Author Topic: Losing Weight in 2016  (Read 459529 times)

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #50 on: January 07, 2016, 07:17:57 AM »
@Tyn staying at the same weight for a year is a victory! That means you have obviously done something right in changing your food and lifestyle choices. Once you finish losing the rest of the weight, you can plateau back into this "easy zone". Like you, I'm looking at permanent changes in how I eat.

I've decided to try some habit hacking. Every time I feel hungry/snacky/munchy, I am going to drink water or herbal tea. If I'm still hungry after that, I'll get fruit/nuts/healthy snack. To help with this, I am going to plan to eat something every 2hrs or so. Rather than letting myself get too hungry between meals and going on a big binge. I have a horrible habit now of just putting off my meals/snacks. e.g. breakfast at 9am and then lunch at 2/3pm (even though I started getting hungry at 11).

rockstache

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #51 on: January 07, 2016, 07:23:31 AM »
I think my main problems are
1. Eating when not hungry (seconds at meals because it tastes good). Ugh!
2. Filling plate to match amount 6'2" husband eats.

This is so me too! I'm working hard to break #2 by using a smaller plate.

Ready2Go

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #52 on: January 07, 2016, 07:48:52 AM »
Found this today.  Going to post on the fridge.



Hopefully there's an image!



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FiguringItOut

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #53 on: January 07, 2016, 08:28:49 AM »
I joined 2015 thread late in the year, but never really got with the program.  So here's to 2016 and a better and healthier year.

Lost a lot of weight in 2013, but regained almost all of it in 2014-2015.  Officially restarted weightwatchers program last week.  Will be posting my progress as I go along.

Best of luck and success to all of us!

Cookie78

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #54 on: January 07, 2016, 06:17:54 PM »
Wow I failed today. Someone brought chocolate to work this morning, then timbits this afternoon. I bet I had nearly 1000 calories in sugar today. But healthy and small breakfast, lunch, and dinner and also I AM SKIPPING POPCORN tonight. I posted it here, so now it has to be true.

As much as I was hoping to avoid it, I may have to start tracking food intake with myfitnesspal again. Just the knowledge that I have to be accountable to myself and track everything I eat on the app helped me limit the junk I ate tremendously last time I was losing weight. Hopefully it does the same this time.

oneday

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #55 on: January 07, 2016, 11:09:50 PM »
For anyone looking for a plan to follow, there's a great thread on The Whole 30 which has lots of success stories by fellow Mustachians as well as links to the official Whole 30 program online (which is free, by the way).

I'm delighted to report that I am down 25 lb (October to December 2015) with another 50 or so to go in 2016 so I'm joining here as well!

1967mama, thanks for mentioning that & posting the link.  I have seen the thread numerous times, but have been scared to delve in...isn't that silly?  Anyway I read the program & it sounds like it's for people who cook ("stricter paleo").  That's a skill I'm still developing, so I think I'll pass for the now.  However, I'm glad you helped me get over that fear.

oneday

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #56 on: January 07, 2016, 11:22:27 PM »
I've decided to try some habit hacking. Every time I feel hungry/snacky/munchy, I am going to drink water or herbal tea. If I'm still hungry after that, I'll get fruit/nuts/healthy snack. To help with this, I am going to plan to eat something every 2hrs or so. Rather than letting myself get too hungry between meals and going on a big binge. I have a horrible habit now of just putting off my meals/snacks. e.g. breakfast at 9am and then lunch at 2/3pm (even though I started getting hungry at 11).

elaine amj, this is pretty much what I do!  It works great once you get it ingrained.

I hold to it much better at work because food is limited to what I bring in & I can't just pop to the corner store to get whatever.  I usually have 1 oz almonds (I'm convinced almonds are magical*) at around 10am...this gets me from breakfast (200-300 cal) to lunch.  That's only 163 calories.  After that, I usually get thirsty so I drink a 16oz bottle of water.  I do add the flavor packets..god I hate plain water.  Anyway, lunch is again restricted to what I bring, usually healthy (300-400 cal), followed by another bottle of water.  I try to remember to bring in an afternoon snack but if I don't I have more almonds.  Plus I usually have more water too, sometimes just water is good enough.  Dinner is where it all falls apart...and dessert, ack!

Anyway, before 3 or 4 years ago I didn't do this but habit-hacked until now it's second nature.  This time around, working on dinner.

*Not as fatty as cashews, my fave.  Almost as healthy as walnuts.  Tastes better than peanuts!  Not too expensive; we pick them up at Costco (raw, unsalted).

1967mama

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #57 on: January 07, 2016, 11:39:20 PM »
For anyone looking for a plan to follow, there's a great thread on The Whole 30 which has lots of success stories by fellow Mustachians as well as links to the official Whole 30 program online (which is free, by the way).

