What are you planning to do to lose weight in 2018

[Negin]

On 12/30/2017 at 11:28 AM, The Accidental Coach said:

My biggest hurdle is anxiety/depression eating and I am anxious/depressed quite a bit. I need to address this before I can be successful with long-term weight loss. It takes me a month to lose 5 pounds and just a few days to gain it (or more) back due to cortisol levels.

This is me to the "t". 

On 12/30/2017 at 12:39 PM, FriedClams said:

Continue with Weight Watchers. I'm down 46.4 since July and feel great. I have 30ish to go. I love WW - the app is amazing, nothing is off limits, and the meetings are great. And, it works if you work it. It's so nice to be part of a community where everyone cheers each other on.

I agree. I have successfully lost with WW, and you said it perfectly: "It works if you work it". So far, and I've gone through so much when it comes to weight loss and maintenance, WW is my favorite diet plan. I fell off the bandwagon for a while, and just started again. I have a lot to lose, but I also have hope. It will be a lifetime thing for me. There's no WW near me, so I only do it online. 

On 12/30/2017 at 1:19 PM, FriedClams said:

I think the theory is to eat until satisfied, not full or stuffed. The hard thing is that if I were good at eating to satisfaction, I wouldn't be needing WW. 😉 So, my plan is to keep measuring and make sure I'm eating one "portion" before I go on to seconds. So, a cup of berries not a bowl (I've been doing the bowl....a couple times a day...). A half cup of yogurt, not a big blob (since it's "zero" points). I had my first gain this week and my only explanation is too much fruit. I'm focusing on adding in a lot more vegetables and being more conscious of serving size and tracking really well. I talked to my leader about it and she was SO RIGHT that learning to stop when saited is a skill that I need to learn to be successful in the long term, so I'm committing to it.

Good reminder. I tend to eat too much fruit. I wonder if one can eat too many vegetables? I doubt it, or at least, I hope not. I guess the key point is to know and recognize when one is satiated and not stuffed. 

On 12/30/2017 at 1:51 PM, EmilyGF said:

For me, Weight Watchers seems to provide a middle-of-the-read approach where I can have pizza or sugar cookies, but not both, and not for every meal. But I've had guests, Christmas, and evenings out and been able to stay on plan the whole time. Heck, I've eaten chocolate pecan pie every day this week - but a 1" square that I've tracked and countered by eating lots of veggies and low-fat proteins at meals. So I'm finding WW is helping me be moderate in a way that seemed impossible before. But, of course, I'm only 3 weeks in!

This is what I love about WW. I considered THM for a while, but that wouldn't work for me, I don't think. WW is simple, neat, and user-friendly. 

On 12/30/2017 at 2:34 PM, Lady Florida. said:

I forgot to mention exercise. I plan to keep at my jessicasmithtv videos, increasing as I can, as well as taking walks. Where I live this is the time to get outside before it gets hot and humid again, so dh and I have been power walking together. When it's too hot out I do videos.

I love Jessica Smith! Like you, it's too hot here where I live also. 

[Chris in VA]

late to this party but just wanted to say 😀good for you guys! I have 80 lbs to lose and I'm not quite sure how to go about it, but just living here means more walking and no fast food. I am down about 5lbs just thru forced lifestyle changes. 

[Wheres Toto]

On 12/30/2017 at 2:18 PM, Where's Toto? said:

I was doing some of this already, but had to stop kick-boxing for December because I had bronchitis, and I'm very weak with all the sugar around right now.

I plan to:

1) go to kick-boxing 2-3 times a week

2) where my Fitbit so I can see how many steps I get just teaching my classes and add walks to make sure I hit 8000 daily

3) start doing Tai-Chi, or yoga at home on the days I don't do kick-boxing

4) add walks and even light jogging when the weather gets nice

5) cut out sugar and start eating better again - mostly whole foods, drinking lots of water, lots of vegetables

I'm hoping this will all lead to some weight loss, but if it doesn't I'm okay with that.  I'm going for healthier rather than thinner.

So, just about nothing that I planned for 2018 actually happened.

