Weight Loss Journey....

I love this idea!!! I'm trying to lose some weight too so I'm joining in!!

I've already done some accomplishments, I recently lost 20 pounds!
Here is my info...

Age: 20
Sex: F
Height: 5'8"
Current Weight: 160
Goal Weight or BMI: 140
Current Pant size: 9-10

I forgot my BMI, but I know that I will be at my highest end of the normal range when I'm 150. I want to go a bit lower than that though..

How I lost 20 pounds: I really just set my mind to it, counted calories and tried to eat right. I didn't exercise although I probably should have and it took me around 3-4 months to lose this amount of weight ...Being 20 years old my metabolism is not in any way slowed down more than it should be so I think that gave me a very big advantage and is probably why I was able to lose weight without exercising at all..I dunno I just got really motivated somehow one day. I had been trying and trying all of my life to lose weight so I'm not even sure how to define this motivation that I got because I thought I was motivated, I wanted to lose weight badly even before I did this. So I'm a bit confused with myself here! I can't find what gave me motivation or anything like that. But yea I've kept the weight off for about 6 months, while slowly losing more- in the past 6 months combined i've lost a total of 5 pounds..I hope I don't screw it up and I hope I find more motivation to lose another 20!
A big and extremely important goal is also to start exercising...

O/T - But as someone who is skinny, my best suggestions for everyone is simply never buy snack foods (junk food). Don't even go down those aisles at the grocery store - those snacks cost too much anyways. Also never snack while watching tv or at the pc. When your mind is distracted it's easy to eat too much.

Flavor more naturally. Garlic and various peppers are better than dumping a ton of salt on something (even if I should be dumping the salt on).

Various raw or unsalted nuts make healthy snacks that actually benefit you.

Those are awesome suggestions for people with lots of willpower I can't give up my snacks...I eat low fat snacks and I give up meals sometimes to have my snacks. Unhealthy, I know but I just can't help it. There have been days in which I've had a bag of chips the entire day and nothing else because I've wanted it so badly. It really hasn't stopped me from losing weight or made me gain weight..

Aside from the occasional frito binge when I'm really craving salt I never eat chips. Too many GI troubles, they'll actually make me sick to my stomach and I'm lucky if the fat in them doesn't cause diarrhea (TMI, but that's what having no gallbladder can do to you).
I don't remember the name of the chips, but Super Walmarts and Sams carry a veggie chip that's baked. DH loves them.

..And there's the other secret, if you can't eat much fat because it affects you then you simply don't do it. The joys of GI issues.
Another reason to eat right so you don't end up with them!

Sorry for the O/T. Resume. Also there are older weight loss threads, but they never seem to last long.

I am like that!! I can eat a bag of chips or popcorn for lunch and skip breakfast.

I'm looking to lose about 10-15 lbs. I've gained 20+ since I started college 9 years ago. Hubby has also gained probably 30+ lbs since the same time (we started seeing each other at that time), and his blood pressure and cholesterol have both risen so they're borderline high, so I'd like to get him to do a bit of exercise and eating healthier too. But that's easier said than done. Maybe you guys can give me tips to help him out too.

ETA: I think I need to put a disclaimer on this: I hope this thread doesn't turn into a debate about what you should and shouldn't eat to lose weight. I feel like almost everyone disagrees on this issue, even some doctors and nutritionists. I think the most important thing is to research things yourself and make decisions by yourself and not based on what has helped someone else because what may help one person will not help another and could actually cause harm. That was one reason why I was feeling a bit reluctant to write much on this thread but...hopefully it will not go the wrong way especially when it goes into depression and emotional eating. These things are serious and even considered eating disorders in extreme cases. That being said .....