I'm delighted to report that I am down 25 lb (October to December 2015) with another 50 or so to go in 2016 so I'm joining here as well!

1967mama, thanks for mentioning that & posting the link.  I have seen the thread numerous times, but have been scared to delve in...isn't that silly?  Anyway I read the program & it sounds like it's for people who cook ("stricter paleo").  That's a skill I'm still developing, so I think I'll pass for the now.  However, I'm glad you helped me get over that fear.

oneday - You're welcome! I do like to cook and eliminating grains, dairy, sweeteners of all types and legumes for 30 days seemed quite doable for me. I had nothing to lose (except the weight! haha) by giving it a go for 30 days. It really was the first thing that has ever worked for me:-) I'm on Day 4 of my 3rd Whole 30 (since October 2015) and I have to say, I feel great. It has helped me with so much more than just weight loss. Stop by for motivation anytime:D

oneday

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #58 on: January 07, 2016, 11:45:41 PM »
oneday - You're welcome! I do like to cook and eliminating grains, dairy, sweeteners of all types and legumes for 30 days seemed quite doable for me. I had nothing to lose (except the weight! haha) by giving it a go for 30 days. It really was the first thing that has ever worked for me:-) I'm on Day 4 of my 3rd Whole 30 (since October 2015) and I have to say, I feel great. It has helped me with so much more than just weight loss. Stop by for motivation anytime:D

I may just do that, since I'm building up my recipes.  I bet there's some tasty stuff on there!

Girlwithaplan

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #59 on: January 08, 2016, 02:08:16 AM »
I'm going to start slowly and with something that I think is achievable. Sugar free till the end of January. Sugar has really crept into my diet in 2015 and I need to really reduce it. But I know that I need to start small and make it easy, so I can feel some success. So, here we go....no cookies, cakes, cholocate, lollies or icrecream till 31 Jan. The hardest to avoid will be the cookies and chocolate. My DH is a frequent muncher and we have quite a lot of them.

My plan is to replace with fruit, as we have so much beautiful stone fruit in season here - the nectarines, the apricots, the crunchy apples.  YUMMO.

Righto, off to make a cup of tea without a cookie.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #60 on: January 08, 2016, 07:45:05 AM »
Wow I failed today. Someone brought chocolate to work this morning, then timbits this afternoon. I bet I had nearly 1000 calories in sugar today. But healthy and small breakfast, lunch, and dinner and also I AM SKIPPING POPCORN tonight. I posted it here, so now it has to be true.

As much as I was hoping to avoid it, I may have to start tracking food intake with myfitnesspal again. Just the knowledge that I have to be accountable to myself and track everything I eat on the app helped me limit the junk I ate tremendously last time I was losing weight. Hopefully it does the same this time.

How did you do last night?

As for me - I'm pleased. Yesterday was Day 4. I followed my plan and snacked during the day on oranges. I did end up eating a slightly bigger portion size than I should have (I made homemade meatballs for the first time in years and it was GOOD!) but not too bad so I'll count that as a win. After, I only snacked on fruit (we had a pomelo that was incredibly sweet and delish - all of us were fighting over it!). I also did a 30 min workout video. Didn't do as well on the sleep front - finally going to sleep at 12:30am after DH nagged me for a bit (but still, I didn't go on a midnight binge - yay). Unfortunately, my dog has a restless night, waking up 3 times needing water/potty/more water. When the dog finally slept soundly, my DD came in sobbing after a bad dream where Daddy shot the dog. (UGH - our world revolved around the dog last night)

Next up - work up the courage to get on a scale. I've refused to weigh myself for 2-3 years now and my scale is packed away (my excuse is that the needle is broken lol). I did measure myself on Day 3 and will measure every 2-4 weeks to see progress. A scale will likely track the smaller successes so I'm wondering if I should just get it over and see how bad it is. I guess I'm at about 150lb although it could well be more than that *sigh*

FiguringItOut

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #61 on: January 08, 2016, 08:13:25 AM »
Is anyone here, besides me, following Weight Watchers and wants to talk about program and points? 

Cookie78

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #62 on: January 08, 2016, 12:12:36 PM »
Wow I failed today. Someone brought chocolate to work this morning, then timbits this afternoon. I bet I had nearly 1000 calories in sugar today. But healthy and small breakfast, lunch, and dinner and also I AM SKIPPING POPCORN tonight. I posted it here, so now it has to be true.

As much as I was hoping to avoid it, I may have to start tracking food intake with myfitnesspal again. Just the knowledge that I have to be accountable to myself and track everything I eat on the app helped me limit the junk I ate tremendously last time I was losing weight. Hopefully it does the same this time.

How did you do last night?

