Healthy Weight Loss

[katsarecool]

Shoveling does count!!!! Count me in!

[Gemme]

Just for kicks, I plugged my info into the points'ometer and came up with 24. I'm not sure what good that will do me, as I don't count points, but it's good to know, I guess.

*grin*

I use the website thedailyplate.com to log my daily food intake and exercise. You set up your free profile, with your age, activity level, et cetera and then, as you add food, it makes the adjustments necessary. When you add exercise or actitivies (shoveling, sex, even walking on crutches!), it makes the adjustments to your caloric limit, since an exercising and/or working hard body requires more fuel.

For me, it's helped a bit to remind myself that that's all food is. Fuel. Some days, usually about 10-14 days out of the month, I don't care what the Hell it is, I just WANT it, but the rest of the time, it helps. I don't put sugar or sand in my car. It would ruin my engine, so why do I put so much sugar and junk in my body? I've had to have some pretty heavy 'what is food to me' discussions with myself over the past few months.

On my better days, it's fuel for my body. On my less than stellar days, it's comfort to soothe sadness or hurt feelings, to alleviate boredom, or to fill a void of some kind that I'm just not ready to address.

I've actively been exercising and eating healthier for about 2.5 months now. I had the luxury of being able to spend a LOT of time at the gym (nearly every day for at least an hour) before I found my job. Now, I am going about 3 times a week for an hour and a half each time. Since I began doing all this, I've dropped about 15 pounds.

I still have a little ways to go before I am at my goal weight, but it's not just the number on the scale that I'm working towards. I'm slowing teaching myself that, while it's fine to indulge now and then and for special occasions, when I reach for something to eat, I want my first instinct to be something that is good for me. I am making progress, but it's definitely a journey that I've just begun.

[lipstixgal]

I had a WW meal and a salad maybe banana bread for dessert or just a yogurt as a snack because you need three milks for WW..I'm so glad this thread is here..Thanks Jo[/COLOR]

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by katsarecool

Shoveling does count!!!! Count me in!

Never gonna have snow here. BUT , I did trim a 15 foot high Bougainvillea bush, and raked eucalyptus and pepper tree debris from our 7 days of rain. Grass is still too mushy to mow today though.

So,if interested, here is a Body Mass Index Calculator . Here it is..

[betenoire]

I don't like the BMI thing at all. it doesn't take into account things like body type and muscle mass.

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by betenoire

I don't like the BMI thing at all. it doesn't take into account things like body type and muscle mass.

"Center for Disease Body Mass Index: FAQ link

""""CDC:Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problem"

The better discriptors here

How reliable is BMI as an indicator of body fatness?
The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however the correlation varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples: 3, 4

At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men.
At the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults.
Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness.
It is also important to remember that BMI is only one factor related to risk for disease. For assessing someone's likelihood of developing overweight- or obesity-related diseases, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines recommend looking at two other predictors:

The individual's waist circumference (because abdominal fat is a predictor of risk for obesity-related diseases).
Other risk factors the individual has for diseases and conditions associated with obesity (for example, high blood pressure or physical inactivity).
For more information about the assessment of health risk for developing overweight- and obesity-related diseases, visit the following Web pages from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:"""Assessing Your Risk
Body Mass Index Table
Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults

[shadows papa]

Originally Posted by Tommi

"Center for Disease Body Mass Index: FAQ link

""""CDC:Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problem"

The better discriptors here

How reliable is BMI as an indicator of body fatness?
The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however the correlation varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples: 3, 4

At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men.
At the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults.
Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness.
It is also important to remember that BMI is only one factor related to risk for disease. For assessing someone's likelihood of developing overweight- or obesity-related diseases, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines recommend looking at two other predictors:

The individual's waist circumference (because abdominal fat is a predictor of risk for obesity-related diseases).
Other risk factors the individual has for diseases and conditions associated with obesity (for example, high blood pressure or physical inactivity).
For more information about the assessment of health risk for developing overweight- and obesity-related diseases, visit the following Web pages from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:"""Assessing Your Risk
Body Mass Index Table
Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults

Tommi thanks for the additional info on the BMI. I'm not and never will be a huge proponent of using this scale but I am a nutrition wonk and LOVE learning new things!