Counting calories has been really good for me. It's honestly what keeps me feeling good about myself. If I don't count my calories I feel paranoid that I'm gaining which sends me into a depression. I am like you, emotional eating is a big problem for me. So the problem is there is this neverending cycle, I eat which sends me into a depression which causes me to eat more. But once you break the cycle everything gets so great!! The problem is though that if you let it happen again it might be even harder to break. It's happened to me before. When I was 16 I lost a lot of weight, went down to 130 but one small mistake somehow set off a huge binging cycle for me and I gained everything back and more and that's how I got to 180. I am hoping that counting calories is the solution to not letting it start again. If you count your calories there is no way you can get depressed because you know logically and through your calculations that you are not gaining weight.
I think the upside to eating lean cuisine and frozen meals is that it makes it easier to count calories. It's a pain to have to weigh everything before you eat it. Lean cuisine meals really satisfy my hunger and during my weight loss, even though my mom was cooking real food I was still eating my lean cuisine (I try to eat the really low cal ones the ones that are like 180 calories or less). I need to start doing that again. It's not nutritious but I make up for it later by eating lots of steamed veggies and fresh fruits.

I don't understand, Snake Lady, I looked through the pictures thread and you look fantastic! With two kids, too! (I thought it was you, my apologies if I got the name mixed up!)

I lost 25 lbs. a year ago and gained 7 lbs. back. It is incredibly difficult for me to lose weight... I have several chronic diseases working against me, in addition to menopause (I just turned 50). I eat whole foods, nothing refined (no sugar or flour); nothing packaged; no artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors. Yucky.

With the exception of non-fat milk and yogurt, basically if you can't rinse or wash it, I don't eat it! I also do 20 minutes of yoga five days a week. I would like to lose more but if it doesn't happen, that's okay too.

Good idea for a thread!

Good points! I intend to treat this thread as a suggestions and motivation topic.

Here are my details.

Date: April 29, 2009
Name: Cat
Age: 27
Sex: F

Height: 5 feet
Current Weight: 125 lbs
BMI: well, according to the Wii Fit, it's around 23. Using BMI calculators online, it's 24.4, borderline overweight

Goal Weight or BMI: 110 lbs

Inches: I don't measure these

Current Pant size: 4 or 5

My thoughts/feelings: I just want to lose a little bit to get into more ideal shape. Personally, for me, what works is regular exercise and portion control. And cutting out snacks. When I have it, my will power is strong. But I don't always have it. I think if I just did a lot more exercise (I'm not doing it right now at all!!), I'd be close to my goal.

What exercise do I do? I have the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred dvd which I like a lot. It packs a lot into 30 minutes. The bad news is that I've only followed it for like a week. The other exercises I like to do, when I get the urge to exercise, are simple things like crunches and wall push-ups. these target my problem areas-- the triceps and my tummy. I do a few simple yoga poses to tone sometimes too.

I also don't usually weigh myself, although I'm using it here as a more concrete goalpost. I go by how I feel or look, or how my clothes fit me.

Great thread..I got on the computer to research some healty esting things, checked this site first and found this thread! cool how thing work sometimes. so my stats as far as I know
Age:30

Height:5'3

weight,starting was 167, now about 155

BMI : Wii fit says 29 but I'm hoping some of that is mucle mass!

Goal Weight:115

So what I am doing is lots of exercise, I do a cardio weight training dvd and then work out with free weights for 20 min on one day, than on the other day I do a hard just cardio work out dvd. I also try to do some yoga a few times a week. I take a Sat or Sun off from exercizing and don't do anything. I've been doing the exercises for about 6 weks now and definitly notice a diffrence...NOT a huge diffrence, but my belly roll is smaller and I can see some definition in my arms and thighs now. Oh about yoga.. I love it, idk how much it really does for weight loss, but the mind/body benifits are great. It does give you long lean mucle tone, but even more so it makes you feel so good, and you feel good about your body,..therefore don't eat as much junk food..so you lose weight...thats.. how it is for me ne way.

