The Weight Loss Support Group - 2020

[AbbysMom]

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 2020 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. Of course if you are happy with your weight and just want to cheer us on, c'mon in! We'll take all the support we can get.

*Just a note that that while fad diets may work for some in the short term, they may not work for everyone and please check with your doctor before starting a fad diet or taking any type of supplement. You may have a condition or be taking a medication that doesn't jibe with your fad diet or supplement.

So who is in? All are welcome and can join in at any point during the year.

 

[sivyaleah]

Still here! Still losing.
The only thing I'm doing different is I've stopped logging daily. I decided that I don't need to since I literally eat the same things pretty much all the time from week to week now. I have a routine, I don't deviate much.
Plus, in early November, my husband had a heart attack. He's ok, thankfully it was mild but that was another reason to keep on track - for both of us.
The only time I allow myself to go off my usual way of eating (which is smaller portions/low fat/lower carb (not no carb heaven forbid!)higher fiber/no desserts/reduced animal proteins/more plant based) is for special occasions like, last night for New Year's and even then, we opted for a restaurant that was serving small plates instead regular sized portions. And last weekend, meeting up with family, I didn't even wind up eating more than a few bites of my entree because once I had the appetizer well, I'm just not used to having that much food in me anymore.
Since October 2018, I'm down about 50 lbs. I'm not sure the exact number because I don't really know what my highest weight was so I base it on the one number I do have recorded - but I have a feeling it may have been a bit more than that. Slow, steady, smart way of eating. It's habit now. I don't look at food anymore and think "I WANT THAT!" More likely, what goes through my head is "It's NOT worth eating that".
I'm 10 lbs away from what I weighed most of my adult life now. Still overweight but I'll be thrilled if I get to that number And I finally can look at photos of myself and not want to cry. My husband took one the other day and it was the first time in years that I said right off to him, "Yes, yes you can post that one to your Instagram".

 

[Lola3791]

I did awful when it came to losing weight in 2019. I did alright during the first half then went downhill after that and I am back to my original weight. I'm going to really try this year to lose weight.

 

[maggiedemi]

I went from 180 to 143 pounds this year. I eat whatever I want twice a day, lunch & dinner. But I limit the portions to one Corelle dinner plate full or a sandwich, or 2 slices of pizza, or one burrito, or one bowl of something.
I tried eating breakfast, but I gained weight. I'm just not active enough, plus I like carby foods.

For exercise, I walk 2 hours per day. That's it, nothing strenuous and it's working surprisingly well!
I'd like to get down to 135 pounds. My doctor said that I shouldn't go below 125 pounds, since I'm so tall.

I also went vegetarian a month ago.

And I drink 4 of those 16oz bottles of water per day. No snacks ever.

 

[sivyaleah]

I went from 180 to 143 pounds this year. I eat whatever I want twice a day, lunch & dinner. But I limit the portions to one Corelle dinner plate full or a sandwich, or 2 slices of pizza, or one burrito, or one bowl of something.
I tried eating breakfast, but I gained weight. I'm just not active enough, plus I like carby foods.

For exercise, I walk 2 hours per day. That's it, nothing strenuous and it's working surprisingly well!
I'd like to get down to 135 pounds. My doctor said that I shouldn't go below 125 pounds, since I'm so tall.

I also went vegetarian a month ago.

And I drink 4 of those 16oz bottles of water per day. No snacks ever.

I like carbs too. I don't know how people give them up. I was able to reduce them substantially and trade off refined white ones for healthier whole grains which has helped. However, the one thing I still allow myself is good bagels. I'm a NY'er. I mean, how on earth can I live without bagels LOL? But, what I do now is eat only 1/2 of one or, scoop out the middle (I even buy whole wheat ones sometimes). And if you had told me a year ago I'd be one of THOSE people, I would have laughed in your face. I'd already learned to cut back on the cream cheese but that really cuts it down a lot more. And it makes me happy to eat it. I love bagels - there's just no compromising on that one thing for me

 

[Elphaba09]

I have a condition called lipedema. A six years ago, I went from a size 4 (that I starved myself to get to) to a size 12 in a matter of a couple of months. This past year has me in a 14/15 with little change to my diet. (I am only 5' so a 14/16 looks a lot larger on me.) I need to stop it from getting worse. I am considering an alternate fasting diet (pending doctor approval), Has anyone else tried it? My doctor has mentioned cryotherapy for pain management and an "almost" alternative to exercise to burn calories a couple of times a month. (I am disabled and have two congenital heart disorders, so exercise is extremely difficult, but during the summer I can swim and I do yoga for people with limited mobility.) But even the idea makes me deeply cold. Things have gotten so bad with my lipedema that I am actually considering it this year.

