The Weight Loss Support Group 2019

Status
Not open for further replies.

AbbysMom

At Abby's beck and call
Thread starter
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
78,300
Purraise
19,406
Location
Massachusetts
A group of us started posting and supporting each other in our weight loss journey in June of 2013. Not everyone stuck it out, but some of us did and there were ups and down, but weight was lost. I'm one of the ones that fell off the wagon. Going to try to do better this year.


It's 2019 and time for a new thread and new goals and hopefully more people joining in. :)

We'd like to share tips, ideas, recipes, etc. There are soooooo many different diets and theories out there and what works for one may not work for another. We'd like to know what is or isn't working for you.


If you aren't serious about this, then this isn't the thread for you. Sure, everyone has off days and falls off the wagon, but if all you are posting are excuses, you will get called out. :) Some days, particularly lately, I need to get called out.:lol: Of course if you are happy with your weight and just want to cheer us on, c'mon in! :lol:We'll take all the support we can get. :D

So who is in? All are welcome and can join in at any point during the year.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

AbbysMom

At Abby's beck and call
Thread starter
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
78,300
Purraise
19,406
Location
Massachusetts
Yep, that post above was pretty much a copy and paste from last year. Bad weight year for me again. This is my last day of bad eating. Going to try to be a bit better tomorrow. :crossfingers:
 

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,259
Purraise
5,222
Location
New Jersey
Hello! Excuse the long story in advance. I had meant to write a lot of this in the 2018 thread but for some reason could not find it and then, saw the new one so lots of catching up to do.

So, I've been doing well, lost 18 pounds in 2018 (oh just noticed the coincidence).

But I need to be honest how it was accomplished because it certainly wasn't all due to my own willpower.

I think I may have written about seeing a nutritionist late 2017 and continued doing so into early 2018. She was very helpful and that made an impact on balancing me as far as how I viewed food, and what my own personal needs were to lose weight. I lost a bit, but still struggled and then, as happens with me had another serious injury which put me behind the 8 ball again.

In June, I broke my foot right before going on vacation. I didn't know it at the time, found out afterwards. Once I knew my doctor pretty much forbade me from all weight bearing which meant staying off my feet for literally months - it took way longer to heal than I thought it would. Try commuting into NYC daily with a break - not easy.

Anyway, my activity level went totally kaput. And with that, whatever calorie burning that I had and then the usual poor poor pitiful me mindset kicked in too and I lost some (not all) of my focus because I couldn't even stand up to cook a healthy dinner for us at the end of the day so, a LOT of take out. Ugh.

Had my yearly physical, and while I was down a few pounds from 2017 - it wasn't enough and my doctor kind of read me the riot act. His suggestions were:

1. Surgery. I said f--k NO. No. No. No. Under no circumstances.
2. Up my activity, reduce eating further. I already know I'm not going to exercise. He knew this too. Let's not kid ourselves.
3. Third was medication. My initial response was - not too keen on this either but I'll consider it.

He suggested one particular medication which has been around quite a while not and is ONLY meant for those who have very high BMI's putting them in the obese category. I know my friends and family don't look at me and think I'm in the group, I carry it well but yep, I'm there. So, I did my research and found out that actually one of the components of the medicine was the drug I was taking for my migraines for years. Since I knew the side effects of that already, and also knew I could tolerate them, I opted to give the drug a try.

Mid-October I started on Qsymia. You start on the lowest dose to be sure you don't have any major side effects. I did fine, doctor prefers to keep his patients on that dose an entire month. From there are 2 more higher doses. I'm on the middle one now - I have one more refill and will see my doctor at that time for bloodwork and to assess how things went.

I started losing weight immediately as it truly kills your appetite. The other half of the medication is basically, a mild amphetamine which again, has been studied for a long time. The two combined do a few things; reduce appetite, and kind of mess with the flavor of food so things aren't quite as appetizing as before. Weight loss has been as much as 2 pounds per week but the average is 1 pound.