As for me - I'm pleased. Yesterday was Day 4. I followed my plan and snacked during the day on oranges. I did end up eating a slightly bigger portion size than I should have (I made homemade meatballs for the first time in years and it was GOOD!) but not too bad so I'll count that as a win. After, I only snacked on fruit (we had a pomelo that was incredibly sweet and delish - all of us were fighting over it!). I also did a 30 min workout video. Didn't do as well on the sleep front - finally going to sleep at 12:30am after DH nagged me for a bit (but still, I didn't go on a midnight binge - yay). Unfortunately, my dog has a restless night, waking up 3 times needing water/potty/more water. When the dog finally slept soundly, my DD came in sobbing after a bad dream where Daddy shot the dog. (UGH - our world revolved around the dog last night)

Next up - work up the courage to get on a scale. I've refused to weigh myself for 2-3 years now and my scale is packed away (my excuse is that the needle is broken lol). I did measure myself on Day 3 and will measure every 2-4 weeks to see progress. A scale will likely track the smaller successes so I'm wondering if I should just get it over and see how bad it is. I guess I'm at about 150lb although it could well be more than that *sigh*

I did it! It was hard though. I had a thermos of herbal tea, took the dog for a walk and was on skype for a bit to distract myself. While I was waiting for my skype date the devil on my shoulder was trying to convince me that just half a bowl of popcorn would be ok. Ha.

This morning I fired up myfitnesspal again and entered in my breakfast. Went for a run even though it's -19C. Going to the grocery store later today to pick up some healthy foods. I have LOTS of frozen meat and veggies, but nothing that is good for quick healthy low-carb snacks.

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #63 on: January 08, 2016, 12:39:54 PM »
Is anyone here, besides me, following Weight Watchers and wants to talk about program and points?

I'm on the fence with WW. Do you like it so far?

I found this blog the other day and he has a bunch of paleo/vegan/gluten-free recipes. I'm trying to lower my wheat / carbs / sugar intake so his blog is super helpful. Sugar is my weakness so I am going to try to make some of these: http://thebigmansworld.com/2015/10/04/healthy-no-bake-cake-batter-bites-paleo-vegan-gluten-free/ as a "healthier" alternative. Right now, to curb sugar cravings (PMSing doesn't help), I make an almond milk, peanut butter, and banana smoothie with some cinnamon.


FiguringItOut

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #64 on: January 08, 2016, 12:44:16 PM »
Is anyone here, besides me, following Weight Watchers and wants to talk about program and points?

I'm on the fence with WW. Do you like it so far?



I've used them back in 2012-2013 with great success.  Unfortunately, I've regained everything I lost because I completely went off the plan and did not even do the maintenance.  I am back on it now and so far I feel good. 
I should add that WW was the only plan that has ever worked for me in my entire life without making me miserable.  So I'm sticking with it.

pbkmaine

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #65 on: January 08, 2016, 12:47:56 PM »

Is anyone here, besides me, following Weight Watchers and wants to talk about program and points?

I am about to rejoin. How do you like the new program?

FiguringItOut

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #66 on: January 08, 2016, 12:57:43 PM »

Is anyone here, besides me, following Weight Watchers and wants to talk about program and points?

I am about to rejoin. How do you like the new program?

I'm still getting used to it.  Started last week after 2 year break.  I do not like the new website though.  Can't find things there and all good old forums are gone now. 

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #67 on: January 08, 2016, 01:15:58 PM »
I did it! It was hard though. I had a thermos of herbal tea, took the dog for a walk and was on skype for a bit to distract myself. While I was waiting for my skype date the devil on my shoulder was trying to convince me that just half a bowl of popcorn would be ok. Ha.

This morning I fired up myfitnesspal again and entered in my breakfast. Went for a run even though it's -19C. Going to the grocery store later today to pick up some healthy foods. I have LOTS of frozen meat and veggies, but nothing that is good for quick healthy low-carb snacks.

Woot!!!! You rocked it :)

It's really hard to resist. Today I got hit with an intense chocolate craving as I walked past the full bowl of Christmas chocolates in the office. I drank some more water and ate an orange.

Next habit hack - learn to ENJOY my healthy treats. An orange is sweet, delicious goodness - I should consider it as good as/better than that Lindts chocolate screaming my name.

@oneday at home, I keep apple cider vinegar in a squirt bottle and add a squirt to each glass of water. It's really good and replaces any cravings for juice. Plus it's healthy. We also often squeeze a fresh lemon into our water. My fave though is sparkling water - but it's a big treat for me since I refuse to pay for it. I loved it when I was traveling in England and it was priced just the same as regular bottled water!

1967mama

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #68 on: January 09, 2016, 01:56:58 AM »
Tonight I had a major craving for a bowl of cereal and instead I had 2 kiwis :-) I'm really happy that I was able to identify the craving and redirect it. Former 1967mama could never hve done that!