-the dojo changed their kick-boxing schedule and I would have only been able to make it once a week.  It wasn't worth the $$ if I couldn't go more often.  We did end up joining the Y because ds quit TKD (due to his bully) although we were really bad about getting the last few months.   

-I do wear my Fitbit most of the time and I do get quite a bit of steps some days.  Most of my classes I'm on my feet the whole time but I'm not walking a lot, just back and forth a small area.

-very little walking, jogging or hiking in the nice weather.  

-Did okay with the eating better until September/October, then it all went to heck.

No matter what I do, my weight tends to stay in the same 5 pound range.  That range is about 50 pounds too heavy for me, but it could be worse.  

New Plans for 2019:

1) go to the Y at least 3 times  a week to workout - treadmill, weight machines - aerobic and strength training

2) Take walks, do Tai Chi or yoga when I have breaks between classes or before classes in the morning.  I have Amazon tvs at the science center so I can watch videos on youtube.  There's more room here than at home so it should be easier.  I'll rope the kids into this too.

3) I wasn't able to convince dh that I needed a heavy bag (I really like kick-boxing) but I'm going to talk to him about having that as an incentive if I lose 20 pounds.  I think it would be a good thing for the kids as well (they enjoy it), but we would have to really consider where to put it.  His objection was the lack of space.  They have a bag at the Y but it's super-light and swings too much.

4) More vegetables, less sugar, more water.   I'm going to try unflavored bone broth in my tea.  It's supposed to be good for anemia (among other things) without the stomach upsets iron pills cause.  More energy means more exercise and better eating. 

Hopefully this year will go better. 

[Acadie]

I love these printable 21-Day Fix tally sheets, but use them for my own purposes. I did post a list of 21-day fix food categories and portion sizes inside my cabinet, but I'm not at all religious about it. It just helps me to see visually what I've eaten and what I need more of in any given day. I'll tend to go for a protein or fruit snack when I look at the chart, for example, instead of carbs. I also like that it's low but not no carb, because my body needs a couple small carb servings in a day. Also, I try to make this a lifestyle, not a short term burst, with some days now and then when I'm not following the plan.

http://www.beachreadynow.com/21-day-fix-printable-tally-sheets/

Aren't they so pretty?! I call it my Rainbow Eating plan, and it's fun to write in what I ate in each pie slice. I usually have veggies and eggs for breakfast and a big salad with protein for lunch to get in enough veggie and protein servings. Then I have whatever I make my family for dinner, but with a smaller serving of carbs. I like that I'm satisfied and eating more nutritient-dense foods when I do this.

I also made a list of exercises I can do in different amounts of time, which helps surmount the excuse that I don't have time. There's never a day when I can't fit in at least a couple of the short options, and I really notice the difference even with such minimal effort. This list has also helped me realize that I can exercise even when I have some type of injury.

6 min mile on exercise bike

10 min walk around block with dog

10 min PT upstairs (I was in a car accident this summer and have stretching and strengthening I do lying down)

20 min PT strength circuit downstairs (hand weights, abs, pushups, cat/cow, PT band etc)

30 min walk or run

yoga anywhere from 5 to 90 min 

 

[Guest]

I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I thought this was interesting: a friend of mine posted on FB that her “weight resolution” for 2019 is that she is going to eat food, exercise naturally and accept her body shape and size as it is. (By exercise naturally, this would mean, if she goes for a walk with a friend, good. But no more goals abou the “way” to do it.) 

This is a friend who has fought having a larger body for thirty years and she is done with all this fraught upset and “self-abuse” emotionally surrounding food and size. It’s a paradigm shift for sure. But she seems at peace about her size for the first time ever. 

[StaceyinLA]

I didn’t participate in this thread last year, but just saw it pop up. I started a Whole 30 thread to see if anyone might be doing that during January. I haven’t really gained or lost. I tend to hover at 130 eating whatever I want and not really exercising (not proud of that).

However, I know better about a lot of the foods I’ve been eating, and I also really want to be hovering around 120 instead. I’m 5’3 1/2 and it’s where my clothing all fits and feels most comfortable. I REFUSE to buy new clothes.