Caveats: If one has ever had any type of eating disorder this is NOT an option as it's too easy to fall into bad eating practices on this. It would be way too easy to forget to eat a meal - hence why I make sure to eat regularly. Two: you have to be in the obese category. If your doctor allows you to use this and you aren't that overweight, shame on them. This is not a solution for people trying to lose 10-20 pounds. And it's only meant to be used for about 3 months, maybe more if your physician deems otherwise but not for long term. And again, there ARE side effects. Many people just can not tolerate them - I've been lucky that the few I have are tolerable for me the worse is constant dry mouth, so I drink a lot more water than I used to.

Anyway, 18 pounds down in 2-1/2 months. I still have a lot to lose but I'm down 30 pounds off my overall highest weight so I'm happy. I went down a size in 2018 and I just tried on the next size down in pants and they fit so yay to that.

I have concerns about what will happen once I go off the medication. It will be all up to me then. I hope that everything I've learned and am doing will be enough to keep me on track on my own.

I log and weigh out ALL my food now. It's tedious but has to be done. I have a better understanding of how much food I actually need to live on vs how much I like to eat. I eat a LOT healthier now - much less animal protein than before for instance. Fast food is not part of my life. I find I dislike processed food now too and the few times I've allowed myself to splurge on something stupid once I found out exactly how many calories it was, I was so astonished that I knew I'd never eat it again (for instance did you know 1 Dunkin Donuts Munchkin has 80 calories??? WTH?).

I've barely gone out for dinner in this time period. This past week, being holidays, I had 3 special meals and found is extremely difficult to get through. Christmas Eve we went out for a 7 Fishes tasting dinner and I could NOT make it through all the courses and skipped dessert. We were in NYC to see a show this past week and had brunch at a fancy restaurant, and felt awful until the next day - I'm just not used to all the butter and other fat used in cooking anymore. Last night, we took in a nice dinner from a local restaurant for New Years - I ate light all day so I could get through it and as it was I skipped one whole course to save for today, it was just too much. Still somehow managed to lose a pound this week LOL - but only because I was eating like a bird the rest of the time.

Anyway - like I started saying I can't say I take full credit for this. Every time my husband tells me what a great job I'm doing I feel like a fraud - it's the medication I tell him, not me. Although I suppose it's still me because I am the one being accountable by logging, cooking, buying, weighing, choosing each day.

So, like all other things in life, one day at a time. I have no aspirations of being "thin" - just getting some of this excess off of me. My doctor is in agreement - he is keeping realistic goals for me which is about 5-10% of what I weighed before. At the moment, I've already achieved 8%, so doing pretty good!
 
Last edited:

Mer.kitten

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Oct 10, 2017
Messages
994
Purraise
5,376
I'm in :) To make my weight history short and readable: started getting chunky at 12, lost it at 15 and was a normal weight for a few years, gained weight and reached 200, stayed there a couple years, lost it again, stayed steady at around 135 for a long time, got up to 260, lost back down to 144, stayed there a couple years, and now I'm back at around 210. This is going to be the last time.

No more yo yo ing, I know how unhealthy it is.. I"ve just always had a disordered relationship with food, I've always used it to regulate my moods, and I'm ready to be done with that.

The last time I lost weight I educated myself on nutrition, so I know how to lose weight. I know how to eat healthy and at a calorie deficit without undereating, ect. I didn't gain bc I don't know what to do, I gained bc I said to heck with it and ate whatever I wanted.

Anyway, I had a bunch of ice cream in the house, so start date is tomorrow. I went grocery shopping yesterday and got a bunch of healthy food, I've meal prepped a few things, so I have no excuse, no reason to go get fast food.

I'm also doing a loose version of paleo - I"m not eating any bread or grains, no rice, pasta, white potatoes or quinoa. Keeping an eye on sugar. Considering intermittent fasting but I want to get a month under my belt just eating healthy again before I do that.

I hope to have significat results by this summer.

Curious for others who are trying to lose - are you following any particular diet plan?