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #69 on: January 09, 2016, 02:36:00 AM »
I have avoided the sugar today! I ate nectarines, and apricots and thumbed my nose to the biscuits and ice cream. I got that Fitbit on and walked 12000 steps today. My legs are tired, my thighs are sore and I'm feeling pleased with myself.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #70 on: January 09, 2016, 08:35:59 AM »
Yesterday was also a decent day for me. I avoided snacking on anything other than fruit. However, I had a slightly bigger portion than I should have had for dinner. I cooked one of our fave meals - breaded pork cutlets in honey garlic sauce and the deliciousness was a little too much temptation. I didn't go mega overboard like I normally would do - so semi win. I also worked out - DH found this kooky mom and kids workout on fitnessblender - it ended up being rather amusing. I think DH is having fun finding workout videos for me each night (since he just sits back and watches me!)

Tonight, we are going out for dinner for Chinese New Year - not sure how to resist overeating yummy Chinese food. Wonder what the "healthiest" things to order would be? We eat family style - so I have to come up with a few options. I love ginger beef, so that will be a must do. Not sure what else is on the lighter side...
« Last Edit: January 09, 2016, 08:50:19 AM by elaine amj »

pbkmaine

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Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #71 on: January 09, 2016, 06:17:19 PM »

Is anyone here, besides me, following Weight Watchers and wants to talk about program and points?

I am about to rejoin. How do you like the new program?

I'm still getting used to it.  Started last week after 2 year break.  I do not like the new website though.  Can't find things there and all good old forums are gone now.

The forums are still there. Just Google "Weight Watchers Message Boards"

FrugalWad

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #72 on: January 09, 2016, 06:59:40 PM »
In. So, so in. 5'10" and in 2011 I weighed over 300 pounds! Now in November, for the first time in almost a decade, I'm back under 200. I bought a kitchen scale to track calories and portion sizes. After months at times of being away from a gym, counting calories still kept the weight falling. I figure I have another 30-40 pounds to go until I get my goal of seeing a six-pack again.

I've been using an average of all the different daily calorie calculators I could find. I keep an average of 1600-2200, and within that range I can lose the weight, and still feel satisfied with the amount of food I'm eating. Every so often I go through a short period of binge eating, which I'm going through now. My calories have been more like 2,500-3,000, which is keeping me around 197-198 pounds.

The great thing is, the less food I eat not only means a smaller waistline, but also a cheaper grocery bill and less fun money spent eating out!

1967mama

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #73 on: January 09, 2016, 07:19:24 PM »
FrugalWad - What an inspiring story! Thanks for posting! I'm on a journey to drop 75 lbs to get back to my ideal weight and one that I am very comfortable at -- I have 50lb to go. I lost 25lb from Oct to Dec 2015 doing a program called The Whole 30. I totally agree with you on the $$ saving through buying just healthy foods (and less food) and cutting out restaurants (in my case, mostly fast food).

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Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #74 on: January 09, 2016, 07:49:16 PM »
Weekends are the hardest for me, but I'm doing ok so far. We went out to eat tonight (gift card), and I had the low cal grilled chicken with broccoli and tomatoes.  I'm proud of myself but it honestly wasn't that great and I felt like we kind of wasted the gc. Oh well. One more day to make it through before I'm back to the weekdays. Monday I weigh myself, so I have to be good.

Hotstreak

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #75 on: January 10, 2016, 10:20:07 PM »
I'm in!  I am 6'1" and 205 lbs currently.  I want to get down to 190 and hold it, which will be the lightest I have been since I was a teenager.  Three things I am doing, first reduce added fat to meals, second reduce alcohol, third exercise more.  The exercise is tough because of some injuries, but if I try and experiment I'm sure I can find some sort of activity I can do.


Good luck everyone!

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #76 on: January 11, 2016, 01:09:58 AM »
I'm doing really well at reducing the sugar. I did have a biscuit today - but stopped at one. (I never normally stop at one!). I did make really nice cornbread for dinner, which in hindsight is more carb-y than I should have had. But it tasted great and I enjoyed it....so I'm okay with it. Rock on 2016.

lemanfan

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #77 on: January 11, 2016, 04:47:09 AM »
But it tasted great and I enjoyed it....so I'm okay with it. Rock on 2016.

:)   I like that statement.

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #78 on: January 11, 2016, 04:54:31 AM »
I seem to be having good days and bad days but I am not giving up.  I think I just have too much stuff around and some of it going bad and I am trying to minimize waste.  Although, I am ready to toss and make it the last time I throw out anything intentionally.  However, I am also trying to be patient.  I didn't put on this weight overnight and I know it doesn't come off that quickly either and I want to lose it the "right" way.  I have been exercising and I feel better mentally that I am moving so that is helping. 

The weekends are tough but I figure if I am doing good during the week, I can enjoy a little bit over the weekend.  Nothing crazy.  So, that will be my "way" starting today.