My husband also wants to lose 10 to 15 lbs but is feeling less motivated than I am. I mentioned researching a site that lets you place bets on yourself for weight loss. He is considering it now because he thinks it would be a good incentive for him. I think he is perfect, but it would be nice to have someone in the house who can help me stay motivated. He is considering doing a one to two week potato diet to get things started. I have read that it helps with emotional eaters.

 

[maggiedemi]

the one thing I still allow myself is good bagels.

I love bagels too, the really huge ones, I make sandwiches with them.

 

[sivyaleah]

I have a condition called lipedema. A six years ago, I went from a size 4 (that I starved myself to get to) to a size 12 in a matter of a couple of months. This past year has me in a 14/15 with little change to my diet. (I am only 5' so a 14/16 looks a lot larger on me.) I need to stop it from getting worse. I am considering an alternate fasting diet (pending doctor approval), Has anyone else tried it? My doctor has mentioned cryotherapy for pain management and an "almost" alternative to exercise to burn calories a couple of times a month. (I am disabled and have two congenital heart disorders, so exercise is extremely difficult, but during the summer I can swim and I do yoga for people with limited mobility.) But even the idea makes me deeply cold. Things have gotten so bad with my lipedema that I am actually considering it this year.

My husband also wants to lose 10 to 15 lbs but is feeling less motivated than I am. I mentioned researching a site that lets you place bets on yourself for weight loss. He is considering it now because he thinks it would be a good incentive for him. I think he is perfect, but it would be nice to have someone in the house who can help me stay motivated. He is considering doing a one to two week potato diet to get things started. I have read that it helps with emotional eaters.

First, I'm so sorry about your health issues. Trying to lose weight when in pain is so extremely difficult. I've been there, although your situation is very different than what mine was. I don't know anything about cryotherapy but I'd imagine you'd be able to research online to help make an informed decision for yourself.

As for your husband, what I will say is fad diets do not work in the long term and have been proven to be a detriment to not only your health but to losing weight in the future. Your body will struggle to hold onto weight once you start to starve it and that potato diet is literally a starvation diet. It's going to be very difficult on him. Sure he'll lose weight but it will also jump right back on to him once he starts eating normally again. If he even can sustain eating like that. If he is an emotional eater, my sincere suggestion is he should seek support with a therapist first to help him learn what his eating triggers are. Also, a nutritionist would be useful too so that he fully understands what is going into him, portion control, what his body needs vs what he consumes. Men have a way of grossly underestimating what they eat. They fill a bowl of cereal and go "hey, it's a bowl of cereal, that's a portion!" but have no idea that one bowl can equal 3 portions per the label on the box! And if that cereal is something sugary well omg, you're talking hundreds of carbs and sugar just on that bowl of cereal plus whatever else is consumed the rest of the day. I know this, because I'm going through it with my husband, who has Type II diabetes and, had a heart attack recently and has been rather resistant to learning these basics about nutrition up until recently. He's finally just now getting - the heart attack really made him have to pay attention.

The crux of this is the only way to really lose weight permanently is to do it safely which means slowly and if necessary with the help of your physician. Look up what your BMI is online and what it should be. Any online BMI site will calculate for a person how many pounds you should lose a week to do it in a safe manner, how many target calories to eat and even how to split the nutrients so that you remain satiated, satisfied and healthy. One needs to get the correct amount of carbs, protein, fat and fiber daily so your body works well. There are great sites like My Fitness Pal that one can join where you can track your daily intake and weight to track everything along with joining forums to chat with others and get and stay motivated.

And, contrary to popular belief, exercising is not necessary. It's calories in, calories out. As long as you burn less than you eat you'll lose weight. Yes, it is great to exercise, much healthier overall but for those of us who aren't into it, it's still possible to continue to lose. As I mentioned, I've lost 50ish lbs in the past 14 months just by cutting calories. I hate exercising - always have. I'm only 5' so I don't require a lot of calories and at first cutting was somewhat difficult, more mentally but now it's fine.

 

[Elphaba09]

And, contrary to popular belief, exercising is not necessary. It's calories in, calories out.

I started seeing a nutritionist early last year.I keep a diary of all that I eat, even just nibbles, and drink. She told me that I was not eating enough, I followed her prescribed and gained 5 lbs in less than a month. I typically eat once a day, although, sometimes I will have toast for breakfast. Once every month or two, my husband and I have a dinner date, when I eat more than usual, but it is never a massive amount. It is just really frustrating.