Also, I hope there isn't any meal shaming in this thread. I don't mean calling people out if they binge or think ice cream for dinner is healthy, what I mean is, I eat 2 meals a day on my weight loss plan, each about 600 calories. That's what works FOR ME. I don't need a lecture about how thats not enough calories, ect. Everyone is different, and my doctor has seen my diet plan and says it's fine. Just throwing that out there :)
 

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,259
Purraise
5,222
Location
New Jersey
Mer.kitten Mer.kitten I don't think you'll get any lectures here. Everyone IS different. As long as you are eating healthy, do not sound like you are advocating obvious unhealthy fad diets or sound like you have an eating disorder (in which case one should be discussing that with a doctor/therapist), I think you'll find encouragement from this group.

As I wrote, my personal journey has me on medication currently. I didn't seek it out - my doctor suggested it. When I mention this in other weight loss boards, automatically I'm bombarded with extremely negative commentary. People don't ever know your entire history. I'd hope everyone could come here and feel safe talking about how they are doing whether they are struggling or succeeding. My high was 242, I started the med at 230.5 and currently I'm at 213. I have no aspiration of being thin. If I get below 200 I'll be THRILLED. Anything less will be amazing to me. Taking it one day at a time, and just focusing on the here and now.

I currently barely crack 1200 calories a day, most are quite under, so absolutely no judging here, my physician is monitoring me throughout the process. I do, however, feel really good, no problems eating at this level at all so clearly it's not an issue for me and being I'm only 5' it is, an appropriate amount for my size. I do NOT recommend this for others unless your doctor ok's it. Again, I'm short, and have a LOT of weight I need to lose.

I make sure to eat 3 meals a day, balanced with a good ratio of protein, whole grain type carbs (I am staying away from processed types like white bread, cakes, etc but allow myself whole grain bread, quinoa, brown rice in moderation), lots more veggies, a decent amount of fats and light on the fruit due to keeping sugar consumption down. I find this works for me personally - I like a variety of foods, can't count anything out completely or I feel deprived but, I can cut out certain types of foods in these categories that make me feel junky which I've learned processed food does.

I've never been much of a snacker - portion sizes were more my problem so weighing my food has focused me to learn what is an appropriate amount of food for my size - being only 5' tall, I do not need the amount of food someone larger than I needs at all.

Anyway - welcome to the group and best of luck however you choose to lose weight that feels right and works for you. I'm not on the board a lot due to my work schedule but, I do try to check in now and then.
 
Last edited:

Lari

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2017
Messages
10,995
Purraise
45,429
I should probably jump in on this thread as well - the year I lost the most weight was the one where I was updating facebook every month.

I'm 5'4", medium framed, and was the skinny kid. I was in the 120s in high school and the 130s in college. In my 20s, I started eating out more without really exercising and got up in the 140s and back down. Then the school I was working at closed and there was a lot of stress eating and drinking. And my next job I hated - more eating. Then I was at another job where parents just gave you treats, and soon I was up to about 180. I started by making a few cut backs on things I was eating and exercised and in two years got down to about 150, with a few ups when I started dating my fiancé, and I was going out to eat and drink more socially. But I've been about 150 since and though I wear it well (pear shaped), I'm about 5lbs overweight according to my BMI, and I'd like to get in the 'normal' range and also look good for my wedding.

What I'm doing:
-I've been doing Stronglifts 5x5 with my fiancé since August, originally 3x a week, but down to 2 because we were burned out. I do tap dance once a week (it's been on a winter break) for a bit over a year, and I started doing zumba once a week in either October or November.
-I've expanded what I'll eat a lot and have gotten less picky with vegetables. I try to cook a few healthy meals a week with the mealime app on my phone, which has been helpful
-I drink a lot of flavored water, which while zero calorie, does have sweeteners in it. I decided with the new year that for every glass of that I drink, I'm going to drink a glass on plain tap water to hopefully reap the benefits.
-I eat too fast, so I need to work on slowing down and chewing more as well.