Ready2Go

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #79 on: January 11, 2016, 07:19:12 AM »
1/4  - 152
1/11 - 149

Spent the last week focusing on better eating habits. In my case that means no snacks after dinner.  Mostly succeeded, but last night was a complete fail. At book club last night the host had lots of chocolates and cheese and I could not resist. Argg. 

Can't complain about overall results though. Didn't use the scale all week which was a little unnerving for me, but I want to stay focused on eating patters rather than daily weight.

This weeks focus will again be: no snacking!! 


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elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #80 on: January 11, 2016, 07:47:24 AM »
I'm doing really well at reducing the sugar. I did have a biscuit today - but stopped at one. (I never normally stop at one!). I did make really nice cornbread for dinner, which in hindsight is more carb-y than I should have had. But it tasted great and I enjoyed it....so I'm okay with it. Rock on 2016.

Woot!! Reducing sugar is HARD - so you are definitely rocking on!

1/4  - 152
1/11 - 149

Can't complain about overall results though. Didn't use the scale all week which was a little unnerving for me, but I want to stay focused on eating patters rather than daily weight.

Congrats! - 3 lb is awesome!!

Cookie78

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #81 on: January 11, 2016, 08:52:00 AM »
I'm doing really well at reducing the sugar. I did have a biscuit today - but stopped at one. (I never normally stop at one!). I did make really nice cornbread for dinner, which in hindsight is more carb-y than I should have had. But it tasted great and I enjoyed it....so I'm okay with it. Rock on 2016.

I'm IMPRESSED!
Stopping at 1 is so hard for me!

I went for a run yesterday. It felt much easier because it wasn't quite so cold out as the previous week.

I used to track my weight on a chart every Monday morning and I'm going to start doing it again

Jan 4 Starting weight: 160
Jan 11 Current weight: 156
Goal weight: 130

FiguringItOut

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #82 on: January 11, 2016, 09:41:40 AM »
Congrats to all who have been doing so well.  I am reading and using you all as an inspiration.

I've done one week of WeightWatchers now.  Results are good - minus 3.8lb, I'm sure a chunk of that is water weight, but I'll take it.

I was mostly good staying within my points, but the really good part is that I tracked the whole week.  Tracking is the really the key for me.  The more I track the more I tend to stay on points.  My weightin day in Sunday morning. 

However, yesterday, Sunday was pretty bad.  I cannot have chocolate in my house, even if I buy it for my kids.  Will need to keep that in mind and buy in small quantities that I can give to kids as one time treat and be done with it.  Not buy with the thought of keeping it for treats later on.  The result is there are no more treats for later on because I ate them last night.

So Sunday points were really bad, but I did track them all.  Today I have a plan for better day and the rest of the week.  If I stay clean, I should still be able to see some loss next Sunday.

Also, I packed lunch with me to work every day last week and plan to do the same this week.  Packed today and brought few days worth of fruit to keep at my desk for snacks. 

Good week to everyone!

asauer

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #83 on: January 11, 2016, 10:46:14 AM »
Excited!  Lost 3 lbs this week with intermittent fasting.  3 down, 27 to go!

Week 1: 3lbs

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #84 on: January 11, 2016, 01:03:33 PM »
I'm  6'0" and 246.8 lb.

@yuka... looks like we are about the same.

6'2" and 240.4 lbs. ...here.
Goal: 225 lbs. in 12-15 weeks.

Down 32 pounds since February 2014. Call it slow and steady. Changed my diet and began exercising again on Feb. 11th, 2014. Lots of vegetables, chicken and fish. Little or no refined sugar and limited complex carbohydrates. Gave up cream and sugar in my coffee too. Now that was hard.

I'd like to lose 1.5  a week for the next 3 months.

Goal: 12 weeks x 1.5 = 18 pounds
225 ish -- lofty but I'll give it a try.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #85 on: January 11, 2016, 01:06:54 PM »
Saturday - Ended up skipping breakfast. Lunch with a brown rice vermicelli in a broth-based soup. Not too bad. After lunch, I was feeling munchy as usual and struggled. On the good side, I drank a glass of water first. On the bad side, I binged on a snack - and eventually managed to stop myself 300-400 calories later *sigh*. Dinner was a toughie as we went out - and ordered lobster in ginger & green onion sauce (my FAVORITE). All in all, I count it as a win. I successfully restricted myself to a 1/2 cup of rice (never happens) and I ate only 2-3 bites of the other dishes (all of which were healthier choices - shrimp with silky egg sauce, ginger beef, green beans). I did end up eating too much lobster, but all in all, about 1/4 of the food I would normally eat.

