it up and prepare two meals? FWIW I can only deal with dinner complaining three nights a week at the most :)

I hear you about toddler meals.  I can share what I did when my guys were little - about 10 years ago but first:  Fussy eater no 1 - eats like a cave man still but huge quantities of everything that he likes (almost 15 now) and will try a couple of tablespoons of what he is not sure that he likes yet.  (key word: yet)
Fussy eater no 2 is 12 and is still super particular.  She will try an 1/8 of a teaspoon of food she is not sure about.  She adds about one type of food a month to expand her diet.  So there is hope.
I would make a meal that DH and I liked.  I would also make sure that there was one item that each child liked.  All the food was on the table and they served themselves with one rule: you put it on your plate you ate it. This stopped leftovers on their plates being cleaned up by hubby and I (and extra weight gain)
For a while there was always yogurt or cheese cubes or even cheesy non-garlic warm bread because daughter was soooo picky. This way she would always have a protein option. I portioned controlled the amount of food on the table. There was always and still is raw vegetables.  DD still doesn't eat most cooked vegetables so I put some of whatever aside on a plate before throwing the rest in the recipe to cook.  If meat is cooked in a sauce, kids have an option to rinse it in the sieve.  I don't assemble foods with sauce and will often cook in a way that the seasonings are added at the end so there is a no sauce, no flavour super bland option of the meal.  Onions are always chopped big so they can be picked out.  Water or milk are the only beverages on the table for kids.
Fish - son loves if it is light and flaky (no sword fish or squid). Daughter likes if it is breaded fish sticks.  This is a fairly new development. So there was often hummus with the raw veggie plate. 
Neither likes salad dressing of any type.  (Too strong) They like all the ingredients of salad, just not mixed together.  My son only started eating leafy greens recently.  When he was four he choked on lettuce.   I was just introducing grapes and stuff to younger sister and cutting them up so she didn't choke.  He declared lettuce dangerous at every meal and was vigilant to prevent her from choking by warning her of the treacherous salad.  She was a very quick learner so no one tried salad a long time
By the time youngest was 7 our meals started to get back to more interesting.  My guys still drive me nuts by picking all the food out of the stir fry and separating it on the plate.  I also didn't worry if they were eating nacho chips or pitas or wraps or raisin bread to fill up.  I presented healthy choices and they put the food in their mouths.  I wanted a peaceful sit down family time where we reconnect at the end of the day.