My main adversary is going to be the treats in the teacher's lounge - I'm pretty good at not buying junk, but have little self-discipline when it's there and free and I'm stressed. I'm going to allow myself the Wednesday treats because they are homemade and divine, but I really need to scale back on the store bought treats that show up on other days that I grab and stress eat.

Wow, I wrote way too much here. Anyway, this is where I'm starting! I'd love to be under 140 by November 9th, but we'll see what happens.
 

Winchester

In the kitchen with my cookies
Veteran
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
29,730
Purraise
28,024
Location
In the kitchen
I brought this thread back up because.....I've fallen off the wagon. Big time. And I can't deal with it anymore.

I went back on a fairly healthy eating regimen on Tuesday and am doing the best I can. I will be trying to post here semi-regularly (hopefully weekly, at least) and it's really OK if I'm talking to myself. But I need to hold myself accountable and this is one to do it.

:scale: Those pounds need to come off.....again.
 

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,259
Purraise
5,222
Location
New Jersey
I brought this thread back up because.....I've fallen off the wagon. Big time. And I can't deal with it anymore.

I went back on a fairly healthy eating regimen on Tuesday and am doing the best I can. I will be trying to post here semi-regularly (hopefully weekly, at least) and it's really OK if I'm talking to myself. But I need to hold myself accountable and this is one to do it.

:scale: Those pounds need to come off.....again.
:hugs:
Pam, I'll tell you I've discovered that being as gentle with yourself as possible is the most helpful thing you can do for yourself.

I think, as long as you are trying, and learning from each time you slide back, that's a step forward.

It's really hard for women in particular to learn to love themselves as they are. We are SO bombarded with daily messages of what and how we should be, that make us feel inadequate. It takes a very strong sense of self to be able to push all of that out of your head. Personally, I don't even look at any women's related magazines, television shows, books, or any other media that perpetuates a standard that is impossible to uphold. I learned it just makes me feel crappy.

Anyway - since you posted this I'll give my update which I hope won't make you feel bad.

I continue to lose and finally got myself under 200 pounds. This, is a HUGE achievement for me. I haven't been under 200 gosh, since I met my husband like over 10 years ago. I still have no goal in mind - well maybe just to get myself to what I was when we met which is in the 180ish range (still WAY too much for my height but I'd be thrilled with that). I've gone down 2 sizes, if I can get myself down one more I'll be out of plus sized which would be another giant step forward for me. So, I've lost a total of 32 pounds now in something like 8 months? It's coming off much slower now, like 1/2 pound a week but I'm ok with that. It's consistently happening and that's what matters. I even didn't gain weight while on vacation recently, which was a miracle of its own!

The medication I'm on, not so sure how much of this I can say is because of it's effects at this point. I CAN eat through it. I have. It used to have a side effect of making my food flavors "blunted" but that doesn't happen any more, however, it does still curb my appetite somewhat and being as I've learned on my own how much food my body actually needs and, how to eat better overall, all those combined are helpful in maintaining focus. I never over eat anymore. Never. I'll probably be on the medication at this point until it's a full year of it and I expect that by then, I'll be at that mini-goal I have of being down to about 180 (which, will be 50 pounds or so lost). After that, I assume it will be all up to me and I hope, that I've learned enough over the course of this time period to know

a) I really didn't feel well physically being at the weight I was
b) I really didn't feel emotionally well at the weight I was
c) I didn't like how I looked at the weight I was
d) I didn't like the comments I received from strangers at the weight I was
e) I feel extremely well physically now - yay!
f) I am so much happier than I was and have a lot more energy in general.
g) I'm beginning to like how I look

So, getting there...
 