I've been reflecting on what I've been doing and reading about what has worked for others. Even though I am quite reluctant - I have decided that I need to start tracking my eating (just like I have started tracking my spending). Weight Watchers is one of the few programs I have seen work successfully for the people in my life.

This time around, I'm going to use this thread and track calories using MyFitnessPal. I am probably going to count the fruits and veggies I snack on as zero - to give myself more incentive to choose these a la WW. We'll see - I'll likely tweak as we go along. Tracking will (hopefully) help me make more healthy food choices. In looking over the food I ate last week, I managed to control my portion sizes (HUGE win!) - but I think some of my choices sabotaged me a bit. There were some things I thought were lower cal - but ended up being much fattier than I expected when I looked it up.

I am finding it a pain to calculate the calories - but since my biggest goal is to figure out "normal" portion sizes, I think this is going to be a huge step forward for me. I hate weighing/measuring ingredients - but I think I am going to have to. At least until I re-learn what normal eating is.

kfire20

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #86 on: January 11, 2016, 01:44:17 PM »

... track calories using MyFitnessPal....


@elaine amj  Great app.! That's the app. I used when I lost my 32 pounds in the first year. Good stuff.

FrugalWad

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #87 on: January 11, 2016, 06:02:54 PM »
Excited!  Lost 3 lbs this week with intermittent fasting.  3 down, 27 to go!

Week 1: 3lbs

I loved intermittent fasting. I can binge eat like there's no tomorrow, and two giant meals versus 3-4 regular-sized ones makes me a happy camper. I've found drinking coffee in the morning really helps with any cravings until it's time to break the fast. Or a filling fruit, like a banana.

FrugalWad - What an inspiring story! Thanks for posting! I'm on a journey to drop 75 lbs to get back to my ideal weight and one that I am very comfortable at -- I have 50lb to go. I lost 25lb from Oct to Dec 2015 doing a program called The Whole 30. I totally agree with you on the $$ saving through buying just healthy foods (and less food) and cutting out restaurants (in my case, mostly fast food).

I saw the thread about the Whole 30 group some time ago when I first got on the forum. I'll have to dig through the pages and see how people have been with it. I've followed a few diets before, like Body for Life and I can't remember how many other ones that have popped up on HappyEaters.net, or Bodybuilding.com.

I cannot have chocolate in my house, even if I buy it for my kids.  Will need to keep that in mind and buy in small quantities that I can give to kids as one time treat and be done with it.  Not buy with the thought of keeping it for treats later on.  The result is there are no more treats for later on because I ate them last night.

I'm the same way with ice cream. A tub can disappear in a day, and that'll be my calorie limit. I know, no matter how hard I try, ice cream is not a thing that can live in peace in my freezer. So now if I want any, it's a treat, and I'll either go out and buy it at an ice cream parlor, or plan on just getting a much smaller sized carton (pint, maybe? Like those little Haagen Daz ones), and know it'll be gone in a day or two, no matter how many servings it actually has.

I'm on a baking streak. I've baked two batches of cornbread, and a batch of black bean chocolate chip brownies. Along with a batch of Alton Brown's homemade hot cocoa mix. Most of it's wrapped up and stored in the freezer. I plan on having one of each for each day, so I take them out the night before, along with the frozen turkey from a holiday sale, and that way I've kind of prepped my meals for the next day. Along with any fruit and whatever.

I've found the more I can prepare meals ahead of time, the easier it is to stick to a calorie range. My freezer is full of bags stuffed with single servings wrapped up in foil, ready to take out the night before they're needed.

I also keep a white board on the fridge that I can quickly write down my menu for the day, and associated calories. It helps keep things in check.

It's the start of a new week, and I'm down from 198 from the weekend to 196. It's a great start to the week!

I used to hate soups and stews. That was a catch-all phrase for me. I hated soup. Loathed stews. But now I've found that I hated bad soups and stews. I've been experimenting with the ones found on BudgetBytes and have been enjoying them immensely. Since the largest part of my grocery bill has always been dinners, this has cut down my starting 2016 grocery budget by at least a third! It's also cut the average dinner calories down by a couple hundred too. It'll be great to see how that affects my weight along the way.

1967mama

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #88 on: January 12, 2016, 01:24:41 AM »
Figuring It Out - I hear you on having foods in the house "for the kids!"

For me, its potato chips "for the kids,"
baked goods "for the kids,"
chocolate "for the kids,"
pop "for the kids."

Hello, my name is 1967mama and I'm a recovering sugar addict. I have to be pretty much cold turkey. I was just finished my 2nd Whole 30 (did 2, straight through) when Christmas arrived and I totally fell off the wagon. Brutal!

asauer

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #89 on: January 12, 2016, 06:09:53 AM »
Heard a great technique for losing/ maintaining weight yesterday on a podcast.  Apparently, there are several studies that show people who weigh themselves everyday are more successful at losing and then maintaining weight (from 6 longitudinal studies).  Apparently, it makes people more mindful.  I'm going to give it a try. 

