Losing Weight in 2016

[MicroSpice]

@RonMcCord - Great work! Over 30 pounds since January is fantastic. Is 144 your goal weight?

This will be my last post for about a week or so, so I will be excited to see everyone's progress while I'm away! I decided to join a Challenge Group on MyFitnessPal that goes until September 19. I don't think anything is won aside from bragging rights for whoever loses the largest percentage of weight, but I've always like a little healthy competition. My aim is to get down to 113 by that time, which is an aggressive rate of loss given my current pace. I want to pick it up, though. Maybe this will be the little push I need.

To all you United States of Americans, Happy Fourth of July! Don't hold on to the bottle rockets for too long!

[JoJo]

As a long time yo-yo'er (thanks to job, American food/temptation, etc), I REALLY want to take it off and keep it off before FIRE next year.  I'm down 60 so far this year.  Goal is another 57 or so by the middle of next year.    I really hope to do the Camino de Santiago next September!

[elaine amj]

@Microspice and Ron McCord Congrats!! So nice to see those numbers go down :)

I am laying on a mattress in a tent tonight in one of the amazing provincial parks in Ontario. I just love being outdoors - puts me in my happy place.

Have a lot of food and ice cream ahead of me so hoping I can fit in a lot of activities and movement. Planning for an early morning solo hike. After breakfast, we are going on a 2 hour bike ride. Then after lunch, a nice 1-2 hour hike.

Hoping I can stay in maintenace and avoid gaining weight this weekend :)

[RedmondStash]

Weigh-in day:

3/12: 162.6
4/2: 160.2
5/7: 157.4
6/4: 157.8
6/11: 158.0
6/18: 156.2
6/25: 155.8
7/2: 155.6

Man, this journey takes stamina. And it's full of (pardon the pun) ups and downs. I seem to have hit a good groove; I've been able to decline sweets a few times over the past couple of weeks, and to eat smaller portions of food, without feeling deprived. Fingers crossed that holds.

It really is amazing what a difference my mood makes. When things are on an even keel, or even have glimmers of hope for the future, I can follow my self-derived program with relative ease. But when there are bumps in the road, food is the first place I turn for solace; nothing else will do.

@elaine amj: Thanks for being such a tireless cheerleader. Good luck to you in your camping weekend; it sounds lovely.

@MicroSpice: Good luck with your challenge!

@Geostache: I hope you and your kids have settled into a happier place, even with your DH out of town. I hope the rest of his time away goes more smoothly for you.

I can't help but look at weight loss as a logic puzzle: figure out the right strategy, and you'll start climbing that mountain, step by step. Of course, since many of the logic steps involve dealing with powerful emotions and cravings, the puzzle is much subtler and more complex than it looks.

I hope we all figure out our most successful strategies.

[Frugal Lizard]

I forgot to post on Thursday so here is where I am at:
4/15 - 138
4/22 - 137.5
4/29 - 137
5/5 - 136
5/12 – 135
5/19 – 135
5/26 – 134
6/02 – 132
6/9 – 130.5
616 – 129.5
6/23 – 129.5
6/30 – 127.0

Goal : 120 lbs.

I am kind of surprised by the number on the scale because I have been slipping on the snacks so many ways but then looking over the actual data – I am not eating until I am over-full at any meals and not having high calorie drinks in a regular way.  My snacks are more likely to be fruit or nuts.  I had gotten into the habit of having potato chips to stop morning sickness – and then never stopped.  My youngest is now 12.  I haven’t gorged on a bowl of popcorn since I started this journey in April.  And that was a regular occurrence.  I have really changed my defaults.  I am going to keep going on this path for the summer – when eating is easy and hopefully we will get our major projects done. 
In the theory of not making too many changes at once, I am going to start a fitness program in September once I have consolidated the eating program.  We have so many projects I want to do on the house and between that and my new out of town contract, I just can’t add any more change.  By default I am getting more exercise as I am commuting two days a week into the city and riding my bike to the train.  I am also doing small errands on the bike and some landscaping projects.
An aside that shows how much I have changed just in the last couple of months:  We were visiting folks and after the visit DH says – man they both have put on a lot of weight. We haven’t seen them in two years at least.  It was kind of shocking to see how much they had changed in that short period of time.  It really spurred me on to keep on the trim track and so thankful that I decided to do a one-eighty on what I put in my mouth.

[Cookie78]

There! Back at it. This was a good week, except the handful of chocolate chips last night (ok, ok, 2 handfuls). I've been at this weight range twice in the last few months and let myself take a little break only to creep right back up into the 150s. I know I'm going to need to be a little bit hardcore to get over this hump. I'm going to be strict with myself until 145, then reassess strictness. Third time's a charm.

I think the quick exercise routine three times a week is helping too. I was SO tired yesterday, but exercised anyway, in the hopes that I'd get enough energy to finish the projects I was working on. I didn't finish the projects, and I didn't get a lot more energy, but I was sure proud of myself for exercising. Score one for motivation and momentum.

Not having cookies in the house helps. It's a lot easier to use willpower to avoid cookies when you have to actually make them first.
 