OK food is a whole diffrent story. All of the thing I have read say to eat a healthy breakfast so I try to do that. My problem is that I love food, not cake and chips, but cheese and tacos and pizza..I guess I have just got to stop eating so much easier said than done! The best tips I have for that are to drink LOTS of water. and I found that if I am really craving something cheesy I can get a can of chedder soup, I know its not the healthist thing, but it is only 200 calories and takes care of the craving..beats blowing 1000 calories at taco bell...
sorry for such a book! I hope this thread keeps going...

sorry about the double post..Snake lady I got so caught up in my story I forgot to respond to your questions!, I'm not a health professional or anything, but I have been doing yoga for quite a while..there are definatly some poses you can do at your current level of movement. can I ask youif you can stand for a short period of time? if so you may want to try tree pose..all it is is you stand with your feet anchoring downward, stand up as tall as you can and fold your hands in front of your chest in a prayer position. If that is comftorable for you you may want to try a sun salutation...start off in tree pose..slowly raise your arms out to the side and up as high as they will go, slowly lower arms and bend at the waist so you are touching your toes...(or kneesthen repeat it. There is a little more to it than that, but I think the first part will help you get some movement/flexibility going. I know they have lots of dvds for beginers so I hope that helps you..good luck!

Amen, sister.


My doctor and I both believe that the way to go with yoga is with a trained instructor in a classroom setting. That said, I HATE exercise, with the exception of walking, and I have to FORCE myself to exercise. I know I would not go to classes, so I use DVDs and do it at home. I'd rather mop the floors, clean the toilet, or scrub out the litter box than do exercises, BUT yoga is the least offensive of them all, with the most benefits.

Because of my fragile health, I have to give my body top-notch high quality foods and I have to exercise, otherwise I am sick all the time. Yoga has helped me build strength, improve balance, and build smooth (not bulky) muscles. And it's something I can do and there are other positive benefits. 20 minutes a day isn't too much to give ourselves, right? It's not high-energy, which is good because neither am I. But it is challenging, and there are poses you use when starting that give you a break. It does feel good. Other people get other benefits... I'm not sure if it helps me relax... I stress if I don't force myself to do it.

I live in a neighborhood with lots of retirees and very elderly people. They are out and about, walking or hobbling around. They are all either thin or or average-looking weight. There are no extremely-overweight elderly people around here, if there are, they are sitting in the nursing homes.

My focus is more on health and I think then the looking-good part will follow.

When I first started doing yoga, I was surprised to realize that the downward dog and upward dog were exactly what my physiotherapist was trying to get me to do. I thought she wanted me to do pushups and kind of rejected the idea (did I mention I hate to exercise?), LOL! Yoga has helped with my shoulder injury and back problems.

Greetings. I'm going to assume that you mean 'guys' in the literal sense.

I was blessed (or maybe not) with a fast metabolism as a kid and that, combined with lots of running and sports in high school kept me quite skinny. I think I weighed ~120 lbs (I'm ~6') in high school and I tried hard to gain weight by eating as many as 6 full meals a day. Unfortunately, that habit did not serve me well.

I was still what I would consider 'skinny' during my 4 years of college, and the first half of my 5 years in the Army. It wasn't until I was about 25 that I first noticed that I was putting on weight. With the PT (physical training) I kept it mostly under control, but it's been a slow creep ever since. I got out of the military in 2000 and really appreciated not having to do PT any more. In 2001, I was at about 175 lbs, which I considered to be way too big at the time. I actually went on a diet, started exercising, and managed to lose some weight to 150 and fit into some of my uniforms from college for probably the last time ever.

Since that low of 150, most of the past 7 years have been a slow uphill slide. I remember how upset I was the first time I stepped on the scale and saw 180. When I quit smoking 2 years ago, I was at 190 lbs. I work at a fairly large facility with a health club, so I started going to the gym and using the treadmill or the elliptical machine 2-3 times a week. That slowed the weight gain to a slow creep, but it didn't stop it.