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by shadows papa

Tommi thanks for the additional info on the BMI. I'm not and never will be a huge proponent of using this scale but I am a nutrition wonk and LOVE learning new things!

Same here, I checked out Gemme's link, and will follow up on it.

[JustJo]

Thanks for the BMI link Tommi....I came up much higher than I like. Of course, it says for my height a range of 119 to 152 is normal...and I know that the lowest weight I've had as an adult (living on fish and salad and working out 2 solid hours a day) was 155.

For me, a weight of about 175 is fabulous...I feel good, I look good, clothes fit well, my diabetes is under control...and, yes, I still have a big butt!

Weight is such an individual thing...I think as long as the numbers are good (blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.) then the rest is just a matter of where I feel good.

[RockOn]

JustJo, I am the same way about Big Macs. I have to order 2 to make it worth my while. One only leaves me with the "wanting" feeling. Not that it really helps but I do take out the middle piece of bread. I do it because I am not that fond of bread and it really only serves as bland filler for me.

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by ZimmygLrL

When I stopped drinking soda and when I craved one, I would keep a natural fruit soda called, Izze soda. It is fruit juice and sparkling water.

That's a great suggestion Zimmy! I love soda and miss it, but know that I can't drink regular soda...and diet soda isn't great for me either. Last time I was in AZ my work buddy turned me on to Zevia soda also...sweetened with Stevia, so no sugar, no artificial sweetener...and stevia actually has a stabilizing effect on diabetics' blood sugar levels. It's expensive, and I need to order it.....although I just discovered Amazon will deliver it free.

Originally Posted by Brock

JustJo, I am the same way about Big Macs. I have to order 2 to make it worth my while. One only leaves me with the "wanting" feeling. Not that it really helps but I do take out the middle piece of bread. I do it because I am not that fond of bread and it really only serves as bland filler for me.

I am convinced that Big Macs are addictive Brock....there's something about them! I do like your idea of taking out the center bread for those times when I do cave in and get one though...at least I can feel a tiny bit virtuous, even as I'm cheating!

I pretty much blew it yesterday....had such a busy day of shopping that I didn't get my walk in...so my exercise was pushing shopping cart and dodging people in WalMart, walking in BJ's, and carrying in bags. Not great. I also ate too much...and was just getting ready to be all hard on myself when I remembered that the last time the WW points thing worked for me, I took one day a week "off." I followed the points 6 out of 7 days, walked at least 5 out of 7....and it worked. So....yesterday was my day off....and I don't even have to feel bad about it!

Cheers to you all!

[Captain Franki]

Any tips for fat loss when you're already quite slim? I'm 5" 3' and 110 pound ish . a small proportion of that is muscle.
i've been trying to balance weightloss with muscle gain (mostly biceps/triceps work) but i'm hitting a bit of a plateau now.
my fat distribution is weird.the first place it comes off is my back. i've only ever been unhappy with my back when i was at my highest weight. my arms, hips (yes!!), legs, face. chest and butt lose next. thighs are a bit slow. but... i have stubborn fat around my waist and stomach that just won't go without a huge fight. my middle section clings and clings. i guess i'm a skinny apple, perhaps. i look slim in clothing sometimes but when it comes off: blech.

I'm thinking of giving up on weightloss and just concentrating completely on muscle gain. but if there's any good advice i might keep on keeping on.

i'm ultimately after a toned andro look but i'm pretty skinnyfat type.

[Blade]

Originally Posted by Captain Franki

Any tips for fat loss when you're already quite slim? I'm 5" 3' and 110 pound ish . a small proportion of that is muscle.
i've been trying to balance weightloss with muscle gain (mostly biceps/triceps work) but i'm hitting a bit of a plateau now.
my fat distribution is weird.the first place it comes off is my back. i've only ever been unhappy with my back when i was at my highest weight. my arms, hips (yes!!), legs, face. chest and butt lose next. thighs are a bit slow. but... i have stubborn fat around my waist and stomach that just won't go without a huge fight. my middle section clings and clings. i guess i'm a skinny apple, perhaps. i look slim in clothing sometimes but when it comes off: blech.

