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The "W" word
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My gym opens up next week and I am so ready for it.
Each child i have gained that and more. I used to be a hot mamma now im just a chubby chica.
I have to admit I am not constantly working on it. I've been lazy all summer. My husband likes a little curve, a little junk in the trunk, a little jiggle with my wiggle. I also think I look better with curves than bean pole but my curves are becomeing rolling hills and that I dont like.
My motivation is how i want to be. Also my kids. I know its silly but I don't want my kids to ever be embarassed of me if they have friends over or I go to their school.
Doing about it? I joined the new gym. I need to eat better but DAYUM I'm a good cook. If I sucked it would make it so much easier but I really like my cooking.
I suck, and trust me, it doesn't make it easier.;)
I tried WW online, but screw them, I used up all my 19 points with the first two meals! So I've decided to pretty much eat what I was eating - just half as much, drink more water, and eat fruit when I'm hungry (instead of my favorite CREAM CHEESE & crackers or CHIPS!!!)
I will say it's working - I lost 4.5 lbs. in 10 days. About 20 to go. Oooh, and turning 40 soon. :( :( :(
I agree. I think it's funny and fascinating that most of us have this goal throughout the majority of our lifetime.I put down losing weight but had in mind not only losing weight but also eating better, being more health conscious, etc. This includes flossing my teeth everyday too! :)
I wish I knew what drives our motivations up and down. I am not what I consider overweight but as I get older, I become more particular about where my health & body are heading.
I know I feel physically better and more positive when I work out and I miss that feeling when I stop going to the gym.
If I didn't like chocolate, my life would be much easier too. :)
This is a huge focus for me over the last few years. I've been doing Weight Watchers (going to meetings) for about 2 years and have lost over 70 pounds. I have about 25 more to go, and it feels really amazing to be successful and prove to myself that I'm worth it. The turning point for me was when I was studying for the bar exam, turned my head and saw myself in a full length mirror in my room. Without thinking about it, I went and turned the mirror around. Then I stopped and thought, I'm a successful, happy, strong woman. Why doesn't my body reflect that?! And why has it gotten to the point where I'm ashamed to even look at myself in the mirror?!
So I started after that, took some time off during my first year of work, then really buckled down a few years ago. It's still a struggle, but eating healthier has become more habitual than not. And I still struggle to get to the gym, but try to give myself incentive to go 3 times a week.
My motto is, lose your weight the way you want to live your life once the weight is off. If I don't want to go to the gym 5 times a week for the rest of my life, there's no point in doing it short term just to lose the weight. I know it will all just come back on when I stop doing that. Or if I can't live my life without ice cream or chocolate, I just work it into my everyday plan NOW when I'm losing, so that it can stay there after I've lost. It's coming off more slowly this way, but hey - that's ok with me! It's also staying off, which is a change from other more crash diets I've been on.
Anyway, those are my two cents. Good luck to anyone making a positive decision regarding their health and habits. I'm sure you will be successful!
The turning point for me was when I was studying for the bar exam, turned my head and saw myself in a full length mirror in my room. Without thinking about it, I went and turned the mirror around. Then I stopped and thought, I'm a successful, happy, strong woman. Why doesn't my body reflect that?! And why has it gotten to the point where I'm ashamed to even look at myself in the mirror?! Can I quote you in Fatties Unite? (I won't use your name if you don't want.) This is fantastic, Emily! I'll admit it--you made me cry.
Anyone who wants to join FU, please do. I'm afraid I've kinda been a shitty moderator over there, but there are several people (men and women) who are worth admiring for sure!
Great thread! In 2006 I lost 60 pounds with WW. I had to do the in person meetings because I felt more personally accountable for some reason. It worked. In 2007 I quit smoking and gained about 10 pounds of it back (still under my WW taget weight) and I am so frustrated because I can't take those 10 pounds off!I have to agree with Emily though. I don't want to do the treadmill every single day and that should be ok. At almost 50 it's unreasonable for me to expect my body to look 25...everything is in a different place...my butt moved to my belly, my upper arms are almost flags and we won't talk about where my boobs are!
Amanda, go ahead! Quote it, use my name, whatever you want. And I'm totally going to check out the group!
Fatties Unite is a great group, Amanda!
You guys, my boyfriend is on this diet where he has to drink his meals. He can only eat one actual meal a day. It kind of stinks but he has lost 23 lbs in a month. Of, course, I have gained it. Why, do I gain it only in my gut? It's stupid!
Laura, the chips, the chips, they call to me!! Who can eat a normal meal at 8PM!
Oh no. Now I'm hungry! Or not hungry, but want to eat. I'd better drink something instead!