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,259
Purraise
5,222
Location
New Jersey
BTW going to also post what I am doing:

1. No fad diet habits at all. I am just eating healthy.
2. I have substituted whole grains whenever possible for refined white flours. No more white rice, white bread, white potatoes, etc. No corn either - too high in sugar. We eat a lot of alternative grains instead such as quinoa, farro, brown rice, barley, sweet potatoes and buckwheat. If anyone told me I'd be able to eat a whole wheat bagel a year ago I'd have scoffed at them.
3. My husband fyi, had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a while ago but finally got serious about his own health. This has made it a team effort. Makes it so much easier when we are both reaching for the same goals!
4. Low fat, low cholesterol proteins; a lot of seafood for instance. Some poultry. We stopped eating beef almost completely (maybe once a month if that). Have incorporate a LOT of plant protein meals. I'd say at least half if not more of my meals are vegetarian at this point.
5. Surprisingly, not much salads. We both find it's just an excuse to layer on fat and calories. We both prefer having whatever veggies are in season, grilled, roasted or lightly steamed instead.
6. Bah to over-drinking water. That's a myth. Nobody was dehydrated when we were kids, now were they? Come on. It's just a way to make Poland Springs rich. Don't force it if you can't. I hate water personally. It has made no difference at all.
7. No supplements either. This too is a bunch of baloney.
8. I don't exercise. Calories in, calories out. As long as you eat less than what you need you will lose. Yes it's great for your health but for me personally I'm not much into it so I don't make myself feel bad that I don't. I do a lot of walking, however, since I work in NYC. My husband, does bike ride and that's good for his situation. Do what you can - don't make yourself feel guilty if not.
9. I don't really snack, never was much of a snacker so that was easy for me. Reducing portions was the hard one for me but once I realized exactly how much I was eating over what I needed, it kind of scared me!
10. Stay consistent. I log everything. I weight myself daily. I stay responsible to myself even if I eat something that I may not have meant to.
11. Tomorrow is a new day. Shrug it off. Nobody is perfect.
12. Let yourself have treats sometimes. Build them in or you will go NUTS and binge eventually. Moderation truly is the right way to go.
13. Last never, ever, never, go under 1200 calories. That is the minimum requirement for anyone no matter how small you are. Anything less and you are not getting proper nutrition. It's ok if one day you really aren't that hungry (or if you're ill, I mean we've all be there!) but if it's a daily happening (or the opposite, over eating), maybe, just maybe, you may need some guidance on how to eat right. Seek help. I saw a nutritionist for a while at the beginning to help me get my head straight about all of this. She really was quite helpful. And if anyone has any kind of eating disorder - there's no shame in asking for the right help.
 

Winchester

In the kitchen with my cookies
Veteran
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
29,730
Purraise
28,024
Location
In the kitchen
Excellent advice, sivyaleah sivyaleah

We've been using whole grains now for several years. Brown rice instead of white. Whole wheat bread. I started logging in what I eat and drink again, trying to stay right around 1200 calories. More produce, less meat. But I realize that I (and my hair!) do need some good fat in my diet. Unfortunately, I am a snacker; I eat when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm bored, etc. I'm a binger, too, so double whammy.

I've been walking right along, thankfully, or the weight gain would probably be worse than it is. I'm not doing my lunch time walk; it's too darn hot and humid and the humidity is killing me as it is. But I still walk in the morning, either on the treadmill or just around the house. I hate exercise, but I've finally realized that I need to do something again.

I managed to lose four pounds last week. Better than four pounds gained. I didn't gain it overnight; I won't lose it overnight. But hey, small steps.
 

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,259
Purraise
5,222
Location
New Jersey
Winchester Winchester Fats are SO important. It's a mistake a lot of people make. Going too low fat is unhealthy - it's switching over to healthier fats that's important and not overdoing it. Hence why we stopped eating red meat and most other animal proteins (fish fats are ok though still - so far nobody is raising a red flag on them LOL). I eat no trans fats - if I go back over my food logs the past 10 months or so I think there was only 2 days that had food with that in it.

Olive oil is great - I use that most in cooking. Very very little butter. Gosh, I used to go through a stick a week easily and now a stick lasts a month or more. I think the only thing I use it for is if I make scrambled eggs, which is a rarity anyway (we prefer soft boiled).