Last Summer, I spent a week away at a conference and because I had a lot of free time at the hotel, I decided I would use the weight machines there in addition to a little time on the elliptical. My thought was, if I couldn't lose the weight, maybe I could redistribute it. So, after I got back, I started using the weight machines in addition to the cardio. The weight kept creeping upwards and I hit a high of about 210 at the beginning of this year.

I injured my Achilles tendon at about that time which, oddly, seems to have helped me out a bit. I had to stop doing the elliptical machine and instead, I had to focus on the weight machines. That change seems to have actually helped. I've lost ~10 lbs since the beginning of the year and not long ago, I saw a 1xx on the scale for the first time in a year and a half. The weights seem to have started working as well and my upper body is getting fairly toned. I still have a bit of a spare tire, so I feel like I'm in a sort of a Robert Mitchum 'in shape, but out of shape' place. At this point, I'd like to get rid of the last of the spare tire and lean up a little more.

Date: 4/29/09
Name: Brandon
Age: 36
Sex: M

Height: 6' / 1.80 m
Current Weight: 200 lbs / 91 kg
BMI: ~28

Goal Weight or BMI: 185-190 (though in theory 180 is the top of my 'healthy' BMI range)
Current Pant size: 36 (was an uncomfortable 36 a couple of months ago, not pretty comfortable)

Goal Pant size: 34

My thoughts/feelings:

For the first time in a couple of years, I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting it under control. It's very frustrating to do the right thing and still keep gaining. Some of the things I've cut back on recently include:

Alcohol: I haven't completely eliminated it, but it's a very rare thing. Just too many empty calories.

Cream and sugar in my coffee: There are almost no calories in a cup of black coffee.

Soda: I limit myself to 1 16 oz bottle per day.

Fast food: If I want a hamburger, I just cook my own. Much leaner quality of meat and much less grease = fewer calories.

Snack suggestions:

Grapes: I really don't know if it's possible to eat enough grapes to get fat since they run through you so quickly.

Cherry tomatoes/carrots: Dip these in a good ranch dressing for a tasty snack.

Honey-Nut Cheerios - When I feel like a sugary late-night snack, I try to grab a bowl of these instead of the cookies.

Wow, that sounds like a very good job!! I probably ate 3 times as much as you did today. We got take out tonight because I was too lazy to go grocery shopping, and then my parents made dinner so we had to go and eat with them-- which meant a double dinner. Earlier in the day I had a can of soup and then some ramen (no more ramen, I promise!).

That sounds great... Again, you outdid me by a long mile. No exercise to speak of today. I have to get started on the workout DVDs again. Sad to say, but we also have a large home gym that we do not make use of.

Have you tried Tai Chi? It reminds me of yoga but with more movement involved. I'm not talking about the more active exercises but the slower type that is popular among the elderly in China. Something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fz5U2uznZE

I think that's a very good goal-- very achievable but still requires effort!

Snack/meal ideas:
Before, these have worked for me, but I'm not sure about the nutritional value -

canned soup meals - these usually fill me up enough, sometimes need to eat with some low fat crackers or bread

cereal, as mentioned before - my favorite is Special K (fruit and yogurt)

oatmeal, flavored kinds, with a side of fresh fruit like an apple or banana - I love this for breakfast

I will also substitute brown rice where we usually eat white rice. This is a BIG deal for me since I'm Chinese and am used to eating white rice with almost everything. Hubby still refuses to eat brown rice, so I have to make both types of rice when I want to eat the brown.

I will make an exercise schedule tomorrow. This thread has already motivated me!!

Snake_lady you're doing amazing keep up the good job!!

I'm embarassed to even put mine because I know it's deplorable..

Honey ham sanwich on wheat bread, no cheese, mustard and some veggies: 250 calories
(60 calories per slice bread, 70 calories for 3 slices of honey ham and whatever else comes from veggies) I think the bread I use is very good and low calorie.