So I’m just kicking off the year with a Whole 30 to sort of reset myself, then figuring out where I really want to go with my diet from there. I don’t necessarily want to eat paleo because I’d prefer to limit my meat (I do only buy local, free-range or grass-fed meats though), but I also don’t want to go vegan because I don’t want to make up for it with a lot of gluten/soy. It’s not that I need a label per se, but I do a lot better when I have a plan to follow - helps me when I’m looking for recipes and things like that.

Anyway, I guess the main thing is, after Whole 30, I want to stick to pretty much a Whole Foods diet that limits (not eliminates) dairy, grains and meats, and pretty much eliminates any refined sugar. I really just want to increase my veggies a LOT, have healthy fats, very little grain, and lean protein.

Whole 30 just helps me with all the cravings and it breaks me from sugar completely.

Edited January 4, 2019 by StaceyinLA

[SeaConquest]

On 1/3/2019 at 1:49 AM, ondreeuh said:

 

Saw this come up on the front page. I am thrilled to say I lost 75# in 2018 and am still on track (though I maintained for December). 

I used the WW system for most of the year but now mainly track calories and eat a healthy diet. I exercise daily - in the spring I started walking the dog daily, then in the summer twice a day.  Now that the weather is crummy I have switched to at-home workouts and have increased the intensity.  

I went from a size 20W/2XL to a 10/medium. I love being able to shop in straight sizes and be pretty assured that the clothes will look good. I am going to a ball this month and my dress is a 10. 

I love what I eat, and I love feeling strong and energetic. I’m hoping 2019 goes smoothly as I am close to maintenance and everyone says that can be harder than losing. 

 

That is incredible! Good for you! I am so happy that you found something that worked for you!

I am nearly one year out from gastric bypass and have lost 65 pounds. That is much less than anyone else in my cohort, but I also had a lot less to lose. I am currently 152 (at 5' 4") and still losing, albeit very very very slowly. I start nursing school next month, so the task from here on out will be to maintain my weight. I tend to eat more crap when I get busier, so that is a concern for me, as I learn to juggle my new normal of balancing nursing school with homeschooling my two boys.

Some recent pics from our cruise last month (no weight gain on the cruise, unbelievably!):
 

 

  

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by SeaConquest

[Carol in Cal.]

Somewhere I read that there is an Asian country (I can’t remember whether it’s China or Japan) where one of the healthy recommendations is, “Eat until you are 80% full.”  That resonates with me, so I thought I’d share it.  I grew up on the ‘clean your plate’ thing, and also developed a childhood habit of saving some of my favorite food for last to keep me going.  That means that I tend to eat too much, and also that I early on got used to feeling 110% full at the end of most meals.  It is not that hard for me to leave some food, but it is VERY hard to break the ‘save the best for last’ habit.  Have been working on that off and on this last year.  

[Selkie]

3 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Somewhere I read that there is an Asian country (I can’t remember whether it’s China or Japan) where one of the healthy recommendations is, “Eat until you are 80% full.”  That resonates with me, so I thought I’d share it.  I grew up on the ‘clean your plate’ thing, and also developed a childhood habit of saving some of my favorite food for last to keep me going.  That means that I tend to eat too much, and also that I early on got used to feeling 110% full at the end of most meals.  It is not that hard for me to leave some food, but it is VERY hard to break the ‘save the best for last’ habit.  Have been working on that off and on this last year.  

I follow that rule, too! It's Japanese and it's called Hara Hachi Bu.

[Stacia]

On 1/3/2019 at 8:55 AM, Selkie said:

Dh and I went 100% whole food plant based in 2018. We follow Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen.

We have both lost 40+ lbs.

In addition to losing weight, our health has improved in so many ways. Dh's lifelong allergies and eczema are barely noticeable now. My high blood pressure is back to normal, my rosacea is gone, and the arthritis in my hands has disappeared.

I started this (most of the time) about three months ago after getting my annual physical & blood test results. My cholesterol was in the mid-300s. (Don't google that as it will tell you are in imminent heart attack or stroke range. 😱) And I had been a vegetarian for over 20 years at that point. But, I was a "bad" vegetarian -- too many processed foods, too much pizza, etc. (I have actually had high cholesterol since I was in my 20s but never took anything for it.)