Monday check in:

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

[RedmondStash]

I think the quick exercise routine three times a week is helping too. I was SO tired yesterday, but exercised anyway, in the hopes that I'd get enough energy to finish the projects I was working on. I didn't finish the projects, and I didn't get a lot more energy, but I was sure proud of myself for exercising. Score one for motivation and momentum.

Totally agree. I make it as easy as possible to exercise by having a recumbent bike in the living room, facing the TV. On days when I can't do a full workout, I try to scale down and do a smaller one.

Not having cookies in the house helps. It's a lot easier to use willpower to avoid cookies when you have to actually make them first.

So true. This is part of why I've allowed myself to buy individual portions of desserts, despite the relatively high prices, when I really want something sweet. That way, I don't end up with 3/4 of a cake calling my name. Mostly I try to just keep that stuff out of the house.

[Geostache]

@RedmondStash: It hasn't really calmed down at all! The kids are still so insecure and clingy. The food habits have been better, though! Having someone to help cook meals that isn't working during the day is a huge help.

I've been maintaining this slightly higher weight now for a couple of months. It's enough to make me get serious about my food choices, especially if we go out to eat (which is still happening on a fairly regular basis).

Sorry I haven't been active recently (see previous discussion about DH's travels). I'm glad you all are still going strong and being so supportive of one another!

[beardsly]

I'm 6'3" and weighed 250lbs July 1st 2015.  Got down to 225 Jan 1 2016 and now down to 205.  Goal weight is 190,    I've attributed weight lost so far to biking and slightly better eating habits.  I've been stuck at 205-207lbs for the past couple months.  I'll need more disciplined eating habits to get out of the rut.

[elaine amj]

Been fairly disconnected over the weekend, which was rather lovely. Had an amazing time in the outdoors, with many hours of just chilling in front of the campfire. I impressed myself when I managed to avoid picking up my phone too often, even when I was alone in front of the fire. From an activity perspective, I got up early every morning and went on an hour's hike before the rest of the group poked their noses out of their tents. I also made sure we had another 1-2 hours of activity each day - hiking and cycling. That helped since I was eating like crazy! On Sunday, I was particularly hungry and ate 3 portions at every meal. And of course, these are things I don't eat often these days - naan bread pizzas with a LOT of cheese, THREE quesadillas in one sitting, and on and on. Heavily supplemented by a lot of cheetos, M&Ms, s'mores, and the like. I was stuffed by the final day and just grazed the rest of the day.

Tuesday morning, I stepped on the scale and I'm 133.4. Only up from 133.2 on Friday so not too bad. This morning, I had a slight drop down to 133.2 lbs. That said, only a week ago I hit my low of 130.8 lbs...and haven't seen it again since! Going to have to eat "normally" this week to make sure I don't gain anymore. Especially since I go another camping vacation on Sunday, this time for a week. With so many vacation plans, I definitely want to stay in maintenance, with hopefully a tiny loss of about 1 lb a month. Sabotaged myself a little yesterday though - was out running errands at lunchtime and ended up buying luscious handcrafted icecream then followed it up with a big slab of German chocolate cake. Thankfully, I cooked up some veggie zoodles for dinner. For the rest of the week, I MUST eat normally!

@Jo Jo Welcome! 60 lbs is a LOT to lose in the past 6 months. You must be averaging 2-3 lbs loss a week. What are your plans and strategies?

@RedmondStash That's so good that you're feeling at ease in your groove. It really helps to be comfortable following your plan. I have to admit, I was getting a bit worried this past weekend because I was in a ravenous mood and just wanted gigantic portions of everything. On my final day I felt more normal though and was back to more reasonable portion sizes. Maybe it was all that fresh air lol!

@Frugal Lizard Wow - that is AMAZING! And you're right - it is entirely about changing our defaults. I had gotten into such awful habits before and now, it's kinda neat that my defaults are so very different.

@Cookie78 Keep plugging away. just think about it...instead of even more weight creeping on, you're TEN pounds lighter than the start of the year. I call that an awesome win :) Kudos for you for exercising even when you were tired. I know how hard that is to do.

@geostache Sorry to hear the kids are still clingy :( That does make things more challenging. Hope things settle down for you soon!

@rockstache Our numbers have been relatively similar since the beginning so I know what you mean as you debate if you want to stop. Remember back in the beginning you said your goal weight was 135? You reached that ages ago. Still, it's not always easy to decide if reaching goal weight is good enough. I know I still feel so lumpy! Then again, last night I was wearing a t-shirt that fit perfect last year and was marveling at how much it sagged on me. Man, we sure have come a long, long way!!!

@beardsly Those last 10 or so pounds seem so much more difficult than the first 20 pounds, don't they? Glad to have you here.

[elaine amj]

Just found a Cdn blog - weightymatters.ca that was an interesting read. It's a Dr that promotes a sensible approach towards weightloss and I like that he's open to all methods.

I particularly loved this quote from a post he wrote in response to a New York Times article back in 2012 about how permanent weight loss is impossible.

Suffering as their plan?  Go figure it ain't working.  Incredible desire or not, people aren't built for long term, relentless, suffering. I guess what I'm getting at is that there is zero debate about the fact that weight management, whether it's losing or just not gaining, does require effort. What I'm positing here is that if your effort is personally perceived as a misery, given human nature, eventually you'll fail, not because you're weak willed, but rather because you're human, coupled with the fact that the world we live in is now a Willy Wonkian treasure trove of calories and dietary pleasure...My weight management philosophy has always been rather straightforward - whatever you choose to do to lose your weight, you need to keep doing to keep it off, and therefore choosing a weight loss modality you don't enjoy is just a recipe for regain.