I do splurge on some fats that I just can't give up but now eat them in smaller quantities. Like, cream cheese for bagels. Please, there's no way I'll ever give that up. But...I usually only eat 1/2 a bagel now (whole wheat) so the cream cheese is now 1/2 of what I used to eat (and I've even cut down the schmear amount too) let alone, I'll even scoop out the inside of the darn thing now also. I've also learned that most recipes really don't need as much of the fat in them that they call for (caveat - not baking of course, but I don't bake). If we are traveling, I also will splurge on a couple of strips of bacon for breakfast but don't make it a daily habit. I really try not to think of any food as "forbidden".

Fat helps keep you satiated. It's so important and not to be feared. I aim for about 50 grams a day, which is pretty nominal and most days I manage to hit that mark, come just under or just over. I don't stress out about it too much.

BTW, I was an emotional eater - I ate for every reason too, like a reward system. I had to learn that I'm not Pavlov's dog and whatever food I want will always be there and I didn't need celebrate every little thing with a bag of chips. I'm finally at a place where I don't obsess about food, calories, my weight, where my next meal is coming from or what it's going to be. It's rather freeing. I still have a long way to go, but the pressure has been lifted substantially, mentally and physically.
 

LittleShadow

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
175
Purraise
330
*pokes nose in* Oooh, this looks like a nice, supportive place. Well, here's my mini-novel!

I used to be rail thin. I was an active kid, and constantly getting taller. I did ballet, tap, jazz, and generally was frequently active despite my asthma. At one point in high school my doctor actually ordered me to gain five pounds, as I was underweight and had several flags for eating disorders. (It wasn't a disorder, I was just an active kid with a low appetite, and I promptly gained the ordered five pounds.)

All was well, until I aged off my parent's insurance. The cheap insurance I ended up on was HORRIBLE. In addition to the asthma, I had a few other well controlled chronic things I was medicated for that basically didn't disrupt my life. The cut me cold turkey off my meds, claiming I didn't need them. They changed what they would approve to things that didn't help or had horrible side effects. They messed with my asthma medication, leading to me ending up with multiple lung infections, bronchis, and repeated doses of various steroids and other medications, and me completely dropping exercise as I was always ill. The combo of being taken off my old meds and put on others led to me gaining 80lbs in six months, in part because of a delightful side effect of completely ravenous, unceasing hunger no matter how much I ate, a shattered attention span that made it hard to resist the urge to give in to the horrific never ending hunger, and the aforementioned inability to be active.

I've since gotten MUCH better insurance, and now am well controlled again. But taking those 80lbs off is...slow going. With plenty of backsliding. I'm out of condition, and with my asthma, I have to be very, very careful about getting back into condition. I push it too hard? Well...I've pulled chest muscles so badly I've been placed on bed rest and a wait-and-see to decide if I needed surgery to repair things, though I was lucky enough to get away with a week of strict bedrest and six more weeks in a sling. I felt one attack coming on one time, and got a ride to urgent care, and nearly ended up intubated before the inhaled medication worked. So...yeah. And when I get lung infections, the most effective medication combo usually causes me to gain 5-10lbs before I'm off it again. Bye-bye progress.

I've adjusted my lifestyle further, and avoided lung infections and bronchitis for the past 3 years, and I want to buckle down and get back into shape now that I'm feeling more secure in my health. I've taken up walking, and I want to slowly ramp that up into running. I'm probably never going to be back in ballet shape, and that's fine. But I'd like to be able to drop down into the "healthy" weight range again, and be able to jog a 5k.
 

foxxycat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
8,089
Purraise
13,358
Location
Honeybee on my lap, music playing in background
Winchester Winchester Fats are SO important. It's a mistake a lot of people make. Going too low fat is unhealthy - it's switching over to healthier fats that's important and not overdoing it. Hence why we stopped eating red meat and most other animal proteins (fish fats are ok though still - so far nobody is raising a red flag on them LOL). I eat no trans fats - if I go back over my food logs the past 10 months or so I think there was only 2 days that had food with that in it.

Olive oil is great - I use that most in cooking. Very very little butter. Gosh, I used to go through a stick a week easily and now a stick lasts a month or more. I think the only thing I use it for is if I make scrambled eggs, which is a rarity anyway (we prefer soft boiled).

