Weight Loss Support for the Humans

[catsarebetter]

Lionness, better to get a jump start on it now then let it get out of hand! Yay! I sincerely wish that I'd just nipped it in the bud (butt, hehe) when I started to gain but.. I didn't. I think the biggest thing for me is that I hate not being fit, like I used to be. My appearance doesn't really motivate me to lose, because I'm pretty confident in my appearance. Occasionally I'll look in a mirror and think, wow, you really do need to lose weight, but 95 percent of the time I look in the mirror and I don't see a fat person staring back at me. So, unfortunately for me, my appearance isn't a good motivator. Now.. there are a few men I'd like to lose weight for: Ralph Lauren (the brat started making plus sizes, though), Calvin Klein.. and a woman or two.. Donna Karen..

I've tried pilates. OOOOPH, they're really hard. I did see, however, a yoga dvd for overweight people, and seriously unflexible people. I think I might pick that one up, because.. either way.. the hardest thing is to be flexible around my own body, since I can't seem to get around my own body to do those poses.

Other possibilities that I've seen .. there used to be a show called sit and be fit... which was specifically designed for older people, people who are unable to excercise in the "normal" method.. it ran on cable but I have no idea if it's still on.

One of the suggestions I've heard about portion size is.. if you were to divide your plate into quarters, your meat should take up one quarter, a bread or something in the second quarter, and veggies should take up the other half. I'd also heard to start off eating the veggies first, then move on to the next lowest calorie thing.. Now, only if I practiced this..

 

[lionessrampant]

Yeah, my appearance doesn't motivate me...I don't think I look particuarly bad! Sure, there are girls my age that hem and haw over how "fat" they are...I'm not one of those girls. I just want to be healthy! According to my chart, healthy is 120 pounds (I'm 5' 5" and need to weigh that with a body fat percent of 18-22%)

If you've done Pilates before...great! I assumed it would be something new. However, Yoga is good for everyone, no matter what ize or health they're in. I love my Sun Salutations!

 

[kluchetta]

I so totally can't wait until I can do yoga! Well, first I have to be able to tie my shoes. But I know I will get there!

 

[xangelicxnekox]

Ooh! I wanna join in on this too!

I've been on a "health journey" since Jan.
I started bit by bit changing to more natural food instead of enriched.
I actually got a lot of helpful tips from you guys awhile back.
Like Annie's Pasta and Krema Peanutbutter...
My goal weight is 125 and currently Im 136 so Im nearly there
though sometimes like lionessrampant, I eat a lil too much than I really need.
I just tell myself I'll burn it off on the treadmill.

But in the end it's not so much about "thiness" as it is being healthy for life!

Eat to Live!

 

[karmasmom]

I need to join this thread too. Last year when I started my job I was 112 well since I have been working I put on 36 pounds. I now weigh 148. I know why I put it on too. I don't excersice as much as I should, in fact I don't at all. The only excersice I get is at work, sure Trader Joes is hard physical labor, I have put on alot of muscle but I also have put on a lot of fat. IT all comes from the fact tht food is available all day everyday. We have the demo stand, right in the middle of the store, every time i walk by it I grab some, no matter what it is. Then in the break room people just stick all kind of food on the table. There is everything, chips, dip, bread, candy, cake, all kinds of munchies. If someone wants to try something we open it and everyone gets some. I just can't stop myself. Half the time I get so full munching I don't even need to eat lunch but I still do because I feel like if I don't get real food I am not eating right. Even with all the munchies. Then my other problem is wine. Those who have shoped a Trader Joes will know what I mean. We have great deals on wine. I can get a good bottle fo $2.99 then add my discount and its less than 3 bucks a bottle. I hate to say it but I can drink a bottle night. My DH and I usually share one sometimes two everyday. Then there is the fast food. I work 2 or 3 nights aweek untill midnight or later. When I get off work I am starving and want food but don't want to cook so I stopp by Jack and the Box. I usually get 2 junior bacon cheesburgers. It all added up fast. So I know that is where the weight came from. I eat a ton of crud and don't excersise.
I went out and bought an excesise ball, I have used it a few times, when I did use it I felt good. I stopped because I was tired from work.
So heres what I plan on doing, no more munching at work, no matter how hard. If I need to munch, I'll grab and apple, we have fruit available at all times,I just nevergrab them because there are much tastier things available. I will start using my ball at least 3 times a week. I will walk to work, I only live about a mile and a half from work. I will also stop drinking every night, if I want to party I will do it once a week and no more. will also post here when I need some moral suport. I really want to lose the weight. I will be 30 at the end of the month and I know its harder to lose weight the older I get so I have to start now.