This makes a lot of sense to me - which is why I chose my own plan. While it did require an effort, I certainly haven't spent the last 6 months suffering. A close friend of mine did one of those super strict programs last year, lost a bunch of weight. A few months later, it crept back on. This year, she went back on the program (its $$). Didn't lose as much as promised, so she went back for yet another round (free this time). She's not losing much and is fed up with the strict diet so cheats a little. I'm not hugely surprised - its a crazy program (and yes, it involves suffering) that is very unsustainable. In the meantime, she's watched me drop 20 lbs in the past few months in an easy, relaxed manner. I keep hoping she'll give it a shot but have been careful to say nothing other than sharing the stuff I'm doing and what has worked for me.

As for maintenance, the past month has been surprisingly easy. That said, I can see that it will require a certain state of vigilance for the rest of my life. There have already been times where I've let occasional treats become a very regular part of my life. Like lifestyle inflation, its rather insidious.

[Cookie78]

Frustrated today. My weight bounced right back up over 150 again. I'm not even sure what I did. I know there are daily fluctuations, but I've always been able to pointpoint the causes before. I skipped my workout on Tuesday, but got up early Wednesday morning to do it then. I haven't been overindulging at all. And I've been super hungry again, but without the sense of panic this time. Still trying to think of the long game, but irritated at this hurdle.

On the plus side my garden has exploded with veggies and I have lots of healthy fresh options for snacks and meals. :)

[caitlin87]

Just popping in to say hi and encourage you all. I'm new here to the forum, having just discovered the blog about six weeks ago. I made myself read the whole thing before coming onto the forum :-)

I'm also trying to lose weight. I've been doing intermittent fasting. I'm a vegetarian who tries to stick to the slow carb way of eating. I've been traveling, so that's a bit harder, but I get home on Saturday and plan to go back to that.

I've been very pleased with intermittent fasting. I do it daily. My window is 12-7pm most days, meaning I do not eat before noon or after 7pm. it was tough at first training my body not to ask for food every morning, but now that it knows I'm not going to let myself starve, it's been remarkably quiet until mealtime!! I can almost feel my body munching away on the spare fat. I've been doing it for almost four straight weeks with just a few days off on a couple weekends. My jeans are looser, and I feel a lot lighter when I walk. I have mor energy. My blood sugar is stable. I crave less sugar. Hunger has become predictable and controllable. It's the easiest method I've done and I can't foresee any reason I won't be able to stick with it! it's way easier to eat two 900-calorie meals than three 600-cal ones or 4-5 meals with even fewer calories. I used to do that and found myself constantly hungry. My body wasn't trained to use fat as fuel because it was so used to me feeding it every three hours. Now I go 18-19 hours without food every day with no problem!!

[Frugal Lizard]

Yesterday was weigh in day and new contract means I have very little time on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the long work day in the big city.

I continue to drop the weight slowly and steadily which is frigging amazing!
As of yesterday I was a thin hair above 125 pounds.  Love how much easier it is to wear my old clothes - especially now that at least three days a week I can't hide out in my studio in painting clothes.

I have been re-reading Slim by Design by Brian Wansink.  I have begun to implement some of the changes to the kitchen to help with the mindless eating pitfalls.  I read it last year and did a few changes, but realized after reading Foodist that I needed a refresher.  She references Wansink's studies several times.  Now that our kitchen is getting put back together, I have been setting up the cupboards with mindless snacking habits in mind.  A couple of dinners a week we are using the smaller plates and I got some really small but pretty glass bowls to make the dessert/ yogurt servings look enormous.  This morning I cut up a whole watermelon and boiled some eggs for smart snacks.  I brought a huge lunch with me yesterday so that I had snacks for the train ride home.  I don't get home until 6:30 and by the time I get dinner made I am insanely ravenous.

Welcome caitlin87.

Hang in there Cookie 78 - Wansink recommends prepping the veggies and storing them in the fridge in a see-through container at eye level in the fridge and you will eat them first.

High fives to all you folks getting through the long weekend without too much damage. 

[elaine amj]

OK - today's weigh-in was a wake up call. I am THREE pounds more than my low and seem to be hanging around the 133s. I know exactly why - been a wee bit too free with the snacking. Not a good thing for a super short girl trying to stay in maintenance . It's foodstyle inflation I tell ya!! Going on a week's vacation so will likely go upwards rather than the other way around. Will definitely have to be clear with myself just what NORMAL is when I come back. This past week, despite some efforts, I know I haven't been eating the way my "normal" should look like. 2 white chocolate macadamia cookies yesterday at a meeting. If I had more opportunity, I think I would have ate more. This cannot be my "normal".

