Weight Control Support Group

[bren.1]

Regarding water: I think on Weight Watchers you can substitute 2 cups of non-caffeinated, non-calorie beverage as 2 waters. So a diet caffeine free soda, or herbal tea without sugar can count. That could be helpful in the beginning.

At first, you have to use the bathroom constantly, but it does get better with time.

Heidi, you do look so happy in your picture, you should remember that day as a good one. You look lovely.

Ady, You should be able to receive ediets email without paying, some of the articles are good. You can register at weightwatchers.com without paying, you get emails and recipes.

Another helpful website: www.3fatchicks.com. There are recipes and lots of info and advice.

Leslie, since you said you have trouble walking, is there a pool near you? Swimming is great exercise, and very gentle on the body.

 

[eeva]

Hey guys, mind if I join in? I really need to loose about 50 pounds... It really hit me after I saw some pics of myself taken this summer, I just looked HUGE! With Weightwatchers (not meetings, just a mail course) I lost about 30 pounds five years ago, but they've slowly come back, with a little extra... Will post a pic if I get the courage

Nah, if I find the pic I'm thinking of, that is.

 

[valanhb]

Eeva, you are more than welcome to join in! Amazing how so many of us talk about the revelation being in pictures. Maybe that's why so many people are camera shy.

We can all use one more person to support us, and we can all support one more person too.

OK, ladies...fess up! How much water for the day? Right now (4:30 pm here) I'm at 5 glasses, plus I drank a glass when I got up in the morning. So I'm at 6, and I'm planning on drinking water at home tonight instead of diet cola.

 

[jeanie g.]

Eeva, I'm not a member of the group, but I know that you recently quit smoking. There is a change in metabolism when you quit; I'm sure you know that. I understand it's temporary. I had lost so much weight with the pneumonia last December, and it's a good thing, I guess, because I've been munching for oral gratification. There's that to consider too. Don't be too hard on yourselves. I have quit munching, and I thought that would be impossible. I know you'll make it! I'll be a cheerleader for all of you!

 

[adymarie]

Eeva - the more the merrier and the more support we all have!

Ok - I promised a wedding pic so here it is. I will follow it by a pic taken of me last weekend at a friends wedding.

 

[adymarie]

Last week's pic

 

[valanhb]

Ady, you are very pretty! Gorgeous wedding pic, I love how your hair was done. (That's kind of what I wanted to do with mine, but the curl went out the minute the rollers were out.

)

 

[eeva]

Indeed, I especially love that wedding pic! Okay, found mine... here goes. Was taken last summer, me with my two little nephews. One of the pics that had me horrified... I look like I'm pregnant!

 

[julieb]

I gave some advice on the thread that inspired this one, and so wanted to chime in with my success story.

Starting 5 years ago, I have lost about 50 pounds, from 205 to 155, and maintained for almost 2 years. I lost about 30 in the first 6 months by exercising moderately almost every day and eating more vegetables and less ice cream. I stayed there for quite a while, gaining and losing the same 5-10 pounds for a while (up at Xmas, down in summer, etc.)

I lost another 10 about 2.5 years ago when I cut out most of the processed food in my diet. I still eat some cookies and desserts, but they are home-made with butter and other "real" ingredients. I eat a lot of fruit, veggies and meats (including beef and pork, as well as chicken and fish) with some carbs, but a lot less than I used to, and they are mostly whole grain now. I use full fat cheese and real mayo and I eat several whole eggs a week. It is all about portion size of these supposedly *evil* foods, as well as combining them with veggies and other fibre-filled foods. I find a little bit of fat and protein a lot more satisfying than the same number of carbohydrate calories, so my eating really came under control. Just coincidentally, I also really cut back on caffeine and almost never drink alcohol now, but I doubt that had a lot to do with my weight loss. I do sleep a lot better now, which research is now starting to correlate with control of blood sugar levels, so maybe it did help.

The last 10 came off last year when I decided to increase the intensity level of my exercise. I started jogging two summers ago, and have kind of kept it up on the treadmill over the winter and outside again this summer. I also use the elliptical machine and I do strength training as well. I work out about 2-3 times a week, and I have a fairly active job (I am a chef).

Those are the reporter's details about how I lost weight, but the story behind the story is that I started living more consciously. I think before I do anything, including eating. I think, "How will this make me feel? Am I really hungry, or maybe just thirsty or bored? If I don't eat a good breakfast, will I get hungry in a place where there are only chocolate bars and chips to eat?" I started paying attention to my body's reaction, and remembering it. I reveled in how great I felt after a good workout, and how my biceps are rock-hard now. I moaned about how crappy I felt in a "carbo-coma" after eating a big bowl of ice cream in the middle of the afternoon. Once I remembered these things, I would have some cheese and fruit for an afternoon snack and would go to the gym even when I didn't really feel like it. Not because it was the "right" thing to do, but because I wanted to feel good instead of bad.