FiguringItOut

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #90 on: January 12, 2016, 07:19:24 AM »
Figuring It Out - I hear you on having foods in the house "for the kids!"

For me, its potato chips "for the kids,"
baked goods "for the kids,"
chocolate "for the kids,"
pop "for the kids."

Hello, my name is 1967mama and I'm a recovering sugar addict. I have to be pretty much cold turkey. I was just finished my 2nd Whole 30 (did 2, straight through) when Christmas arrived and I totally fell off the wagon. Brutal!

I fell off the wagon two years ago.  So congrats on picking this up right away and keeping at it.  I undid all of my previous results and am basically starting where I was 4 years ago. 

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #91 on: January 12, 2016, 07:40:17 AM »
Well, so far what I am doing is not working so it looks like I have to take it a bit more serious.  I was really just trying to balance things out, so if I had a bad day then I would try and have a good day but really I stop caring and just eat if I want to.  LOL.  So, today, I am going to make a real effort on curbing most things, at least for a while.

I stepped on the scale and it did not budge so now I am getting annoyed at myself. I really don't want to buy new pants and skirts so I need to be a bit more focused.  I am not giving up.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #92 on: January 12, 2016, 08:34:30 AM »
Yesterday was a good day. I didn't even end up snacking AT ALL (maybe that was bad?). I counted calories in detail (even calculated out our homecooked meals!) and set up MyFitnessPal. Taking baby steps so I gave myself an overly generous 1500 cal daily limit. And logged in at under 1200 cals - even counting the two oranges I had for dessert. For my workout, I decided to try the XBX plan suggested in another thread. I like the idea of starting off very slowly and gradually increasing intensity. I quickly realized that it is not a cardio workout, so after the 12 mins, I insisted on doing another 10 min cardio workout (proud that I did this since DH gave me an easy out by encouraging me to skip it since it was bedtime). So far I have mostly been only working out 20-30 mins a day. I will look at increasing that but for now, I am concentrating on small victories and easy wins.

Also, I FINALLY replaced the batteries on my scale (after years). UGH...the damage was worse than I thought. 153.2 lbs. I diligently logged everything into MyFitnessPal. I do like the layout and setup of the website and app so am happy I gave in and did it.

Well, so far what I am doing is not working so it looks like I have to take it a bit more serious.  I was really just trying to balance things out, so if I had a bad day then I would try and have a good day but really I stop caring and just eat if I want to.  LOL.  So, today, I am going to make a real effort on curbing most things, at least for a while.

I stepped on the scale and it did not budge so now I am getting annoyed at myself. I really don't want to buy new pants and skirts so I need to be a bit more focused.  I am not giving up.

alleykat - hang in there!!! I'm the same way and have fallen into that trap more times then I can count. I completely hear you about the "stop caring" part. I get into this perverse mood and then binge like crazy. Tell us about your bad day, then tell us about your next steps. For me, it helps to plan my meals out. So today, I know what I am going to have.The habit hacking to drink water when I am feeling snacky has been helping me. And reaching for a fruit instead of my usual junk feels so much better. On a really bad day, I try to increase the number of my healthy snacks - such as having a fruit even though it's only been an hour since lunch. I also have some mints at my desk for when my cravings grow too strong. And posting in this thread has helped me a LOT.

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #93 on: January 13, 2016, 04:44:09 AM »
Thanks, Elaine amj, I am not giving up yet.  Although, I will say, it is amazing what a struggle it is.  LOL.  The evenings are my worse time. I come home mentally drained, tired, etc.  I think I need to space things out at night and stick to the water, fruit and veggie hack.  My problem is, I am not in the mood for those things, especially in the winter.  There is something about winter that I just want to reach for the comfort foods.  I agree, planning meals is important and something I am not good at.   I also think I am not eating enough for dinner so it makes it harder later on so I will have rethink my dinners.

I do keep hard candy or little lollipops around and they sometimes help with the sweet cravings.  I just have to remember to reach for them more instead of the other junk.  Once I get through some things, I will try and not keep so much around. 

Good luck!

fitfrugalfab

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #94 on: January 13, 2016, 07:55:17 AM »
I'm in. I'm 5'4 129lbs and my goal weight is 122lbs. We're trying to start a family so my biggest cut out is alcohol.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #95 on: January 13, 2016, 08:47:03 AM »
Yesterday was another good day. Under 1200 calories and no cheating. I ate a hard boiled egg for a snack in the afternoon to see if the protein would help reduce hunger pangs. It seemed to work and I wasn't overly hungry at dinnertime. I did my 12 minute XBX routine followed by a 10 min beginner low impact cardio workout.  I want to increase the cardio sessions - but time is a factor. DH reminded me that my strategy is easy wins - don't blow it by pushing too hard, too fast.