I did get put on a statin, but because of snafus between the dr. office & the pharmacy, I didn't get it until a month later. In the meantime, I researched & read & decided that a whole food, plant based diet was the way to best lower my cholesterol. I haven't followed it 100% (yet). I'd say I'm following it about 85% of the time at this point. When I went for a recheck after three months (& 2 months of being on the statin), my cholesterol had dropped over 200 points. I don't think it was the medicine alone. I was stunned. Really stunned. (It's not like I felt "better" or healthier or could tell any improvements re: skin; I am hoping that changes/improves with more time.) I had also dropped ten pounds.

I am continuing this lifestyle & hoping to eventually get off the statin & continue losing weight.

[BeachGal]

This year my goals are to

—cut back on coffee and not drink it until 8 am

—eat within 7-9 hours, ending around 5 pm latest but allowing 2 cheat days

— add more weight lifting 

— start up hiit and running again. I let them slide too much this year

[SeaConquest]

11 hours ago, Margaret in CO said:

I didn't post in this in the past year because I didn't start my weight loss journey until June 25th, when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. My A1C was in the "suicidal" range (according to one chart). I have now gotten it down in the non-diabetic range and I've lost 42 lbs. 8 more to go! I walk 10 miles a day and I have cut out sweets. I am a stress eater, and with dh's melanoma, there's plenty of stress around here! I've halved my dose of Metformin, with goal of getting off it altogether. I did have to chuckle at dh today (not outloud) when I asked him to check the temp of the water heater. It's gotten turned up. "Yeah, I noticed it's shrunk all my pants." Um, not the water heater dear. You just ate 3 helpings of spaghetti and 4 slices of bread!

 

10 miles!!! You're my hero. It would take me all day to walk 10 miles! 42 lbs in six months is incredible. You are amazing!!!

[Negin]

On 1/3/2019 at 5:49 AM, ondreeuh said:

 

Saw this come up on the front page. I am thrilled to say I lost 75# in 2018 and am still on track (though I maintained for December). 

I used the WW system for most of the year but now mainly track calories and eat a healthy diet. I exercise daily - in the spring I started walking the dog daily, then in the summer twice a day.  Now that the weather is crummy I have switched to at-home workouts and have increased the intensity.  

I went from a size 20W/2XL to a 10/medium. I love being able to shop in straight sizes and be pretty assured that the clothes will look good. I am going to a ball this month and my dress is a 10. 

I love what I eat, and I love feeling strong and energetic. I’m hoping 2019 goes smoothly as I am close to maintenance and everyone says that can be harder than losing. 

This is wonderful and inspiring. Good for you! 

On 1/3/2019 at 7:33 AM, DawnM said:

 

 It has been a very rough year in many ways emotionally.  

 

Sorry to hear that, Dawn. So sorry. Life can be so hard at times. Hopefully, it'll be easier soon. 

On 1/3/2019 at 10:02 AM, teachermom2834 said:

Well nothing I tried in 2018 worked 😭

So- I am going back to just roughly tracking calories, trying to eat healthy and in moderation, and exercise. Moderation isn’t really my strongest character trait but I feel really done with the dieting lifestyle. 

Moderation is hard for me also. I'm trying. Weight will forever be my challenge. I hope that your year will be easier also. 

[dirty ethel rackham]

I saw this pop up today.  You all are so inspiring.   I noticed this thread last year, but I was not in a good head space to participate.  Well, 2018 was a hard year for me.   Lots of stress, grief and emotional eating. I think I was experiencing lots of anticipatory grief for the first 3/4 of the year about dd leaving for college (not just missing her but knowing that most of my social activities were tied to her in some way.)  Then she went away to school and I was in a tailspin.   Since my exercise had largely centered around taking her to climbing team practice and working out while I was there, that ended.  My plan to join a local yoga studio that was much more friendly to broken bodies fell through because they had scaled back on their gentler classes and the ones they did have didn't work with my school schedule.  I also took two hard classes this fall and ended up snacking a lot to stay alert for studying.   So, instead of losing weight, I gained 8 lbs since she left.  Dh's heart attack in November was a wake-up call, but my SAD was really hitting me hard and I just barely got through Christmas.  