Friday weigh-in

Jan 1 2016: 154 lbs....Jan 8 2016: 153.2 lbs....Jan 15 2016:149.2 lbs....Jan 22 2016: 148 lbs....Jan 29 2016....147.4 lbs
Feb 5 2016: 145.2 lbs..Feb 12 2016: 142.8 lbs..Feb 19 2016: 140.6 lbs...Feb 26 2016: 140.8 lbs
Mar 4 2016: 139 lbs....Mar 11 2016: 138 lbs.....Mar 18 2016: VACAY......Mar 25 2016: 136.8 lbs
Apr 1 2016: 137.8 lbs..Apr 8 2016: 136.8 lbs....Apr 15 2016: 135.8 lbs...Apr 22 2016: 134.8 lbs...April 30 2016: 133.6 lbs
May 6, 2016:133.6 lbs.May 13 2016:134.6 lbs...May 21 2016: 137.6 lbs..May 26 2016: 132.2 lbs
Jun 3, 2016: 133.6 lbs.June 10 2016:133.8 lbs..June 17 2016: 132.2 lbs.June 24 2016:131.2 lbs
July 8, 2016: 133.2 lbs.July 8, 2016: 133.8 lbs

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

@cookie78 So sorry for the frustration. ((hugs)) There's some hills to climb in this journey, isn't there?

@caitlin87 so glad to hear you've found something that's working so well for you! Welcome to the group - fantastic to have you here.

@Frugal Lizard I'm so excited for you!!!! That is absolutely amazing news! I like the idea of changing things around to avoid mindless eating pitfalls. I think that's where I'm having difficulties. Starting to say yes to too many things I used to routinely say no to. Time to get more mindful about my eating! (after the vacay of course lol!).

Heading out camping again this weekend, this time for a full week. Super excited to spend a week in the woods. Trees are so necessary for me :) How on earth did I ever really live growing up in a big city and spending all my time in malls?

[RedmondStash]

Strange week. I've eaten pretty much everything in sight, with a heavy focus on sugar.

I'm starting to notice a pattern where I start feeling better physically, then I overdo it and exhaust myself, and then I use food to compensate for energy I need but don't have -- and I have to cut back on exercise because if I push myself, I'll wipe out even harder. Pretty sure that's what happened this week.

That's okay. I'm considering this a week of vacation from the weight-loss thing. I know the numbers will be significantly up tomorrow at my weigh-in. The real key is forcing myself to take it slowly with exercise, no matter how excited I get if I start feeling better.

Hoping to get back on track next week.

[elaine amj]

@RedmondStash you are learning so much about yourself! I'm impressed - that type of pattern is not easy to recognize.


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[elaine amj]

*huge sigh of relief* Weighed in this morning and I am 131.8 lbs. Yesterday's high of 133.8 was obviously a crazy blip. I was getting pretty worried since I spent the past week seeing my weight creep up daily!


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[RedmondStash]

Weigh-in day:

3/12: 162.6
4/2: 160.2
5/7: 157.4
6/4: 157.8
6/11: 158.0
6/18: 156.2
6/25: 155.8
7/2: 155.6
7/9: 156.2

After the way I ate last week, I'm pleased I'm only up half a pound. We'll see how I do at reining it in this week.

@elaine amj -- Congrats on all the progress! I've always been amazed at how my weight meanders up and down without any reasonable explanation on a day-to-day basis, even if the overall trend is up or down. Bodies are weird.

And yeah, I've been dealing with mysterious health ailments for so long now that I've had to treat my body as my laboratory. I run experiments, document results, try not to mess with more than one variable at a time, etc. So that pattern of overdoing, wiping out, and overeating is one I've seen before. The big challenges for me are a) being patient with my physical limitations, even when they piss me off, and b) figuring out how to deal with the screaming toddler inside me who wants that cookie/cake/chocolate NOW, especially since that voice is only rarely loud enough to be problematic.

Forging onward.

[elaine amj]

Learning to be patient is huge isnt it? You're doing great ...keep on keeping on :)


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[Cookie78]

I went up a pound compared to last weigh in day, but compared to all the rest of the days this week 150.6 is a huge success (the day before was 153, for example). I wasn't very good this week overall with all the free pancake breakfasts and BBQ lunches starting on Thursday. Yesterday I decided I was eating only veggies to make up for the carb loaded previous few days. I managed really well until I opened my freezer and saw that someone had left ice cream there (I had a few friends over on Friday night who brought snacks). So I had all veggies (including potatoes for dinner) and one ice cream.


Monday check in:

Jan 4 Starting weight: 160
Jan 11 weight: 156
Jan 18 weight: 155.2
Jan 25 weight: 156.8
Feb 1 weight: 155.2
Feb 8 weight: 153.2
Feb 15 weight: 151.6
Feb 22 weight 152.6
Feb 29 weight 152.2
Mar 7 weight 149.4
Mar 14 weight 149.4
Mar 21 weight 149.6
Mar 28 weight 149.2
Apr 4 weight 151.2
Apr 11 weight 151.4
Apr 18 weight 152.0
Apr 25 weight 152.2
May 2 weight 150.4
May 9 weight 148.8
May 16 weight 149.2
May 23 weight 149.4 (extrapolated)
May 30 weight 149.6
June 6 weight 148.4
June 13 weight 150.4
June 20 weight 151.0
June 27 weight 152.4
July 4 weight 149.6
July 11 weight 150.6
Goal weight: 130
[/quote]

[Geostache]

Checking in, all. My DH's travel wreaked havoc on my psyche for the past two weeks. Throw in TOM, and it was a whirlwind of stress eating! I'm up way more than I have been on maintenance, and it was a huge wake up call. Let's just say I saw a weight today I haven't seen in 3 or 4 months - and not in the good direction! I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Given the amount of stress I've been under, I'm thankful that everyone made it through the two weeks with their wits intact!