As for your husband, what I will say is fad diets do not work in the long term and have been proven to be a detriment to not only your health but to losing weight in the future

I agree. I am not too keen on it, but he had read that it was a way to help your body reset, or something like that.He has started exercising some, which is better than not at all. He will not go to a therapist, although his emotional eating has to have roots somewhere. (I can guess where!)

 

[sivyaleah]

I started seeing a nutritionist early last year.I keep a diary of all that I eat, even just nibbles, and drink. She told me that I was not eating enough, I followed her prescribed and gained 5 lbs in less than a month. I typically eat once a day, although, sometimes I will have toast for breakfast. Once every month or two, my husband and I have a dinner date, when I eat more than usual, but it is never a massive amount. It is just really frustrating.


I agree. I am not too keen on it, but he had read that it was a way to help your body reset, or something like that.He has started exercising some, which is better than not at all. He will not go to a therapist, although his emotional eating has to have roots somewhere. (I can guess where!)

There's no such thing as a body reset.
You just start. And do it. And keep doing it. It's more like dealing with an addiction - which for many it really kind of is. Especially when it's related to emotions.
One day at a time. Fall off. Get back on again.

Edit: Do you eat once a day because you like eating that way, or because you find it difficult to eat more than once a day? Can you split that meal into more than one meal? It would be better to eat through out the day. It is possible the nutritionist gave you too many calories per day based on your inactivity, however, in general women should eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day regardless of their body size, to ensure they get the correct daily nutrients to fuel their bodies. Possibly 1100 if really small sized but that would be usually with a doctor's ok.

 

[Elphaba09]

There's no such thing as a body reset.
You just start. And do it. And keep doing it. It's more like dealing with an addiction - which for many it really kind of is. Especially when it's related to emotions.
One day at a time. Fall off. Get back on again.

Edit: Do you eat once a day because you like eating that way, or because you find it difficult to eat more than once a day? Can you split that meal into more than one meal? It would be better to eat through out the day. It is possible the nutritionist gave you too many calories per day based on your inactivity, however, in general women should eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day regardless of their body size, to ensure they get the correct daily nutrients to fuel their bodies. Possibly 1100 if really small sized but that would be usually with a doctor's ok.

I agree with the "body reset." He just thinks it is worth a try. I personally think he will get sick after a couple of days.

I eat once a day (usually) because it just works that way. I am not really hungry until dinner most days, and I cook dinner for my family, so it seems a waste not to just eat at the same time. Today, for example, my husband is working late and everyone else is at work, so I have had a cup of tea, water, and six raspberries so far today. The dietician gave me a 1200 calorie plan that included 5 small meals a day. She said that based on my notes (I listed portion sizes, too) I was getting less than 1000 a day and wanted to get me up to 12000 so that my body would burn calories better. It just made me bigger. I know that it has a great deal to do with the lipedema, which is why I am trying to find something to help. When I was a size 4, I had spent three years eating 1/4 pack of Ramen with a lot of water every day with one day every week or two of eating a whole, regular meal. Even on that amount of restriction, I only managed to lose a 20/25 lbs.

The food thing was due to a horrific financial situation. All the extra food went to my children. I had a surgery around the same time that I started eating one normal meal a day and had also switched medication. That is when my weight increased significantly. My specialist thinks that is when my lipedema became more pronounced and more difficult to control.

Recently, I started on some supplements my specialist prescribed. I am hoping that with the new supplements and a few other things I can do that I can drop down to a size 10/12. I know that still sounds "big" to some people, but right now, that is my goal.

My GP had never heard of lipedema, so getting her to coordinate with my specialist has been difficult. Thankfully, it is a vascular/fat disorder and I have to see a cardiovascular doctor, so he knows how to deal with my bad leg.

 

[sivyaleah]

My mom only ate once a day so it's not that unusual to me. I never ever saw her eat breakfast or lunch growing up. And her dinners were pretty meager too - we weren't exactly swimming in money so she kind of did what you did for your kids.
FYI - 10/12 sounds small to me. If I ever get back to that size again I'd be jumping with joy. I'm a 16 now, had been up to a 20 but was a 14 for most of my adult life. Can't remember when I was last a 12 lol. Maybe when I was in my early 20's? And I'm only 5'.
I have a friend with lipedema, so I know what that struggle entails. I had not seen her for quite some time and ran into her a few months back and was so surprised to see how much weight she had lost. Apparently, she'd become a vegetarian - mostly. For her, that did the trick. I didn't have a chance to chit chat with her, but intend to get together with her hopefully soon so maybe I can pick her brain about that. If I do, I'll let you know.