I am glad someone started this thread. I give a big You go girlto all those triing to lose weight. Heres to a new us and to new lives

 

[carolpetunia]

WOW! Already so much great advice, so many wonderful ideas! This is going to make a difference for us all, I think. Thank you, Heather, for starting this thread... and Lioness, Imp, your advice makes perfect sense to me. I really feel excited about this -- can it be that change is possible?

 

[theimp98]

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

-- can it be that change is possible?

of course its is possible,If someone with busted back, that can no longer lift weights and do the normal gym stuff i used to do, can do it , then you can.
It is not easy, there is will lots of up and down times, but you can do it,

You can not do this for others, it has to be you, for your health, and to get your life back.

ok this is what i thought one day, when i looked in the mirror and saw this fat guy standing there, hey this is not me, where did i go, i cant keep living like this being stuck in the house, and scared to go out. i may be in pain, but that does not mean i stop living.

so yes you can do it,

 

[catsarebetter]

Karma, I know exactly what you're going through... cause TJ's gets me every time I get in there... that little demo stand *always* snags me. Combine that with a stop at Whole Foods who is also famous for "try this" tidbits..and who needs a lunch??? And 2 buck Chuck is great, lol.

There is also a catalog/website that has exercise videos.. and the people try *all* of them and then rate them according to how they think they are. It's a pretty good thing.. of course, I'm still getting them (and of course, they go straight into the recycle bin of late, I'm chagrined to admit) .. I don't recall the name, but I will think on it and then let you know. They're about average price and I've found that the ratings are about right, but I think I've always found everything I'm looking for in there. Let me do a websearch really fast. Here we go... it's http://www.collagevideo.com/

You can click on them, and most of them have a small video on the website so you can see bits and pieces of it. There are a ton of the "sit and be fit" excercise collection listed under specialty videos, and then health problems.. and you can do a search for videos that are rated to each level of fitness so it's nice because you can do a search on "beginner" and get back a list of things they think are the good starters.

Okay, everybody, have an awesome day! Do your best to keep on track today, and just remember, take it one day at a time! Everyone remember to drink *lots* of water (I've found that it really helps to flush out the weight loss).

 

[mirinae]

Oh, count me in!

I started Weight Watchers October 15, 2006 and weighed in at 224 lbs. I had been at a good weight for a while, then lost a lot of weight very rapidly due to ... well, due to poverty, actually. I had no money for food, and what little food I managed to get, my roommates stole from me. *shrug* So I lost a lot of weight, and when I was finally able to move out, get a job and start eating real food again, I gained it all back ... and then some. J (my fiance) and I started eating healthy foods, but our portions were way off, and it took a while for us to figure out why the heck we were gaining weight when we ate good things. We started WW together (on our anniversary, no less) and since then I've lost 31 lbs and J's lost close to 90 (why yes, I would like to smother him in his sleep, why do you ask?

).

I still don't trust myself with portion control, so we do the Flex plan with WW. The Core plan requires that you stop eating when you're satisfied, and sometimes I can't tell and keep eating until I'm stuffed. I'm also an emotional eater: I eat when I'm sad, angry or bored (most often when I'm bored). Since I only have a limited number of "Points" to eat every day, I'm a lot more conscious of what I eat and how much, and that's really helped. I've also started going to a gym (I really, really like my gym, too -- the people are great, the equipment is well-maintained, and the gym itself is a work of art, plus there are womens' only work-out studios and even a womens' only pool!); I'm pretty much at the point where I have to work out in order to continue losing weight.

According to my BMI, I should be around 125 lbs; even at my fittest, healthiest weight I still weighed more than that, so I don't believe that's a realistic weight for me. I'm aiming for 165 lbs, which is more reasonable, and when I get there I'll talk to my doctor; if she thinks I'm healthy and fit, that'll do for me. (Of course I'd love to be smaller, but I'm not going to set myself up for failure here. If, when I hit my current goal weight, I still am unhappy with my weight, I'll keep going, but if it's not possible, I'm not beating myself up about it.)

My biggest motivation for my weight loss is my health. My family has a history of high blood pressure, and I've lost loved ones to heart attacks (my mom had a heart attack in February 2005 and is in excellent shape today, but it was a real wake-up call for all of us), plus there's also a history of diabetes, breast cancer and other weight-related illnesses. Another motivation for me is my desire to actually be stylish -- and to stop paying a fortune on plus-sized clothing. I'd rather pay a fortune on clothes I feel attractive in, than on clothes I'm just using to camoflauge my weight. Oh, and shoes: I want dainty, pretty, feminine shoes. I want to be girly!