The thing that worked for me was to make it a habit, not a choice. I went to the gym because that is what I was scheduled to do 5 days a week, not because I felt like it or thought it would be fun. I ate better because that's what was in the house and at the office, because I made sure that's what I brought home from the store. I made (and still make) a meal plan every week, and for the most part stick to it. I schedule ice cream and chocolate, too, so I don't feel deprived. We limit portions and measure our food so we really know what we're eating. After eating whole foods for a while, I can't even look at a piece of KFC now; I imagine the grease coating my mouth as if I'd just taken a big spoonful of Crisco and spread it on my tongue. It's just a habit, you can break it, but it takes time.

In order for it to work, you have to do it all the time. It's not a "diet" or a "plan" that will end when you get to your goal weight. You have to do something you can do for the rest of your life. It is not hard at all for me to maintain my weight, because I've broken those habits that made me fat in the first place - always cleaning my plate, using certain dishes and filling them up to the top, always having dessert, eating the whole chocolate bar, eating because it's there in front of me, eating for any other reason besides hunger. I eat anything I want to, just less of some things and more of others.

If I get ambitious, I'll try to post some "before and after" pics. A picture is worth a thousand words (which is about how many are in this post

), but how good you feel when you lose the weight is worth a million. You *have* to try it! Good luck, everyone!!

 

[whisker's mom]

Great pictures everyone! One of these days I will surprise you all with one of mine.

Heidi, everytime I go to attach one, I end up with the attachement saying: Documents/whatever, whatever. And then when I try to retrieve the picture again, it doesn't work. I will take more time to figure it out soon. I am doing something wrong and I am guessing it's something simple but it's so hard to catch your own mistakes.

As for water....well, I ended up drinking 1/2 litre (maybe a bit more) Anyways, it was one full sport bottle and another half of one last night. Guess I did not drink much but, it's a start.

I am at one glass so far (needed it to take my vitamins this morning)

I will drink most/all of my water today. Promise!!! I am not feeling well so I think that may be the only thing that I will be doing today: drinking water!

Good luck everyone and have a great, healthy day!!!!

It's nice to see so many people here. I'm positive we will all do great together!

 

[sydney the kid]

Ghislaine , how brave of you to try to loose weight ! I know by experience how easy it is to add a pound , and how difficult it is to get it of again ! I am a member of "WeightWatchers" . For me , this is the only programm that really works !! Oh , and one liter of water a day is NOT enough !! I am drinking minimum 1,5 liter -> 2 liter . And eat lots of veggies , they contain almost no calories , but lots of vitamins !!
Success !!

no :icecream: ...

lots of

 

[adymarie]

Morning all! Heidi - my hair had so much hairspray that I ended up with a knot the size of my fist in it by the end of the night!

Ok all of my dieting buddies - I have learned something of importance! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, eat the salad with egg from a place the day after a long weekend shutdown. I was sick all night - apparently my egg wasn't fresh yesterday in my salad!

Today I will keep it simple with tea, toast and water until dinner. Dinner should be yummy as we just got a crock pot. We are having roast pork, potatoes and carrots - yum!

I can't do groups like Wieght Watchers, Jenny Craig etc because something in my rebels against structure. I guess I have so much structure at work (laws, legislation to be followed) that I can't abide it outside! That is also why when I had a gym membership I didn't go. I am trying to start the exercising at home and we'll see how that works as I will be able to make my own schedule.

Remember - drink - drink - drink!

 

[ldg]

Hi All! Wow - this is GREAT! And I LOVE the pics!!!!! I think when we think of ourselves as "fat," it is hard for us to see anything else. But what others see is totally different. I think you're all beautiful, and I LOVE wedding pics! The most wonderful thing is that everybody's smiling, and just shining with love. You, too, Leslie, even though it wasn't a wedding pic!

I'm not going to have enough time these days to pop over here regularly. Another time problem is that I just work with an analog line at home, and threads with pics take SO LONG to fill in.

But I recently lost 10 of the 23 pounds I gained after quitting smoking.

First - about the smoking. For anyone who has gained weight as a result of smoking, here's the rub.

My Dad is a diabetic since age 9. He eats the most regular diet of anyone, ever. My mom weighs his meat before she makes a sandwhich, etc. He does not eat sweets or junk food of any kind, ever. He doesn't snack, except when he's supposed to. He smoked a pipe. After he quit smoking, he gained weight.