I gain in my gut too Maureen.....I'm built like an apple....inherited from my mom and grandma....but I've also heard you gain in your gut when you have alot of stress in your life (who doesn't)?? I personally like to think its the wine I drink...I won't blame the food!! LOL
My stomach is huge ever since menopause. Do you notice the word MEN in menopause. I think it is a male trick inflicted upon women. grrrrrrrrrrrr
Good one, Meg, I'm with ya LOLMenoPAINS in the menoBUTT !!!
Maureen - It gets bad when you want to put the cream cheese ON the chips. AAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhh!!
Oh the wine! I buy the tiny 4pack telling myself it's not a whole bottle! hee hee!
The tiny 4 -pack..... sometimes I do that too!!! LOL
This threads a funny one, as in I can relate, funny. The water retention is what feels so yucky to me. My sister and I have this thing we do where we stick our thumb in our mouth and pretend we're blowing up a balloon, only our body is the balloon. Then we stick one of our legs out really fast like it's a balloon about to pop: That's what the water feels like in the legs. Can hardly bend 'em. Grr.
Great ThreadOne of my regrets is that I let myself put on more weight than I need and I can't even blame the kids because I was thinner after I had my first child and I got within 10 pounds of my original weight after the second.
I was about 40 pounds overweight in July when my husband deployed to Afghanistan and I told him my plan to take off the weight before he returns next year. He will be shocked when he gets off that plane and I can't wait!!!!!
With that being said, I have never tried to lose weight before so this is a whole new ballgame to me and it is not easy!! I have lost 9 pounds thus far by running the treadmill at my house and doing the elliptical at the gym and trudging around my neighborhood on other days. I think it should be coming off faster since I started this whole adventure the 2nd week of July.
BUT, then I remind myself that at least it is leaving my body and I haven't gained anything back. I am always scared after a bad eating day to get on the scale.
What I have learned so far is that eating healthy is not good enough for me to lose anything. I have to do that plus work out. And I have learned that working out only 3 times a week is not good enough, I will not have lost anything that week if that is all I did. Such a bummer!!!
So I keep my motivation by thinking that I don't want to live with regrets and I don't want to look back on my life and think why did I spend all those years heavy. Its just not worth it.
Paige, it's always better to take weight loss slowly. Then, you're more assured that it won't come back. And you're right, exercise AND eating right is the key.I hope your husband is OK over there...such a scary thing!
just joined sparkpeople.com to motivate myself to tone up/lose weight. any of you on this site?
do you find it helpful at all?i mean..i just started..but it seems very helpful. i love that you can track your food and how many calories it has and fat.
Yes, very helpful (though hard to use, unfortunately).About 2 years ago, I lost quite a bit of weight by sticking to my Sparkpeople diet. For those of you unfamiliar, Sparkpeople takes your current weight, your goal weight, and calculates a daily calorie intake for you. It's designed to help you lose weight the healthy way--1 or 2 lbs per week...
As long as I was dedicated to putting my food in every day, I was able to stick to my diet. Once I quit logging in every day, I lost all momentum and gained the weight back. I'm back on Spark now, though, and hope to keep it going.
They have great recipes on the site as well. And you can input your own recipes to calculate calories. Love it.
It's so easy to get used to how you are, even if you're not happy about it! From late 2004 thru 2007, I gained 70lbs after being seriously hurt at work (herniated disk, lumbar & sacriliac & both knees & both hands sprained, torn elbow ligaments & torn tricep tendon) and I've had complications as a result of not fully healing from those injuries. It made me immobile for a very long time and changed how I can move. I think my metabolism has finally changed (slowed down a bit) as well.Jan 2008 thru Nov 2008, I had lost 25lbs. Since the middle of Nov 2008 I've gained back 13-15lbs. It's not the 1st time I've gained weight back while trying to lose at least 50lbs of the 70lbs, but this time it came with 2 very large & itchy stretch marks! Sigh. I stopped taking my vitamins which makes me very run down and then I also had a house full of peeps 24/7 (Hubby home w/back injury from 11/11 to 1/7, Sis in law visited from 11/15 - 12/6 and Nephew moved in around 11/15) which isn't the norm and so there was a lot more eating involved in my every day than norm.
While my health is very unpredictable (I've got Psoriatic Arthritis, an autoimmune disease which greatly compromises my immune systems ability to function correctly), I still don't make the effort most of the time to get out & walk on the days that I actually feel up to it. I don't exercise at home even though we have a tread mill and a stationery bike in the spare room. I still haven't taken up yoga as my Orthopedic rec'd to me... in 2005 or 2006?! Jeepers! (And no, my reading about it doesn't count!) I hate exercising.
I did make a goal for this Winter. I want to lose this 13+ lbs plus 25 more by Spring. (Heck, I'd like to lose this 13+lbs before having to fly to Texas next month for a nephew's wedding).