 

[Elphaba09]

I didn't have a chance to chit chat with her, but intend to get together with her hopefully soon so maybe I can pick her brain about that. If I do, I'll let you know.

That would be wonderful! Thank you!

 

[Winchester]

I'm here!

2019 was not a good year for me weight-wise. I gained a ton over the year and now must get it back off. I got lazy with exercise and walking and anything "healthy".

Here's to a healthy 2020 for all of us!

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

Losing 30lbs is my goal. Already somehow lost 4 since yesterday

 

[Winchester]

Ok, it's Monday and I'm officially starting. I weighted myself this morning . It was not pretty.

 

[Festus Haggen]

There was a professor I had in RACC who asked us how do you eat an elephant? If you yourself had to eat an elephant no matter what you had to what would you do, how would you, how Could you the idea of.... The only thing you can do is to eat the elephant One Piece at a Time no matter what no matter how long until it's done. 30 to 300 makes no difference because it's all elephant to each person. I was 400lbs. Now about 160. One of the best tools I used was this powder stuff called sensa. The idea was to not change your diet at all. Just sprinkle this stuff all over your food. It works. Also speaking about myself attitude and how you spin it is everything. Like the words exercise and diet sicken me. I know this that activity like house cleaning burns calories. I know I love to sing and dance. I know I hate mopping the floor. So combine your favorite songs with a spray bottle of pine sol and a pair of those fuzzy socks and you and Chubby Checkers are twisting the kitchen floor clean. I eat chocolate every day and alot of it because I use chocolate chips or cut a candy bar in 6 pieces. A handful of chips or 4 milky-way slices will satisfy. Get a ice cream maker and see what you can do with 1/2 the ingredients or substitute stuff. You will be amazed. And remember the worst choice you'll ever make is to choose to do nothing. Every day do something
One sit up
One complete walk around every inch of the interior of your house, stretch, anything that you didn't do the day before. Get mad at me for what I'm saying and do it to spite me. Believe in you the way I believe in you. Failure is not an option because anything you can not do is just a guide to what you will do.
I wish everyone a wonderful way to discovery!
p. s. - somebody please tell me how to sign out of this website. I'm a modern day moron not swift with any computer stuff for real. Oui

 

[furmonster mom]

Remember that weight will fluctuate even in one day from morning to night.

So be sure to weigh yourself at a regular time in the day. I like to do it in the morning after my system is all cleared out. If things don't move, well so be it.

I find that water is a big portion of my weight. It's a bit of a catch 22, because you need to stay hydrated, but you don't want to be holding excess. Salt is a factor here. Keep the salt in your diet low, and your water weight will balance out.

Muscle is also heavier than fat. So, if you're building muscle, it's best not to put too much focus on the scale. You will really notice changes in the way your clothing fits. It's subtle, but it's something to look forward to as much as watching those scale numbers drop.

I am also trying to get myself back on track after a summer and holiday season of slacking off. I'm about 13 lbs away from my goal. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm finding it more challenging to work on these last few lbs than I did when I first started.

 

[maggiedemi]

I find that water is a big portion of my weight.

I wonder if I'm drinking too much water. I drink 4 of those 16oz bottles per day.

 

[sivyaleah]

Remember that weight will fluctuate even in one day from morning to night.

So be sure to weigh yourself at a regular time in the day. I like to do it in the morning after my system is all cleared out. If things don't move, well so be it.

I find that water is a big portion of my weight. It's a bit of a catch 22, because you need to stay hydrated, but you don't want to be holding excess. Salt is a factor here. Keep the salt in your diet low, and your water weight will balance out.

Muscle is also heavier than fat. So, if you're building muscle, it's best not to put too much focus on the scale. You will really notice changes in the way your clothing fits. It's subtle, but it's something to look forward to as much as watching those scale numbers drop.

I am also trying to get myself back on track after a summer and holiday season of slacking off. I'm about 13 lbs away from my goal. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm finding it more challenging to work on these last few lbs than I did when I first started.

All of this.
And, it's also better to keep track of your weight on a weekly basis, not daily to get more of an accurate trend. I like weighing myself everyday because I know for me, it's a necessary reminder to stay focused on eating healthy. But I do not record those daily weights because of the aforementioned daily changes up and down due to water and salt gain/loss. Or for those who are still young, hormonal change too will play into that (that, I'm well past). I record my weight every Monday and use that for my trend of loss. As long as I continue seeing it go downward, even if it's only a small increment I know I'm doing well. I also don't mind not losing - sometimes you will remain stable for a week or so, no big deal. As long as it's not going back up, all is good.