I do splurge on some fats that I just can't give up but now eat them in smaller quantities. Like, cream cheese for bagels. Please, there's no way I'll ever give that up. But...I usually only eat 1/2 a bagel now (whole wheat) so the cream cheese is now 1/2 of what I used to eat (and I've even cut down the schmear amount too) let alone, I'll even scoop out the inside of the darn thing now also. I've also learned that most recipes really don't need as much of the fat in them that they call for (caveat - not baking of course, but I don't bake). If we are traveling, I also will splurge on a couple of strips of bacon for breakfast but don't make it a daily habit. I really try not to think of any food as "forbidden".

Fat helps keep you satiated. It's so important and not to be feared. I aim for about 50 grams a day, which is pretty nominal and most days I manage to hit that mark, come just under or just over. I don't stress out about it too much.

BTW, I was an emotional eater - I ate for every reason too, like a reward system. I had to learn that I'm not Pavlov's dog and whatever food I want will always be there and I didn't need celebrate every little thing with a bag of chips. I'm finally at a place where I don't obsess about food, calories, my weight, where my next meal is coming from or what it's going to be. It's rather freeing. I still have a long way to go, but the pressure has been lifted substantially, mentally and physically.
Been awhile and I've got to make an effort to start again. I am inching up to 225 and I know I need to knock it off. Sugar lately is my biggest fall. And normally I hate sugar. Ice cream and cookies. Ugg. So this week I have been eating a slice of cheese or nuts instead when I'm hungry. I also use whole grains. But my portions are way too much.

Also salt. That's another hard one. If you sweat alot like I do (i sweat like a pig 24/7) then it's important that we keep our minerals in the right amounts. I know they say salt is bad. And if one isn't sweating it out. Then yes. Because it raises blood pressure. For me, if I get a good sweat work session in the garden or my workouts, my blood pressure drops about 10 to 15 points which is good. It's kind of high if I dont sweat...

Anyways just wanted to reiterate that she's correct about fats. The low fat diets tend to leave me famished...adding nuts, butter and cheese instead of sugary snacks is actually healthier for us.

Anyways it's good to have a place we feel safe enough to share our journeys. Just like with cats, people are all different.

Good job everyone for trying!
 

Lola3791

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 13, 2019
Messages
2,870
Purraise
2,591
Location
Maine, USA
I was wondering if a thread like this existed. I'm glad I found it.
For the last year I've been trying to lose weight. In a year I'm two pounds less then my starting weight. My weight has gone up and down. My problem is that I don't have much will power.
Does anyone have any tips for getting will power and controlling what and how much I eat?
 

goingpostal

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
852
Purraise
1,218
Location
MN
My problem is that I don't have much will power. Does anyone have any tips for getting will power and controlling what and how much I eat?
Same problem. I get hungry and I gorge! One thing I heard that has helped me is simply waiting a bit and thinking about it. Do I really want it? Is it just a craving? Is there something better/healthier I could snack on instead? Make sure you have plenty of good options that you like and will eat around and keep the bad stuff out of the house.

I would like to lose just a a few pounds and it is hard. I walk my dogs which helps burn some of the calories I eat but my problem often is the snack candy available at my jobs nonstop, my sweet tooth and pop/sugary drinks. Not intaking extra calories in my beverages helps a lot but I'm not great at drinking water.
 

LittleShadow

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
175
Purraise
330
I was wondering if a thread like this existed. I'm glad I found it.
For the last year I've been trying to lose weight. In a year I'm two pounds less then my starting weight. My weight has gone up and down. My problem is that I don't have much will power.
Does anyone have any tips for getting will power and controlling what and how much I eat?
For me, I find it helps to eat BEFORE I go food shopping. Usually a bigger meal than normal, even, so that I'm not hungry when I go. I allow myself ONE treat per shopping trip. I can have that single serve cake slice at the bakery section, sure! Oh, but I want potato chips? Well, time to pick which I want more, the single serve cake slice or the single person bag of chips. Again, not being hungry when I shop helps with this.