Now that all the Christmas goodies are gone, the house is fairly decently decluttered (had to do it before hosting Christmas eve), and I have some time before classes start again, I felt a bit more positive about making changes.  On an impulse, I signed up for Noom.  I'm still in the trial phase, but there are lots of things that are working for me.  No meetings, but several reminders during the day to log my food.  A daily checklist that is manageable.  Daily weigh ins (which I haven't been doing since my scale stopped working) which takes the anxiety out of them.  You know that the scale fluctuates from day to day so you don't really worry about the number.  Just record and go on.  And a personal coach that I communicate with on a weekly basis.  I had tried Weight Watchers in the past and was fairly successful.  But they were not a good fit during the winter due to my  seasonal affective disorder.  I also found their weigh-ins stressful and discouraging.  Some of the staff were subtly shaming when I had set-backs (even when I was checking all the right boxes.)

My goals for 2019:

1.  Lose 30 lbs by July.

2. Increase my veggie intake and reduce my boredom snacking.  (I already started by making a batch of omelet muffins loaded with veggies for my busy mornings and doing more steel cut oats in the IP (which will help hubby.)

3.  Get my cholesterol down to normal ranges by July.  They were a bit high at my last doctor's visit.

4. Get to the gym 3 times a week, even if it is a light workout.  Just a little cardio earns a really good stretch.  

5. Start adding some shorter yoga videos now that I can stream YouTube on my TV, with the goal of being strong enough to make it through an hour long class by February (too much pain right now.)

6.  Most important: work on keeping a positive head space and not get defeated by setbacks.  My therapist and I have a plan and I am putting in place some positive things to do which should help with loneliness.  

Now, if they can get ahead of the shortages of my thyroid medicine and I don't have any episodes where I have to do without or take something that has been ineffective for me in the past, I might have a sportin'  chance of making some of these.  

[hornblower]

Congrats to everyone - even if you didn't quite meet your goals, awareness and attempts at nudging ourselves to healthier eating patterns are things to be celebrated! 

@SeaConquest I hear you on the going back to school and eating well thing. Last semester was a bit wobbly for me. This semester the plan is to do a bit more batch cooking on the weekends and have more healthful, portable, and fast options available throughout the week. Dh cooked for me a lot but he defaults to a lot of prepared vegan foods for speed and I want us to move away from that. 

This was my cancer treatments year & I was pretty happy that I ended the year essentially at my same (normal bmi) weight. However I lost tons of physical and cardiovascular strength during chemo so my 2019 goals are to rebuild that. Chemo also totally fried my ovaries so I went into instant menopause and have been warned that maintaining weight will be harder and harder but it's also increasingly critical in prevention of recurrences. 

I'm following Dr Greger's Daily Dozen & Dr Kristi Funk's 14 "Eat to Beat Breast Cancer" foods The lists essentially overlap so that makes is pretty easy. 

[SeaConquest]

15 hours ago, dirty ethel rackham said:

Daily weigh ins (which I haven't been doing since my scale stopped working) which takes the anxiety out of them.  You know that the scale fluctuates from day to day so you don't really worry about the number.  Just record and go on.  And a personal coach that I communicate with on a weekly basis.  I had tried Weight Watchers in the past and was fairly successful.  But they were not a good fit during the winter due to my  seasonal affective disorder.  I also found their weigh-ins stressful and discouraging.  Some of the staff were subtly shaming when I had set-backs (even when I was checking all the right boxes.)

 

I also try to weigh in daily (except during my period because...just...why???) for the same reasons. I find that, if I see myself going up, it helps me to pull back a bit and just be more mindful about my eating throughout the day vs. waiting an entire week and then going into panic or shame/blame mode. I also found WW weigh-ins to be discouraging, especially because I am *always* a slow loser, which seemed to translate into "try harder, Monique". My body is great for surviving famine, not so great for winning approval points in WW. Hugs to you.

[Guest]

Reported.