I learned then that it is not that smoking increases your metabolism. It is that the act of smoking burns calories. So when you quit smoking, you stop burning those calories. If you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, you're burning up to 400 calories just from that alone. If you work in an office and have to leave the building to smoke, add in more calories you're burning for the walking to and from. So when you quit somking, unless you stop eating 400 calories a day, you're going to put on one pound every nine days. Then add in all the extra calories from the food you're now picking at all day because you're replacing smoking with food - and.... wow!

Pick up a good fidget! I don't like chewing gum, but for those of you who do - chewing gum all day long (!) will lose you 10 pounds a year, even if you change nothing else. Swing your foot when you cross your legs if you have to sit at a desk and work. If you sit in a swivel chair, every once in a while swing your chair back and forth by twisting your middle. Every little bit helps!

My mom helped my dad lose weight by adjusting the amount of food she fed him when he needed to lose weight after he quit smoking. She gave me a great tip - well - it helped me.

She said, losing weight is just like putting change in the bank. Just cutting down your calories by even 200 a day (or eating the same amount of calories but exercising enough to burn 200 extra calories a day), whatever it is, it all adds up. If you put pennies in the bank, you can get to $20 or $50 or $100 - just don't be discouraged at the time it takes! Each penny counts.

Hope that helps you, too.

Weight maintenance. The biggest issue I had when I went to tackle the weight gain was the question - how many calories do I need? It's easy to find out how many calories are in foods, or how many calories you can burn through different exercises - but HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN A POUND? (or kilo!) How many calories should I be eating? How many am I eating to be this new weight?

Well I found the answers.

I haven't figured the conversion to kilos, but 3500 calories is one pound.

And here's the formula to figure out how many calories "support" different weight levels.

The conversion to kilos shouldn't be too difficult, but this might help some of you like it helped me.

Take the number of pounds you want to be. Multiply it by 10 calories per pound. This is what you need to breathe, make your heart beat, etc. Take that number. Multiply it by 10% and add it. That additional number of calories is what you use to digest your food. Now. To account for exercise. You are going to take that total and add another anywhere from 20% to 40%. If you are essentially a couch potato, use 20%. If you are a construction worker or an exercise nut (defined as an hour or more of extremely vigourous exercise each day) use 40%. If you get moderate exercise (examples would be you walk to a bus stop to get to work every day, you get out for a short walk at lunch and then when you get home you cook dinner - or maybe you work out 3 times a week for half an hour - 45 minutes or so - that kind of a thing), you'd use 30%. If it's somewhere inbetween any of those categories, use 25% or 35%. So add that number to your running total. As you get older, you burn fewer calories. So subtract 2% of that new total for each decade over 20. That's how many calories will support that weight. Over that, you'll gain weight. Under that, you'll lose weight.

One thing to remember, the more muscle you have, the more efficiently you burn calories.

So - if you want to weigh 140 pounds, this is how many calories you will burn to maintain your weight:

140 pounds X 10 calories = 1,400 calories.
1400 + (1400 * 10%) = 1,540 calories.
Let's say you get somewhere between mild and moderate exercise. That's
1,540 + (1,540 * 25%) = 1,925 calories.
Let's say you're 45. That's
1,925 - (1,925 * 4.5%) = 1,838 calories.

Anything above 1,838 calories a day, and you gain weight. Anything below 1,838 calories a day, and you're losing weight. (Increasing exercise has the same effect).

If you weigh 180 pounds now, that's:
180 * 10 = 1,800 calories.
1,800 + (1,800 * 10%) = 1,980 calories.
1,980 + (1,980 * 25%) = 2,475 calories.
2,475 - (2,475 * 4.5%) = 2,363 calories.

Anything below 2,363 calories and you'll be putting change in the bank (or up your exercise to burn the extra calories). But you need to change your eating habits over time so that you are happy eating 1,838 calories a day - that's the only way you will maintain your goal weight. Unless, of course, you up your exercise from inbetween mild/moderate to anything above that.

Becoming an obsessive calorie counter won't help, but for me it was important to understand where I was, and where I needed to be.

Maybe that will help you too!

There is a site where you can count calories. Unfortunately it is only in terms of pounds, not kilos. It is free, and I used it only for two weeks, just to get a feel for where I was at. It was also very good for helping me figure out my alternatives, because it has the nutritional and calorie information on LOTS of stuff. To calculate what I was eating, I did have to add a bunch of "custom" stuff, but as I only did it for two weeks to see where I was, it wasn't too tough.

But Heidi - that bagel probably has close to 400 calories. With nothing on it. You're better off with two pieces of wheat toast (which also has fiber) - and to rival that bagel, you can even put butter or cream cheese on that wheat toast and still have less calories than the plain bagel!