Other than my single treat per trip, which needs to be a single serve size treat, I do not keep anything in the house I 'shouldn't' have. I'll keep healthy snacks like fruit and sliced veggies, but not cookies and such. I do get fresh, ripe fruit and freeze it on a cookie sheet for when I want a cold, sweet treat. (Cut it so it's about the size of blueberries, and spread it on a clean cookie sheet in a single layer, freeze, then pop it off, break the pieces apart, and store in ziplock bags.)

When I get home for the day, I promptly change into clothes I wouldn't be comfortable going to the store in, be it pjs or workout clothes. If I REALLY want a sweet, I can have it....but I have to change into going out clothes, get in the car, drive to get it, buy it, come home again, then eat it. I'm usually too lazy to do this, so I'll have a banana or some carrots instead, or maybe some air-popped popcorn with a seasoning sprinkle.

I once had a SUPER strong craving for chocolate chip cookies, and actually went to the effort to go get them. I went to the McDonald's drive through so that I wouldn't buy a whole bag at the grocery store, or give into other sweets, bought two cookies, drove home, and enjoyed them at the table with a tall glass of milk. I took the time to really focus on enjoying them, and didn't feel guilty because I'd followed my rules. It's not about "can't have that anymore", it's about "do you really want it?", and I did, and I made sure to enjoy it, not just mindlessly snack on it.

Though obviously, I still have a ways to go, I find it feels good to stick to forming habits that you could keep up for the rest of your life, rather than trying fad diets. Could I stick to my "eat before shopping, one treat a trip, sweets between require you to go get them" pattern the rest of my life? ...Yeah, that sounds doable, even if I'll slip up now and then. Could I count calories the rest of my life? ...probably not, if I'm being honest.
 

LittleShadow

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
175
Purraise
330
Same problem. I get hungry and I gorge! One thing I heard that has helped me is simply waiting a bit and thinking about it. Do I really want it? Is it just a craving? Is there something better/healthier I could snack on instead? Make sure you have plenty of good options that you like and will eat around and keep the bad stuff out of the house.

I would like to lose just a a few pounds and it is hard. I walk my dogs which helps burn some of the calories I eat but my problem often is the snack candy available at my jobs nonstop, my sweet tooth and pop/sugary drinks. Not intaking extra calories in my beverages helps a lot but I'm not great at drinking water.
Have you tried adding a tea bag to your water? Mint and fruit flavors make plain water more palatable to me, and you can just dunk them in cold water. Also, Extra makes a line of dessert flavored gums. If you're already chewing mint chocolate chip ice cream gum, you might not grab those m&ms as you walk by.
 

Lola3791

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 13, 2019
Messages
2,870
Purraise
2,591
Location
Maine, USA
Just an update on my progress if anyone cares.
I weigh myself once a week and for the past month or so I've stayed the same weight, which is good. When I weighed myself this morning I saw that I've lost a few pounds. :yess:
 

Draco

NOT Malfoy!
Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
8,721
Purraise
2,780
Location
LawnGuyLand, NY
hey all. Decided to jump on here :)

I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2012, and since then my weight has gained. I tried everything to lose it. Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, nutritionists, gluten-free. it worked for a short time, but my weight just went right back up and then some- all because, I believe, these programs did not "teach" me what I needed to know.

With no thyroid, my weight will always be hard to manage. My metabolism is really low because of it, hormones out of whack, it's not easy. even with my medication being on par.

So 4 months ago, I decided to try a program called Profile by Sanford which just opened up by me. Got in for $50 a year and figured why not, I wasn't going to give up. It's pretty much a mild-form of Keto diet. Drink their shakes, have their protein bars and regular food as veggies, fats and proteins. Very little to no carbs, no fruits or dairy.

I am excited to say I've lost 24 lbs and still going down. I am learning so much with the one on one coaching, she is TEACHING me things that I need to know! Helping me make a lifestyle change in my diet. I am no longer craving sugar, it's actually a simple diet for me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top