Woman, you need to get your ass over to Fatties Unite! There are a bunch of people doing really well on their weight loss and it will make you SO JEALOUS, you'll just have to exercise! hee hee hee
Wait a second, I thought I was a member of fatties unite! I know I haven't posted there in a while... I'll have to check later on the pc (I'm on my cell now). Since they switched goodreads over some things have been playing hide & seek on me.One thing I do have to do which I think can help us all in this battle is to designate a specific time period for being online & NOT deviate from it!
I think you are a member. But you haven't posted in a while, so I didn't know if you were still checking in... Good call on only being online at certain times. The addiction to the web is a killer! :)
Has anyone heard of Paul McKenna's weight loss system/new book, "I Can Make You Thin"? He also had 5 episodes on TLC that outlined his main theories. I have been doing that for a while and it really, really works. It's all about eating slow and listening to yourself while you eat (McKenna says that's a big difference between skinny people and overweight people - skinny people know when they're full, therefore they stop!) and more importantly for me, it doesnt ask you to deprive yourself of anything. I've actually been turned off by certain foods that I thought were awesome before because of the way I'm slowly eating, really tasting it and learning to stop when I'm full. I recommend it for those of you who don't want to give up chocolate or pasta or french fries, because I know I can't!!
Allison, great comment!!!!! There is something to be said for slooooowiiiiing down!Mind if I share your comment with the people in Fatties Unite?
Hi Amanda, I don't mind at all!! I have loved every day that I'm on this new system (it's not a diet - its a way of life!) and I totally think everyone's life will change when they read more about his system!
I think that's a big reason why 2008 flew by so fast for me!
I wish I'd come back to re-read these posts this morning. I just realized I scarfed my breakfast! Oops.
I know, that's the hardest part, slowing down! Once you master it though, it comes naturally. I would rather slowly eat a stack of chocolate chip and butter-y pancakes and not finish the whole thing than scarf down a "healthy" breakfast and be hungry a half hour later!
Emily and Lynlee are so right. You really need to eat and exercise like you are going to do it for the rest of your life. I lost about 80lbs on LAWeightloss several years ago. I have kept it off now for 3 years but after my Hyster surgery at the end of 07 last year was a bit rougher for me. I think I gained 5 lbs only but still it has been very hard to move the scale even eating healthy and exercising for the last 4 + years 3 times a week rain shine sleet or hail! I missed one time the week of my surgery but was back up and walking in a couple days. You really have to pick exercise that you can live with and like you make eating several times a day priority then so should you make your exercise. I plan all things around it. What is more important than your health! Now if I can just find out more info about bioidentical hormones and Drs around my area that know something about the the sooner I can get back to 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Which is another contribution to poor weight loss..not enough sleep! Grab a book and go to bed early girls! :)
so as soon as this baby is removed from my body, i am drastically changing the way I eat. I too have tried WW (the points systems) and liked it (not loved)it. so I am going to try their core program. with all three of my children i gained between 60-70 pounds. most came off in between. which is kind of amazing considering there was only 6 months between # 1 and 2. but I, like alot of you, want to be healthy for my ACTIVE boys. I want to be able to run and play with them and not just sit on the sidelines.so i know for it to be easier come March, i need to cut out the good stuff now. but seriously how can i say no to cravings? peppermint ice cream and fritos taste so good together!!
I'm glad I found this thread. I lost 70lbs. from March 2006 to August 2007. Since my wedding in March of last year, I've gained back about 20 lbs. I really enjoy exercise. It's just a matter of finding the time. With my wedding came a move. The hour I used to spend in the gym every night are now spent in the car. I know what it takes and I'm at the point where I'm sick of being overweight (again). I'm back to eating right and I've found an exercise schedule that works for me. I'm just frustrated because I want the pounds to melt away NOW!
Sarah - Weight Watchers did away with the Core & Flex plans. It's now just one plan called the Momentum Plan which sort of combined the two. Still give it a try! I really like the new plan.
I actually gleaned something useful from Oprah yesterday. She was talking to a woman who's previously been on her show who was over weight & had not only lost weight but had become a female body builder, who has now gained back most of the weight and is frustrated, embarrassed, etc.. Oprah told her not to make getting back into that bikini her goal, but to make taking care of herself the goal. And that really got me thinking!
Losing 50 of the 70 lbs I gained has to be a part of the goal of taking care of myself and doing better for myself and my body. But, I haven't looked at it like that. I've looked at the things I'm doing to try to lose the weight as just a means to lose the weight - my goal specifically has been to lose that amount of weight. It has to be a part of a lifestyle and not stand alone. I don't take care of myself as well as I should, physically or otherwise and that is so important. If you focus all of your energy on one aspect of yourself, the others will fall out of balance.