I'm thinking of giving up on weightloss and just concentrating completely on muscle gain. but if there's any good advice i might keep on keeping on.

i'm ultimately after a toned andro look but i'm pretty skinnyfat type.

Muscle weighs more than fat. You have to have some fat on your body. Eat plenty of protein, meat, eggs, protein shakes and work those muscles. You probably need to gain weight threw muscle mass, but again you are going to have some fat.

[Licious]

Thank you for starting this thread. Have some pounds I added over the last year that simply must go for health reasons. *subscribing*

[Kelt]

I was just crunching my data again (surprise) and came up with something truly weird, at least to me. I measure myself quarterly at 9 different points in order to see where the pounds are coming from, this time I tallied it all up from the start and so far I have lost a total of 74 inches in girth. What is weird/creepy about this is that I am only 65 inches tall. And still have more to lose.



As far as accountability goes, since my last check in with you all, I have dropped another 26 lbs.

I think I am funding orthodontics for my tailor's daughter.

[starryeyes]

Hey All..

I am SO glad to see this thread! I have recently been struggling with my weight loss. I lost 60lbs over the course of a year with Weight Watchers, exercise and a lot of motivation. I have been going though stress in my life, which has resulted in a 15lbs gain over the past 7 months. I am really trying to get back on track, but I am STRUGGLING!! I was only 20 lbs from my lifetime goal back in November, and I have just given up! I don't know if it was because they changed the plan and that screwed me up, or if it just because I got comfortable. I am still active, I play on a soccer team and I have just taken up boxing. I guess I am taking it day by day, but wow I am getting frusterated!!!

Weight watchers worked for me when I followed the program, so I know thats what I need to do. I was a point NAZI with the old program. I need to relearn this new program and back to my ways of tracking again.

:-)
Starry

[Jessica]

I have found that if you cut your portions and eat small portions every few hrs you lose weight. I have lost 25lbs by doing this. I don't exercise (im too lazy for that). I just eat less but more often. Hope that helps

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Jessica

I have found that if you cut your portions and eat small portions every few hrs you lose weight. I have lost 25lbs by doing this. I don't exercise (im too lazy for that). I just eat less but more often. Hope that helps

That is definitely something i keep saying i am going to do and never do..
Although i am cutting back in portions now, and eating more veggies than anything else.. YAY on losing the 25 lbs by simply doing that.. it's awesome when altering our eating patterns can make such a difference alone..

My dietician set me up with an eating plan that i've been following ....

Breakfast - protein, starch & fruit
Morning Snack - 1 piece of fruit
Lunch - protein, starch & vegetables
Afternoon snack - fruit & protein
Supper - protein, starch & vegetables
Evening Snack - anything no more than 100-150 calories

My rules to go by are:
1/ no eating passed 8pm
2/ water, water & water..
3/ breakfast must be eaten within 2 hours of waking up
4/ protein - meat should be 2 oz, for breakfast can be 1 egg, piece of cheese or peanut butter on toast, etc..
5/ starch - nothing white, multigrain or whole wheat (small portion)
6/ vegetables should cover half the plate if hungry, only a lil protein and starch (i find it easier to make salad for the veggies, i'm a salad lover)
7/ no white anything (flours, sugars, etc)
8/ fruit should be 1/2 cup serving
9/ no sodapop & junkfood
10/ no processed food

So far its working really well for me - though i do need to start finding some recipes and trying new things for my meals, to add a lil zing... so i guess the way my plan goes i am eating small meals through the day cept the salads can be big sometimes depending how hungry i am, but its just a garden salad and i use lemon juice for flavor rather than dressing..

Also, i usually only eat chicken and fish, i've never been very big on other meats anyway!

[Sweet_Amor_Taino]

I have lost weight about 10 pounds and last wek I join the 24 hour fitness Gym and paid for an individual fitness instructor for 3 sessions. I am proud of myself.. Now i have to keep it up.

[firegal]

Just a check in, ive lost 22 lbs and am 3.5 miles on treadmill, Alternating body parts for free weights. Also setting up the ole weight bench in the office.......now weight room. For when i want an extra set or two after leavin the gym.

My turn to cook at work, fish tacos.... baked cod with raw cabbage and salsa

Yum!

Terry