And then it goes downhill from here...
Pringles cheddar cheese chips: 600 calories
Cheetos puffs: 300 calories
Baked chicken breast for dinner: I have no idea how many calories. I didn't eat anything else though just the chicken breast with no side since I had done so terribly with the chips so I'll guess no more than 200
Total: 1350
I drank tons of diet pepsi with all those chips...

Yup this means, no breakfast, small lunch, binge on chips and then nearly no dinner...I'm the epitome of bad eating habits.

Arghh this is eye opening!!! I didn't think I was eating so much until I wrote it all out!! I normally count my calories mentally but i guess i must have been slacking lately cuz I didn't expect I had eaten so many!!
Like I forgive myself about those chips, I had a final today and I have two more to go so when I'm under that much stress like finals I say it's okay. As long as I don't make a habit of it though..

So, what does that make your total after your mini binge? I'm asking because I don't think it's as bad as you think it is. I mean yea it isn't what you planned...but remember, you don't gain weight after one binge it happens after days and days of eating like that..So NOT EVERYTHING IS LOST. Just by saying "I blew my day to crap" you're dooming yourself to feel depressed, angry and feel really bad about yourself which only makes things worse. I know that maybe ignoring this and denying the fact that you made a mistake is probably not the best thing to do either, but don't beat yourself up so much!

I hope this doesn't sound too challenging to you, but I think actually looking at the calories you've eaten rather than dismissing this as a screw up and moving on is probably going to be more helpful.

utopia's got a great response!

I know I'm not being too helpful... but what if you tried to come here or just online when you get these urges to binge? Something to take your mind off it? Log onto here, starting typing, and try to get immersed on the site. You could even come into this thread and let us know about your urge... Or think about how you'd have to confess it on here when you do binge, don't think about any possibly future guilt but think about what we or any of your friends would tell you.... maybe the thought of that might help curb your bingeing?

The only other idea I have is to designate a good friend, hubby, etc. to be "on call" when you get these urges, and you try to call them when you get the urge to binge and have them help you talk yourself out of it.

Chris, I admire you so much for starting this thread and you have my support 100%! I'm not actively trying to lose weight (although I should...I'm about 20lb over) but I'm trying to lower my cholesterol and stop the begining of diverticlious which I found out about a few months ago. Basically, that isn't a huge deal, I just have to eat more fruits and veggies and that has made a BIG difference!

Now with spring coming, I spend 1/2 my grocery money in the produce section. Steamed zuchinni (the green ones are best) with italian seasoning and a tiny bit of olive oil is wonderful. I also tried to make zuchinni chips in the oven (low heat broiler with italian seasoning) and they weren't bad...may have to experiment more with them. You can also try to make your own potato chips with old bay seasoning the same way. Just make sure they are cut thin.

For low calorie, healthy entrees I usually do fish or chicken. Fish for some reason here is the cheapest. I can get 4-5 tilapia fillets for under $4.00. Just throw some lemon and pepper seasoning on them, make brown rice and a veg and I just mix it all up together on my plate. For chicken I use breasts with a low fat or no fat italian dressing and cook slow until it falls apart.

My problem is every veggie I want to smother in butter, but I have found olive oil (sparingly) and seasoning works as well. But SO much more expensive! I'm now craving fresh snap peas so I can't wait until payday because I think they have them in the store now.

Anyway, just wanted to give you some ideas and wish you good luck! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

Nope I've never heard of that book...I've never actually read any weight loss books, maybe that's a good idea to start reading some. I have a lot of experience with the type of eating you're describing though. Of course I could never know if I was feeling the same but this binge eating was exactly what I used to do. It was like binge one day then nothing for a few days then binge again. Yours may be different, like what you consider binge is probably much less than mine were..mine was really drastic. This type of bad eating habits that I have now are nothing compared to back then. But still, when I look back I can identify some of the patterns that probably helped me get over it so that's how come I made that comment.

Way to go for staying positive!