If you focus all of your energy on one aspect of yourself, the others will fall out of balance. Jo, you're right on, here. All of us are WHOLE people not just different parts one day to the next. Balance has always been a major theme in my life--what can I say, I'm a Libra--and whenever I'm out of balance, I can feel it physically, emotionally, you name it. I want ALL OF US to love ourselves regardless of what we look like.
Amanda wrote: "I want ALL OF US to love ourselves regardless of what we look like."That's right! And appreciating your body doesn't mean you can't change it if you know you can do better for yourself ~
Another point Oprah made that got me thinking was when she said, "you're not disappointed in your body, you're disappointed in yourself - no matter what weight you are or what physical problems you have, your body still does everything it can for you as long as it possibly can" (takes you where you need to go, let's you wake up every day for a new start).
Appreciate your body regardless. I never looked at it like that. Never even considered it.
Amanda, balance is a word that came to me while pondering "intention words for 2009" (see the thread started by Teri under the Girl Talk section here). I am SO out of balance! I've been nearly overwhelmed by how to get balanced. What does it truly mean?! (Have I ever been?!) Ugh.
Hope this doesn't reveal an obsessiveness about "W" but did anyone watch the Biggest Loser competition at the end of the season where everyone had to run around a track wearing multiple weight vests that they would strip off after a lap of running/walking? Each vest represented a week of weight loss and they all commented that they felt light as feathers without that extra weight at the end and how much easier moving was without them. I know....it's kind of a "duh" revelation. So....I do a lot of lifting daily in the book business and boxes are usually about 30 - 40 lbs. So, I've been trying to imagine what being released from the constant weight bearing of 30lbs would feel like? How much better and lighter I would feel? It's not how I would look (although there is that too)... it's really how my joints would suddenly not remind me of their presence. How my feet would feel lighter. How a brisk walk might easily turn into a run....how I would have that feeling I've had at times in my life where I wasn't reminded of my body constantly. The body voice quiet and I could just enjoy without that extra list of cares.
My intention word was "Plenty" but plenty still works with this thread. I assess what I have, do I appreciate it? Do I use it? And in respect to my body...I've started walking to work every morning.....in the dark...what a fantastic way to start the day.
I also agree Teri with what you said. Just cutting back on portions helps a great deal with weight loss. I'm not a big portions eater...in fact if you go out to eat with me I very rarely finish anything on my plate. I usually leave half of each thing there at the restaurant. I'm not perfect though by any means...I have a HUGE bread problem. I could probably eat the whole basket!! I also try not to "stuff" myself. When I'm full I just stop eating. I've learned I feel better when I do that.I'm supposed to follow the diabetic diet and the cardiac diet because of my health and I find I have a harder time with the cardiac diet because of my sodium intake. I never add salt to anything but I eat alot of already salty stuff. The diabetic diet encourages you to eat 5 small meals a day and that revs up your metabolism and encourages weight loss. You don't have to cut out sugar completely....you just need to have small balanced meals and count the carbs so for me its easier to follow than the cardiac one.
I once knew a lady who was diagnosed with diabetes at 30 and lost 100 pounds in 6 months on the diabetic diet. Its a great diet (more of a lifestyle change really) and I encourage people I know who want to lose weight to at least try it and see if it works for them.
Does anyone reward/punish themselves with food? I used to reward myself and punish myself with food! When you think about it, it seems pretty silly. I still do it from time to time but it's nothing like it was. The new thing I'm on (if anyone has been reading this from the beginning, it's Paul McKenna's weight loss system) also stresses taking care of what's going on inside because not only will that help your weight loss, but once you become successful, it doesn't necessarily mean it will leave you happy!If only shedding pounds were as easy as reading books, right girls?!
I have been in that food reward/punish thing. I still think from time to time that 'I can have that little bite if I do this etc' but the truth is that Yes eating correct portions is a must but also what we eat in those portions are a huge must. In order to get what we need from food to run correctly each day we need to cut out (and by cut out I mean NEVER eat a McDonalds burger and fries because when is that ever a healthy choice for anyone including children) those things that are not healthy for anyone. I have lost 79lbs and kept it off for the last few years. I waffle with about 5 unwanted pounds but I am still in my goal weight I would just like to be on the other side of it. :)
I really believe that we have to make a change in what is acceptable foods that we eat that are healthy for all. I would love to see the end of some of those fast food chains. Seeing a child be given the treat of eating at one is really sad. I would like to someday be driving on a trip and be able to pull up to a fast food place that serves fresh fruit (we know it is fresh not the brown apples at subway by the way)but we are seeing a few changes in that direction. I am a veggie lover and it would be awesome to order up some steamed broccoli or brussel sprouts on a trip wouldn't it??
Why IS that? Why are we constantly working on it? What are our motivations? What are we doing about it?
I thought we needed a place to vent and encourage in our little COL corner of the world about this very common concern.