So today, I'm recommitting to getting back on track. Mine and my DH's work travel has come to a stop for the foreseeable future; I have plenty of CSA vegetables in the refrigerator, and I got some quick protein snacks to add in to help me cut out the mass quantities of sugar I've been inhaling.

My ultimate goal is still 140, but I'm adjusting my expectations of when I will actually reach it. For now, I'm setting a mini goal of reaching 150 by the end of the calendar year. It's a slow rate of loss, but I think it's totally do-able.

Today wasn't an official weigh-in day, but I reached. 163.2. Oof. That's 8 pounds over my lowest weigh in.

[Frugal Lizard]

Cookie and everyone else...
A quick tip from Slim by Design - wrap those snacks and sweets in an opaque wrapper.  Ice cream covered in tin foil gets eaten way slower than in the naked state with it's appealing images calling for you every time you open the freezer.  get those healthy items in clear containers at eye level and get all those unhealthy snacks hidden in the crisper.

I am trying this - chunks of watermelon are flying out of the fridge.

[Cookie78]

Cookie and everyone else...
A quick tip from Slim by Design - wrap those snacks and sweets in an opaque wrapper.  Ice cream covered in tin foil gets eaten way slower than in the naked state with it's appealing images calling for you every time you open the freezer.  get those healthy items in clear containers at eye level and get all those unhealthy snacks hidden in the crisper.

I am trying this - chunks of watermelon are flying out of the fridge.

Good idea. I do this for the most part. I hate food going bad in my fridge, so I usually wash and cut up veggies in snack size pieces as soon as I can. Also if I'm feeling like a snack I usually just go out to the garden to see what's ready to eat. I have a raspberry bush that's producing just enough for a daily snack, but not too much so that I over eat them. And peas and cucumbers and both snack size and monstrous size zucchinis and SO MUCH Swiss chard.

As for the sweets I usually don't have them around at all. I didn't even know there was ice cream in the freezer until I opened the door and it wasn't me who put it there. I'll have to try this with the chocolate chips next time I buy them though. I threw in a handful in a yogurt snack one day last week and then I couldn't stop eating them. I ended up using them up by making rhubarb oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for the party on Friday and making my friends eat most of them. What was left over I brought to work.

[StarBright]

Just realized that I haven't posted in weeks! I keep clicking in to read but then get distracted before I can respond.

I am so excited to see the successes that you all have been having and am pulling for those who are hitting temporary setbacks on their journey.

I was 145 after a week long vacation with my family so was pleasantly surprised to come back from holiday a pound lighter than when I left. I have my in-laws to thank for that. They are both extremely health and weight conscious people so there is NO junk food in their house except for margaritas. Since my SIL and her family were also visiting and they are anti-booze we didn't even have the usual margaritas while we were there. I came back from the trip a little hungry but otherwise we had a great time :)

I was realizing that I could probably drop another 5 pounds "easily" but it would mean cutting out alcohol or upping my exercise significantly - To be honest, neither of those things appeal to me at all right now. I'll work on maintaining where I'm at.

I just realized it took me it took me almost five months to loose five pounds. Wow!

[ender]

I'm on vacation this week and we moved last week, so I'm not sure what I'm at for weight - it's probably going to be depressing. Have ate out more than normal the past few weeks...

[JoJo]

I've had continual loss and am now down 65 lbs this year.  I'm committed not to yo-yo again and finally donated and tossed a whole bunch of my "fat clothes" over the last couple weeks.

The key for me is avoiding temptation - no sugar and very minimal starches (controlled portions).  I love summer because the veggies are fresh and cheap!

[Evgenia]

Slowly as she goes, but at least it's going. My goal is 10 lbs., maybe 15 lbs. by Christmas. We'll see what I think after the 10 lbs. are gone. Everyone says that it's the last five and last 10 lbs. that seem to take forever, and that's where I started, and I agree.

May 25: 172 lbs.

June 9: 169.8 (This was disheartening, as I had REALLY been eating less, totally cut out sweets, and was doing lots more manual labor. Aging is bullshit. The only thing I would keep from my early 20s is my metabolism.)

June 22: 168.6

July 6: 168.2 and stayed there a while

July 12: 167.2 (Will be happy when I'm under 167, as I'll have OFFICIALLY lost five little stupid pounds then).

Sigh. A week on the John Muir Trail next month should help move this along! The back country usually does.

I'm so impressed with all of you who are losing more. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Frugal Lizard]

Weigh in day
Oops - back up to 127.  Oh well.
Not sure what is going on - checked a couple of times and no change on the scale.
Back to monitoring....

[MicroSpice]

We got back from our vacation on Monday morning, and I've been playing catch-up since then, so I apologize for my radio silence. We had a great time on our trip, and the scale is definitely confirming that. :-(

But, as a little NSV, we went to a baseball game last night with some friends, and a couple of them complimented me on my weight loss and one went so far as to call me skinny! Not true, but appreciated nonetheless.