 

[catsarebetter]

Yes, that is definitely one thing I've noticed about being heavier.. I used to wear killer heels all the time... and now I can barely walk in them. I'm sure that's a combination of being out of shape, but also that I haven't worn them, but man, I have to say, my feet hurt *alot* more with the extra weight than they did when I was in better shape.

 

[berylayn]

These have all been inspirational stories and great tips so far. I was thinking it would be fun to maybe set mini goals and have a 'Challenge' to see if we can reach them. The challenge could start this Sat and end Memorial Day Weekend (May 26). That would be 7 weeks. The goal for each person would be different and could be exercise related, food related or water related, or a goal of lbs. to lose and then we can track our own goal with support from fellow TCSers. Then we can reassess and start a new challenge after that if it goes well. I can compile a list of everyone's mini goals (just PM me) and we can start a challenge thread on Sat. Does anyone else like this suggestion? Is this a silly idea? What do you guys think?

 

[carolpetunia]

It's a GREAT idea! And if you're willing to keep track for us, that's very kind of you! Let me think a bit about what my goals should be...

 

[berylayn]

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

It's a GREAT idea! And if you're willing to keep track for us, that's very kind of you! Let me think a bit about what my goals should be...

My thought is that if everyone's mini goals are PMed to me by Sat. they can be the first post on the 'Challenge' thread and then we can easily go back and refer to it make sure we're keeping on track.

 

[tari]

Great idea! I'm going to PM you with my mini-goal now.

It's great to see everyone joining in!! I also wish I had gotten myself in gear when I only needed to lose 10 or 20 lbs...but you know what they say about hindsight. Bruce, 150 lbs lost!! That's terrific!!

Well, I'll be the first to confess that I'm motivated at least in part by vanity, though health concerns are the main part of it. My job requires me to do a lot of presenting and be in the public eye quite a bit, and I do feel a lot more confident at a lower weight. I have high cholesterol, though, which has to be controlled by medication, and a huge family history of diabetes. So I really need to get in shape before I eat myself to death!

Even though I'm doing Weight Watchers I have to say that I don't think it's necessarily the answer for everyone. It works for me because I NEED the structure...keeping track of my points, attending meetings, weekly weigh-ins. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all answer for everyone, though. You need to find what works for you.

The "Trash the Dress" site is so cool. My BIL is a photojournalist, and he took our wedding photos. I bet he'd love that. I'll have to see if he'd consider doing something like that with me. (I'd have to have the dress taken in, though...I'm about 40 lbs lighter than I was when I got married.)

 

[berylayn]

Originally Posted by Tari

The "Trash the Dress" site is so cool. My BIL is a photojournalist, and he took our wedding photos. I bet he'd love that. I'll have to see if he'd consider doing something like that with me. (I'd have to have the dress taken in, though...I'm about 40 lbs lighter than I was when I got married.)

Haha, I wish I could say I'd lost weight since my wedding. (Hubby on the other hand has lost 20lbs). Hopefully this challenge will be motivating enough for me to get in my dress again.

We loved our photographers so I am excited about the chance to work with them again.

 

[catsarebetter]

I was just thinking earlier about posting something about mini-goals. I think there are a couple of things that might be useful, or that I'm going to do at least:

My first goal as suggested by weight watchers, is 25 pounds. However, I think I'm going to hang an outfit or item of clothing in the next size down somewhere I see it often and work toward that getting into that item of clothing. Next week, I want to make an effort to add just a *touch* of exercise into my life. Like.. walking up the stairs from the first to second floor of my office building every time I go from the first floor to the seventh (which is the floor I work on).

Some suggestions for that were... if you take a bus, get off one stop earlier and walk; park at the farthest parking space at a store, instead of the closest; make a point of walking to the closest telephone or light post to your house and back, every day; get up during the commercials of one of your favorite tv shows and walk in place while it's on.

 

[icklemiss21]

We have a TCS group on sparkpeople if anyone wants to join and help track the challenges!

 

[berylayn]

What a neat site! I have never been there before - joining now and exploring.

 

[lionessrampant]

I did it! I woke up early and went running this morning!

 

[carolpetunia]

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

I did it! I woke up early and went running this morning!

Outstanding! Congratulations!