On Saturday, I took my dog out for a walk. We really haven't walked a whole lot lately although we do a normal pace walk about every 2 weeks or so (he sleeps the rest of the time). This time, I pushed us to a brisk pace and kept it up for an hour. I also added some hills, keeping up the brisk pace. Later, my thighs and calves were aching a lot. At about that time, my son started noticing that the dog seemed a little injured. For the rest of the day, he screamed (and yes, I never knew dogs could scream lol) when we touched or moved him and was all in all, a really pitiful looking creature. I reminded my worried kids that our little mini poodle is a wuss - the dog would even scream at night when I brushed past his fur! Amazingly, as I recovered from my muscle soreness, so did our doggy. My current theory is that he was fussing because his muscles were sore lol.

Some reflections: it's been 1.5 weeks since I dived into this. Too early to tell if there is any weight loss - but there has been a side benefit to starting the food diary (only since Monday). I thought that since I was approaching the food battle fairly slowly, that I would not be able to handle a 1200 calorie a day diet and I upped my goal numbers to 1500 calories. Amazingly - I have been clocking in at about 1100 or so calories for the last 3 days!! I still feel a little unsure about my measurements (how to guestimate a serving size?! I am visually splitting a platter full of food into 8ths and scooping out approximately an eighth but it sure doesn't feel particularly precise) so I don't entirely trust my diary. But tracking (although it sure is a a hassle) has shown me that I really CAN DO THIS. And has helped me start to figure out "normal" portion sizes after so many years of massive portions.

Last night I realized that this is all starting to feel more like a routine. I'm no longer feeling starved (surprising how fast that disappeared) - instead I feel in control and empowered. I still have cravings - and still stare longingly in my the daily walk past the Christmas chocolates in my office. But more and more, I am making better choices.

@alleykat what are your meal plans for today? Even if you take it one meal at a time, you're still getting the benefits of planning ahead. Thinking about reporting the choices I have made back in here has actually been helping me a lot.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2016, 08:52:23 AM by elaine amj »

yuka

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #96 on: January 13, 2016, 09:05:20 AM »
So, I had a really good week last week, managing to keep to two meals and a snack most days (keeping in mind that my snack might look like a meal to some here.) Then I went skiing for the weekend, and I bought a lot of convenience food to make sure I could keep going all weekend, plus rice pudding because it's my favorite and I figured I was working out for many hours each of those days.. Unfortunately, some of that came home. So the start of this week was not so good. I've just gotten back down to where I ended last week.

1/2:   246.8
1/13: 244.2 (244.8 5-day average)

I really need to control my sugar cravings, both for my health and my roommates' sanity. We all split food, so sugary things show up even if I avoid them at the store. When I get into a slump, I'm like the ant problem we had earlier this year: sneaking my way into everything sweet.

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #97 on: January 13, 2016, 09:19:04 AM »


@alleykat what are your meal plans for today? Even if you take it one meal at a time, you're still getting the benefits of planning ahead. Thinking about reporting the choices I have made back in here has actually been helping me a lot.


You are doing great.  I would like to get to the point of controlling my portions too and my sweets. I know where I am going wrong, it is just a matter of making the adjustments.  It's got to feel good making the better choices for yourself.

Yesterday for me was an okay day right until I reached for the dark chocolate almonds.  They are not making their way into my home again for a very long time. :)

Today, though, I had a meal replacement bar in the morning (trying to control calories for now), 2 cups of coffee, and just had an apple.  Lunch will be soup and salad and, if not, something healthy and light, and dinner I am planning on steaming some potstickers and making some mixed vegetables to go with it.  Then I will stick to have an orange or two for a snack. Today, I am determined to finish the day on a good note.

Thank you for the support, Elaine.  I think you are right, reporting here and being accountable will help a lot.




alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #98 on: January 13, 2016, 09:20:07 AM »

I really need to control my sugar cravings, both for my health and my roommates' sanity. We all split food, so sugary things show up even if I avoid them at the store. When I get into a slump, I'm like the ant problem we had earlier this year: sneaking my way into everything sweet.


LOL, me too!!!!

debbie does duncan

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Re: Losing Weight in 2016
« Reply #99 on: January 13, 2016, 09:53:22 AM »
Quote


On Saturday, I took my dog out for a walk. We really haven't walked a whole lot lately although we do a normal pace walk about every 2 weeks or so (he . At about that time, my son started noticing that the dog seemed a little injured. For the rest of the day, he screamed (and yes, I never knew dogs could scream lol) when we touched or moved him and was all in all, a really pitiful looking creature. I reminded my worried kids that our little mini poodle is a wuss - the dog would even scream at night when I brushed past his fur! quote]
Please stop taking your dog on your walks elaine amj !