It sounds like a lot of us are hitting some rough patches, but I know everyone here is fully capable of hitting their goals, no matter how long it takes. You all impress the hell out of me. Go team!

Weight Progress:
- 1/10: 133 pounds
- 2/22: 128 pounds
- 3/25: 123.6 pounds
- 4/28: 124.4 pounds
- 5/17: 123 pounds
- 5/26: 125.6 pounds
- 6/6: 128.8 pounds
- 6/30: 124 pounds
- 7/15: 126 pounds

Goal Weight: 110 pounds

[elaine amj]

Just got back from a week's vacation last night. Well, compared to last Friday, I lost a wee bit. It's not showing the true picture though since last Sunday, I was down to 132 lbs. Oh well, I'll take it!

Jan 1 2016: 154 lbs....Jan 8 2016: 153.2 lbs....Jan 15 2016:149.2 lbs....Jan 22 2016: 148 lbs....Jan 29 2016....147.4 lbs
Feb 5 2016: 145.2 lbs..Feb 12 2016: 142.8 lbs..Feb 19 2016: 140.6 lbs...Feb 26 2016: 140.8 lbs
Mar 4 2016: 139 lbs....Mar 11 2016: 138 lbs.....Mar 18 2016: VACAY......Mar 25 2016: 136.8 lbs
Apr 1 2016: 137.8 lbs..Apr 8 2016: 136.8 lbs....Apr 15 2016: 135.8 lbs...Apr 22 2016: 134.8 lbs...April 30 2016: 133.6 lbs
May 6, 2016:133.6 lbs.May 13 2016:134.6 lbs...May 21 2016: 137.6 lbs..May 26 2016: 132.2 lbs
Jun 3, 2016: 133.6 lbs.June 10 2016:133.8 lbs..June 17 2016: 132.2 lbs.June 24 2016:131.2 lbs
July 8, 2016: 133.2 lbs.July 8, 2016: 133.8 lbs...July 17 2016: 133.4 lbs

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

We tent camped all week and it was awesome. I was hiking, swimming, canoeing, jogging on the beach every chance I got - trying to make sure I spent at least 1.5-2 hours a day actively moving. Foodwise, I discovered that there IS such a thing as too much meat. We had steak, ribs, chicken wings, etc etc and my tummy was protesting. 2/3 of the way through our trip, we had to do a grocery store run to buy more salad. By day 4, I was having an avocado for breakfast and fruit for lunch. Even my kids were eating only half their normal quantities. That said, there was always plenty of room for ice cream :)

Now I am home again for a couple of weeks before our next camping trip. I plan to eat carefully and cut back on the snacking. I'm still feeling a little off from consuming so much meat and junk food. So weird how my body has changed. Its begging for more veggies now.

[Cookie78]

And the yoyo continues. I was down to 149 throughout the week, then popped back up to 151. I think my biggest problem is that it's just not a big enough priority right now. Too many other things are going on that are more important to me right now to be motivated enough to stay on track consistently. Also I'm quite sure there's something physiological going on about being below 150. As soon as I get there the devil on my shoulder convinces me that I deserve cake... until I go back up. At least the yoyo is only within 3-4 pounds.

Monday check in:

Jan 4 Starting weight: 160
Jan 11 weight: 156
Jan 18 weight: 155.2
Jan 25 weight: 156.8
Feb 1 weight: 155.2
Feb 8 weight: 153.2
Feb 15 weight: 151.6
Feb 22 weight 152.6
Feb 29 weight 152.2
Mar 7 weight 149.4
Mar 14 weight 149.4
Mar 21 weight 149.6
Mar 28 weight 149.2
Apr 4 weight 151.2
Apr 11 weight 151.4
Apr 18 weight 152.0
Apr 25 weight 152.2
May 2 weight 150.4
May 9 weight 148.8
May 16 weight 149.2
May 23 weight 149.4 (extrapolated)
May 30 weight 149.6
June 6 weight 148.4
June 13 weight 150.4
June 20 weight 151.0
June 27 weight 152.4
July 4 weight 149.6
July 11 weight 150.6
July 18 weight 151.0
Goal weight: 130

[oneday]

Cookie78, I am dealing with the same issues right now.   I am putting the weight loss on hold while I sort through a couple things.  It's enough (for me) to yoyo, as you say, in a 3-4 pound range.  I consider this holding steady, since the body likes to hold on to or release water weight on it's own schedule.  Just so long as it does not go up more than that!  And that I see the lower numbers occasionally too (I weigh daily).

[MicroSpice]

I'm making Monday my weigh-in day again, since that is the date to weigh in for the challenge I'm doing on MFP. Since starting said challenge, I'm UP .2 pounds. :-\ Oy.

But, I'm making good progress. I got a digital food scale that I started using with more regularity at the end of last week, and it's quite the eye-opener. I was eyeballing my Greek yogurt every morning, thinking I was getting about a cup, but I was actually getting LESS than that. Like, a lot less. No wonder I was so damn hungry at 10:30. Now, it's a little difficult for me to finish the whole thing, but I can definitely make it to lunch time now.

And I continue on with yoga at work. There's going to be a hiatus in a couple of weeks (break between semesters), but I will sign up again for the fall, and find something else to do during that time - I have to. I feel so much better when I do it, and since getting back from our trip, my back is killing me, which yoga definitely helps with.