And that illustrates perfectly part of what the issue was for me - making informed choices. Obsessing about calories won't help. But making informed choices will. But I had to learn about the choices first.

The site that helped me was Nutrawatch:

http://www.nutrawatch.com/

...and I've finished two glasses of water while writing this!

Go gettem' everyone! Drink that water - and put that "change in the bank!"

 

[adymarie]

Laurie - thank you for the excellent info - I have to get my calculator out!

 

[7cozycats]

hi all. i discussed my weight several months ago on here. my weight gain is because of depovera shot. which i have been off of since january 2002. i don't eat very much at all! maybe once a day and a snack. i'm just not hungry. if i could just get my butt up to exercise i know the weight would come off. i need to loose about 40 pounds. i have lost 10 pounds since coming off the shot doing nothing at all. well, i do get more nightly exercise if you know what i mean!
i actually have a sex drive again. lol. my perfect size would be a 9. but i'd be happy a 12. i would never want to be little. some meat on a women is good. i'm a size 18 still, but my clolthes are more comfortable losing the 10 pounds. my exercising is limited due to a buldging disc in my lower back. 30 minutes of walking at a time can get it flared up and may last for days. so i have to be really careful. i think everyone here can do it! i always tell myself or my freinds if i really wanted to loose weight i would. it would done be off! there is no excuses. even with my back. and i want to add coming off depo has changed my life! i was on for 7 years! my ocd and anxiety has improved, i have a sex drive, i'm no longer a b*tch to everyone, i'm not moody! so my marriage is better than ever. the change in me is so dramatic, even my neighbors reconized it! good luck gals! you can do it!!!!!!!

 

[dtolle]

7cozy cats, just so you know when you starve your body ( by eating only 1 meal a day) , your body will go into starvation mode and hang on to everything. You need to eat to lose!!! That is a proven fact.

You need to eat healthy, exercise , drink water, but don't undereat. Its dangerous and unhealthy. Not to mention, you will never shed those pounds.

 

[valanhb]

Morning all. Wow, so much good information on this thread!

Laurie, I went to see what the "point" value was for those bagels last night and about fell over! You wouldn't think a bagel would be so "bad". And here I was trying to be good.

We went and checked out the clubhouse in our apartment complex last night. It's really nice, and they have some great equipment for cardio and weight training. The really nice thing about this complex is that they have these clubhouses throughout the complex, instead of just one in an inconvenient location. The one by us is just one building down from where we live, so NO EXCUSES! It even has a TV in there by the cardio machines, so I can't use the "But I don't want to miss my favorite show" excuse.

Ady, I so relate to you! I've tried joining health clubs, thinking if I spent money on it I would go. Nope, didn't work. I can't afford to join one of those weight loss groups, but I don't know if I would actually follow the program or not. Right now, I'm planning on doing a modified "Points System" like WW, but I need to do more research on that too.

I love that we are sharing our pictures here, no matter how horrible we think they are. Just think how great we will feel when we can post the "Making Progress" and "After" shots! (Ghys, if you would like, just email me the pic you want to post and I can do it for you until you get it figured out

)

 

[adymarie]

Heidi - I am going to probably just do a "cut out the junk food, eat some healthy style food and get the butt off the couch" diet plan! With lots and lots of water!

 

[bren.1]

Ady, the great thing about WW is that it offers a framework with a lot of room to choose for yourself. i could never do one of those diets where I had to eat a specific thing at a specific time.

I really recommend writing down everything you eat. So many times we convince ourselves we aren't eating alot, but we forget sometimes. If you like to snack while cooking, it adds up, too. Have some carrot sticks or gum.

For those of us who have trouble eating all our veggies, add them to whatever you're cooking. I try to add extra veggies to canned soups, frozen dinners (Weight Watchers has some good ones), pastas, etc. It helps, and it fills you up faster.

Today we are having a bridal shower for one of our faculty members. I will try to be strong, and not eat the cake!

 

[bundylee]

Okay I have a confession!!!!!!!

A glass of coke for breakfast
Fish and chips for lunch
Macdonalds for diner

And only 425ml of water!

I had the 3 girls over to stay for today and tonight and I fell into some bad food today. I am ashamed! I did get to walk a bit though and also getting up to see to the girls a hundred times LOL!

Okay tommorow is going to be better again.

I will wake up with the thought that this is the first day of the rest of my life and the best day I've ever had!

Good night my weet beautiful girls, please don't be to mad at me. I am proud of admiting my bad day and not pretending I was good when I wasn't.

Love you all