Did I also mention I got a standing desk at work? Can't remember if I did - totally using it right now! Lol - back to work for me.

Weight Progress:
- 1/10: 133 pounds
- 2/22: 128 pounds
- 3/25: 123.6 pounds
- 4/28: 124.4 pounds
- 5/17: 123 pounds
- 5/26: 125.6 pounds
- 6/6: 128.8 pounds
- 6/30: 124 pounds
- 7/15: 126 pounds
- 7/16: 125.2 pounds

Goal Weight: 110 pounds

[elaine amj]

@cookie78 I hear ya about hanging in that 3-4 lb range. Kinda annoying after a while but I remind myself that's the body's typical weight range.

@microspice a standing desk sounds rather awesome....I've often worried that it might get too exhausting though?

As for me, I'm proud to report that I have started biking to work!! Yesterday, I used my bday money from my father to buy a $45 used bike. Its a basic singlespeed (the previous owner removed the gears) that actually fits my frame perfectly. Although the front wheel is slightly wobbly, it has fatter tires and feels stable and the frame is the perfect size for me (a shocker as it is a men's frame and I am a super short 5 ft woman who typically rides kid-sized bikes!). I feel secure, even going over bumps in the road. I felt confident in traffic, even when dealing with lights etc.

Turns out it is only about 20 mins to work :) I'm doing this mostly for Mustachian reasons, but happy to sneak more exercise in too. Hopefully I can stay strong through various weather conditions! Unfortunately, tomorrow I will have to drive to work. I forgot to bring back a cart I had used and someone else needs it tomorrow. No way to transport that by bike :(

[RedmondStash]

As for me, I'm proud to report that I have started biking to work!!

@Elaine, that's awesome! Way to go!

I ride my stationary bike at home all the time for exercise, but I haven't been on an actual moving bike in years. Work is too far for me to bike to, but if I were closer, it would be awfully cool.

[Geostache]

@Elaine AMJ: I'm jealous of your ability to ride into work! I'm only about 13 miles from work, but the kids go to daycare on-site, and there is no way I'm taking them in a bike trailer on those roads to work.

My emotions have been all over the place. June and half of July were rough as far as stress is concerned. The work travel for myself and DH (and the kids' subsequent clingy-ness) were too overwhelming for me, and I slipped right back into my old habits. And sure enough, my body reminded me of the results I get when I do that. I'm up freaking almost 10 pounds from my lowest weight. Ugh! So, time to figure out a new normal for me. And it does not include keeping these extra 10 pounds on my frame! I feel sluggish and gross.

At least I have one positive. I had my annual check up yesterday, and I was able to tell my midwife that I'm down 18 pounds from the beginning of the year. That's still nothing to sneeze at, and I need to focus on what I've achieved versus what I've lost.

Any suggestions for motivators would be greatly appreciated!

[alsoknownasDean]

Original weight: 116.3kg
Last weigh-in's weight: 115.4kg
Current weight: 116.9kg
Goal weight: 90kg

D'oh. I need to fix this. I've resumed riding my bike to work (I stopped for a month or so because of the rainy weather and because end of financial year was meaning I was leaving work later). Hopefully re-introducing exercise (and not having a great big dinner) will help things along.

Now work is starting to calm down (I'm finally able to start catching up on tasks), I'll have to get back onto it.

One thing that I noticed (and have noticed again upon resuming riding). When I drive or take public transport to work, I'll usually get home feeling a little bit hungry but not too bad. When I ride my bike, I'll often be starving when I get home. There's a good chance that I end up eating more for dinner as a result.

I don't eat a lot of snacks, and when I do it's often fruit (I usually buy fruit and leave it at my desk at work). After lunch I'm usually not that hungry until I leave for home.

[MicroSpice]

@elaine amj - The standing desk I got is called a Varidesk, and it adjusts up or down so that you can decide whether you are standing or sitting. I alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day. My back is thanking me for it. I actually find sitting all day to be more exhausting.

@alsoknownasDean - Maybe consider switching your end-of-day snack to something with some more protein or fat. Cheese, hard boiled eggs, crackers with hummus; those all might satisfy you a bit more than the fruit.

@Geostache - Finding motivation is perhaps my biggest problem. Probably the problem for most people. I think it's really more about creating sustainable habits, because habits are our default. Pick one thing at a time - drinking more water, going for an evening walk, meal planning, whatever - and focus on that one thing until you've got it down. Then move on to the next. Admittedly, this process yields slower results than going full-tilt on calorie restriction and exercise, but it's also more sustainable.

[wildbeast]

I'll join in.  :)

My first step will be giving up my daily breakfast bagel - it's not doing my waistline any favors and it's lots of empty calories.  That will be my goal this week.  I already had one today, so I'll start tomorrow. 

[alsoknownasDean]

@alsoknownasDean - Maybe consider switching your end-of-day snack to something with some more protein or fat. Cheese, hard boiled eggs, crackers with hummus; those all might satisfy you a bit more than the fruit.

That's a good idea, although often I didn't have a snack at all, and hadn't eaten since lunch.

Today I had a banana before riding my bike home, and that helped quite a lot. I probably just need to make sure I eat something soon before riding home, rather than riding home four or five hours after eating last.

[Geostache]

@Geostache - Finding motivation is perhaps my biggest problem. Probably the problem for most people. I think it's really more about creating sustainable habits, because habits are our default. Pick one thing at a time - drinking more water, going for an evening walk, meal planning, whatever - and focus on that one thing until you've got it down. Then move on to the next. Admittedly, this process yields slower results than going full-tilt on calorie restriction and exercise, but it's also more sustainable.

You're absolutely right about that. I had replaced several habits with better ones, and I thought they would stick. It was just too easy to slip back into old, not-so-good-for-me habits. Easier that I'd care to admit! Vigilance is going be key, I think!

@Elaine AMJ: I can also attest to the Varidesk. It's nice to be able to easily switch between standing and sitting.

[RedmondStash]

@Geostache - Finding motivation is perhaps my biggest problem. Probably the problem for most people. I think it's really more about creating sustainable habits, because habits are our default. Pick one thing at a time - drinking more water, going for an evening walk, meal planning, whatever - and focus on that one thing until you've got it down. Then move on to the next. Admittedly, this process yields slower results than going full-tilt on calorie restriction and exercise, but it's also more sustainable.

You're absolutely right about that. I had replaced several habits with better ones, and I thought they would stick. It was just too easy to slip back into old, not-so-good-for-me habits. Easier that I'd care to admit! Vigilance is going be key, I think!

I completely agree about habits being key. And it is so easy to slide back, even when you think a habit is well established.

[wildbeast]

I'm terrible - since I was going to be cutting out bagels today, I ate two yesterday. 

But this morning I had a banana and was fine.  The temptation will probably kick in later this afternoon around "treat time" so I'll think of something healthy that I can have instead.  Maybe some carrot sticks to have something to crunch on.

[elaine amj]

Like everyone said, vigilance is HUGE. And doing your best to make sure your new habits stick.

@M.Darcy: I have found the first 1-2 weeks are typically the worst. Cravings are super strong during that time. And I am always hungry. I used habit hacking to get through it. mine were lots and lots of water/hot tea, tiny mints, and when it got really bad, promising myself a small treat after a workout. The couple of times I had to do that, I wasn't interested after the workout.

I'm pleased to report I dropped the 2 lbs vacation weight gain. That dropped off pretty quickly. Hopefully I can keep this up. I have a lot more stuff ahead this summer though. The next couple of days is going to be a lot of food. Cheesecake for my birthday at my office tomorrow, then birthday dinner for my DH (we have $100 to spend at a Landry's restaurant so thinking of Morton's Steakhouse...although we might change to seafood), followed by birthday lunch for my DH the next day. On the good side, I didn't join DH and his buddy for his birthday lunch today.

[ender]

I should check my weight tomorrow. It's not going to be pretty, I don't think.

[Frugal Lizard]

A quick check in before I leave for vacation that includes a reunion with some of the people I went to high school with and haven't seen for 30 years.

4/15 - 138
4/22 - 137.5
4/29 - 137
5/5 - 136
5/12 – 135
5/19 – 135
5/26 – 134
6/02 – 132
6/9 – 130.5
616 – 129.5
6/23 – 129.5
6/30 – 127.0
7/7 – 125.5
7/14 –  127
7/21 -126 - ok
Goal : 120 lbs.

All week the scale was yoyoing around and I was thinking "damn".  I was feeling pretty confident about how easy it had been after the first week and then the scales were telling me to give my head a shake. I do not ever want to get over 130 again.  One morning I was at 129.  That was after a day and night of debauchery (well as much debauchery as a person who normally falls asleep with a book in my hands at 10:45pm can get up to)  That means I can't eat carrot cake for breakfast or have a giant Oh Henry bar or a jar of peanuts by the computer.  I was breaking all my rules.  And bam - tummy bulge.
So as soon as we can pack the car and get out of the house, we are on a road trip.  We are going to be touring cottages of friends, sites along the way and dropping off a table and chairs at one of the cottages (and making $50) and hitting the reunion.  It should be the worst possible combination of eating temptation.    I am packing the food journal.  Wish me luck.   

Keep up the good work all.

[ender]

I should check my weight tomorrow. It's not going to be pretty, I don't think.

188.6.... ugh.

[elaine amj]

Since its vacation, I'd suggest relaxing the rules a teeny bit. Have your carrot cake, but maybe a small slice and nothing else after? Or up your physical activity. I'm outdoorsy and typically am super active on vacation. Last week, I ate whatever I wanted, including 3-4 days of steak (we're steaked out LOL), large ice creams THREE times over the week (not possible to be ice cream-ed out!), ribs, wings, etc. I made sure I did 1.5-2 hrs of physical activity (hiking, canoeing, swimming in the lake, jogging on the beach) most days. I also made sure I pushed myself a bit during these times (helps that I consider it more fun to paddle continuously rather than float lazily). Thankfully, near the end of the week I was so full, I was eating a pear for breakfast (there is such a thing as too much meat!!). Anyway, I did put on a couple of pounds but that melted off 2-3 days later. I had the same thing happen on my last week-long vacation in March.

[JoJo]

I've been plateauing a bit for the last week but now down 67 pounds.  50 more to go.